WINTER PEST PROOFING TIPS

Winter brings about many things that cause a chill – snow, ice, frost, wind, and winter pests.

In these cold months, our homes become safe havens for mice, rats,  and cockroaches. We may not always see them as they are excellent hiders, and often nocturnal. Usually by the time you discover a winter pest, an infestation has occurred. Many people think that house spiders are a winter pest because they are seen more often indoors in the winter.  They have actually been in your home all along.  You can learn more about how to get rid of spiders in our pest library.

What makes winter pests different from other nuisance pests? Aren’t they all the same?

Well, between Spring and Fall, common nuisance overwintering pests  like boxelder bugs, Pineseed bugs, Asian lady beetles, cluster flies, wasps and hornets are very active, visible, and bothersome. Once Fall temperatures turn colder,  these pests find their ways indoors in search of a safe, warm place to hibernate. 

Once inside they do not eat or reproduce during these cold winter months. They lay dormant, and often unnoticed until Spring arrives, or unusually warm winter conditions surprise us, and than become bothersome simply by ‘being’.

Winter pests like cockroaches, mice and rats are active in the winter, and pose a serious health risk to humans. This is why it is important to keep them outside.  

• Cockroaches are scavengers, who commonly live in sewers. They are known to spread over 30 kinds of bacteria and have been linked to breathing issues. Learn more about why cockroaches are a concern.
• Rats bite and are notorious carriers of disease. They pose a serious threat to your property with their constant gnawing.
• Mice cause property damage by their foraging, burrowing, chewing and biting tendencies. Mouse droppings and urine pose serious health threats to humans as they contaminate food and the surfaces in living areas they encounter. Populations can grow rapidly, too.

Most pest proofing, (especially external) is done in the Spring and Fall months. And it is often much easier than during winter when it's freezing cold and your home is covered in a blanket of ice and snow.  In the Winter it can be challenging, unsafe or downright impossible to act on outdoor pest proofing tactics.  With that said, there are many things that you can do indoors, or tackle outside when those milder, snow melting conditions arrive that will help you protect your home from winter pests.  Year-round pest proofing is the most effective approach to keep pests where they belong regardless of the season - outside.

Winter Pest Proofing Tips:

• Secure garbage in containers with tight-fitting lids, and store away from your home's entry points.
• Discard or recycle unused or damaged cardboard boxes or packaging.
• Keep the kitchen clean and store dry food and dry pet food in metal or glass containers.
• Repair leaking pipes and clogged drains, especially in bathrooms and kitchens, where cockroaches favour.
• Replace broken screens over windows and vents or install new ones 
• Use metal weather stripping under doors, and weather strip windows.
• Keep your crawlspaces, basement and attic dry and ventilated.
• Cover dryer vents, attic vents or soffits with fine mesh metal screening.
• Seal up cracks and crevices around your windows, doors, eaves, chimney, and any other entry points.
• Replace weather stripping or lose mortar around basement windows and the foundation.
• Remove clutter around the perimeter of your home, especially near entry points.
• Store firewood a minimum 20 feet from your home, and raise it off the ground 1 foot, as mice like to build nests in wood piles.

And remember to keep any storage areas in your home clean and organized. Switch to rubber or plastic totes with tightly sealed lids and store your belonging off the ground on shelving units.  This will help you minimize the places that winter pests, especially mice and rats, like to hide.

With your home more protected from common winter pests, you can focus your time and energy on enjoying the winter season inside or outdoors.