4 Pests That Might Invade You This Winter

It’s only mid-November, but winter is impatiently waiting around the corner. Besides a winter wonderland, colder weather also brings with it changes in insect activity. While bug populations don’t generally grow during the winter freeze, some do take to storming your home in search of water and warmth.

Your home is your haven—not your pests’.

Wintertime pest invasions aren’t just annoying… they can actually threaten your home and family. For some people, contact with certain bugs can result in serious allergic reactions or the transmission of disease. Additionally, some pests even cause physical damage to your house.

How awful is that?

There are many invading pests to look out. We’re going over a few of them to help you know what to look for to protect your family. Don’t let these freeloading pests steal your peace of mind this winter—stop them in their little thieving tracks.

1. Spiders

Many species of spiders, including common house spiders, cellar spiders, and brown recluses, will creep their way to permanent addresses in your basements, cellars, attics, crawl spaces, and closets. Problematically, bites from some of these spiders can cause serious allergic reactions.

Put bluntly, these pests will not only break into your home, but will also knowingly attack you—and we won’t stand for it. Who do these spiders think they are?

To minimize spider access to your home, keep all greenery trimmed away from your roof and outside walls. Take away access to hiding spots by storing clothing, shoes, and other loose items in airtight bins.

2. Roaches

Drier winter climates send cockroaches scrambling indoors to find moisture ASAP… even if that means taking up residence in your bathroom. It only goes downhill from there. Once roaches get a stable foothold on your property, it’s only a matter of time before you have a full-on infestation to deal with. If you react to cockroach allergens, you’ll be in for an exceptionally miserable time.

Once in your pantry and kitchen, roaches will happily chew their way through paper, cardboard, and plastic packing to your food. In a poorly protected pantry, a few roaches can do a lot of damage… by spoiling all your food not kept in airtight containers.

Pay special mind to your sinks and appliances and eliminate any excess moisture. Vacuuming regularly, cleaning counters and floors, and clearing clutter all go a long way towards maintaining a less-than-ideal environment for pest invaders—and thus a more ideal environment for you.

3. Ants

Ants won’t just wander into your home from time to time looking for moisture… they’ll orchestrate coordinated marches designed to pillage as much food and water from you as possible. Give ants any leeway and they’ll take over your home before you even know what hit you.

Since ants live in large, fluid colonies, it’s really important to keep up regular pest control services to maintain a insect barrier at all times during the year.

4. Rodents

When it comes to winter pest activity, rodents are definitely your greatest threat. Besides being unsanitary and somehow loud, rodents can cause real (and expensive) damage to your home.

If rodents are inside your home, it’s likely due to tiny cracks and crevices. Use professional services to help you promptly identify and plug up any rodent access points to your home. This cannot be delayed. Rodents can chew through drywall, electrical wiring, and contaminate food with pathogens… putting off a fix could cost you big time.

Even a well sealed home is prone to rodent activity in garages. Since it’s not part of your living area, it might be easy to dismiss garage activity.

That’s a critical miscalculation.

Time and time again rodents chew through wiring and tubing underneath cars, resulting in costly (completely avoidable) destruction.

Eradicating rodents requires both pest control products and some physical changes. To ensure rodents eat the critical products, all other potential food sources must be eliminated. This includes garbage, old leaves, fallen fruits/vegetables, clutter, and especially pet food. Many pet foods actually contain an antidote to rodent control products, completely halting rodent control.

You may not see many bugs outside during the winter, but they’re not gone. Arguably, cold winter months are the most critical for monitoring pest activity in your house so you can enjoy the season in a warm, cozy, pest-free environment. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. We’re here to help make your home the best it can be!

Sources:
https://www.pestworld.org/news-hub/pest-articles/winter-pests-101/
https://www.dailypress.com/features/family/home-garden/outdoors/diggin-in-blog/dp-bugs-five-pests-to-watch-for-this-winter-in-your-home-and-yard-20111103-story.html