News & Tips

End of summer pest control tips

We are coming to the end of “bug season.” The mosquitoes will die off soon and the ants will go below ground. However, now is the time for rats and mice to find a warm home for the winter. Your home will suit them just fine, unless you take a few simple preventative steps.

Check all around the outside of the home for holes in the masonry, brickwork, or siding. Using a caulking gun, fill in these gaps. A mouse can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime.

Look at your basement air vents. These are a prime entry spot for rats. Check to see if there are any tears in the screens and patch or replace them.

The Roman general Julius Caesar, once said, “If you want to defeat your enemy, you have to learn to think like your enemy.” Try to think like a rat. Where would he like to nest in your house? If you have a furnace in the basement, look there first. There are almost always rodent droppings on top of the furnace. Place your traps and bait packs on and around this unit.

Don't forget the roaches, too. They can move in for the winter. Throw out the roach baits you used in the spring and put out fresh ones. You may notice some have been “cleaned out.” That's not a bad sign. Remember, a roach can always hitch a ride into your home in a bag from the supermarket or the dry cleaners.

Check with Stockdale's for all the products you'll need to keep your home pest-free this fall and winter.