Garages, like the rest of the home, are most often surrounded by the outdoors. This means that garages aren’t immune from potential invasion by animals and outdoor pests that can create a nuisance in the household. In this blog entry, the garage door installation experts here at Mazal Garage Door & Gates will detail some vital information regarding garages and household pests.
Typical Pests Found in Garages
Homeowners may be used to finding pests periodically on their property. These can range from innocent animals like ladybugs, to pests like flies, to worse infestations like rats, mice, or even birds living within the walls. Garages are a popular area for pests to live, as they offer nesting areas, light, shelter, and even water.
Common pests that are found in garages include flies, silverfish, spiders, crickets, roaches, ants, mice, moths, and even birds!
Keeping Pests Out of Garages
- Inspect your garage for any signs of pest infestation, and contact a pest removal company if you see signs to remove any existing pests.
- Clean the garage. Sweep the floors, change all boxes to plastic storage containers, keep all those containers on shelving to eliminate easy access. Make sure to take out any food - and if you must keep pet food, put it in airtight containers. Dry any standing water.
- Check to see if there’s any cracks in the walls, ceilings, foundations, or even gaps in windows or exterior doorways. If you find any, seal it with caulk.
- Put traps down around entrances and spray (ideally organic and pet-safe) pesticides along walls, doors and windows.
- Inspect the garage door to see there’s no gaps between weatherstripping or the stripping between the door and the floor - this can quickly become a comfortable home for pests.