DIY guideMice and pests

Look along the sills and foundation for termites and carpenter ants

Walk the foundation and the wood just above it, look for mud tubes, sawdust and soft wood, and leave the inspection to a pest pro.

7 steps

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Pull mulch, soil and plants back from the foundation so you can see where the wall meets the wood.
Look up the foundation, outside and in the basement, for pencil-wide mud tubes climbing to the wood.
Look under the sills, the deck and the window trim for little piles of fine sawdust, often with bits of insect in it.
Tap the sill and the wood near the ground with a screwdriver's handle. A hollow sound or soft wood is a warning.
Winged insects in spring, or their dropped wings by windows and doors, mean a nest close by.
Keep firewood, lumber and wood chips away from the walls, and wood off the bare soil.
Mud tubes, sawdust piles or soft wood: don't spray. Ask Handyman for a pest control pro to inspect.

Handyman says: Don't spray it. I'll find a pest pro.

Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.