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6 Home Entry Points for Pests

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With colder weather on the way, pests and rodents both big and small are seeking out nice, warm homes (just like yours) to take up residency in. Yuck–we know.

Creatures including (but not limited to) ants, cockroaches, spiders, fleas, bed bugs, rats, mice, and squirrels all make the list of pests in search of sanctuary this fall.

Now obviously, you aren’t holding the door open, welcoming these pesky, outdoor creatures into your home. So how exactly are they getting in?

Below we’ve listed out the six most common areas of a home where a pest tends to find their way in. Keep your eye on these 6 home entry points this season, and every season.

6 Pest Entry Points To Watch This Season:

1. Vents and exhaust fans

Let’s talk about your home’s vents and fans. While our dryer and attic vents do an excellent job of allowing heat to escape from our clothes dryers and attics, they don’t do such a great job keeping larger types of pests like rats and squirrels out. Exhaust fans pose a similar threat but for smaller vermin, like cockroaches or ants.

By keeping up with the maintenance of these entryways you’ll limit the likelihood of a pest gaining access to your home. Both dryer vents and exhaust fans should have screens to keep members of the outside world out. Be sure to check that your vents and fans are screened and that the screens are in good condition.

2. Doors and windows

Aha! The most obvious of entryways. Or not so much? Front doors are the perfect spot for pests to enter the home–but not simply because we open and close them frequently.

Due to the fact that we use our doors so often, doorframes endure a lot of wear and tear, which often results in gaps and cracks. Cockroaches are notorious for getting through these tiny gaps and then wreaking havoc on homes.

A helpful feature you can add to your doorways are door sweeps. Door sweeps create a tight seal at the bottom of your door, closing off any gaps. Check out your windows for cracks and gaps in the frame and holes in the screens. As an extra precautionary step, add weather stripping to your windows to keep the pests out. Check out our other tips for window maintenance if you’re interested in reading further.

3. Gutters

Dirty gutters are a pests best friend. When gutters get clogged or bogged down with debris, they become a breeding ground for pests of all kinds. Once they make their way into your gutters, pests easily gain access to any cracks or openings in your roof or on your siding.

Rinsing your gutters regularly and checking for debris build-up can significantly lower your chances of attracting pests like these.

4. Garage doors

This may seem a little obvious–don’t leave your garage door open! Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. Garage doors, like front doors and windows, experience a good amount of weathering. Any type of wear and tear to your garage door frame can create some pretty significant gaps.

So what’s attracting pests into your garage in the first place? The answer to that question is–food! Make sure that whatever food you keep in your garage is sealed and that any trash is picked up. There’s nothing like a feast of leftovers to attract some unwanted visitors!

5. Attics

While attics are sealed, for the most part, gaps along roof vents or adjoining roof lines are the go-to entry spot for rodents like rats and squirrels. Once inside, pests can easily make their way to any wires or pipelines that lead directly into your home.

Much like garages, attics tend to get messy. To ensure you’re not housing any unwanted guests, try to keep things tidy and check regularly for any holes leading to the outside.

6. Firewood

Colder weather calls for a nice warm fireplace, right? Termites love hanging out in your warm, cozy firewood! The closer you store your firewood to your home, the easier it is for these wood-loving pests to enter your home (redundant?).

It’s always important to be wary when bringing your firewood inside. Make sure to check for any creepy-crawlies that might be trying to hitch a ride to the indoors!

Trust us, we’re with you on this one–your home is no place for pests. We at Killingsworth Environmental pride ourselves on our pest control and removal services.

Our standard for reliability, excellence, and quality is what sets our services apart from any other pest control company you’ve worked with in the past.

Schedule a free pest inspection with us today to get started!

SCHEDULE YOUR SERVICE

6 Home Entry Points for Pests

Bedbug inspection

How to Know if Your Hotel Has Bedbugs

Upon entering a hotel room, do you typically reach for the tiny toiletries, take a leap onto the bed, or perhaps start by inspecting for bed bugs? Knowing what to look for is essential. Anticimex Carolinas Service Manager Christian Tweed has shared valuable insights on identifying bed bugs in your hotel room and preventing them from hitching a ride back home with you. And if bed bugs do become an unexpected part of your vacation, remember that Clark’s Pest Control is here to assist!



Q&A with a Pest Professional


How do bed bugs get inside hotels?


Bed bugs are primarily hitchhiking insects as opposed to foraging ones, meaning that they get carried around on people’s clothes and belongings. Someone with an active infestation in their home can easily bring bed bugs to their hotel, but they can also be picked up during travel (airplanes, taxis, and rideshare services) and brought to a hotel room.


What do people misunderstand about bed bugs in hotels?


From a probability standpoint, all hotels will deal with bed bugs at some point in time. If you think about a bed bug’s method of travel, there’s literally nothing a hotel can do to stop them from being carried in. What I have realized is that luxury hotels are more likely to have an aggressive response to dealing with a bed bug case once it’s identified as they tend to have a higher quality of service and a reputation to protect. While this isn’t always the case, it has been my experience more often than not.

Got bedbugs? Call Clark’s at 866-781-4991 today!

What do you recommend travelers do when they get to their room to check for bed bugs?


Most hotel headboards hang directly on the wall. I start my inspection here before even looking at the bed itself. I have found bed bugs, their exoskeletons, and the telltale black stains they leave behind around the edges of or in the crevices of headboards. If the headboard looks clean, move on to looking over the pillowcases and comforter for any signs or stains. You can dig into the bedding as deep as you want here, but I encourage people to look over the top layer of things at the very least.


What are some lesser-known signs of bed bugs in your hotel room?


The specifics of the black stains they leave behind, which as gross as it sounds, are just digested blood as that’s all that bed bugs feed on. If the stains are on a hard surface, they will be small dots as if left behind by an ink pen and will smear into a brownish gray when moisture is applied. If they’re on fabric, they will usually bleed along the fibers making a small diamond, square or X shape.


If there are bed bugs in your hotel room, can they travel home with you?


They absolutely can, however this is easy to prevent. While staying in a hotel, keep as much of your clothing and luggage off the beds as possible. Storing suitcases in the bathroom might sound odd, but it’s an effective method of prevention.

Don’t tackle bedbugs yourself, call Clark’s at 866-781-4991!

What should you do with your suitcase if you suspect your hotel has bed bugs?


When arriving home from a trip, leave your luggage in the garage or on a porch and bring your clothes in one load of laundry at a time. If the clothes are dirty, wash them like you normally would, if they’re clean then run them through the dryer for at least forty-five minutes. Once your suitcase is empty, vacuum over it meticulously (don’t forget to empty the vacuum when you’re done), or if you’re in the right climate, expose it to heat for a few days by placing it in your vehicle (parked in the sun) or for a few weeks in your attic.


The Clark’s Solution


If you brought bed bugs back to you home, Clark’s is here to help. Our Bedbug Control service is designed to eliminate bedbugs and create a safe, comfortable environment.


A Clark’s Pest Professional will do an inspection and recommend a plan of attack to get rid of bed bugs now and prevent them from hatching in the future. Call Clark’s at 866-781-4991 today for more information.



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