# Physically Stopping Bugs from Entering



## wac_432 (Apr 25, 2017)

This year it's earwigs. Last year it was ants. The year before that stinkbugs. Spiders always.

My 60-year-old place backs on a wild hillside and my yard is a mess of weeds and crawling insect life for 5 months, then it's dead (but still buggy) for the rest of the year. It sits on a slab that may have cracks and holes. The exterior wall coating is stucco down to the slab, and there's probably gaps at ground level for creepy-crawlies. The windows are aluminum with the weather stripping long gone. There's a sliding glass door (no screen) in the same condition, and a front door also with no seal.
　
I'm planning major renovations within the next 3 years, and I just want to do triage right now. No new windows, no new doors, no foundation or stucco work. Just basic emergency repairs that can be reasonably done in 60-120 minute chunks. I know what to do to seal the front door. I need suggestions/thoughts on the rest.
　
*Windows and sliding glass door (sideways sliders with aluminum frames) no screen on the door and screens on windows are so loose as to be useless: *

What's the best way to cut down on the bug traffic on the superhighway that are my shotty windows? I'm thinking cleaning the tracks and applying self-adhesive silicon sweeps to the inside top and bottom of the window frames. There's plenty of gap to fit the sweeps into the track. 
Then foam tape on the window side where frame hits sash. Maybe rubber or neoprene?
　
*Foundation/Wall/Ground Interface:* 

I want to dig out a defensive barrier around the house, since the wall and foundation are in such rough shape. Right now it's just dirt and grass (during the rainy season) right up to the wall. What stops, or at least discourages bugs? I've got one small tree to deal with (that will necessarily be inside the barrier), but no shrubbery or foliage otherwise. There are trees and plants in the yard that will drop leaves on it, so it needs to be reasonably rake-able. I'm fine with hitting the barrier with roundup to prevent plant incursion. I do plan on using a garden liner to make it look somewhat decent.

How deep should I go? What should I fill the trench with? I'm thinking something inhospitable to bug life, like inorganic rubber mulch. Maybe pea gravel? Is there a type of mulch that repels insects? Should I line it? Will I need to spray it to preventing nesting or burrowing in the fill?
I plan to dig down an expose the top inch of the slab so that I can keep the stucco/concrete interface dry, (it doesn't rain for 9 months of the year), clear, and open for spray or DE.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

WAC.....

Keep it simple ...... for ten to twenty bucks you can get BOTH a lawn insectacide and a gallon of liquid to spray around your foundation both outside and inside...... it will dramatically cut down on your insect problems.

Spend the rest of your money in improving/ maintaining your property.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

I had a neighbor, a military wife, who swore by steel wool stuck in every crack & around windows. She was petrified by bugs & we lived on the more jungle-like side of a Hawaiian island.


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## ChicoBugGuy (May 4, 2017)

Besides a physical barrier, you could also make environmental barriers. Insects need moisture to live. If you remove the moisture sources insects wont be able to live. Look for leaking faucets, air conditioners lines that sweat, and air conditioning coil drains. Put rock near your home vs mulch. 

I would second some sort of product to control the insects. Many of the pests you mentioned would be controlled well with a Boron based bait like niban. It comes in granules you can spread with a seed spreader. Boron is organic so the bait is one that most people are comfortable with.


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## wac_432 (Apr 25, 2017)

I've used sprays, DE, and boron in the past, but they are not very effective because dirt and associated organic material comes right up to the foundation and absorbs the chemicals when there's any water present. Moisture drips off my metal roof most nights and quickly neutralizes the chemicals.
So I intend to install gutters, and put in an inorganic barrier. The internet thinks crushed rock or rubber mulch is the way to go. I guess I'll head over to the landscaping forum to see if anyon there has done something similar.


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