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When it gets cold outside there is not much nicer than relaxing in a nice warm home. This applies to rodents as well. As stated by pest control experts, a falling temperature and lessening food supply drives rodents to invading over 21 million American households in the winter season. Typically, rodents live off of vegetation and seeds but are pushed to move in on human residences for food when the freezing winter weather or drought sets in. Go to this site for further information on pest controllers.

Minuscule openings in the exterior of your home are enough to invite a rat or mouse to come inside. 1/2″ is a large enough cavity for a rodent to go through, and mice are able to push their way through holes as tiny as 1/4″. Rodents may also gain entry through vents or utility openings, being skilled climbers there is no place they can not reach. Living with rodents could be a dangerous thing. Rodents are seen as fire hazards, they like to gnaw and will often target electrical wiring which can cause fires, they can also spread any amount of disease through their excrement and bites.

Research shows that rodents can carry over 200 dangerous human pathogens. Many of these pathogens can be deadly to humans, including the Hantavirus, which causes HPS or Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and the plague. HPS is known to spread through airborne particles of fecal matter, saliva or even urine from deer mice that have become infected, and has been seen in 30 different states in the last decade and a half. There have been 465 reported cases in this time period and 35 percent are fatal.

And while many people believe the plague no longer exists, there are an average of 12 cases reported every year in the United States. Rodents can be associated with the health of humans for many many years. The 14th century plague in Europe was caused and spread by rodents and because of the way that they spread disease, makes them still a risk factor in modern times. While only a handful of the diseases that are spread by rodents are fatal, any infestation of rodents should be addressed quickly and professionally. You will gain a deeper understanding about local home pest control by checking out that resource.

Many believe rodents to be a sign of dirty conditions. There are certain factors that may increase the appeal to rodents, such as freely accessible food and omnipresent clutter, but rodents will also just invade wherever they can find an entrance into a structure. There are some harbingers of a rodent infestation that you should check for if you think you might have a problem. There are a few telltale signs left behind by rodents that may indicate their presence like dark colored droppings (usually 1/4 to 1/2 inch in length), the gnawed remnants of food in your pantry, oily markings on the wall where they have rubbed against it, gnawed wooden frames and furniture, and the sound of scampering in the pantry or behind walls.

If you detect any of these signs, then call a professional pest control expert right away. A combination of rodent pesticides and bait traps are most commonly used to eliminate rodents from homes or other structures. The quality of the poison and knowledge of how and where to trap them is what makes hiring a professional your best bet for elimination. With colder temperatures on the way, now’s the time to follow these steps to keep the rodents from moving in to your home. Firewood should be kept a fair way from the home and raised above the ground. Piles of stones, bricks and other debris should be cleared away. These are a haven for rodents, which might also be hiding their point of entry into your home.

If you find any cracks outside then seal them up immediately. If you find any large gaps, make sure you use place steel wool or wire mesh inside the crack before you seal it. Any vents should be sealed with 1/4 inch hardware cloth to stop rodents getting in. Insect screens will not keep out rodents so cover the bottom of all your doors with tight fitting weather strips. Any tree branches that over hang your house and could be used by a rodent to gain access to the roof or vents should be trimmed along with any shrubbery.

How to Repair Holes in Wood Houses when Preparing to Paint then Sand

It would be nice if your wooden home stayed in good shape with only a small amount of home maintenance. Only scrape and caulk some, toss down some sheeting for paint drips, and slap on a new coat of durable house paint.

Maintaining your house is more difficult. Instead, one almost always has to repair the wooden surface of your home.

This house of mine needed a lot more be done. The steel sheeting under my shingles leaked and enabled the water to penetrate the facing board under the gutter. As the house aged, these facing boards shriveled and the paint fell away.

I was determined to fix this myself. I was worried whether standard compounds to fill wood could fill in the gaps properly.

My buddy next door patched his wood facing boards many weekends to control those darn flying termites. These jobs stood the test of time. He knew something I did not.

Use Bondo to Fill Wood then Use Wood Working Power Tools to Sand

He said a contractor had recommended to always apply Bondo to patch larger holes in wood. To learn more go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bondo_(putty)

I knew how Bondo worked on cars. This auto filler was heavy and durable. Bondo permitted sanding and lathing. When he brought up using this auto filler, I instantly knew that it would do the job.

When making repairs, the method is to make repairs in layers with big gobs initially and less material thereafter. Bondo allows you to do fine finishing work, with ordinary kitchen wax paper and wood to shape. To prep for painting by sanding just use one of the many wood power sanders for sanding the Bondo and wood smooth.

For those of you who own a wood deck, you could also use Bondo to fill in gouges in the flooring of wood decks of various types. It is sometimes necessary, when you are sanding a redwood deck.

Consider that Bondo looks light red after sanding and this will show through, when using a light colored water sealant on a wooden deck. If you intend to preserve a wooden deck that has Bondo, you might need to use an opaque sealant.

Finally you don’t have to look for an auto parts store to get Bondo. You can get Bondo at Lowes or Home Depot. Incidentally, my wood repair has not shrunk at all over the years.

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