How To Protect Your Home From Firewood Pests

Getting warm and cozy next to a fireplace can be the perfect way to make it through the cold, gray days of winter. However, if you are feeding the fire from a stack of wood out in the yard, you could be inadvertently bringing all sorts of pests into your home to enjoy the fire right along with you. Follow these tips to keep out uninvited guests.

Don’t Stack Wood Next to Your Home

While it is convenient to be able to just step out your door and grab some more fuel for the fire, you want to place your wood stack at least 20 feet from the home. Ants, mice, and other pests will seek shelter in the wood and the closer the wood is to your home, the easier it is for pests to find their way inside. 

Inspect Your Firewood

It won’t hurt to give your firewood a quick visual once over before you bring it inside. We even recommend shaking them or knocking them together to get rid of pests. It will only take a few seconds and it could make a big difference.

Burn Wood as soon as it is Inside

Again, many insects will overwinter in your wood pile. If you just stack the wood next to the fireplace to use later, you could be releasing bugs into your home. Burn the wood immediately after it comes inside.

Implement the “First In/First Out” Rule

Make sure that the oldest wood is burned first. This may require you to rearrange the pile every so often, but it will help with pest control

Keep Wood Dry

Try to cover your wood pile and stack it so that air can flow through and dry up any moisture. Pests will be more attracted to damp wood, so do your best to keep it dry.

Call the Professionals

If you are afraid that the pests have already found their way indoors, be sure to call the experts at Capital Pest. We provide homes and businesses throughout the Triangle with high-quality and effective pest control services.

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Capital Pest is proud to be a family-owned and operated pest control company serving Raleigh, NC and its surrounding area (Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Clayton, Pinehurst, Pittsboro, Fuquay-Varina, etc). Contact us for our pest control services today!