Protecting Homes In Western North Carolina
Affordable, reliable
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    [content] => <p>Basements are great for storage, but they can also be a great place for bugs and critters to live. Why are basements such great places for pests to live? And which pests most often frequent the dark depths of a home basement? We have some answers.&nbsp;</p>

<h3><br>Why Insects and Wildlife Love Basements&nbsp;</h3>

<p><br>Basements are an ideal hiding spot for many insects and critters for a few reasons:&nbsp;</p>

<p><br><strong>Moisture.</strong> Many insects specifically need to live in moist environments, and because of the naturally moist environment of many basements, they are appealing places for moisture-deprived insects.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br><strong>Darkness.</strong> Dark and damp is a dream for an insect, and often a basement can provide exactly that type of environment. Unfinished basements often have ample places for insects and small critters to hide, and because they are usually less trafficked than the rest of a home, they are subject to less light interruption. This is a friendly environment for the nocturnal nature of many insects and animals.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br><strong>Temperature.</strong> Basements provide an ideal temperature for pests year-round: in the warmer months, basements are naturally cooler than other parts of a home, and in the cold months, they are warmer than the outdoors.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Basement Bug &amp; Critter Guide</h3>

<h4><br><a href="/pest-library/profile/cockroaches">Cockroaches&nbsp;</a></h4>

<p><img alt="Cockroach perched on leaf " height="504" src="https://bcms-files.s3.amazonaws.com/Rv4pXBZmdK-1114/images/cockroach-g535e9a010_640.jpg" width="550"><br>These sewer-dwellers thrive in a dark, moist basement environment. Because of their ability to contaminate food with illness-causing bacteria, trigger asthma attacks, and their general unpleasantness, they aren&rsquo;t an insect that you want in your home, basement, or otherwise.&nbsp;</p>

<h4><br><a href="/pest-library/profile/spiders">Spiders&nbsp;</a></h4>

<p><img alt="" height="367" src="https://bcms-files.s3.amazonaws.com/Rv4pXBZmdK-1114/images/spiderweb-g091f61be2_640.jpg" title="Spider in its web " width="550"><br>Spiders are perhaps the most notorious of basement lurkers -- it&rsquo;s a space that suits them perfectly. This isn&rsquo;t always bad; for example, cellar spiders don&rsquo;t pose a physical threat to humans and they eat other pest insects like house flies. However, in North Carolina, we aren&rsquo;t just dealing with harmless spiders: truly dangerous spiders like black widows and brown recluses are a real threat, and keeping your basement attractive to them can be dangerous.&nbsp;</p>

<h4><br><a href="/pest-library/profile/termites">Termites&nbsp;</a></h4>

<p><img alt="Termite colony " height="366" src="https://bcms-files.s3.amazonaws.com/Rv4pXBZmdK-1114/images/termites-g03fed742a_640.jpg" width="550"><br>Basements can be the perfect entry-point for subterranean termites; they are prone to have more access points than other parts of the house (with entryways from basement appliances and whatnot), and if it rests on top of moist soil, the basement is all the more likely to be easily accessible for termites. Termites&rsquo; ability to cause severe structural damage to homes over a period of years makes <a href="/termite-control">professional termite control</a> essential to any homeowner concerned about a potential infestation stemming from the basement.&nbsp;</p>

<h4><br>Rodents&nbsp;</h4>

<p><img alt="Mouse standing " height="367" src="https://bcms-files.s3.amazonaws.com/Rv4pXBZmdK-1114/images/mouse-g19b27e245_640.jpg" width="550"><br><a href="/pest-library/profile/mice">Mice</a> and <a href="/pest-library/profile/rats">rats</a> are suckers for basements -- especially in the winter. Their relative quietness, the opportunity for warmth, ample nooks and crannies to hide in, and the ability to scurry upstairs to grab some human food are all huge perks for these sneaky creatures. Mice and rats pose issues other than taking up space in your basement and eating up your food -- they are also spreaders of dangerous diseases, can cause damage to a home with scratching and gnawing, and have even been traced to causing house fires because of their tendency to gnaw on wiring.&nbsp;</p>

<h4><br>Prevention Tips For Basement Pests&nbsp;</h4>

<p><br>So are you doomed to a life of basement pests screwing around in your home? Of course not! There are a few things that you can do to make your basement less appealing to these insects and wildlife critters, <a href="https://www.pestworld.org/pest-in-the-house/basement/">brought to us by our friends at PestWorld</a>:</p>

<ul>

<li>Sweep or vacuum the basement to remove any sources of pest food, which includes small insects, crumbs and decaying organic matter.</li>

<li>When storing any food in your basement, keep all food items in tightly sealed containers.</li>

<li>Prevent moisture build-up by using a dehumidifier and repairing any leaking pipes and ensuring rainwater drains away from your home.</li>

<li>Remove any overgrown vegetation or shrubs surrounding your house, and store firewood at least 20 feet from the home and five feet off the ground.</li>

<li>Seal any foundation cracks or crevices with a silicone-based caulk, steel wool, or a combination of both. Also, make sure all windows and doors are secure.</li>

<li>Eliminate any potential basement bug hiding spots by getting rid of clutter and organizing storage units.</li>

<li>Consider opting for plastic bins instead of cardboard boxes to store ornaments, d&eacute;cor, and other items.</li>

</ul>

<p>These tips will all help with keeping pests out of your home, but it is still a good idea to seek out professional pest control experts to help protect and maintain your basement when it comes to pests. A-1 Pest Control provides year-round pest control packages that can help fortify your home from many common basement pests and many others. Get in touch with us to start shielding your home today!</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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    [content] => <p>They may be cute, but mice are not nice.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>Mice can pose health risks to the humans whose space they invade. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) details the bacterial diseases, viruses, and parasites that mice can carry, including salmonella, Pasteurella, Giardia, and even the scary-sounding (but rare) Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus, or LCMV.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>And of course, mice are notorious for the damage they do through chewing. From insulation to heirlooms, mice have no qualms about destroying your property by gnawing and nesting. According to the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, mice prefer to nest close to heat sources such as hot water heaters, pilot lights, or compressors, and often wreak havoc on large electrical appliances by chewing on wiring, causing short circuits, and posing a fire hazard.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>When it comes to protecting your home from mice, attention to detail is key; mice can squeeze through holes the size of a dime, according to the School of Integrated Pest Management at North Carolina State University (NCSU). And while they can invade your home at any time during the year, mice are most active entering structures during the winter in search of food and shelter from the cold. The official winter months in North Carolina are December, January, and February.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>So, what can you do to protect your structure and belongings from these tiny destructive creatures? Here are 13 steps you can take to keep mice out of your home.</p>

<h3>Create a No-Go Zone</h3>

<p>Make the space around your home unwelcoming to mice by removing hiding places and food sources, and even introducing the rodent&rsquo;s natural predators.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>#1 -</strong> Trim trees and shrubs away from the house to limit their shelter.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>#2 -</strong> Get rid of clutter close to the house such as equipment covered with tarps, stacks of firewood, and piles of mulch or leaves. &nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>#3 -</strong> Temporarily stop feeding the birds (or use only huskless feed) to leave behind less leftovers for critters while you are trying to reverse a mice invasion, recommends the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>#4 -</strong> Store birdseed and grass seed in sealed, pest-proof containers.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>#5 -</strong> Set outdoor garbage cans on 6-inch-high wood platforms (such as standard pallets) and use bungee cords or other straps to lock the lids, suggests Family Handyman magazine.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>#6 </strong>- Consider having a Barn Owl nest box installed on your property. Barn owls eat 79 pounds of mice every year -- that&rsquo;s more than 3 mice a day! Because the Barn Owl is classified as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in North Carolina, the state&rsquo;s Wildlife Resources Commission actively solicits sightings and installs nest boxes for free. &nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>#7 -</strong> Inspect the outside of your home&rsquo;s structure for potential entry points for mice. Check around the roofline, gables, and eaves, foundation, basement entry, and junctures in siding. Plug any small holes with steel wool or copper scrub pads, then seal with caulking or expanding foam sealant.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>#8 -</strong> Cover larger openings with metal sheeting and vents with a lath screen (woven wire mesh) or hardware cloth (thin-gauge wire mesh fabric).&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>#9 -</strong> Curb clutter in your home -- especially cardboard boxes, bags, newspapers, piles of blankets, boxes and open bins of rarely-used items. These provide not only hiding places but potential nesting materials.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>#10 -</strong> Mice love to eat grains, rice, cereal, and sweets. Store pantry items in containers made of metal, glass or heavy-duty plastic, preferably with airtight sealing lids.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>#11 -</strong> Mice also eat pet food - and being omnivores, they are not picky when it comes to the contents. Clean up around your pet bowls daily, and transfer pet food from the original bags to durable containers.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>#12 -</strong> Consider getting a cat. While myths about dryer sheets and certain scents repelling mice are unfortunately not founded, mice are in fact deterred by the smell of the feared felines. Even if your cat is not a talented hunter, its very presence will discourage mice from taking up residence in your home.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>#13 -</strong> Regularly check potential hiding spaces for signs of intruders: rice-shaped droppings or nests of shredded paper or other material. Look behind refrigerators, stoves, and cabinets; under sinks and washing machines; behind hot water heaters and furnaces; and in attics and crawl spaces, advises the CDC. If you find evidence of mice activity and need help getting rid of them, contact the helpful experts at A-1 Pest Control.&nbsp;</p>
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