Winter Pest Control: Protecting Your House During the Winter

Thanksgiving has come and gone and we are now just a few weeks away from the end of the year. The temperature has dropped and it is starting to feel like winter here in the foothills. From Lincoln to Auburn, Grass Valley to Roseville, we are all spending more time inside where it is warm and comfy.

Unfortunately, the pests  don’t like the cold any more than we do and are also seeking the comfort of our warm houses. Pests that have already entered your home are building nests and producing offspring. The warm environment allows many pests to stay active throughout winter. If left unchallenged, they will be even more difficult to deal with next spring and may have already caused damage to your home.

Don’t give them the chance!

Below are a few pest control tips that will help you keep your home pest free.

Block access

This tip is good all year round. When houses are built, there are often gaps left around pipes and windows. Mesh around vents may be too large. Walk around your house and find these holes and cracks. Fill space around pipes with steel wool (rats and mice hate it). Replace any cracked silicone that might allow easy access for ants, spiders, centipedes and other insects to enter around windows. You can fill cracks around doors with foam. You can find information on how to prepare your house for winter here: Preparing your house to keep pests out during winter.

Remove hiding spots and block traveling lines

We often keep things like buckets, tools, and other items right next to our house. These provide perfect areas for pests to hide. Removing these items makes it more difficult for pests to get close to your home.

Cut back shrubbery and trees and make sure that branches are not touching your home. These provide entryways for pests in areas you might not normally consider. Another popular area for ants and other pests to enter your foothill home is on telephone and power lines. Below is a helpful video discussing how to keep ants and other pests from using trees and power lines to gain access to your home. You can find the full article here: Pest Control for Ants.

Use pest control to keep your house protected

Because we don’t see the ants, wasps, centipedes and other pests as often in the winter, it can be easy to think they are gone. Unfortunately, they are hibernating at best and breeding and chewing up your house at worst. Keeping a layer of spray around your home yourself or a professional pest control company makes sure that pests are constantly being repelled and your home is protected. It stops them from ever getting into your home.

Being in the foothills, we are surrounded by nature. Whether you live in Auburn, Colfax, Lincoln, Roseville, Rocklin, Grass Valley or any of the other beautiful places in Placer County, we are surrounded by nature. Unfortunately, this also means we have to deal with pests. This doesn’t mean you have to share your home with them. If you follow these tips, you will have a pest free home.