An attached garage is an attractive habitat to many different wandering animals so you should pay close attention to these unique environments. Attached garages can be especially prone to pest invasions from several different garage pests, arthropods and mammals. But why do pests favor garages?

Ecological Equivalents.

• Depending on the time of the year, an attached garage can offer a wandering animal protection from its enemies, as well as from threatening climatic conditions such as cold, snow, dampness or heat.
• Essentially, a garage can offer the ecological equivalents perhaps of a warm tree hollow, a cool cave, a burrow or some other type of natural protection.
• Some garages may also contain insulated attic storage spaces. These quiet and undisturbed spaces are attractive to raccoons, opossums, bats, roof rats, deer mice and birds.
• If the ventilating louvers of these attic spaces are not maintained, various wasps and bees will take advantage of this ideal "tree hollow" in which to construct a nest.

A Naturally Conducive Structure.

• Although garage doors may be relatively tight when installed, rarely are they maintained in this manner by home-owners with door sweeps. Even when closed, the long garage door crevice typically allows for the escape of the attractive warm air currents (during cooler months) or cold air currents (during hot summer months).
• Food odors produced within a residence will also seep out of this crevice, providing yet another strong pest attraction.
• As homeowners typically leave the garage doors fully or partially open, pests are often permitted unimpeded entry to our homes directly.
• Entry lights can attract various flies, moths and a myriad of other flying insects to the garage door areas. Sometimes, bats, while following these flying insects, also fly into the garage and become trapped inside the home when the doors are put down for the night.

Attractive Odors.

• Several different types of food odors can leak from our homes.
• Storing large bags and containers of dog/cat food and birdseed in the garage.
• Pets are also frequently fed directly in the garages. Small spillage of pet foods and bird seeds in garages can accumulate in garages, attracting and feeding insects and mammals.
• Trash is commonly maintained inside garages until collection day. Remaining, decaying old food residues and odors in the bottom of the trash cans provide a constant attraction and breeding medium to pests.

"Nested Nests."

• Once inside, pests discover that the garage provides a harborage within the harborage (i.e., "a nested nest").
• Sometimes garages become so cluttered that they no longer serve the homeowners as car garages, but merely as "big closets." Cardboard boxes and all types of junk fill in the wall and corners. Pests such as ants, rodents, silverfish, spiders, cockroaches and others find the protection among the clutter highly favorable environments for breeding and proliferating undisturbed.

Pests can often be found in garages as it is an attractive habitat for pests, rodents and wildlife. Taking steps to install a garage door sweep, cleaning up pet/bird food, pest proofing and actually using your garage to store cars will go a long way in reducing garage pests. Educating Saratoga and homeowners throughout the Capital Region about the importance of their role in maintaining their spaces not attract and encourage infestations. Thomas Pest Services has been solving rodent and insect problems for those that live, work and play in the Capital Region and surrounding towns like Chatham, Schenectady, Latham, Saratoga Springs and Queensbury with third generation experience. Pest removal is serious, and should be handled by a professional, contact us via phone at 1-877-518-2847, via web inquiry, Facebook or Twitter!

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