Four Common Pest Entry Points

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Many pests in the California area can fit through a gap of 18", about the width of a credit card. Roof rats, for obvious reasons, need more space, although they may still enter via relatively tiny holes. The four most common pest entry points into Valley homes are shown below.

Under Doorways

This is the most common way for pests to infiltrate your home. Many front doors may not seal properly against the threshold, allowing vermin to enter via a small space. Alternatively, wear and tear on the garage door has caused it to fail to form a tight seal against the concrete.
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Many pests, including roaches and scorpions, can squeeze into tight spaces. They'll exploit any daylight near your doors to break into your home. The same may be said about Windows. A shredded window screen is obvious, but bugs may enter a closed window via gaps around the frame.

These problems may be rectified by applying weatherstripping around the door and tightly fastening it to the frame. The door may also need replacement. If your garage door does not seal with the ground because the rubberized seal—technically called the "astragal"—is torn, fractured, or worn, you must have a garage door specialist fix that rubber seal. Replace any screens with holes or rips, as well as inspecting the area surrounding the window for any gaps.

Foundation Cracks

Your home's foundation is where it meets the soil and where most pests enter. It's only natural for bugs to exploit foundation faults that allow them to infiltrate barriers. Ants, cockroaches, termites, and spiders may squeeze through tiny foundation fissures and gaps. How did these bugs get inside my home?

They may all be found in your home. They may cause property damage, contaminate food, and breed once inside. The secret to avoiding these pests is prevention out of your home. In the section below, we'll go over the benefits of our home sealing service and how we seal foundation cracks.

Within the Foundations

Utilities must flow through the foundation in all dwellings. Insects may tunnel up into your home from any of these sites. Termites are notorious in the Valley for breeding under sinks and behind toilets.

Through Roof Vents

Roof vents near the roof line are standard in California stucco homes. These vents are necessary for your home because they allow moisture and heat to escape the roof by going from the eve or gable vent to the ridge vent. They may, however, create a passage for pests, notably roof rats, to access your house if left unprotected.

This is especially common when trees overhang or are close to the roof. To get to your home, rats climb trees before venturing on a limb. They'll then enter the attic via an open vent.

So, how can you limit this access? First and foremost, never obstruct the roof vents. This might lead to significant moisture collection issues in your attic and roof. Cover each hole with a metal mesh or grate-like material instead. This allows air to enter and exit while keeping something as significant as a roof rat at bay. Because your property likely already has these coverings, you must ensure that this mesh barrier stays in good shape and prevents access to each vent.

People Coming In & Out

Okay, so there is an aspect of pest prevention that is only sometimes included in our home sealing service. However, you should know that the homeowner brings several pests into the house, most notably bed bugs, roaches, crickets, and rodents. These hitchhikers might be in the cardboard box from your online buy or your luggage from a prior journey. Whatever path they follow, they end up because the homeowner mistakenly allowed them in.

There are a few methods for keeping this kind of bug out of your home:

• To prevent bed bugs from spreading from one area to another, take precautions when traveling; keep your baggage and personal stuff on hard surfaces, for example. Examining your mattress and couches for bugs before sitting or lying down. Also, when you get home, wash and dry your clothes and baggage.
• To avoid bringing in more bugs, open cardboard packages left on the porch and carry the contents inside individually.
• You may want to open boxes on your porch or garage and bring your merchandise inside, leaving the packaging outside in the receptacle.​

We Can Help Keep the Pests Away!

Jersey City Exterminators offers house sealing, which may help in insect control in your home. This 25-step process starts with an inspection to discover pest entrance points in your home.

Our staff then gets to work sealing or blocking the—entry points. We caulk around air conditioners and electrical boxes, install weatherstripping, screen roof vents, and use caulking to close windows. If your New Jersey home has been infested with pests, call us for a free pest assessment and enquire about our home sealing service.