It’s never pleasant to discover that you have unwanted animal residents in or around your roof and gutters – and for good reason.

Pests can pose a significant threat to you and your home, causing extensive damage, making a mess and destroying your peace and quiet.

But one of the most serious consequences of pests in your gutters and roof is the health hazards they can create.

Contamination & disease 

Many pests are prolific disease carriers, and like almost every other creature on the planet, they urinate, defecate and die.

But while this mightn’t be much of a problem in the great outdoors, it can cause all sorts of problems around your home.

Rats are the most famous disease carriers, but possums, birds and other pests are also guilty. The droppings, urine and carcasses left behind by these pests can contaminate your home, causing sickness, exacerbating allergies and asthma, and spreading further disease. Dead animals in your gutters can also contaminate the water in your rain harvesting system or cause other health problems by clogging your gutters.

Parasites & extra pests 

To complicate the problem further, most home invading pests don’t come alone.

Fleas, mites, ticks, lice, worms and other tiny pests and parasites often accompany birds, possums and other animals into your gutters, roof and home. Once there, these tiny pests may seek human hosts or spread to your pets.

Bites from smaller pests can cause serious irritation and dermatitis, or even trigger allergic reactions and asthma for both pets and people. Because they’re so small, these insects can also be some of the most difficult pests to effectively remove, making them a serious threat to the health of your home.

Snakes 

Snakes often make their way into gutters and roof cavities in search of prey or a warm place to sleep and breed.

But while a snake in your roof might conceivably help control the presence of other pests, snakes are obviously not great for the health of your family or pets.

Snake bites mightn’t kill as many people as they once did, but that’s hardly a reason to risk it. Snakes also pose a serious threat to pets, who don’t always have the foresight to avoid them like humans do.

Mosquitoes 

Mosquitoes may be some of the smallest pests around, but they spread more diseases than any other animal on the planet.

In Australia, common (and serious) mosquito-borne diseases include Dengue fever, Ross River fever, Barmah Forest virus and Murray River encephalitis. All of these diseases can be deadly, and not just in the northern states. Even cities in cooler climates such as Melbourne are increasingly experiencing cases of these mosquito-borne diseases.

Pools of stagnant water such as the water in your downpipes or clogged gutters can create an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. Once the larvae have matured, they can begin spreading disease themselves, seriously threatening your home’s health. 

Prevention vs cure 

Removing pests in order to protect your home’s health can be an expensive exercise. If you already have pests resident in your roof and gutters, pest removal is certainly necessary. But if not, then prevention is always better than the cure.

If you want to prevent pest-related health hazards around your home, you need to keep pests out in the first place.

And the most effective way to do this is to use over-the-gutter gutter mesh.

Why gutter mesh? 

High-quality, over-the-gutter gutter mesh forms a physical barrier over your gutters and the gaps between your gutters and roof.

Because it cuts off access to both your gutters and roof, using over-the-gutter gutter mesh is an effective way to keep pests out, defending your home against animal invasion and the health hazards these pests bring.

Further protection is provided because the gutter mesh is installed in line with the roof angle to create a continuous slope. This helps to encourage leaf and debris blow-off while still letting rainwater in, preventing the kind of clogging and water pooling that often attracts mosquitoes.

Which gutter mesh?  

Pests vary in weight, size and dexterity. If you’re serious about keeping them out, it’s important that you select a metal gutter mesh that’s strong enough to withstand attack from the pests in your area.

To help you select an appropriate gutter mesh product for keeping pests out of your roof and gutters, Blue Mountain Co has developed Mesh Matcher. Mesh Matcher asks the right questions in order to identify which gutter mesh products will provide optimal protection against the pests in your area – and defend your home against other relevant threats.

Mesh Matcher is quick and easy to use. Try it today.