Renovating your home is a rewarding but challenging undertaking. Whether you’re updating a single room or your entire living space, it’s gratifying to see the finished product and share it with friends and family. Unfortunately, pests are always waiting to revel in the celebration with you. The renovation process can leave your home vulnerable to insects, rodents and other unwanted invaders looking for shelter. That’s why it’s important to factor pest exclusion and prevention into your home renovation plans.
Here are some expert tips for fortifying your home during renovations:
Keep An Eye Out For Structural Gaps
While making changes to your home, it’s likely you’ll have to tear down, replace or otherwise move structures like doors, walls and windows. In the process, you may create open lanes for pests to move inside. Make sure all structures are tightly fitted in place, and inspect the renovated areas to see if there are any holes or openings, using sealant to patch these up where appropriate.
Be Aware Of How The Site Is Graded
Knowing how your property is graded is crucial to controlling water drainage. If the site is not graded for water to flow away from your house, you could end up with large pools of standing water, which can attract mosquitoes and other pests.
Remember To Keep Doors Closed When Not In Use
It sounds simple, but it’s surprisingly easy to forget. Especially if you’re working with contractors, it’s likely there will be a lot of foot traffic into, out of and around your home. Pests will seize the opportunity and make their way inside if you don’t close the doors. In cases where doors or windows can’t be kept closed, install pest prevention devices such as monitors and mechanical pest control products as a line of defense.
Clean Up The Clutter
During renovations, materials like wood and glass, as well as building tools and equipment, tend to be cast to the side or left lying around. This may seem harmless but can actually provide extra hiding places for pests. That’s why it’s advisable to pack everything up and store it safely after each use. This is especially true outdoors, where items like wood piles and water-holding barrels can provide nesting or breeding grounds.
Watch Where You Dig
Moving soil around your home can disrupt pest populations, including bugs and any burrowing animals. Look for elevated pest activity in areas where you’re digging, and make sure pests aren’t relocating from the dirt into your home. You should also aerate renovated rooms or sites to ensure proper drying of surfaces and structures. If wall plastering is involved, improper drying can lead to psocid and plaster beetle infestations.
By using the tips listed above, you’ll have a great start toward protecting your home from pests during renovation. If you’re still not sure where to begin, or you need some extra help along the way, contact a trusted pest management provider. They’ll examine your property and develop targeted exclusion and prevention techniques to keep your house fortified against pests.
Need a quick reference guide for all of this? You can also download our expert tip sheet here.
You may also like
Top Pests Expected To Trend In The Summer Of 2023
Warm weather is around the corner, which means pests that have been overwintering or hibernating will wake up as well as non-hibernating pests will start making an appearance outdoors. Being prepared for those spring and summer pests can have an impact on how enjoyable your time will be at home or at work. Using industry leading expertise, we have put together a comprehensive list on the top 8 pests expected to trend in the summer of 2023. This list will provide a deeper dive into the impact that pests can have on your property, along with prevention tips to keep your home or business pest-free.
Calling All Bookworms: Pests To Watch Out For During National Reading Month
While books and pests can sometimes go together, the pests that are attracted to books may not pose a significant health risk for humans, though a few pests can potentially cause allergic reactions in some individuals. Although these pests may not cause you physical harm, they will destroy your books and furniture, and become a visual nuisance in your home. This National Reading Month, Orkin Canada can help you prevent pests from spoiling your fun, so you don’t have to take the term “bookworm” so literally. In honour of National Reading Month, we’ve compiled a list of the top pests to watch out.
Top 4 Tips For A Pest-Free Halloween
You may have been tricked by the plastic bats and fake spider webs in your neighbourhood, but the pests trying to make your house their home can be the scariest trick during Halloween. From rodents trying to trick or treat inside your home to flies trying to enjoy your jack-o’-lanterns, pests are always looking for ways to get into the Halloween spirit (and your home). Don’t worry, you’re not alone in trying to pest proof your home, as your Orkin Canada Pro has put together a list of 4 quick tips that will help you keep pests out this Halloween.
How To Get Rid Of Flies
With warmer weather around the corner, Orkin Canada is prepared for the pests that come with the warmer weather and melting snow. Everyone is looking forward to flowers blooming, birds chirping, and flies coming in through the open door. Oh wait, not that last one! Flies are a nuisance that no one likes buzzing around inside their home or business. There are many different species of flies; however, they all can cause a threat to your peace of mind, while some are a threat to your health and wellbeing inside your home or business. Whether its cluster flies, house flies, or fruit flies, at Orkin Canada we have 70+ years of expert advice on how to get rid of these unwanted pests. These flies do not stand a chance up against the Orkin Canada technician.
Remove pests from your home, and stop them from coming back
We work hard to listen, understand and assess your unique situation. Request a free, no-obligation estimate today for a customized pest program that fits your needs.
Request a Free Home EstimateRequest a Free Business Consultation