Log Cabin Pests

Bees Nest in Log Cabin

Bees Nest in Log Cabin



Prospective log cabin owners should give at least some consideration to the possibility of pests invading their new cabin. Naturally log cabin sellers will tell you pests are no problem at all; common sense will tell you otherwise. But you can minimise the risk of unwanted invaders by taking sensible precautions.

Most people have their log cabin in the garden in amongst the flowers, shrubs and compost heap; just the kinds of places pests and bugs likely already inhabit. Possible log cabin pests include wood worm, wood lice, wasps, bees, rats and mice amongst many others.

Many insects like rotting wood either as a nesting material or a food source. Keep rotting wood away from your log cabin. Make sure every component part of the log cabin has been treated twice with wood preserver before the cabin is assembled, as it will not be possible to treat all surfaces once the cabin has been built. Inspect the exterior of the cabin regularly and keep it clean and well maintained.

Insects like to make their homes in crevices, cracks and holes. This includes the nice dry areas between, for example, door frames and individual logs, in roof voids or under eves. As far as possible any obvious entry points should be blocked with flexible sealant.

Rats and mice love covered subterranean areas, like decking or underneath log cabins. This presents a potential problem if your cabin is built on a raised wooden base or incorporates a decking porch area, as many models do. Keep vegetation away from the sides and base of the cabin. Avoid tempting food sources such as vegetable patches near the cabin. Do not use ground feed for birds near a log cabin; a food source will simply encourage unwanted neighbours to colonise any accessible under-floor areas.

Taking these sensible precautions will never guarantee you a completely bug and pest free log cabin. Finding the odd cabin critter has moved in every now and then is best regarded as one of the inevitable tribulations of log cabin ownership.