Pest infestations are no fun. Whether you’re dealing with rats, mice, ants, bees, or something else, you want to keep creepy crawlers out of your home. Some pests bring serious health risks with them.

You can always contact residential pest control if you’re having trouble with invading animals or insects, but it’s always easier if you can keep them from entering your home. Let’s talk about

some ways to make pest infestations less likely.

Secure Raw Ingredients in Your Pantry

If you have any raw food ingredients in your home, as most people do, you can prevent pests from becoming interested by keeping them in secure containers in your pantry. That way, no critters will come around that are being lured by the enticing smells.

Don’t Live Close to the Woods

You can purchase or rent a home that’s not very close to woodlands. Walking in the woods is nice, but if you live near some wild country, you can feel sure you’ll be in closer proximity to rats, mice, and other pests.

Cover Up All Food on Your Counters

You might keep bread or other baked goods on your kitchen counter. Make sure you put them in secure containers, or that’s like leaving the welcome mat out for pests.

Stop the Gaps Under Your Doors

The gaps under your doors are easy places for pests to invade. Make sure to stop those up so that nothing from outside has an easy entry point.

Shore Up Your Windows

Cracks around your windows are also potential ingress points. Get new windows if you have old ones with wide gaps around them.

Block Up Your Chimney

Your chimney can be an entry point for pests. If you have one in your home that’s not in use, stop it up so that nothing can enter through it.

Repair Holes in Your Siding

If you have aluminum or vinyl siding on the outside of your home, it might be attractive, but if it has cracks in it, you need to repair those. It’s not just about aesthetics. Wasps, bees, and other insects can nest in your siding, and cracks are convenient entry points that will attract them.

Keep Food in the Kitchen

You might be in the habit of snacking in your den or one of the bedrooms. That’s fine, but make sure you don’t drop a lot of crumbs or leave out open food containers. Keeping the food secure in your kitchen makes your home less attractive to various pests looking for a free meal.

Keep the Garage Clean

Your garage can serve as a nice hotel for pests. However, if you don’t let a lot of clutter accumulate there, then rodents and other animals will look elsewhere when trying to find new homes.

Store Firewood Apart from Your House

Rodents and other pests enjoy living in wood piles as well. If you use firewood, make sure to store it far from the house, or you might soon be dealing with uninvited guests.