Self-storage units provide a great way to store personal belongings that you don't currently have a place for, but they can also attract a variety of pests. Here are the four most common pests to invade a self storage unit and tips on how to prevent them.

1. Ants

Ants are a common problem with self storage units. The first thing you should do to keep them out is make sure you don't keep any food or water in the storage unit. This also includes crumbs that might be in boxes or bags you are storing. If you do find ants, you need to destroy the entire colony, especially the queen ant. Do this by creating an ant bait with sugar and boric acid. The ants will walk over this and bring it back to their queen, successfully killing the colony.

2. Cockroaches

Unfortunately, cockroaches are going to be one of your biggest problems. Cockroaches like dark spaces, so they do tend to frequent storage units, as well as home garages and basements. Cockroaches also love hot, moist environments, so get a climate-controlled storage unit if you can. By reducing the humidity and heat, you should be able to deter them. Also try to store items in plastic bins or other containers and stay away from cardboard boxes. Boric acid works very well at killing cockroaches if you see any of them in your storage unit.

3. Spiders

The problem with spiders is that they can easily hide in any size crack or crevice. This means it will be hard to keep them out of your storage unit. However, by not using cardboard boxes, you will reduce how many of them want to come into your storage unit since spiders often hide inside. You should also be aware of spiders that like other insects as a food source. By eliminating all pests from your storage unit, you prevent spiders from entering. As a final preventative measure, spray an insecticide around the door of the storage unit and any cracks you find.

4. Rodents

Finally, rodents are another problem you might face, especially with mice and rats. They also like dark, warm spaces, so keep the heat and humidity to a minimum. They can also chew through cardboard boxes and furniture, so that is something to be aware of. Rodents usually go looking for food and water, so if you keep this out of your storage unit, you are already deterring them. You can also set mouse traps in the storage unit to catch any that make their way in, but be sure to check on them regularly.

 

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