Why You Should Keep Your Pest Control Service this Winter

There is a common myth that insects die out during cold winter weather.  They actually seek out the warmth provided within and around homes.  Pest control treatment services are best kept year round.  You don’t want to miss a vital treatment that would leave your home vulnerable to an infestation come spring time with warmer temperatures and more rain.

Common Household Pests

Insects can slow their metabolism down significantly in the cold, but it takes a toll on them and given the choice, they will opt for your basement, attic, or inside your main living quarters.  The most common pests that can be found during the winter months include many of the same ones during warmer months:

• Spiders
• Kissing bugs
• Termites
• Earwigs
• Cockroaches
• Wasps
• Bed Bugs
• Box elders

Ways They Enter Your Home

The most common entry point for these tiny terrorists are small gaps around doorways and windows.  This can be from worn out weather stripping or even damaged wood around the windows or door frames.  They have also been known to come in through firewood.  Firewood stacks outside near the home are known for harboring insects looking for refuge from the harsh winter elements.  One way to limit this method of access is to have your firewood stored off the ground.  Covering the wood pile with tarps to raise the temperature enough so that it becomes too much for the insects.  And only bring in what you plan to use for the day.

Rodents

Aside from 6 legged pests, the most common pests are actually quadrupeds.  Rats, mice, squirrels, raccoons and even bats.  They can squeeze through gaps as small as ¼ inch and they can be difficult to notice until there is a significant problem.  They chew wires and destroy insulation.  Rodents’ teeth never stop growing and must be worn down by habitual chewing.

Some even carry diseases such as rabies or diseases in their excrement that can be dangerous to inhale.  They also carry parasitic pests such as ticks, fleas, and lice and even tapeworms.

Spraying for insects will have no effect on the opportunity rodents may have to shack up with you this season, but it does lay down a vital relationship with a professional pest control technician.  It is very possible that during a fall quarterly treatment, the technician can catch any possible repairs that need to be made and a late winter or early spring treatment to ward off the annual increase in insects encroaching in your home.