How to Protect Your Home From Pests: The Four Entry Points

Nearly everything that walks into a North Texas home enters through one of four openings: brick weep holes, gaps under door sweeps, plumbing and utility penetrations, and damaged window or vent screens. Closing those four does more than any spray, because it removes the route rather than the traffic.

One: brick weep holes

The small gaps every few bricks along the bottom course exist so the wall can drain, and they are the single most-used entrance in this housing stock. Copper mesh pushed just inside blocks insects, scorpions and mice while still letting the wall breathe. Do not caulk them, which traps moisture in the cavity.

Two: door sweeps

Stand inside a dark garage in daylight and look at the bottom of the door. If you see light, something can walk under it. Replacing a worn sweep costs very little and closes a route that spray cannot compensate for.

Three: plumbing and utility penetrations

Where pipes, cables and gas lines pass through the wall there is usually a gap, sometimes a generous one, often hidden behind a bush. Seal them with an appropriate sealant or mesh. Under sinks is worth checking from the inside too.

Four: screens and vents

Torn window screens, missing weep hole covers on windows, and unscreened attic or foundation vents all provide direct access. Vents in particular are worth checking, because they are high up or low down and nobody looks.

What treatment adds on top

Exclusion closes the doors. A perimeter barrier reduces the population pressing against them, and the eave sweep stops wasps and spiders rebuilding overhead. The two together are far more effective than either alone, which is why our program does both rather than just spraying.

See our perimeter pest control program