The 12 Entry Points Pests Use to Get Into Your Home

Every pest problem starts the same way: a gap. Mice need a dime-sized hole, rats a quarter, bats less than half an inch, and insects need almost nothing at all. Here's the audit list pros use — the twelve places Chattanooga homes let pests in.

At the roofline

Start high, because climbers start there. Roof returns — the corner where the roofline meets the wall — are the number-one rodent and squirrel entry on Tennessee homes. Gable vents without screening behind the louvers are open windows to bats and squirrels, and ridge vents with pulled-up ends invite everything.

Check the fascia and soffit joints next: warped boards open seams that bats use, and a loose soffit panel is a raccoon door. Any vent up high needs pest-rated screening that preserves airflow.

At the walls

Utility penetrations are the classic failure: the holes where AC lines, cable, and gas enter the wall, sealed at build with foam that's now confetti. Weep holes in brick need ventilation but admit scorpions and mice — purpose-made covers solve both.

Windows and doors fail quietly: dried caulk lines, flattened weatherstripping, and door sweeps with daylight under them. If you can see light, a scorpion sees an entrance. Garage door corners are mouse-sized by design — rubber corner seals close the gap.

At the foundation

Down low, look for cracks at the slab edge, gaps around hose bibs, and crawlspace vents with damaged screens. Expansive soils shift Chattanooga foundations a little every year, and every shift opens seams.

Landscaping finishes the invitation: mulch against the foundation holds moisture for termites, dense ground cover harbors scorpions, and tree branches within six feet of the roof are squirrel highways. The house is sealed; the yard is managed. Both matter.

Sealing it right

Material choice is the whole game. Foam alone is a snack for rodents — it works only as backing for copper mesh or metal. Hardware cloth stops mice; a raccoon requires flashing. Door sweeps need to actually touch the threshold.

A professional exclusion audit finds the gaps you'd walk past — most homes need a dozen or more points sealed — and warranties the work. It's the one pest-control service that never needs repeating when it's done right.