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The Most Common Cabin Pests

All the things that drew you to invest in a log cabin or cottage in the first place — the fresh air, the wildlife, the fauna — will be quickly forgotten if hordes of unwanted invaders start encroaching your indoor space. Some of the most common creeping, crawling, scampering and slithering pests in cabins include:

• Termites, specifically subterranean, drywood and dampwood termites;

• Beetles, including Asian lady beetle (ladybugs), larder beetles, long-horned beetles, flat-headed wood borers, powderpost beetles, old house borers and non-reinfesting wood boring beetles;

• Boxelder bugs;

• Carpenter ants;

• Carpenter bees;

• Wasps and hornets;

• Cluster flies;

• Fruit flies;

• Mosquitoes;

• Spiders;

• Rodents, including house mice, deer mice and Norway rats;

• Raccoons;

• Snakes.

The type of pest you may encounter depends on the geographical location of your cabin and the surrounding terrain. Log cabins in the cool and wooded Northeastern or Northwestern states may attract raccoons and mosquitoes, whereas those in the warm plains of the Southern states can be invaded by termites or the odd snake.

No matter where your cabin is located, here are some effective ways to keep the local wildlife outside where it belongs.

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Seal Holes and Cracks

The most effective way to keep pests out of your cabin is also the most tedious: sealing up any holes, cracks or other small entry points where crafty critters can squeeze through. Log cabins are especially prone to developing gaps in the walls between the logs as the structure settles over time or expands and contracts with temperature fluctuations.

Check your cabin thoroughly from chimney to foundation when you winterize it in the fall and again when you reopen it in the spring. Inspect attic vents and utility openings, plugging any openings with caulk, mortar, urethane expandable foam, steel wool or wire mesh. Install door sweeps or thresholds at the base of all exterior entry doors to eliminate gaps between the bottom of the door and the floor.

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