Nothing makes a cold day better than a warm, roaring fire in the fireplace. However, firewood provides great shelter for a multitude of insects, including wood boring beetles, carpenter ants, cockroaches, spiders, earwigs, and springtails. By taking these steps below, you will be much less likely to introduce a pest problem into your home this winter.
Only bring firewood inside your home if you are going to use it soon. Pests inside of firewood will warm up when brought inside and then become active inside of your home. If you can’t use all the firewood in one day but won’t be storing it for long, you can keep the wood in a cool garage or on cold concrete elsewhere to prevent insects from warming up and emerging out of the wood.
For longer periods of storage, do not store your firewood against your home or beside a building, because this can cause long term problems with ants and termites. Also, be sure to use the oldest firewood first. The older the firewood is, the more likely it is infested with insects.
Before bringing in firewood, make sure there are not bird or other animal nests on or near it. These nests can harbor mites, ticks, and fleas. Keeping your firewood tightly wrapped and covered can help reduce the number of critters inside it. Before you bring wood indoors, brush off any soil or debris first and use firewood very soon after you bring it indoors.
It’s also important to remember that it is never advisable to transport firewood great distances or move it across state lines. The spread of invasive insects is rapidly expanding and is greatly aided by the movement of firewood.
Don’t neglect your chimney during your firewood and fireplace pest prevention. The chimney itself can act as an opening allowing wildlife pests like racoons and squirrels into your home. Installing a chimney cap can help reduce the entry of pests and help limit rainwater and moisture buildup in your chimney that can lead to other pest problems within your home.
Call us today to help guide you in proofing your home from pests this winter.