You may think that many of the little creatures that plague us in summer will die or at least go dormant when a New York winter comes along.
And you’d be correct. But only partly so: some pests actually like to move indoors when the weather turns cold.
Mice, rats, winged carpenter ants, fruit flies, spiders: all can decide to move into your warm and cozy home when the weather outside turns frightful.
Read below for tips on pest control in winter.
- Replace old and worn weatherstripping around windows and door frames. In addition, because rats and mice can – and do – gnaw on soft spots in your window and door frames to make a hole for entry, make repairs as needed to the soft spots. Patch any tears in window or door screens quickly.
- Trim trees back from your roof in order to discourage squirrels. Keep bats out by closing gaps in your roof’s eaves and flashing joints with galvanized steel or aluminum.
- Cover your chimney’s flue with a cap in order to keep out raccoons, bats and squirrels.
- If you have siding, did you know that mice and bats can burrow between damaged panels? Replace them. Fill any gaps between the trim and siding with caulk.
- When it comes to controlling insects in winter, the best offense is a well-timed defense: ask your pest control service to treat your home’s perimeter in the fall.
- Move compost piles, leaves or grass clippings, stacked boards, etc. away from your home’s foundation.
- Drain any standing water that’s around your home’s foundation.
- Reduce the lights outside your home to reduce the attraction of insects.
- Remove grass and ground cover that touch your foundation’s walls.
- Ventilate your basement/crawl space in order to decrease moisture levels.
- Keep your sinks and the area under sinks clean and dry.
- Instead of keeping cereal and oats in cardboard boxes, consider placing the contents in airtight plastic containers.
- Regularly dispose of trash and garbage.