Invasion Of The Winter Pests

There are steps homeowners can take to keep rodents and insects from seeking shelter from the cold in their houses.

Rodents and spiders are the pests most likely to seek shelter inside a home when it's cold outside. They will be trying to get out of the cold and into a warmer environment. Mice or rats might also try getting into basements or garages.

The best way to pest-proof a home is to make sure it is clean, inside and out. You don't want food or rubbish around your home that will attract pests. Rubbish should be kept in a sealed container, and clutter outside of the home, such as wood or debris, also harbours rodents.

All entry points into the home should be checked for unsealed cracks and all ventilation should be screened off. In addition, the basement foundation should be checked for holes and cracks, and you should employ the use of a caulking gun or foam expander to fill in the holes around plumbing.

If pests have made their way into a home, residents can call an exterminator or purchase traps. There are a lot of safe traps on the market such as glue traps, which are safer for people to be around than a traditional snap trap because they're easier to set and you won't get your fingers snapped.

Poison should be used as a last resort because after a rodent eats the poison, it may die in the walls of a home and create an odour.

If you chose to contact an exterminator for a rodent problem, there is no need for them to leave their home during the extermination process. If a home is exterminated for insects, a drying period is necessary. This is because you have to wait for the pesticide to dry: It dries at the same rate as water.

Ladybirds are sometimes present in the late summer to early autumn months, but they are not specifically exterminated because their purpose is to eat small insects.

A lot of pesticides that kill other insects, such as cockroaches, spiders or fleas, will kill ladybirds as a side effect. Bees and ants are the least likely to create a problem during the cold weather months because they remain dormant.

Schools, in particular, should take precautionary measures to ensure pests don't invade living and common areas. This time of year, the windows on the ground floor of buildings should be checked to make sure they are properly sealed. While the students are gone during winter and summer breaks, the school should also be exterminated for bugs.