5 Most Effective Pest Control Tips to Keep Pests Away This Winter
For the local Canadians, winter cold season means spending a lot of time indoors to make the cold weather more bearable for them. But while you’re tempted to stay indoors and snuggle away from the cold, eating a warm meal and watching television, pests also seek refuge in the comfort of your home, hiding behind the walls or up in your attic. When temperatures drop, food and water sources become scarce in winter, forcing these pests to look for these necessities in your home or business building location.
Some pests like mosquitoes, pavement ants, and flies won’t be a problem in your home because they hibernate in winter. However, other pests like rodents, roaches, carpenter ants, termites, bed bugs, and spiders are more active in cold winter. They will make a nuisance of themselves in your home, damaging property and spreading diseases. Here is a comprehensive guide on 5 effective control tips to keep pests from invading your home this winter and all year round protection.
Why Do Pest Invasions Increase in The Winter Season Much More?
Your pest control for homes needs change as each seasons change. That’s because different seasons influence pest behaviour to act differently. Insects are cold-blooded, meaning they cannot generate heat internally, and their body temperature is entirely dependent on the surrounding environment. Hence, most pests (rats, mice, spiders, ants, centipedes, pill-bugs, wildlife) they all seek warmth and shelter in our warm homes.
Some pests will hibernate in a warm shelter to save their energy and stay protected from cold temperatures. Pests such as rats and mice do not hibernate during cold seasons. They typically spend the winter foraging for food and seeking a warm, cozy shelter indoors. This explains why many homeowners in Canada report increased pest sightings in their homes during winter. To keep pests away during winter, the best thing to do is contact a professional pest control company near me to pest-proof your home. This makes it more difficult for pests to invade your home.
5 Effective Tips to Keep Pests from Invading Your Home This Winter
Eliminate Clutter
Clutter and debris are a natural environment for most invasive pests. Whether it’s a stack of old magazines in your home or decaying leaves in your yard, rodents, roaches, and spiders are well known for creating nests in such areas. Therefore, you want to clean your yard and DE-clutter your home as often as you can to discourage pest invasions in the winter.
Seal Up All Visual Access Entry Points Before Winter Begins Before Its Too Late
The best effective way to deal with pest threats during cold winter is sealing up all possible entry points before winter starts. Inspect your home thoroughly to identify pest entry points such as chimneys, door cracks, dryer vents, space between the soffit and walls, loose or worn-out doors and window screens. Seal up any gaps on doors and walls and add appropriate weather stripping to the perimeter of frames to decrease the possibility of an infestation. You should also consider installing window screens /door bottom blocker to keep all types of bugs out of your home for best results always.
Remove Possible Food and Water Sources Within
Another effective way to drive pests out of your home this cold winter is by denying them access to what they need to survive. Quite often, pests enter homes in search of food, shelter and water. For instance, rodents can survive for many months on small food crumbs off your kitchen left not cleaned after a meal or dirty dishes in the sink, as well as getting into your bread toaster. Most insects need a small amount of water to survive and thrive for months. For example, damp wood can attract a colony of destructive carpenter ants and termites to your home. You want to limit food and water sources by cleaning dishes after a meal and wiping down spills and crumbs as soon as they occur. All foods, including pet foods, should be stored in airtight containers to discourage pests. In addition to keeping your home clean, you should consider keeping your trash cans closed and emptying them regularly so they don’t attract cockroaches and mice.
Encourage Natural Predators
Natural predators are one of the easiest, most reliable ways to control and discourage pests in your home. Luckily, there are many natural enemies of pests and insects, such as spiders and predatory wasps. Bats are another natural predator of night-flying mammal. These harmless and fascinating creatures are highly beneficial when controlling pests like beetles, moths, and mosquitoes.
Engaging A Professional Local Exterminator
If you don’t trust your DIY skills, hiring a professional pest controller is a wise smart idea. Maximum Pest Control Services specialists are highly trained to inspect your home for pest problem areas and potential entry points. They will get rid of any existing pests and pest-proof your home to prevent pest infestations this winter.
Most Winter Pests That Appear in Canada
To keep pests from invading your home this winter, it’s vital that you understand the pests that are likely to invade during the cold season:
- Rodents
Like humans, rodents actively seek a warm and cozy place to spend the winter. When temperatures fall, rodents move from their summer homes in search of warmer winter homes, aka your living home. Rodents are intelligent tiny pests and can detect the warmth of your home through small access outside openings. They flatten themselves and squeeze through narrow cracks and tiny holes to invade homes. Hence, an effective solution should include exclusion tactics to deny them access to your building structure; homes and businesses.
- Roaches
Cockroaches are a disgusting year-round non flying pest. These filthy six legged invaders can remain active throughout winter, eating and reproducing hundreds of young ones. Though roaches are extremely hardy pests who are able to adapt to various conditions, they particularly love a warm environment. During winter, cockroaches look for warm shelter indoors to avoid the cold winter weather. Don’t sweat it, though; our trained experts at Maximum Pest Control Services can help you get rid of disease-ridden roaches fast and effectively. People asks question asking, how dirty cockroach to humans diseases wise? Almost 30 multiple types of bad bacteria that humans will breath in the air that can be inhaled when they infest your home such as cholera, diarrhea and typhoid fever. What is the fastest way to kill them? It’s recommended using a mix of borax with sugar as a mixture which will cause them to dehydrate.
- Spiders
Spiders are more of a nuisance pest than a health hazard. These invasive creatures seek out warmer temperatures during winter. Although spiders can keep warm outdoors in leaf piles or in underground burrows, they prefer the comfort of your inside home. Spiders in your home are not dangerous, and they aren’t bloodsuckers. In fact, they help by eating small creatures and risky invaders like roaches, mosquitoes, centipedes, and flies. However, having spiders in the house can give you the Halloween creeps, making spider control necessary.
- Bed Bugs
Many bugs are known to be inactive during winter weather. But when it comes to these blood sucking tiny creatures that’s not the case. In most cases, this creepy crawlies thrive in cold and warm conditions all the time. They move indoors when the weather gets cold and are likely to spread rapidly looking for the next meal. In fact, bed bugs can be extremely active during winter, especially if your home has the ideal warm temperatures.
- Wild Life
Wildlife, such as raccoon’s and squirrels, including reptiles snakes can become a significant threat to home and business owners. As winter approaches, wildlife invasions increase in homes as the critters actively look for warmer shelters and food to survive the cold weather. These nuisance invaders can cause serious structural damage in time, contaminate foods, and pose safety risks to you and your loved one. No worries, though: Maximum professionals are licensed and insured to offer humane and effective wildlife removal services throughout Toronto Ontario Canada.
- Pest Birds
Although most birds are well equipped to survive the coldest of winter temperatures, some species will migrate to warmer regions during winter. Other species, however, do not migrate to warmer climates. Instead, they make use of your attic and other areas in your home. Pest birds are not only a nuisance, but they also spread diseases and parasites such as fleas, ticks, and mites. Luckily, Maximum bird removals are prompt, humane, and highly effective.
Searching for insured and bonded affordable pest company near you and require professional help removing unwanted to control pest from home and business? Get it Done Right With Maximum. Contact Maximum calling us (905) 582-5502. Locally Canadian professional 24/7 Emergency Pest Service Guaranteed in Your Area.