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Getting pests out of your property involves a strategic plan for getting the critters out and ensuring that they stay out. Pest-proofing your yard is an important part of any strategy for getting rid of the critters. Pest-proofing your yard simply means applying measures that make your yard unappealing to the critters.
In this article, we consider some proven ways of pest-proofing your property. By pest-proofing your yard, you can keep even the most invasive pests away from your property.
Install fences
Fencing helps to limit the access of different wildlife critters to your properties. It works for a lot of the small rodents and burrowing critters. Installing a fence is part of the basic measures to pest-proof a property.
For fencing to be an effective way of pest-proofing your property, the fence gate design should be of the appropriate height. It should also be durable and dug deep enough to prevent the critters from burrowing under it. The size of the fence should also be appropriate for keeping the infesting critters away.
Eliminate standing water
Standing water is the major attractant of pests such as mosquitoes. Mosquitoes will lay eggs on standing water. The eggs will hatch in a few days and compound your pest problem.
Check out any area that could be a source of standing water and fill them up. Also, note any materials that can hold water. Buckets, flower pots, and toys are some of these items. Check out your yard for any source of standing water and eliminate it to keep mosquitoes and other pests away.
Trim bushes and trees
Untrimmed bushes and trees make properties more appealing to the different kinds of pests, from rats and mice to squirrels. This is because the untrimmed vegetation provides a form of security for the critters and it is also a kind of squirrel food. Even insect pests can apply untrimmed bushes and trees in infesting properties.
The trees and bushes can be a hide-out spot for the critters. They can also serve as a bridge, especially for the critters that infest high areas like attics.
Trim bushes and trees to keep them short. For trees, the focus should be on keeping their branches at least a foot away from the walls of your house. Keeping your lawn trimmed will help prevent the infestation of many of the common rodents.
Declutter
Clutter attracts different kinds of pests. To keep your property free of critters, keep it clutter-free. Clutter in yards can come in different forms, including tires, fallen branches, leave piles, rotting fruits, and half-used bags of potting soil.
Keeping your yard decluttered means removing the different forms of attractants of the critters. The materials cluttering your yard can be a source of food for the critters. They can also be sources of shelter. Tires and toys, for example, can be sources of shelter. Rotting fruits and piles of leaves can be sources of food.
One common source of food for pests is pet food. As you pest-proof your yard, pay attention to how you feed your pets as it could draw different kinds of pests to your property. Do not leave leftover pet food out. You could choose to feed your pets indoors or carefully package or remove leftover foods.
When decluttering your yard, you should also consider the way your firewood, if you have any, is stored. Improper firewood storage can attract different critters, including snakes. Keep firewood in neat piles. Also, ensure that there are about three meters of spacing between the firewood and any structure.
Secure garbage cans
Your garbage cans are full of materials you consider waste, which pests consider a buffet. Different kinds of pests, especially wildlife pests, consider garbage cans a buffet, and this is why you should pay attention to them while securing your property. Raccoons are known to knock over garbage cans to get the goodies within. Rats and mice will specifically visit garbage cans and the surrounding area to find food.
Securing garbage cans means getting those that are durable and can be locked. Such garbage cans will not be easily knocked over by raccoons. They will also be inaccessible to rats and mice. Also, establish a regular disposal system so that odors that attract pests do not emanate from your garbage cans.
Habitat modification is critical for pest-proofing your yard. We have highlighted the common ways of making your property unappealing to destructive critters. In conclusion, we should also mention the role natural repellents can play in keeping critters out of your property. The natural repellents can be plants specific to the type of infesting critters. You can also apply common household products that work as repellents to get rid of the critters for good.
Remember that pests are always looking for where to infest, and your yard will remain appealing to them if you do not keep the welcome mat away.
Pests will not leave your area because you asked nicely. They will only leave because their support systems are no longer available.
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