1.     Firewood storage. Carpenter ants wil forage extensively and will travel as far as 100 yards from their nest. Store firewood as far from your home as possible-removing your home from the range of carpenter ants, termites and other wood-destroying insects.

2.     Openings at plumbing, electrical, and telephone line entrances into your home. Sealing openings around these entries reduces access for many occasional invaders including house crickets, centipedes, millipedes and rodents.
Grocery bags stored improperly. Store a small number of paper grocery bags in a cool dry area. Damp grocery bags in a warm area provide harborage for cockroaches.

3.     Unsealed recyclable storage practices. Store recyclables away from the kitchen in sealed containers. Unsealed recyclables provide food, water, and shelter for insects such as cockroaches and flies.

4.     Un-caulked shower and tub fixtures. Many insects including silverfish will try to infest your bathroom. Keep all pipe chases sealed to prevent harborage for these pests.

5.     Leaky plumbing fixtures. Leaky fixtures in the kitchen and bathroom, as well as outside spigots, provide a needed water source for many insects and rodents.

Door sweeps. Install door sweeps on exterior doors as well as on overhead garage doors to prevent mice, chipmunks and squirrels from entering this fall.

6.     Excessive debris in gutters. Clean the gutters. Fal is the time to prevent water and ice back ups from damaging your roof and soffit. Moisture damaged wood will provide an excellent carpenter ant nesting site in the spring.