Best 5 Winter Pest Control Tips
As the weather gets colder and winter draws nearer, all of the pests you avoided outside during the summer start to disappear. Unfortunately, many pests seek the closest source of warmth and shelter during this time, and your home may be their first choice. Having pests in your home can be annoying and potentially harmful, making pest control important to many homeowners during the winter.
If you want to keep your home pest-free throughout the winter, you can take a few steps to make it less attractive to potential unwanted creatures. Below, we’ve compiled some essential tips and tricks for winter pest control.
Learn About Winter Pests
To properly protect your home from winter pests, you must first understand which pests you’re dealing with. Some of the most common pests are mice, spiders, and crickets, and they all leave their own indications that they’re in your home. Research common signs of these pests in your home, and once you notice them, you can take steps to remove them or consult a pest professional.
Seal Entryways
One of the most effective ways to keep pests out of your home is sealing all possible entryways that would let them in. While pests getting under doors and through small openings in windows is well-known, there are other points of entry that not everyone considers. Cracks in your foundation, laundry vents, water pipes, and your chimney can serve as entry points for pests. Various forms of sealant can make these entry points unusable for pests.
Reduce Moisture
Insects and rodents seek out dark, moist places like basements and crawl spaces in the winter. To prevent them from gathering in your home, inspect your pipes for leaks and repair any you find. Clean up any standing water, and ensure the ground beneath any leaks is sufficiently dried. You could also invest in a dehumidifier to reduce the overall moisture content of your basement or attic.
Read More: How to Spruce Up your Garden Ready for Winter
Put Food Away
Just as pests are drawn to moisture, they are drawn to food as well. To keep them from lingering in your home, properly store your food and keep it sealed when possible. Keep counters and other dining areas clean as well, as the fewer crumbs you have lying around, the less likely pests will roam around your house. Keeping all trash in animal-proof containers a short distance from your home can also be helpful.
Use Indoor Insect Killers and Traps
Once you’ve taken all possible preventative measures to keep pests out of your home, there are other ways to take action against them. For insects and certain arachnids, indoor insect killer spray can defend your home from various bugs. It can be sprayed along baseboards, entryways, and throughout crawl spaces to kill insects on contact and create a preventative barrier.
There are also various traps that can be used to combat all kinds of pests. Glue traps exist for both insects and rodents, and recent innovations like plug-in flying insect traps have become popular forms of pest control.
Jenn Walker is a freelance writer, blogger, dog enthusiast, and avid beachgoer operating out of Southern New Jersey. She writes for Pennswood, a senior living campus in Pennsylvania.