The leaves begin changing, and the winds begin swirling. The days get a little bit shorter, and you begin to feel that familiar fall chill. But you’re not the only one feeling the chill. Have you ever noticed how pests seem to gravitate towards your home as the air begins to cool? Towards the end of the summer, everyone says, “Oh, the winter will kill off all these bugs.” But what about the ones that want to fight back? What about the pests that don’t just roll over and die? These are the rebels, the fighters. And where’s their new battleground? Unfortunately, it could be your house.
A Refuge From The Cold
As the months get colder, pests try to invade homes. This includes the larger pests. Mice and rats become very uncomfortable outside, especially as their water sources begin to freeze up. These rodents are destructive and reproduce quickly, and they can turn into a costly problem very quickly. Similar to mice and rats, raccoons may attempt to find a way into your attic or basement. These pests can be aggressive when threatened, so you do not want them setting up shop in your home.
Another pest that will invade your home in the winter is the German cockroach. These are a small cockroach species, but they can carry just as many diseases into your home as other roaches. The brown recluse, one of the most dangerous spiders in the world, is also not a fan of the colder temperatures. As these pests look for warmth, they may find refuge in the cluttered areas of your basement.
Preparing For Winter
You’ve got things that these pests want. Warmth, water, and food sources. Your house is a refuge when all these pests have is freezing up or dying. It’s a sad story, but so is allowing the threat of disease-carrying pests into your home. You work far too hard to provide a great home for your family to allow anything to threaten it, so prevention methods are key.
As you’re preparing for winter, make sure that your home isn’t attracting pests. Along with winterizing your home in typical fashion, there are a few ways to ensure pests pick on someone else.
Try to limit the moisture in low-traffic areas of your home. This includes checking on leaking pipes in the basement or around the foundations of the home. You’ll also want to check below the sink and behind your appliances to make sure there are no leaks. Pests are very attracted to dark, damp areas.
Pests are also looking for a sustainable source of food, so keeping your home tidy is key. If your food isn’t stored properly or you leave crumbs around, you’ll attract a lot more pests than you would in a well-kept home. Store your trash properly as well.
Sealing up potential entry points is also key. Make sure all doors have proper weather-stripping along the bottoms and check along the seals of windows to look for areas that require more caulking.
If you think you can protect your home with these remedies alone, then you can spend all winter battling pests (and hoping they aren’t spreading diseases). If you want guaranteed results, you need to call in some reinforcements. The very best form of pest prevention comes with ongoing professional assistance from Old School Pest Control. Reach out to us today to get started on having a pest-free home, year-round.