Summer Pest Guide: What’s Hiding in My Home’s Crawl Space?

Basement or crawl space waterproofing can help you prevent the intrusion of pests that may try to invade your home this summer.

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What better time than summer to get outside and have fun adventures with your friends and family? One thing to keep in mind as you’re opening up the windows and doors in your home for summertime is that you’ll need to be wary of rising humidity and insects.

During the summer months, you can expect several creepy crawlers, like ants or mice, to try and make themselves at home in your crawl space or basement. The most important thing you can do to prevent these creatures from entering your home is to eliminate the bulk of unwanted moisture.

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Pests You May See in Your Home

If you’re looking for ways to protect your home from pests, you’ll first want to know what kinds of creatures you’re going up against. You are most likely to see the following critters inside your home if it starts to get too damp indoors:

• Pillbugs: Compared to the impact other critters can have on your home, pillbugs are relatively harmless. These insects, also known as sowbugs and roly-polies, tend to appear in homes with high levels of humidity. That said, they can indicate when there may be a bigger moisture problem.
• Centipedes: Centipedes don’t cause immediate harm when they make their way into your home, but they can put your health at risk. With special front legs that pinch to deliver venom, these critters can cause severe pain if you come into contact with them.
• Millipedes: Millipedes look like larger, non-venomous centipedes with more feet. However, they can be painful for your pets to deal with as they produce fluid along their sides that cause irritation.
• Earwigs: Earwigs make themselves most comfortable in damp and dark environments, allowing them to serve as possible threats to the health of your home.
• Silverfish: Related to firebrat insects, silverfish will enthusiastically make themselves at home in a damp, unprotected crawl space or basement. They also make meals of the wood, insulation, and fabrics you might leave unprotected, making themselves an extreme nuisance.
• Carpenter ants: As the name suggests, carpenter ants enter your home to get their teeth into any exposed wood that may be unprotected. These ants get into your home through loose window sills or unsealed cracks that allow leaks.
• Cockroaches: Nobody enjoys a run-in with a cockroach, and for good reason. These critters make poor neighbors and are notoriously difficult to get rid of.

What’s Lurking Underneath Your Home This Summer?

While you may have pests trying to make their way inside your home, you may also have some critters hiding underneath your home as well. Without the correct prevention, you may have these unwanted creatures lurking under your home during the summer months:

• Ants: Ants look for areas packed with moisture, which could be your basement or crawl space if you don’t have a good waterproofing method.
• Crickets: Crickets search for sources of light and areas that are warm, so during the summertime, you may see an abundance of crickets along your home’s foundation.
• Mice: Mice travel in packs and make their way into homes during the summertime looking for crumbs of food or a place to stay. Keep mice out of your home by setting traps and creating an area that they won’t find comforting to build a home in.
• Snakes: Snakes love to hide out in areas that are dark and damp, making it extremely easy for them to make a home in the lower half of your home if excessive moisture is present.
• Bees and Wasps: During the summer months, both bees and wasps tend to build nests along your home’s foundation. Watch for these nests and be cautious around them, as some people are allergic to stinging insects and bugs.

Getting Rid of Pests in Your Home

Foundation, basement, and crawl space experts working in your area cannot get rid of pests for you. However, they can help you protect your home once a professional exterminator has paid their visit and the issue is taken care of. After an infestation has been handled, you can benefit from a home inspection and a free quote on any repairs you may need to ensure future infestations will be driven elsewhere.

Preventing Home Infestations

It’s much easier to prevent infestations in your home than it is to actively work against one. The simplest and most effective way to do this is to eliminate as much excess water from your home as possible.

Professionals in your area can help you by offering a multitude of waterproofing options such as:

• Encapsulating your crawl space with a vapor barrier
• Closing off your crawl space vents with covers to prevent insects from getting inside
• Cleaning out your HVAC system
• Scheduling yearly HVAC inspections
• Cleaning your gutters to prevent possible hydrostatic pressure around your foundation

You can also use rigid insulation panels like ExTremeBlock™ or a CrawlSeal™ vapor barrier to keep pests at bay, as they are specially treated to resist nuisances like termites.

While foundation, basement, and crawl space professionals can’t clear up an infestation for you, they can help you prevent one from overtaking your home in the first place.

If you’re ready to explore your waterproofing options, you can reach out to an expert and get your free quote today.