What's your heat bill look like? Would you rather see some of that money go into your pocket, rather than out the chimney? There are actually some pest prevention methods that can help you shave some money off that energy bill. Hang with me for a couple minutes, and I'll show you how.
Seal your foundation. One of the ways bugs get into your home is through cracks in your foundation. If bugs can get into those cracks, heat can get out. Use hydraulic cement to fill those cracks, and make sure to recheck your work the following year. If the cracks reappear, that means you may have structural issues that hydraulic cement can't fix. If your home is shifting, you'll need to call a structural engineer, to examine the soundness of your foundation. Usually, this does the trick, and you have extra protection against ground water, radon gas, and those pesky insects. Make sure to find gaps around pipes, wires, and meters, and fill those in as well. A caulking gun should do the trick. With all those cracks filled, your basement will hold the heat in, and allow that heat to radiate upwards, through your floorboards and vents.
Seal around windows. Screens are the best defense against bugs, but do you know that many windows also have cracks around them. Using caulk on the edges of your windows, can seal those areas from bugs, and also keep heat from escaping. This is important to do, even if you don't think insects can get through. Some insects can fit through incredibly thin cracks, and these cracks are large enough for tons of heat to escape. Sealing up these fractures will save you big bucks.
Seals around doors. Does your home have door sweeps? These attach to the bottom of doors, to keep cold air from leaking under. But do you know that they also keep bugs from creeping in? These are inexpensive and fairly easy to install. If you don't have them, they are well worth the investment. Another door sealing method that is worth the investment is weather stripping. This protects your door near the hinge, so the chill, and the bugs, can't get in. If you have sliding doors, make sure your weather stripping touches from top to bottom, and that the bristles aren't bent.
In fall, the bugs and rodents will try to get into your home, to overwinter or hibernate. Why not keep the pests out, and save money on your heat bill at the same time? Take the effort to fill in those cracks, especially in hard to get at places, like: under the porch, behind exterior buildings, and under stairwells. The energy saving will make it worth the trouble, and you won't have to share your home with cockroaches, stink bugs, and a host of other nasty insects, this fall.