What is Exclusion?

There are many different ways to keep insects, rodents and wildlife out of your home, but the very first step for a pest free home or business is prevention. Pest prevention techniques can also be called “exclusion techniques”, because you are attempting to exclude pests from entering your Missouri property. There are many different ways to practice exclusion techniques to keep invading pests out and most can be as simple as keeping your home/business and surrounding property clean and clutter-free. Here are some tips from the St. Louis pest control professionals at Rottler Pest & Lawn Solutions on how you can exclude pests from your home, your business and your life.

Examine Your Property

The most significant exclusion technique available to you is to recognize any structural defects that are present in your property that may be allowing insects, rodents or wildlife inside. Knowing where these defects are and knowing how to fix them is very important. Spend some time very carefully examining both the exterior and interior of your building.

• Are there any cracks in the foundation, or gaps in siding?

• Are there holes around vents or gaps around where utility cables come into the building?

• Is there a chimney cap installed over the chimney?

• Do windows and doors fit perfectly into the structure, or are there small gaps that can be seen?

• Are there holes in screens that need repairing?

Examine your property carefully to locate any areas where pests may be entering the property and then devise a plan to fill in these structural faults.

Mend Structural Defects

If you have found areas of your building that need to be closed up, you can find ways of mending these gaps yourself, or you can hire a professional. You can install a cap over a chimney to help eliminate the entrance of pests through your chimney and you can install hardware mesh behind vents in your attic and your dryer.  Repair holes in screens and block up areas around ill-fitting windows or doors and seal any cracks in the foundation with caulking. Taking care of your building and making sure that it is structurally sound will go a long way in keeping insects, rodents and wildlife out. It will also benefit you when it comes to heating and cooling your structure

Clean, Clean, Clean!

Good sanitation practices on your property can go a very long way in keeping pests like ants, mice, and squirrels away. Start with your kitchen cupboards or pantry. Clean up spills, crumbs and make sure that any food packaged in plastic or cardboard is safely contained in metal or glass jars or canisters. Keep kitchen counters free of spills and food and keep pet food safely stored in large metal or glass bins. If your pets don’t eat their food immediately, either put it in the refrigerator for later or put it back in its container so that the food doesn’t attract hungry pests like rodents or wildlife. Keep clutter in the rest of your structure to a minimum. The more clutter you have, the more places you have for rodents and wildlife to hide away inside your property and build nests out of your belongings.  Remove garbage from your rooms at least once a week so that the contents of your garbage cans don’t attract unwanted pests.  Do not allow cardboard boxes, newspaper and other materials to pile up in the garage or storage areas.  Clean up any spider webs you may find and vacuum up any other dead insects you may locate around your property: window sills and bathrooms tend to harbor silverfish, lady bugs, stink bugs and other insect pest invaders.

Keep the outside of your property clean as well. Rodents and wildlife will be attracted to areas where your garbage is stored, so you want to be sure that they can’t gain access into your garbage storage containers. You may also find that wildlife is attracted to your property by the insects or grubs that can be found in your soil. If you reduce water or turf treatment, this can also reduce the attention that wildlife may be paying to the grubs that are present.  Keep wood piles several feet away from your property and make sure that plants and shrubs directly next to your structure are cut back as well. Consider installing crushed rock around the perimeter of the foundation. 

Making Your Property Unsuitable For Pests

The point of these exclusion techniques is to make your property unsuitable for pests.  If your property has places for pests to enter, if they can find food and water sources and they have a place to nest, you are a prime candidate for pest infestations in your structure. Eliminating ways for pests to enter and protecting potential food sources for pests will make your property less attractive to pests and you will therefore have less trouble with pest invaders.

If you have followed all of these exclusion techniques and are still finding that you have insect, rodent or wildlife problems in your home or business, the next step is contacting the professionals at Rottler Pest & Lawn Solutions. Rottler has been assisting home and business owners in St. Louis and the mid-Missouri area with their pest and lawn care needs since 1956 and we can help you with all your insect, rodent and wildlife concerns. For more information about our home pest services in St. Louis or to find out how Rottler Pest & Lawn Solutions can help you protect your company’s image with an effective pest management program, please contact us today!