November brings forth cool temperatures, and falls as a prelude to wintery days and the excitement of the holiday season. During the hectic time of the holidays, the last thing people want is an infestation.

The three common pests you may find in your home in November are mice, cockroaches and carpenter ants. We will outline some tips for preventing these pests from entering your home this season, so that you can focus on enjoying this holiday season with friends and family, pest free!

Mice

Mice are commonly found in homes, cottages and apartments in late fall, as cold temperatures send rodents indoors to survive during winter months. Mice are known to cause significant damage to your home or cottage, so it’s best to be proactive in preventing mice, as well as take swift action once discovering even one mouse in your home.

Mice can enter your home through cracks in your exterior, gaps in your windows, the roof, utility lines and they are also attracted by food left out. Some tips to prevent mice in your home are:

Keep doors closed, as well as caulk around doors and windows to prevent entry.
Check your roof and roof vents for holes or other damage and fix as needed.
Look out for siding and foundation gaps, roof and soffit gaps and roof and fascia gaps, which helps prevent them from entering the house.
Regularly inspect exterior walls for gaps or holes.
Store non-perishable items in airtight, secured plastic totes.

For more tips and information on mice, check out our previous blog.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches are rarely thought of positively. Images of grotesque, large bugs scurrying away from light come to mind, and are enough to send a chill down your spine. While cockroaches are viewed as dirty pests, any home is capable of getting an infestation. Cockroaches are difficult to eliminate once they have infested your home, office or workplace. Cockroaches vary in size, colour and have been known to withstand a wide range of environments from arctic cold to tropical heat. While wood cockroaches and german cockroaches are generally grouped into the same category, they are different in terms of destruction and prevalence in a home.

Wood cockroaches, are common outdoor/indoor dwelling insects native to North America and found throughout Ontario. Their normal habitat is moist woodland areas but they frequently become a household/cottage nuisance pest in Ontario Cottage Country, particular around Georgian Bay, Muskoka, Lake of bays, and anywhere in Ontario cottage country.

The German cockroach is one of the most common and prominent cockroaches in the world. At this time of the year, we usually see an increase in calls for German cockroaches, as this is the time of year when cockroach infestations are most frequent. These insects are commonly associated with restaurants, food processing facilities, hotels, nursing homes, apartment buildings, residential homes, and just about anywhere.

Tips for preventing cockroaches:

Seal gaps around doors and windows where cockroaches can enter the home.
Store food in airtight containers.
Clean surfaces to remove any residue.

The sight of one cockroach is of concern, as cockroaches are able to reproduce quickly. Particularly, populations of German cockroaches are able to grow significantly and quickly. For more tips and information on how to kill cockroaches, or how to get rid of cockroaches, check out our cockroach page here. Cockroach infestations are best handled by a professional pest control company.

Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are abundant in Ontario, and are common pests in homes and other buildings typically during late fall and early winter. The most common carpenter ants are the familiar large, black ants that are one-half inch or more in length and shiny black. Other kinds of carpenter ants, however, are as small as one-quarter inch and are reddish brown or two-toned. One consistent characteristic of all carpenter ants is the smoothly rounded outline of the thorax when viewed from the side.

Carpenter ants found indoors in the winter usually come from nests somewhere within the house. While there is no easy way to determine the source, it does pay to check carefully before making any treatment. Locating the nest is beneficial in understanding the amount of damage sustained and allows you to assess the severity of the situation.

To prevent carpenter ants from infesting your home, begin by preventing easy access to your home:

Seal exterior cracks.
Cut away branches and tree material that are close to or touches your home.
Remove damp wood or other sources of moisture near your home.
Clear decaying or infested wood from around your home.
Correct humidity problems inside your home.
Remove food and water sources (ie. leaky faucet).
Keep your home clean by regularly sweeping or vacuuming.

For more information on how to get rid of ants or how to kill ants, check out our ants page.

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