4 Tips to Keep Your Gutters Pest Free

While cutting the grass and pulling weeds isn’t quite as relaxing as gently swaying to and fro in a hammock, a well-maintained yard and home will help you keep up with the Joneses – and it will help stay off potentially expensive problems down the road.

Creating pest-free gutters may not be at the top of your honey-do list, but here’s why dirty gutters should be high on your spring maintenance list.

Dirty house gutters are a breeding ground for disease-carrying pests, such as mosquitoes. They attract bees, hornets and other hard-to-remove aggressive pests. They are inviting to nesting animals which in turn clogs gutters. Clogged gutters can lead to roof damage, gutter damage, landscape erosion and foundation damage.

Foundation damage??? Maybe it is time to get out the ladder and see how those house gutters are holding up. Follow this list of steps to help you achieve pest-free and problem-free gutters:

1) Remove The “Mosquitoes Welcome” Sign

Remove leaves, debris and other items blocking downspouts. Even partially clogged downspouts can create standing water in your house gutters. Mosquitoes can be problematic on their own. Any source of standing water is an open invitation for these disease-carrying pests.

2) Put Up A Bird House

Clean any leaves and twigs out of your gutter. Birds love confined, safe spaces for nesting. Having an arsenal of nesting material in your spouting is a siren’s song to local birds. And once they’ve discovered how cozy your gutters you’ll have a sparrow or two as an uninvited house guest. First, get the twigs and leaves out of your gutters. Then put up a birdhouse that Tweetie can proudly call home.

3) Buzz Off

Most homeowners have dealt with wasps, hornets and bees that like to call gutters home. Especially if you have a gutter guard with openings – that’s the perfect dark and secure place for making honey. A completely sealed gutter protection system (like LeafFilter) is the only permanent solution for keeping bees away.

If your spouting isn’t sealed, or you have gutter guards with holes and openings, and a colony creates a corner suite with a view above your garage, then it’s time to buy some bee and wasp spray. A word of caution, get the cans with the long-range spray or you’ll find yourself with a stinger or two as a badge of honor.

4) Rinse & Repeat

You’ve got the spouting clear…great job! Now, rinse them with a garden house to clean away small debris. Then come back in a week or two for another round of leave and twig removal. It is springtime after all. Those growing plants and trees are going to keep creating gutter clutter all through the spring, summer and fall.