How to Prepare Your Home for Overwintering Pests

As you prepare your home for the approaching winter, do not forget to make preparations that will keep overwintering pests at bay.

What is an overwintering pest?

An overwintering pest is one that finds food and shelter inside your home during the winter months. Stink bugs, cluster flies, ladybugs and boxelder bugs are common overwintering pests. Overwintering pests often hide in attics, basements, garages and sheds. In most instances, you will not notice them until they come out of hiding when the warmer months of spring arrive. Occasionally, however, you may see a few pests venture into your living spaces.

How to keep overwintering pests out of your home?

If you want to prevent overwintering pests from invading your space, you should start by sealing areas where pests may gain access to your homes such as cracks, holes, and crevices. After you’ve sealed all possible entryways, you should then declutter your home and keep it free of leftover food. Also, the more regularly you vacuum and clean, the less likely it will be for pests to wait out the winter in your home. In your yard, ensure you store firewood away from your home and clear up any debris.

What to do if you already have overwintering pests?

If you have already noticed some overwintering pests crawling around your home, you may think the pesticides found at your local home store will offer an easy fix. Unfortunately, that is not the case. While you may see improvement shortly after using an aerosol spray, the effects will not be long-lasting, and the pests will soon return.

The main reason pesticide sprays are not very effective is that many of them are oil-based. This means they will not remain on a surface long enough to kill the pests you are targeting. Additionally, overwintering pests make their home inside cracks and crevices. You will not be able to reach those spaces without specialized equipment. Furthermore, aerosol sprays have been shown to have adverse effects on health and the environment. Therefore, you should try to limit the use of such products as much as possible.

If you inhale the pesticide mist you may experience throat irritation, sneezing, and coughing while chronic exposures may result in severe respiratory issues. And if the pesticide comes in contact with your skin, it may cause irritation and chemical burns. Instead of trying to get rid of overwintering pests on your own, you should call a pest control specialist for help.

A pest control specialist has the tools and the know-how needed to keep your home free of pests not just in the winter, but all year round.

Do you need to hire a pest control specialist?

If you are searching for a pest control specialist in Metro Vancouver, contact us at Pest Detective.

At Pest Detective, we have over 30 years of experience keeping homes and businesses throughout the lower mainland free of pests. When you choose Pest Detective, you receive prompt, reliable and professional service from our highly trained pest control specialists. For your convenience, we offer a 24-hour call line so, you can speak with a representative at any time. We will also use unmarked vehicles and non-toxic products at your request.

So, what are you waiting for? Give us a call today to learn more about our pest removal services.