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You should never block both the top and bottom of your chimney. Proper airflow is essential because the temperature inside the chimney will still fluctuate as your house warms and cools. Moisture can build up without ventilation, leading to dampness in your walls over time. Blocking the top prevents debris and animals from entering, but the chimney still needs air circulation to avoid condensation issues. Allowing the chimney to breathe maintains the health of your home and prevents long-term damage.

Common house roaches, typically American cockroaches or Periplaneta americana, usually live for around one year. The male American cockroaches survive for about one year, although the females may live up to 700 days. That’s because the reproductive cycle alone can last around 600 days for this type of cockroach.

If the nest is on or in your home, you should have an exterminator remove it. However, if the wasp nest is in an area of your yard that you don't frequent, you can leave it alone as long as the wasps don’t bother your household members. Wasps are very active during the summer months, but they will vacate in the fall and not return until the following year. So, if it's safe to do so, you can leave it, but if it poses a threat of being stung because it's in an area that you use frequently, consider having it removed.

Exterminators can get rid of your current ant problem, but they won’t prevent ants from coming back. So it’s important to implement ant preventatives to avoid future infestations.

The primary reason ants enter your home is to find food. If they can’t find any, they won’t survive. So, the most effective way to prevent ant infestations is to clean, clean, and clean some more. 

Keep your kitchen sparkling and wash your dishes immediately (or at least give them a quick rinse and wash off leftover food). Take out your garbage and compost as often as possible and tightly seal all your kitchen containers, especially the mason jars you use to hold your sugar—sugar is gold to ants.

You can also hire a local handyperson to help you prevent future ant infestations. The handyman can seal cracks and fix leaks throughout your home, which will keep any ants from entering.