The first cold snap sends a quiet signal to every bug on your property: find a warm place to spend the winter. Your house looks like a very good answer.
The good news is that most of the doorways bugs use are ones you can close yourself with a tube of caulk and an afternoon. Here are nine gaps that extension specialists point to, from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and University of Minnesota Extension.
None of this takes special skill. It takes patience, a ladder for a couple of spots and a little time on a dry, mild day when caulk sets up well.
Grab a flashlight and a cup of coffee. A slow walk around the outside of your house is the best pest control you will do all fall.
The Gap Under Your Door Is An Open Welcome Mat
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, in a 2019 article by Donald Lewis, recommends installing tight-fitting door sweeps or thresholds. That bottom edge of the door is one of the easiest places for crawling and flying insects to slip in.
Lie down and look at your door from inside with the lights off. If you can see daylight along the bottom, bugs can find the same path.
Torn Window Screens Are Invitations With Holes In Them
University of Minnesota Extension educator Marissa Schuh advises homeowners to check window screens for holes and patch them. A small tear is all a bug needs.
Screens are easy to forget because they stay put all summer. Pull a few windows open this week and run your finger around the edges and across the mesh.
Broken Seals Around Doors And Windows Let The Outside In
Minnesota Extension also tells homeowners to look for broken seals around doors and windows. Old, cracked or shrunken seals leave thin lines where the outdoors meets your living room.
Iowa State’s extension specialists add that caulking around windows and doors is part of making exterior walls as insect-proof as possible. Even a cheap tube of exterior caulk goes a long way here.
Where Pipes And Wires Enter Is A Hidden Highway
Both universities name the spots where utilities come through the wall. Iowa State says to seal openings around pipes and wires, and Minnesota Extension says to check the seals where wires, pipes and vents leave your home.
Look near the outdoor faucet, the gas meter, the cable line and the dryer vent. If you spot a gap around any of them, that is a job for sealant today.
Vents Are Another Doorway You Might Overlook
Minnesota Extension specifically lists vents among the places to inspect where something leaves your house. A vent that has pulled away from its opening gives bugs a ready-made tunnel.
Walk the outside and check each one. Make sure the covers sit snug against the siding with no daylight showing around the edges.
Chimneys And Other Construction Joints Can Crack Open
Iowa State’s article says to caulk around chimneys and other construction joints. These are the seams where one part of the house meets another, and they shift with the seasons.
Check where the chimney meets the siding or roofline, and look at corners and trim boards. A hairline crack can widen after a few freezes and thaws.
Damaged Siding Gives Bugs A Foothold
Iowa State recommends keeping siding in good repair. Loose, warped or cracked boards can leave room behind them for small creatures.
Press gently along the bottom edges and corners. If a board wobbles or has pulled away, fasten it back or replace it before cold weather arrives.
Eaves, Soffits And Fascias Sit Above Your Eye Line
Iowa State also recommends keeping eaves and soffits in good repair, and Minnesota Extension says to look at soffits and fascias because these bugs can fly and climb. Trouble up high is easy to miss from the ground.
Use binoculars if you do not want to climb a ladder. Look for loose panels, gaps and holes along the roofline.
A Gap The Size Of A Dime Is Big Enough
Marissa Schuh of Minnesota Extension notes that mice only need a quarter inch, about the size of a dime, to get into a house. She explains that making a home bug-proof can have other benefits, since sealing gaps helps keep out other pests too.
That should change how you judge a crack. If a dime would fit, treat it as an open door and seal it.
Iowa State’s article says plainly that sealing the outside of a house will never be perfect. The goal is to make it as tight as you reasonably can, and every gap you close shrinks the odds.
If a few stragglers still get inside, Minnesota Extension suggests vacuuming them up and dropping them in the trash or in a bucket of soapy water. Iowa State likewise says to remove insects already indoors with a dustpan or a vacuum.
Walk the house twice if you can, once in daylight and once at dusk with a flashlight held flat against the wall. Gaps that hide in bright sun often show up as thin lines of light.
Make a short list on a sticky note: sweeps, screens, seals, pipes, vents, chimney, siding, soffits, small gaps. Check them off one at a time over a weekend, and your house will be ready for the first frost.
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