Pests can cause significant damage to both residential and commercial properties. Detecting them early is crucial for controlling infestations and preventing further harm. Cellular cameras are a game-changer for pest detection, allowing commercial pest management companies to easily monitor a property remotely and act quickly when threats are detected.
The convenience and affordability of remote cellular cameras is changing the pest management game, but deciding where to place them may not be clear. Let’s look at the best locations for placing a cellular camera to detect pests.
1. Near Entry Points
Pests often enter buildings through small gaps, cracks, or open doors. Common entry points include:
- Doors and windows: Mice, insects, and even larger animals like raccoons sneak in through doors and windows. Placing a camera near these entry spots (both exterior and interior) lets you know if pests are sneaking in at night or during off-hours.
- Vents and pipes: Mice, rats, small birds, and even squirrels are adept at squeezing through tiny spaces around plumbing pipes, vents, or utility lines. Positioning a camera near these vulnerable spots will help catch these sneaky invaders before they build themselves a permanent home.
2. High-Traffic Pest Areas
Food, moisture, and/or warmth can create inviting areas for pests. Identifying these high-risk spots and placing cameras there can help you catch pests. Focus on:
- Kitchens and pantries: Crumbs, spills, and open or broken food containers attract ants, rodents, cockroaches, flies, and moths. Mount a camera in these areas to observe nighttime activity or unnoticed intrusions.
- Basements and crawl spaces: Critters love these dark, damp areas that most people rarely visit. Common invaders include rodents, termites, and spiders. Cellular cameras with an IR flash will keep a close eye over these spaces 24/7.
- Garages and sheds: Animals large and small, from mice to stray cats and raccoons, may seek shelter in garages and sheds. Storing food, bird seed, trash, or recycling bins may make these spaces irresistible. Cameras placed around doors, gaps, storage areas, and trash cans can help you detect animals before they cause damage, make nests, or bear young.
3. Attics and Rooflines
Your attic and roofline can be prime areas for rodents, birds, or even bats to enter. Many animals gain access to homes and buildings through loose shingles, vents, cracks, or other structural openings. Using a wireless camera to monitor attics or areas near the roof can find how and where these animals are gaining entry.
Look for:
- Roof vents and gaps: These are places where birds and rodents can get into structures.
- Attic rafters and insulation: Mice, squirrels, and even chipmunks may nest in these spaces, consequently damaging insulation and wiring.
4. Outdoor perimeters
Cellular cameras can excel in monitoring indoor spaces, and the ability to add solar power makes outdoor operations even more stress-free for pest professionals. Small, inexpensive, wireless cameras can be set up along or in fences, foundations, waterways, barns, pastures, compost areas, and more. Don’t overlook common nesting areas like under decks and patios, and near trash collection areas.
5. In Areas with Known Pest Activity
If you know that problem animals have been in some specific areas before, chances are strong they will revisit them. Signs of pest activity may include gnaw marks, droppings, urine, prints, or chewed cables. Place a cellular camera nearby to monitor the situation more effectively.
6. Near Pet or Livestock Areas
Pet and livestock areas are common gathering points for problem pests. Spilled food, animal waste, dependable water sources, and strong smells can all attract pests and even put pets and livestock at risk. Rats, mice, and raccoons can be harmful to pets, while larger animals like coyotes and foxes may prey on smaller livestock. Cellular cameras can be placed around pet kennels, livestock pens, feed areas, and chicken coops.
Inexpensive motion-activated cellular cameras create effective ways for professional pest management companies to monitor clients’ structures and properties. These cameras can be strategically placed in areas likely to have pest activity, allowing you to receive real-time alerts when motion is detected. Cellular connectivity means you don’t need to tie into clients’ Wi-Fi systems, and powerful batteries means you can go for extended periods of time without needing to make site visits, saving you time and saving your clients headaches.
Learn more about AwareX pest control cameras here.