Tips to Keeping Insects Out of Garage

The first step is to make sure that any food you might store in your garage is kept put away. You’ll want to use airtight containers so that insects and vermin cannot smell any food. This goes for unwrapped and wrapped food that you may store in the garage if you use it as a sort of back-up pantry.

Some people keep fridges or freezers in a garage. Insects can even smell or be attracted to food in them, so make sure that they are tightly closed. Anything that you spill on the floor should be immediately cleaned up.

Clean Up Spiderwebs

Spiders can be both good and bad. They can be great to have around since they kill other bugs by catching them in their webs. However, spiders can be messy creatures. The webs that they spin are very unsightly looking. They can leave dead insect pieces all over the floor as well.

For this reason, it’s a good idea to get rid of webs by dusting the corners of the garage to get rid of the spider webs. Try to eliminate webs on a weekly basis to really make a difference. Your guests will certainly find it to be more visually appealing to not see a ton of cobwebs.

Spray Bottom Baseboards

Look for a great insecticide that comes highly recommended. You can then spray the bottom baseboard of your garage on the inside and the outside so that any insects that come into contact with it will be immediately killed.

Be careful if you have young children or pets who may have toys lying around or who play in the immediate area. Insecticides are toxic. There are non-toxic kinds that may be safer, but they do not tend to be quite as effective. In case it rains, you’ll want to re-spray the area outside along the foundation.

Use Weatherstripping

One of the main ways insects get into garages is through the bottom. Most garage doors have a gap through which insects of all kinds can crawl. You may not notice the crack, but even the smallest sliver of an area will allow insects to get in.

To help you deal with this, purchase weather-stripping material or rubber seals. You can usually find them at any hardware store or online as well. Be sure to get the right size for your garage door.

Take measurements and look for strips that will be as close as possible to your garage door size. Truth be told, weather-stripping is not only a great idea because it can keep insects out. It’s also great because it helps you to keep your garage more energy efficient. Garages that let in outside air will make it so that your air conditioning and heating bills go up, even when it’s just a tiny crack.

Water can be a major attraction for mosquitoes. These pesky insects have a tendency to make a home in water cans, buckets, barrels or anything that holds water. What is worse is that they will go into the water to breed.

Once a mosquito lays eggs and starts to multiply, it can be very difficult to get rid of them. While some people can have a tendency to store things in a garage and then forget about them, you don’t want to do this with water-filled items. It’s never a good idea to have stagnant water lying about, especially if getting rid of insects is your main goal.

Look For Anthills

Prevention can be very important. Once a month, take a walk around your home in order to inspect the foundation. Start by looking for anthills and any evidence that ants are starting to amass around your foundation.

Ants are so small that they can enter into a garage and get into any part of the home, causing a major annoyance. You can set ant bait traps along the outside in order to try to catch them before they enter the home.

Fill In Gaps With Caulk

Use a caulking gun to fill in any cracks or holes that you see in the walls of the garage. You can use silicone caulk since it holds up the best. Filling in all the gaps will help to avoid insects that filter in through small cracks.

Don’t be fooled thinking that a small hole will not let in any insects. Remember that minuscule insects like an ant can get into even the smallest cracks that you would never think.

Get Rid of Cardboard Boxes

Termites can be a homeowner’s worst nightmare. When someone is trying to buy a home, an inspector will look for signs that termites are around and include it in the inspection report. It can quickly become a reason for someone not to buy a home.

Termites can be attracted to organic material such as wood and cardboard boxes. The problem is that most people have some of both of those, wood and cardboard boxes, in their garages.

Termites can eat away at the foundation of the home. A house that has a termite issue can turn away potential buyers and cost a lot for remediation. Wood and cardboard boxes also can act as a sort of shelter for bugs and termites who like to take coverage under them.

This means that when you enter your garage, you may not necessarily be able to see the insects that are there. Keep boxes off the floor by installing storage racks along side the walls of your garage so that you can place boxes and such on those racks.

Opt for plastic bins instead of cardboard boxes so that you get rid of any place for an insect to take shelter. You can easily find some affordable bins at a local dollar store or even a secondhand store.

Insects are more than unsightly creatures that nobody wants lingering in their home. When guests come over, nobody wants to see webs and bugs crawling around since an insect that is in the garage can easily find its way into the home too.

They also can cause damage, particularly if they are termites. Getting rid of insects doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Take preventative measures by inspecting the outside of your home on a regular basis.

Look for anthills and cracks that may allow creatures to be getting into your garage. Use caulk or ant bait to get rid of them for good. Eliminate stagnant water that may collect and ditch the cardboard and wood. With a little bit of effort, you can rid your garage of pesky critters.

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