HOW TO KEEP PESTS AWAY FROM FIREPLACES
When the weather cools off, pests will try to warm up inside the fireplace, which is their main entry point. That's why it's essential to clean your fireplaces and act on pest control tips so you will get rid of pests. Pets like cockroaches, rodents, and ants can enter the home and cause health consequences and discomfort. Pests vary according to state; that's why people want to eliminate them where the percentage of problems is in excess. By installing fireplaces properly, you can control pests, which we will discuss in the article below.
Tips That Keep Pests Away From Fireplaces
Shut the Flue When Not in Use
A vent in the fireplaces is opened by a flue, or damper, due to which combustion gases are carried outside, and the air is dispersed during a fire. If you want a fire, a flue opening is needed, but forgetting to close it creates pests inside fireplaces. Even keeping pests like, bugs outside, the flue will also prevent warm air from evading and cool air from entering the home.
Check Firewood before Bringing It Inside
Pests find their ways to enter the fireplace by attaching to the Firewood, and many insects hide in wood whether outdoors or indoors; that's why it's compulsory to check out every single piece of the wood log before bringing it inside the home or keep Firewood off the ground to scrutinize it. You should visually inspect all the wood stock or knock it against the ground several times to dislocate any hidden bugs. Also, only carry in just enough for an instant fire. If wood is put straight in the fireplace and burnt immediately, the likelihood of bugs shacking up in your house is slim to none.
Install a Chimney Cap
Installing a chimney cap is an excellent option to keep your fireplace from pests. A chimney cap won't keep bugs out, but it can prevent rodents, raccoons, and birds from entering inside. When you add a chimney cap over your fireplace, it fits over the top, but smoke can be escaped. Adding a cap adds a nice bonus that will give an attractive touch to the exterior while keeping debris out as well.
Pro tip
It is best to clean the chimney through professionals before installing a cap, ensuring your flue is fully functional.
Seal Off the Hearth
The addition of a fireplace door is a great safety device that keeps ashes and sparks from coming out of the fire. It will also protect your children and pets from ashes so they don't get injured. But when a fire isn't going, the doors can remain closed to prevent pests from entering the house. Even covers for vents are available which open to the inside; sealing entry points is an excellent tip for keeping bugs from entering inside.
Store Wood Properly
It is a tremendous precaution to keep your Firewood outdoors, not in the garage, basement, or porch. You should keep wood 15-20 feet away from your home and not stack near trees or plants. It is best to store wood in an enclosed box rather to keep it on the ground.
Keep Wood Dry
Insects and pests hide on moist wood rather than dry wood, so it is necessary to keep wood on the ground to allow air to circulate it, and it dries quickly and keeps your wood away from pest invasion. Dry wood burns cleanly, and you should use locally cut wood that is harvested in late fall because, during that month, ants and roaches are less active. So that's why pests did not find any entering spot to burrow into Firewood.
Routinely Check for the Presence of Unwanted Pests
It is best to check the unwanted pests daily in Firewood; it will help you to stop the pest invasion and avoid problems.
Organize Your Firewood
Organizing your Firewood is a good step because if you have more space for firewood storage, you should arrange the logs evenly according to the date of acquisition. The second thing is always to burn the already present logs because insects are more likely to create a large colony in old wood. Even you should be particularly strict about using logs if surrounded by people with severe allergic and respiratory issues. Because toxic pests can cause asthma and allergies, almost 1/3rd of people are also allergic to cockroaches. Many people face serious health issues. To keep your home pest free, you must keep your logs neat and clean and stored safely.
Buy Recently Cut Wood
Unless you cut the wood yourself or may you buy it, you must purchase fresh and pest-free wood. You should contact local logging companies, tree services, and professionals in the reclaimed lumber industry for wood if the wood supply is low. Always check wood and ensure all the pests are absent, and bring wood inside your home while you are burning it; by doing this, you will avoid pest entry.
Burn Your Wood Quickly After Acquiring It
Another critical step to keep pests away from fireplaces is to burn your wood quickly after acquiring it.
Indoor Control of Firewood Pests.
Mostly pests attached to or entering into Firewood are annoying, and if they are brought into the home, you have to swat, sweep, vacuum, or spray near the wood. Spraying near them saves you from these pests but prevention is essential as few are wood-boring pests, like carpenter ants, that cling to Firewood and seek new shelter and will destroy your fireplace structure.
Avoid the Pesticides
Do not spray Firewood with a pile because if pests overtake it, it will provide a way to burrow deeper into the wood. And when you do end up burning the wood, the pesticides will discharge harmful chemicals, creating health risks for you.
Rotate the Woodpile
It is a great way to get rid of pests by rotating the woodpile; you have to use the bottom wood from the stack of Firewood because bottom woods are at high risk of being infested. So it is good to burn that wood first, and by doing this, older firewood logs are on top, and newer restocked logs are at the bottom of the stack.
Some Recommendations
1. Treat Soil Underneath The Firewood And Surrounding Areas With Sylo Insecticide.
Doing this eliminates wood-destroying Carpenter Ants and depresses pests from invading Firewood.
Sylo is a residual insecticide
Kills insects between 30-60 days
2. Apply Ficam Insect Bait around Woodpiles
Used for carpenter ants
Granular insecticide, which is used to kill different types of insects
3. Monitor for Rodents with Easy Set Snap Traps
If you are worried about rodents that infest Firewood, use easy-set snap traps.
Conclusion
Pests like rodents and insects make their way to your home through Firewood. That's why by following our tips, like checking wood before bringing it inside, keeping wood dry, adding a cap on the fireplace, shutting the flue when not in use, sealing off the hearth, storing wood at a safe place, buying fresh wood, burning wood after acquiring and rotating the wood pile you can keep your fireplaces away from pests. We hope this blog article will be helpful for you to keep your homes pests free.