Suggest possible pests that create these holes - Ask Extension
Hello,
I live in Westminster. Inside my garage in the "caulking" between concrete slabs have appeared holes. I have attached the best p...
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Suggest possible pests that create these holes #819932
Asked February 07, 2023, 6:59 PM EST
Hello,
I live in Westminster. Inside my garage in the "caulking" between concrete slabs have appeared holes. I have attached the best photos I can get with my crappy phone. I'm wondering if you might be able to suggest some possible pests that have created these holes. I have not see any insects. Perhaps that's because it's winter. There are mice in the garage but I don't think these small holes belong to them. I could be wrong however. I really appreciate your time.
Best regards,
Katy Derenzo
Jefferson CountyColorado
Expert Response
Hi Mary,
A few questions:
1. When did you first notice these holes?
2. How old is the caulking/mortar?
3. Are you noticing consistent damage throughout your whole garage, or is it concentrated in an area?
Thank you for getting back to me. I'm doing some garage cleaning and organizing for a friend's house. She has basically been ignoring her garage except for using it as a receptacle for things she doesn't know what to do with. So unfortunately it is not possible to say when the holes were noticed as she hasn't been in the garage enough to even know they were there. The caulking has been in place since the house was built about 30 years ago. The damage appears to be limited to just the caulking.
When I was out there recently I did see a young wolf spider that I spooked and it ran into one of the holes. Also, I recently sprayed some bug spray along the sides of the caulking. It is the kind that is supposed to kill bugs for three months. I haven't found any dead bugs at all. My guess is they are all hunkered down for the winter.
I don't know if any of this helps. I'm very curious to know what might be going on under there! Hopefully it won't be anything that can cause too much damage.
She has had a very bad mouse and/or rat problem but I've cleaned up anything they could have for food and the problem seems to be much better as I don't see the large amount of droppings anymore. They were eating from a bag if grass seed for some time. Hopefully they have moved on to a place with a better food source.
Thank you for your valuable time. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Two more follow-up questions! Is the caulking (and holes) just present on the floor, or is it on walls of the garage as well? Are the holes found in the caulking concentrated in a certain area or does it appear to be dispersed through all of the caulking in the garage?
The holes appear to be limited to the caulking on the floor dispersed along the cross shape between slabs. So the vertical caulk line and horizontal caulk line between 4 concrete floor slabs. The slabs are not caulked along the outer parameter as there is some type of fibrous material used there. I have not seen anything on the walls.
Hopefully that makes sense. Thank you for your help with this!
From the information you provided me, it sounds like the caulking might just be breaking down due to age, moisture, etc. I would recommend removing the existing caulking and resealing with new caulking to keep the floor in good shape and to prevent pests from nesting in those holes. Afterwards, I would monitor the site for any evidence of insect or insect damage; if you find any, I can help you identify the insect and make recommendations on how to manage the insect. However, I do suspect that the damage is not coming from a pest, but rather appearing from wear and tear.
