Enclosed Gazebos Leave Intruders Out In The Cold

Enclosed Gazebos Leave Intruders Out in the Cold

by

Kathy Moran

When summer ends, it s time to give up lounging around in your patio furniture on the porch or in your

gazebo

, and begin to prepare for your winter visitors. We re not talking about the family and friends that you ve invited for the holidays, but the furry, four-legged trespassers. Yes, rodents, too, abandon their summertime recreation, and seek warm shelter in the winter; and they ll be in your home fore Christmas you can count on them.

Unfortunately, beyond being ungracious house guests, they can be dangerous ones; so, you must take every possible precaution to keep them outside. Mice and other pests often enter the house where gas or electric lines come in, or where the dryer vent exits. Use latex caulk to block smaller openings, and duct sealer to fill larger holes. Look for other gaps outside, in the foundation and siding, and seal them up, no matter their size, as even rats can squeeze through an opening that s no larger than a quarter.

You should also trim tree limbs back to at least eight feet from your house, so animals can t jump from trees, onto your roof. Install a cap on your chimney, as many varmints, including raccoons and squirrels, like to set up housekeeping inside of it. Place bird feeders well away from the house, and store seeds and pet foods in sealed, plastic containers. Don t stack a woodpile against your house, either, as it will provide a fine starter home for a family of mice who may eventually make your house their permanent residence.

If rodents come into the house, you must bid them a hasty, hardy hail and farewell! If you want to do it humanely, use a live trap, which is a plastic cube, about six inches long, with doors that open inward, so that mice can enter, but not escape. Sanitary and simple to use, these traps can be placed in spots where creatures have been stirring, and when you catch one, you can release it outside, far enough away from the house that it won t find its way back.

Poison blocks and bait stations will, of course, kill them, but one of the drawbacks of this method is that the mice are likely to die somewhere in the house, and never be found. Snap-traps should be placed side-by-side, so that, if a mouse jumps over one, it will land on the other.

Once you have the situation under control, you can start thinking about the more pleasant aspects of the season, like getting ready for your invited guests. You can even go back to lounging in your gazebo, if you wish. In fact, an enclosed gazebo from GazeboCreations.com is a great way to welcome visitors and keep out intruders.

At GazeboCreations.com, you ll find a variety of cedar, treated pine, and vinyl gazebos in several sizes and shapes. Choose a pre-designed gazebo, or use the Gazebo Wizard to customize one, selecting from dozens of options, including insulation, storm windows, flooring, roofing, decorative railings, wiring, built-in benches, ceiling fans, special lighting, cupolas, and more. You can even install electricity, plumbing, and heating, and use it as a guest house, or the center of your holiday entertaining.

GazeboCreations.com has design consultants and customer service professionals who are always ready to assist you. To contact them, call 1-888-293-2339, or e-mail cs@gazebocreations.com.

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