It’s that time of year again, and we don’t just mean mittens and scarves weather! The colder temperatures cause us to retreat indoors, and the pests will absolutely try to follow us inside. Before the rodents and the bugs have a chance to make themselves comfortable, here’s a few things you can do to prep your home for a pest-free winter.
Rodents and creepy crawlies will look for easy access points into our homes, such as the front or back doors and through windows. Properly sealing these easy access points is key to keeping them outside. If you find the window screens have seen better days, it’s a good idea to replace or repair these. Replace all worn and torn weather stripping around windows and doors too. Not only will this help keep unwanted guests out, but these quick fixes can help you save a few dollars on your winter heating bill!
Another way pests make it inside is through cracks and crevices in the foundation. Take a lap around your home and look for small openings a bug or a rodent could crawl through. Any hole the size of a dime is big enough for a mouse to make it’s way in! Sealing all nooks and cracks with steel wool is going to work best against all pests, as a rodent won’t try to chew through the wool like they would caulking or other fillers. While you’re outside patching any holes you find, make sure to rid your yard of any clutter or debris. Piles of leaves, wood, or trash are a perfect hideout for a bug or a rodent waiting to follow you inside!
It’s a good idea to do the same indoors as well. Keeping a tidy house offers less shelter to pests. Clear out garbage, piles of newspaper, stacks of old clothes and food bits as this is just an invitation for rodents and bugs to move in and start crashing your Sunday dinners. Use steel wool for cracks in walls or baseboards just as you did outside.
With a few quick tricks, you can keep your home pest free this winter. If you’d like to know more about winter pest control or if the critters have made it past your line of defence, we’re here for you. Give us a call and we’ll make sure you don’t have to share your home with anything that crawls or scurries!
