Gutter Screens Stop Infestation

Installing gutter screens on your home will allow rainwater to flow from your roof to the gutters, to the downspouts, and away from your home, properly.

This is the primary benefit of installing gutter screens because rainwater is the #1 threat to your home. However, homeowners should consider another important benefit of gutter guards, preventing all kinds of insect and animal infestation.

You Have Clogged Gutters—Are You Charging Rent?

A clogged gutter is basically a vacancy sign for birds and squirrels. Unprotected gutters will accumulate leaves, twigs, pine needles, and worst of all, moisture. This just happens to be exactly what birds, squirrels and other rodents need for their nests. As cute and cuddly as these animals may be, they can damage your gutters and your home. So unless you are charging them maintenance fees, it is smart to install a gutter screen and prevent animals from moving in. Your gutter screen installer will clean out any existing clogs or nests before installing your gutter screen.

Gutter Screens Don't Exterminate, They Eliminate

Perhaps more distressing than the thought of animals making a home in your gutters is the realization that spiders and other insects are doing the same! Without gutter screens your gutters will fill up with leaves and muck. If you have been cleaning your gutters manually then you already know that even days or weeks after rain the gunk in your gutters is still wet. Again, these damp and dark crevices in your clogged gutters are an open invitation for bugs to move in.

Insect infestation can cause problems for your home. Your soffit and fascia do not have to be moist to attract wood eating insect like beetles and termites, though without gutter screens there is a good chance that rainwater has seeped into your soffit and fascia making it more desirable for these types of critters. Beetles will lay eggs in the wood, and when the larvae hatch, they begin to tunnel. As they bore, the tunnels fill with sawdust. Maintaining clean and clear gutters will dramatically increase your chances of preventing wood damaging critters from infiltrating your home.

Aside from the pecuniary effects of insect infiltration, bugs are simply annoying to live with. With gutter screens it is easier to keep bugs outside where they belong.