Keeping insects out

Dannydee333

I've bought my first home, a ground-floor apartment.

I came from a rented second-floor apartment and had almost no issues with insects or spiders in the 12 years I lived there. In my unprofessional opinion, this must be because I was at least 30 feet from the ground.

Anyway, literally the next day after I moved in, there was a spider, a millipede and a slug in my kitchen, that had apparently came through the patio doors, or from underneath it. There was a very big space all the way across the bottom of the patio doors and the kitchen tiles which I promptly filled in with chaulk acrylic.

Then I went around all the skirting boards and filled in all and any cracks I could find. Today I was sitting in my home office and I looked down and a woodlouse had come through another crack I missed. So, again today I had the chaulk gun out, doing more filling.

I'm determined to block up absolutely every nook and cranny that I can possibly find. Is this an effective method to keep these ugly turds out? Is there more I could be doing?

Even when I fill in every crack I can find, I know there are still more places where things can slip through. Like behind the washing machine where there are significant holes in the plaster, or under the sink, etc. I'm thinking about buying those cans of foam and blocking everything up with that stuff too. Is that a good idea?

I'd appreciate all advice and methods I can use, please. I'm not used to this !!!!!! and even though I've taken significant measures against it, the problem is not completely gone yet and I need it to be a non-issue as soon as possible.

Bookworm105

sell up and go back to your parents home?

twopenny

Two things.
Are you sure you're not bringing them in on your shoes, clothes?
Check the mortar in the bricks outside.
Also is there an airbrick under the patio doors? Do not bung this up. If there is then tape some gauze over it but allow the air in.

Has the place been empty for a while?

But you won't stop spiders. They will come in open doors or windows.

Dannydee333

Bookworm105 said:

sell up and go back to your parents home?

That's a very useful response. Thank you for the advice.

I can't, tho. I'm a strong independent man now.

Dannydee333

twopenny said:

Two things.
Are you sure you're not bringing them in on your shoes, clothes?
Check the mortar in the bricks outside.
Also is there an airbrick under the patio doors? Do not bung this up. If there is then tape some gauze over it but allow the air in.

Has the place been empty for a while?

But you won't stop spiders. They will come in open doors or windows.

It's definitely not from shoes or clothes. I have a small outside garden half paved half grass and at night and when it's wet you can see the slugs and millipedes and stuff. Of course, I'm sure I'll need to weed out and bleach and poison the hell out of that little backyard at some point to hopefully kill everything in range but I need to take care of the inside as much as possible first.

There is no airbrick but the patio doors and windows (all PVC) definitely need some maintenance for they are not airtight and cold air is seeping through some of them. Plus the bottom corner of one of the patio doors is worn away a bit (the PVC) which needs mending as things could almost certainly get through. Rain is also seeping through at the bottom, which will fall under the maintenance/repair they need.

Is PCV doors and window repairs a thing? Surely I don't have to replace them all.

The building is only 15 years old but my place has been empty for several years.

I never got spiders in my old apartment tho, and I believed that was because I was so high up. Does that matter or was I just lucky?

Emmia

Dannydee333 said:

twopenny said:

Two things.
Are you sure you're not bringing them in on your shoes, clothes?
Check the mortar in the bricks outside.
Also is there an airbrick under the patio doors? Do not bung this up. If there is then tape some gauze over it but allow the air in.

Has the place been empty for a while?

But you won't stop spiders. They will come in open doors or windows.

It's definitely not from shoes or clothes. I have a small outside garden half paved half grass and at night and when it's wet you can see the slugs and millipedes and stuff. Of course, I'm sure I'll need to weed out and bleach and poison the hell out of that little backyard at some point to hopefully kill everything in range but I need to take care of the inside as much as possible first.

I think it's a pity in the garden especially you can't just accept nature for what it is - personally I'm fine with spiders, they deal with any flies that come in,  slugs and snails belong in the garden. 

But if you really want rid indoors, I find thorough daily vacuuming helps - if your place has been empty for a while, the critters will have secreted themselves in lots of places, sealing the place up won't deal with those that are already "in" and stops them leaving.

Keep_pedalling

I love a few spiders around the house, they save on fly spray. Sorry to be a pedant but spiders are arachnids, slugs are molluscs and centipedes are myriarpoda (none of them have 6 legs).

As you seem to hate wildlife so much you really should avoid anywhere with a garden. 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Hello OP

Spiders taste with their feet and are said to dislike citrus so if you have hard floors you can mop with some lemon oil in the water to help keep them away. They also like undisturbed, dusty corners so keeping the house polished and cleaning behind the furniture helps. 

Slugs like beer, if you put a small yogurt pot half full in the ground by the front and back door they'll be attracted to that, get drunk, fall in and drown, which is a bit sad for the slug but much better than salt or poisons which cause a more prolonged and painful death. 

Woodlice is going to be a tricky one, other than keep sealing up the gaps I'm not sure what you can do. 

I've never been a fan of bugs but since our child was born you have to put on a brave face, otherwise they'll grow up with same irrational fears, whilst the spiders still go up the hoover, woodlice, slugs and other insects are released back in the garden, if you face your fear in small steps it might not be as bad you think  

Dannydee333 said:Of course, I'm sure I'll need to weed out and bleach and poison the hell out of that little backyard at some point to hopefully kill everything in range 

You'd be surprised just how much life is living in the ground and the tiny cracks in the pavements, that life provides food for other animals and helps enrich the soil for more life to thrive. 

Their tiny little word many seem insignificant to us but size is relative, maybe we are insignificant to something else and we just have to hope they don't have any bleach  

twopenny

Lunatic - i had no idea!

I agree with dealing with the frames first.

Count yourself lucky. My tiny bungalow had ants running up the living room wall when I viewed it.
Thought I'd dealt with it and one night sat on the setee they were runing up my leg 

Place had been empty so long they'd eaten through the mortar under the patio doors, air brick and concrete floor.
Once remortared and sealed job was a good'un.

Had to re do the patio flags as they were at home under there. That's something to check.

No point in poisoning what's there. More will move in.
Use your bleach in a spray bottle and spray the brick where the house meets the ground and about 1 ft up to eliminate scent trails.

Thinking once the place is lived in you won't have a problem.

SuzeQStan

We found slugs were getting in around the obv door seal so we put salt down at their point of ingress

FreeBear

Dannydee333 said: I'm thinking about buying those cans of foam and blocking everything up with that stuff too. Is that a good idea?

If you are going to use expanding foam, get a gun (the cheap plastic ones from ebay are just as good as the expensive metal ones from place like Screwfix). Use the nozzle from a mastic/sealant cartridge to get the foam in to tight spaces, and don't try to squirt too much in - With a gun, you'll have much better control over just how much foam gets applied.

If you get any foam on surfaces you don't want it, do not try to wipe it up straight away. Leave it to fully harden, and it will peal off. Same if you get any on clothing or carpets.

Once you are done using the foam, clean the gun thoroughly - Even better if you can disassemble it and soak the parts in acetone (particularly the bit where the can screws on to).

Slugs and woodlice like damp & moist conditions. That they are coming inside suggests you may have an issue with penetrating damp in some areas. Your survey should have picked up on any problem areas.