Insects begin to make their way into homes in the fall when temperatures begin to drop and natural food sources outdoors wither. There are steps you can take to stop or at least slow this migration.
1. Clean Up Your Yard
The fewer pests in your yard, the less that will make their way into your home. Rake up leaves and garden debris promptly and either dispose of it or compost it well away from your home. Cut down and remove plants as they die back from the season, especially those growing near your outside walls. It's also a good idea to move garbage cans and woodpiles so they aren't right next to your house.
2. Seal Your Doors and Windows
Insects, including spiders, will often find their way into your home through small cracks and openings in the seals around the doors and windows. Replacing the weather stripping in these locations not only excludes these pests, but it also helps prevent heat loss during the winter. If you can see light around a closed door, for example, then you likely need to replace the weather stripping.
3. Fill Siding and Foundation Cracks
Small cracks and holes in the siding or foundation may not pose a structural problem, but they do give pests a way inside of your home. Every fall, walk around the perimeter of your home and look for small cracks. You can use an expanding silicone caulk to fill them in effectively. Use either a clear caulk or one colored to match your siding so that the repair isn't an eyesore.
4. Check Your Soffit Vents
Underneath your eaves are small holes or vents. These allow air to circulate through the attic so that your house ventilates properly. Soffit vents should be equipped with fine mesh screens that can keep out pests both large and small. Over time, these screens can become damaged or loose, so make sure to inspect them every fall and replace them as needed.
5. Schedule Preemptive Treatment
Even with routine home maintenance to cut down on access points, small insect pests can still find their way into your home. For this reason, it is a good idea to schedule preemptive pest treatments both inside and outside. A perimeter treatment applied monthly will keep most pests out. In the fall, when insect migration pressure is the strongest, you may want to also schedule an indoor pest treatment.
Contact a pest control service for more assistance when it comes to winter pest issues.
Can you sit down and make a list of critters you don't like? Chances are, most of the critters on your list will be household pests. You might list cockroaches, ants, spiders, mice, and rats. Maybe you also mention termites, which are not very creepy, but can absolutely destroy your home. Coming into contact with any of these critters can be disheartening, but pest control companies are there to help. Learn more about this industry and how pest control professionals work right here on this website. We know spiders and ants can be creepy, and we want to give you the information necessary to keep them away.