Fall Pest Prevention Checklist

Many people consider fall their favorite season, and while the crisp air and changing temperatures can be refreshing, it’s also a time of increased pest activity. Creatures begin to store food, pack on the calories, and look for any place they can keep warm during the colder months. Some of the fall pests in your state may even try to make their way into your home before the weather gets too cold.

However, there are a few DIY pest control measures that homeowners can take to keep pests away in fall. For example, you can tidy your outdoor spaces, remove food sources, fix cracks in your foundation, and more. Read on to see our full fall pest prevention checklist.

Tidy Up Your Outdoor Spaces

The most effective form of pest control is proper prevention and regular home maintenance. If pests can’t find food, shelter, warmth, or moisture on your property, they’ll move along to somewhere else. So, to keep pests out, consider these chores to take on in fall. Start by cleaning up the spaces in your yard we’ll describe below.

Sheds

Sheds, storage barns, and detached garages are the most common places for pests to invade before migrating to your home. These locations are typically easier to enter than your home — plus, they provide shelter from the elements and often house attractants like lawn clippings and leaves. As the leaves begin to turn, always clean your shed by:

• Sweeping out all dirt, debris, leaves, and cobwebs
• Removing and inspecting tools
• Removing, cleaning out, and inspecting boxes and containers
• Throwing away old, improperly sealed bags of fertilizer, dirt, and mulch

Leaf Piles

While leaf piles may just be an eyesore for humans, they provide pests with everything they need to survive. Many pests are commonly found in fall leaves, and the longer they sit, the more infested the leaf piles will become. It can be hard to keep up with leaf drop during fall, but you should always try to dispose of leaves quickly. If you store or pile leaves for compost, be sure to do so at least 30 feet away from your home, and always keep composting materials in sealable plastic bins.

Log Piles

Like leaf piles, log piles also have a bad habit of attracting unwanted pests and critters. However, log piles are slightly more problematic because they attract more bothersome pests, such as termites and rodents. While logs can be extremely useful in the winter to keep your fireplace lit, you should always store them away from your house.

Landscaping

Keeping your bushes, trees, and shrubbery trimmed does more than keep up appearances — it also helps dissuade pests. Unruly, overgrown, and unkempt foliage is a haven for spiders, beetles, weevils, and many other insects. These pests will likely try to find a way into basements and crawl spaces. That’s why it’s always a good idea to keep up with fall lawn care.

I recommend taking advantage of the cool weather and giving your foliage and grass a quick trim. Fall lawn maintenance projects can prevent future pest problems and keep your landscaping looking neat at the same time.

Remove Standing Water

Standing water sources attract nasty insects, such as mosquitoes, earwigs, and roaches. Homeowners should try to limit the buildup of standing water as much as possible. Check garden hose faucets, sprinkler lines, gutter drainage, and utility mains before cold weather sets in to prevent pooling water down the road.

Clean Your Gutters

Many homeowners hate cleaning their gutters, but doing so can dramatically help reduce household pests. Over autumn, leaves, twigs, pollen, seedpods, and all other debris will clog up your gutter system. This environment is a perfect breeding ground for spiders, ants, wasps, bees, and even rodents. Even worse, your gutters are close to your attic, so even a small crack in your fascia or siding can let pests inside.

It’s always best to clean your gutters and downspouts twice a year — once at the end of fall and then again at the end of spring. By cleaning at the end of these seasons, you’ll get all the debris taken care of.

To help cut down on gutter maintenance, consider installing gutter guards to keep falling debris out of your gutters. The initial cost may be a deterrent for some, but gutter guards can work wonders to keep your gutters clean year after year.

Do a Foundation Check

Cracks in your foundation can lead to massive problems down the road. Even the smallest foundation cracks can lead to increased moisture damage, freeze-thaw expansion, and pest infestations. It’s best to waterproof your home in the fall before these cracks expand in the winter.

Once a year, thoroughly inspect your foundation, sealing any cracks you see. There are bound to be some extremely small cracks that may not need sealing, but when in doubt, seal it. I recommend using an epoxy sealant or silicone, polyurethane, or latex concrete caulk to seal cracks and expanding foam to fill any large gaps.

While you’re checking your foundation for crevices, pay close attention to your dryer vent — another common way pests get into your home. Make sure your vents are secured tightly and have a mesh screen.

Replace Screens and Weather Stripping

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “How do pests keep getting in my home?” the culprit is almost always a faulty screen or weather stripping, which leave small gaps in windows and doors. While these gaps might seem insignificant to us, they’re wide-open entry points for pests.

You can buy weatherstripping and screen rolls at most home improvement stores. Replacing window screens and installing weatherstripping only takes an hour or two, so it’s definitely worth the while. If you install door sweeps, you can create even more of an airtight seal against pests, drafts, and water.

If you’ve never had to replace weather stripping, here’s a helpful video detailing exactly how:

Reduce Pest Food Sources

Right behind shelter, food is one of the biggest attractions for pests and common house bugs, especially cockroaches and raccoons. As part of your fall cleanup, you’ll want to reduce all potential food sources that pests might want to snack on.

You can start by doing the following:

• Keep compost inside sealed bins
• Remove any loose plant matter, like lawn clippings
• Keep all trash in sealed, lockable receptacles
• Don’t feed your pets outside
• Clean up and dispose of bird seed
• Keep your kitchen counters clear of food and crumbs
• Use airtight containers to store food in pantries and cabinets

Identify Potential Pest Infestations

The last and most important part of any fall checklist is finding possible pest problems and cleaning them up before winter starts. For example, if you have a few mice in your shed, you’ may have a mouse problem in your home by the time winter comes.

The best way to spot an infestation is by doing a yearly pest inspection of your home and property. In the process, keep an eye out for the following common infestation signs:

• Accumulations of dead insects
• Discarded nesting material
• Damaged plants
• Damaged structures (small holes, gnawed wood, chewed wires, etc.)
• Musty, foul, or otherwise unusual smells
• Pest droppings

Keep in mind there are many different types of pests, each with its own telltale signs of infestation.

Call a Pest Control Expert

When in doubt, I recommend reaching out to one of the best pest control companies in the industry if you suspect an infestation. Pest control services can be a huge help, and if pest management isn’t your strong suit, the experts at companies like Orkin and Terminix are perfect for the job. If you’ve never called a pest control professional to inspect your home, it may be worth the while.

Final Thoughts

To best prepare for winter, it’s important to perform some fall home maintenance. Otherwise, the rapid temperature changes year after year can wear down your home’s exterior and make it susceptible to invading pests. If you do the tasks I’ve discussed above, you can rest easy knowing your home is in good shape for the changing seasons.