How Do Pests Get Into Your Crawlspace – The crawlspace for many is a forgotten part of the home. Even though it is extra space, its an area that you cannot store anything and should not be hanging out in. So, for many they just do not think about. Unfortunately, if you do not maintain your crawlspace, pests such as insects and small rodents can find a new home, underneath your home.
How Do Unwanted Visitors Get Into The Crawlspace?
Pests are attracted to crawlspaces because they are dark and damp. It provides protection from predators and a place to reproduce. Insects like termites cannot be exposed to sunlight to long or they will die, so a crawlspace like habitat is perfect for them. Pests will find cracks and crevice on the foundation of the home, and this is their ticket inside. These cracks may be small and unnoticeable, but they may be letting in more than you know.
Dark crawlspaces are a pests best friend
Once these invaders have slipped their way inside, they quickly begin to get comfortable. They multiply immediately and can soon take over your crawlspace. Pests such as termites can cause serious structural damage. Termites are wood destroying insects. They bore tunnels through wood to help build their colony. In the process of boring the wood they are also eating it. Termites primarily eat dead wood, so a wooden crawlspace is their perfect habitat.
So How Do You Get Pests Out Of Your Crawlspace?
If you are having a serious problem trying to get pests out of your crawlspace the best option would be to encapsulate it. An encapsulation is a process of cleaning and installing vapor barrier material to help close off the crawlspace to the environment and the creatures outside.
Cleaning the crawlspace is the first step because we have to get the critters out of the crawlspace. Depending on what pest has infested the crawlspace this may be a difficult task. For example, if you have a brown recluse spider infestation it is much more dangerous than a millipede infestation. This is due to the fact that brown recluse spiders are incredibly venomous, and millipedes are not.
Encapsulating your crawlspace keeps pests out!
The second part would be to install the necessary vapor barrier material that will help protect the crawlspace. A vapor barrier is usually a sheet of thick plastic that helps protect the crawl space from moisture. After that we then install a dehumidifier to keep the crawlspace at a good temperature, helping to stop the buildup of hot humid air collecting within the crawlspace.
Once the encapsulation Is completely installed it stops any pests from being able to get in and infesting it.
If you are finding a lot of pest activity within your crawlspace call U.S. Pest today and we can help eliminate your pest problem. Call 615-822-8500 or visit uspest.com.