How to use silicone sealant to prevent pests
You must be wondering, how can silicone sealants prevent pests, rats and bats, from entering your house.
Rats and bats often find their way into homes and buildings when the weather grows cold. These tiny creatures seek secure shelters and food sources when faced with unfavourable weather conditions.
A similar problem occurs during the summer when insects such as ants, ticks, and mosquitoes invade houses and cause major problems to the point that you might need to hire costly pest control services.
To keep these creatures and insects from entering a building, caulking and sealing service is recommended by many industry experts.
Why is sealing and caulking a good way to prevent pests and rodent infestations?
By caulking holes and crevices around a property, silicone sealant can act as the first line of defence against bats, rats, and pests and help keep them out.
If pests and rodents have already invaded the house, silicone sealants can either be used in conjunction with insecticides or traps, or on their own as a preventative and insecticide-free method.
In this article, we will lay out as simply as possible, the use of silicone sealants for various rodent and pest-proofing solutions and the benefits they present.
But before that, we will learn about the various creatures that cause or can cause serious harm to you and those related to you.
Ants
During the winter, ants hibernate, so they are less likely to be encountered until the summer. These tiny insects flourish around morsels and leftover food after the winter ends.
In order to survive, ants must scour for food and water, but if they are continuously contaminating them, they can rapidly become a problem.
In addition to sealing any openings with silicone sealants where ants might enter from, make sure you clean up after yourself in areas where they might be looking for food.
Ticks and Fleas
These miniature insects may look harmless but they are extremely dangerous bloodsucking parasites that may infect your family members. Particularly if you have a pet and they spend a lot of time outdoors.
Fleas and ticks attach to your pets in the same way, but ticks are more dangerous because they can bite humans and spread severe diseases.
To prevent anything harmful you need to seal off the gaps and fractures your apartment may have in several places on the inside and outside that need to be sealed.
Seal your exterior areas - Roof rafters, siding, sheathing, joints, roof trim columns, steps, decks, etc.
And without saying, you should also seal your windows, doors, door frames, walls, floors, interior plumbing, and any other gaps you find inside your space with good-quality silicone sealant.
Mosquitoes
Besides being annoying, these buzzing bloodsuckers ( no pun intended ) are also among the deadliest bugs on earth. Stagnant water is ideal for them to lay their eggs, which is why they're so populated during the summer.
People who live in hot and humid climates are especially susceptible to mosquito bites. Cases of mosquito-borne illnesses are not that rare in India. Annually, the country witnesses an average of 1000 deaths from Malaria.
To prevent the need for expensive pest control services and hefty medical expenses, you must use fast-curing general-purpose silicone sealant to fill in gaps and holes.
Termites & Cockroaches
As summer approaches, termites begin their mating season and invoke mayhem on abodes.
During the summer, the number of termite queens proliferates and they can lay up to 30,000 eggs every day.
Unfortunately, for you, if you notice their presence a bit too late you will have to engage a professional termite control to get rid of them, and that will cost you a huge sum.
You can save a lot of money by caulking the gaps and holes in areas where termites grow to keep them out of your place (for example - wooden doors, furniture, etc).
You can also use silicone sealant to seal small holes in walls and floors to prevent cockroaches from littering around.
Cockroaches spread a lot of unhealthy germs, especially in the kitchen area, and cause people to fall sick.
Hence, it’s prevalent to seal a leaking faucet or any other space a cockroach can enter to ensure your family’s health & well-being.
But remember, use only a high-grade waterproof silicone sealant to prevent pests.
Rats, Mice and other Rodents
On any given property, there are many entry points for mice or rats to invade through and unleash havoc without your knowledge.
The larger rodents will have difficulty getting into narrow openings, but some rodents, including mice, need less space to enter a building space.
If these rodents intrude into your home, they can induce vicious health issues, especially since their droppings are dangerous for humans. Additionally, they can damage your belongings too.
That’s why it’s best to use mouse-proofing silicone sealant to keep out rodents. It's also called rodent-proofing.
It may be a good idea to use a mouse-proofing silicone sealant around your entry points to your home depending on where they are located.
Silicone sealant has several advantages. Silicone sealant is a non-toxic material and is ideal for keeping rodents away since it's tough for them to gnaw through.
You must seal the spaces as early as possible because once the rodents infest the area it can be a headache to get them out. Also, professional pest-proofing might put a hole in your wallet.
So, it’s best to completely avoid it with preventive silicone sealant mouse-proofing!
Bats
Typically living in attics or walls (where their droppings and urine create a pile of mess), bats can squeeze through an opening as small as one inch by three-eighths of an inch.
A repelling pungent smell stems from the bat's excreta and urine, which can be an annoyance to everyone around.
Furthermore, bat droppings contain microbes that may cause respiratory issues in humans. In the event that a bat or a camp of bats gets enraged, it will take a team of experienced professionals to restrain them.
It is also possible for urine dropping to cause flooring degradation as they make wood brittle. Bats are also extremely notorious for carrying several deadly diseases including rabies with them.
So, to avoid any hazardous situation, you must use a silicone sealant to bat-proof your space. Every possible entry point must be sealed except for the bats’ favoured exits with one-way doors.
To seal, you can utilise silicone sealants, as they are preferred as a perfect sealing material for their flexibility and clear look upon drying.
Once you bat-proof your place using a strong silicone sealant you can stay assured as bats do not gnaw through wood like squirrels and other rodents do.
The best tips for pest-proofing your home or business space
- All external entry doors should have thresholds established at their bases. Check for light leaking under doors while lying on the floor.
Insects can enter through gaps that are 1/16 inch or smaller; mice can enter through gaps that are 1/4 inch wide (for your better understanding-it's equal to the diameter of a pencil), and bats can enter through gaps that are 1/3 inch wide.
Since rats and insects frequently enter through the bottom corners, pay close attention to these areas.
- To prevent pests and rodents, caulk should be applied at the bottom outer edge and the sides of door thresholds.
You need to install a rubber bottom seal on your garage doors. By sealing the bottom track of sliding glass doors with 1/2 to 3/4 inch-wide foam weatherstripping, gaps under the doors can be covered.
- Ensure that all utility openings, such as those around outdoor faucets, outlets, gas metres, dryer vents, and telephone lines, are sealed perfectly. Bats, rodents, ants, spiders, and yellow jackets all enter through these frequently.
To fill holes you can use copper mesh, cement paste, sealant caulk, or any other appropriate silicone sealant.
- You should caulk cracks around windows, doors, fascia boards and other structures. Make sure that the caulk is of good quality, preferably a silicone or acrylic sealant.
Although slightly less flexible than pure silicone, latex-type sealants can be painted and are simple to wipe up using water.
Since errors are not visible, sealants that dry clear are frequently simpler to use than coloured caulks.
- Restore window and door screens that have cracks and tears. By doing so, fewer flies, gnats, mosquitoes, and midges will enter over the summer, and fewer cluster flies, lady beetles, and overwintering pests will enter during the fall.
Several insects, such as grasshoppers and crickets, are so small that they can fit through ordinary mesh window screens.
When they are emerging as adults, the only way to stop these little insects from entering your house is to close your windows.
Bats and rats also often try to sneak in from the openings of the doors or windows, so sealing them off could keep all your problems away at once.
With this article, we hope you have gained a better understanding of how to use silicone sealants to pest-proof and rodent-proof your home.
You can reach out to us at info@bondzil.com or call us on 1800 212 6274 (For India) or +91 81000 41000 (For International) if you have any further questions about Bondzil silicone sealants.
Check our complete range of rodent-proof and pest-proof silicone sealants here.
