We know what you're thinking…the cooler weather is coming with fall and winter seasons, so good-bye bugs!

We’re sorry to burst your happy bubble, but that it unfortunately not the case.

While some types of bugs do die in colder weather, there are many common nuisance bugs like cluster f lies, Asian lady beetles, boxelder bugs, pine seed bugs, wasps and hornets, and mice, who move indoors to hibernate from late fall to early spring. This is called overwintering.

various overwintering pests that environmental pest control treats

While you may see less of these pests as the weather cools, they do linger around - coming in and out of cracks and crevices of homes, cottages, barns, garages or businesses during the warmer days to enjoy the sun's warmth and feed, and going back inside when the evening cools down.

The first overwintering bugs are cluster flies, who find points of entry in buildings and can been seen coming and going throughout the day and night depending on the temperature. Next comes boxelder bugs and pine seed bugs, followed by Asian Lady beetles who have no more food source (aphids) once fields are harvested for the season. Last (and often feared most) are the mice. Mice are driven away from fields during harvesting and from other natural environments this time of year. With insufficient shelter, food and water, they scurry indoors.

What can you do this fall to help keep overwintering bugs from finding a cozy place to sleep in your home or business for the next 5-6 months?

The most impactful thing you can do is prevent them from getting in. Check out and try these helpful pest proofing tips we’ve shared in our Pest Library:

Something else you can do is consider a fall treatment. Because fall is the time of year when overwintering pests invade in pursuit of the perfect place to sleep the cold weather away, it’s the ideal time to have a treatment from a pest control professional.

A good fall treatment includes spraying the exterior of the building or structure, heavily focusing on doors, windows, eves and soffits with high quality professional products. These products contain an enduring and strong residual, which is crucial in helping to treat and prevent overwintering pests. A strong residual means that the application will not wash or fade away quickly in the sun or rain. After the service has been completed, the product continues to work on pests that encounter it, killing them within days. DIY pest control and ‘over the counter’ pest control products don’t have the same strong residuals, and therefore are ineffective.

Many homeowners, cottage owners, and businesses have an annual spring treatment, which helps address the previous year’s overwintering pests, which woke up in the spring. While spring treatments are effective in dealing with those nuisance pests, they do not help you minimize the return of new generations of overwintering pests who will likely once again find their way into your home or business again come fall.

If you need help with fall pests, contact us. We've been expertly treating for fall pests since 1988.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OVERWINTERING PESTS