Our Bloggers
Denver & Suburbs
Larry Hotz - Selling nearly 1000 homes since 1978, Former Managing Broker and Faculty Member, Colorado Association of Realtors. Follow Larry on Twitter
Littleton & SW
Dennis Martin - Another Dad/Daughter Real Estate Team sells homes throughout Denver's Southwest Suburbs. Dennis also managed a real estate company and sold homes for over 30 years.
Erie, Niwot, Northwest
Paula King
- a Certified Residential Specialist helping folks in Denver's north suburbs.
Downtown Denver
John Ludwig - Lo-Do, Business District, City Park, John lives in and knows the city.
Douglas County
Doug Hutchins - Doug lives and works throughout Douglas County including Castle Rock and Parker. He's a long-time Realtor with local knowledge about issues in Douglas County.
Aurora Real Estate
Lon Welsh - Lon knows Aurora, Denver and South suburbs. Plus, he analyzes and sells investment properties!
West Denver
Melody Rivera
- and Kentwood City Team sell homes in Highlands, Lakewood, Westminister. She is also past President of The Denver Board of Realtors.
Longmont & North
John Callis -
Broker since 1982 in Denver's northern suburbs. Lives in Boulder.
First Time Homes
Elizabeth Hotz
- Purdue grad and broker since 2005, Liz has lived in both the City and Suburbs. She know the best places for first-time buyers.
Our Next Blogger?
Promote your position as a Top Realtor in your area. Just apply to blog for free and be referred to Buyers and Sellers interested in your neighborhood.
Avoiding Home Pests
by Carl Brahe, Certified Denver Home Inspector, CHI, CCI
(Ed: We are grateful to have Mr. Brahe contribute guest blog posts from time to time. He is a respected Denver home inspector and his advice is helpful. If you enjoy this article and wish to talk to him about doing a home inspection, do so at Inspection Perfection, Inc - 303-816-5556 info@inspection-perfection.comHe also provided this interesting quiz: How Green is Your Home?)
Carpenter Ants Can Be Pests in Colorado
In Colorado we have few pests compared to most places. Our dry climate make it harder for moist environments to exist that most pests require to survive. For pest to live in our homes they must have a way to enter, sufficient moisture and food to live. The food is usually other pests.
Summer is the most common time for insects and arachnids to move into your house. Birds like woodpeckers may move in during spring to nest. Fall is the most common time for rodents to move indoors.
To get into your house pest must have a way to enter. Insects and arachnids can enter through very small spaces, hitch a ride on people, pets, plants and produce, or hatch inside the house.
Mice need a hole only the size of a dime to enter and can squeeze under a door with a gap of ¼ inch. Rodents will use existing holes for entry but can also make their own. Rats are such tremendous chewers that they sometime chew through plumbing to get water.
Entry for pests on roof
This roof belonged to a man who enjoyed squirrels so much he nailed a board between a tree and the house for easy access for the squirrels. They chewed a hole through the roof and made a nest in the attic. Birds can use existing protected areas, or in the case of woodpeckers, bore their own holes. Last summer we discovered Carpenter Ants in an exterior wall. We discovered them before they did serious damage. It was easy to get rid of them. We just placed ant baits at the place we saw the ants enter the wall. They were gone in a few days.
Our neighbor was not so lucky. He had to tear out and replace an entire kitchen wall.
This summer we saw a few Carpenter Ants in the house. We didn’t know at the time that these were scouts out looking for a new home. In the following days there were a few more, and then a few more. Suddenly there were masses of ants marching into the back of our freezer.
They seem to have found paradise. There was a large, easy supply of food. Dry cat food had been spilled behind the freezer. The ants were hauling in eggs and nesting material, sage and wood chewed from the structure of our house. They worked frantically to build a nest on top of the constantly warm freezer motor.
They broke through the concrete foundation at a seam where they had built up a mound of dirt that went from the ground to the bottom of the wooden siding. The dirt presumably protected the eggs during transit.
Termites build mud highways, or tubes, to protect themselves as they move from underground into a building.
Ants were invading our home by the thousands at an amazing pace. I am not a fan of insecticides, but lacking an anteater, or flock of chickens, to deal the problem I sprayed them with a commercial ant killer. I removed their access mound outside and sprayed the entry hole. The next step is to seal the hole and all other points of possible entry for pests.
Timely maintenance is the key to keeping your home pest free. Most pests require a constant source of food and water. Chronic moisture in your home will attract pests which attract predators to eat them.
These types of pest require the same conditions that allow mold and wood rot to grow. Keep your entire home dry and very few pest will find a friendly environment to live. An added benefit is that a dry, well sealed house is healthier and more energy efficient.
Pest Entry Check List
1. Prevent Access to Your
House
EXTERIOR
O Seal all holes and cracks
O Foundation
O Siding
O Window frames
O Doors frames
O Soffits
VENTS & SCREENS
O Screen and clean vents
O Clean dryer vent
O Screen crawlspace vents
O Never screen vents for gas or wood burning appliances or plumbing
O Repair or replace window and door screens
ROOF
& GUTTERS
O Check roof flashings
O Clean insect and bird nests from roof eaves and
soffits
O Clean debris from roof and gutters
O Make sure gutters drain properly and are in good repair
O Make sure downspouts are in good repair and directed away from foundation
CHIMNEY
O Clean, maintain and repair chimney
O Install spark arrestor and/or damper if needed
O Make sure chimney is water tight
LANDSCAPE
O Remove access to siding and roof from trees and other plants too close to building
O Make sure the earth is no closer than 6″ to your siding
O Watch for mounds of dirt or mud tubes that provide safe passage for ants and termite
O Remove decaying plant material from around building
DRAINAGE
O Make sure all runoff, including from dripping hose faucets, is directed away from foundation
O Make sure runoff drains from your property to an appropriate place
ATTIC
O Check attic for water penetration
O Check for condensation in attic
O Check for vents from bath, kitchen & laundry ending in attic
O Uninsulated heat or AC ducts
O No insulation in ceiling or vapor barrier reversed
KITCHEN
O Check for ventilation kitchen, baths and laundry
O Check caulking and grout in baths, and kitchen
O Check for plumbing leaks under sinks
INDOOR
PLANTS
O Does condensation form on windows after watering plants?
BASEMENT & CRAWLSPACE
O Is your crawlspace or basement dry?
O Repair or install moisture barrier in crawlspace
O Install crawlspace ventilation if needed
O Install sump pump and underground drainage system if needed
O Install or repair insulation where appropriate
Read the rest of this article at: http://inspection-perfection.com/main/pages/Pests.htm
Comments
4 Responses to “Avoiding Home Pests”
Got something to say?
Larry & Our Team
As a Certified Residential Specialist and Broker since 1983, Larry knows how to care for each client individually. Between Larry and his team members, they know every neighborhood in Denver and all suburbs. Always work with the local pro - not a rookie agent. Trust us when quality counts.
The biggest problem I have been having is with scorpions! I find 2 to 3 a week when I go scorpion hunting in my backyard!!! Every night I take the flashlight and go walk around the outside of the house looking on the stucco and the exterior block wall. This is where I usally find them, hanging out for food.
The only way to really get rid of them is to kill their food source (crickets, cockroaches, etc…) and if you go in my backyard at night, you don’t even hear the chirp of a cricket as I have laid down so much insecticide! So not sure why I am still finding them
sounds like you guys have some real problems…hahah…here is mississippi our problem is termites!!! Always some kind of pest around
For the guy who using alot of insecticide….. they have probably become immune to the chemical you’re using. People wonder why there are such high rates of cancer, alzheimer’s, parkison’s, etc. Give up the chemicals…
Great resource! Seems like newer homes have the advantage being built more air tight than older ones. Cracks and openings for the pests to come it.
JCL´s last blog post..Tithing on Gross vs. Net - What Exactly is Gross Income for Real Estate Investments?