How to Protect Your Home from Pesky Winter Pests
Unfortunately, most homeowners aren't likely to check for signs of winter pests, until a visible infestation has occurred. At this point, it may be difficult to eradicate the pests completely if an invasion has gotten out of hand.
To keep your home free from pesky winter pests, prevention is key. You can take helpful steps to get rid of insects that may seek food and shelter indoors in the winter by pest-proofing your home in each season:
• Seal off cracks and crevices. Although this task may have been taken care of in the summertime to keep bugs out, it's time to inspect your property once again for cracks, holes, and crevices that could invite insects and rodents indoors. Believe it or not, insects can fit through minuscule spaces. It may be best to hire a professional to assess any potential entry points on your property to ensure that bugs stay out for good.
• Keep branches away from your home. Next on the list, it's time to hire a landscaper or tree trimmer to keep bushes, plants, and branches several feet away from your home. If bushes and tree branches are touching your house on multiple walls, it makes it easy for pests to quickly make their way indoors in hordes. Along the same lines, it's also important to keep piles of mulch away from the perimeter of your house. Moisture-rich mulch is likely to attract creepy, crawly critters like cockroaches.
• Keep your house clean. While you don't have to keep your home spotless day after day, basic cleaning practices like doing dishes and wiping down countertops will help to keep surfaces clean from spills and food crumbs that could attract pests. It's also recommended to keep garbage and recycle bins covered and emptied frequently. If possible, vacuum and sweep on a regular basis to keep floors free from food debris and crumbs that could draw pests, like ants.
• Inspect your firewood. If you regularly burn fires in the winter season, it's important to inspect all firewood before bringing it indoors. It easy for pests like ants and cockroaches to nest in firewood and quickly infiltrate a house if wood is stacked next to a fireplace. To keep bugs out, stack firewood outside at least two feet away from the foundation of a house.
Although insect infestations may be less common in cold winter weather, pests like roaches are likely to make their way indoors to find more favorable temperatures. If you live in an area of the country with warm winters, year-round pest control is even more important. Make sure to contact a local pest control company for a customized extermination schedule with quarterly visits to best meet your needs.