As winter rolls around you may sigh a breath of relief– the mosquitos are gone, and the bugs are finally out of your life thanks to the cold, or so you thought. Here are seven unexpected house guests, or pests, that you should be on the lookout for during the winter.
Spiders are no more populous in the winter than the summer, you’re just more likely to notice them as they use your home as a warm refuge. While some spiders may cause no harm, they may be unsettling to cohabitate with for some people, or a threat if they are the type to bite.
Once you’ve seen one ant, you’re sure to see many, many more. Ants are colonizers in search of food sources. It is difficult to fully prevent their arrival; they trojan horse their way into homes through house plants, shoes, grocery bags, produce, forgotten boxes, open doors, open windows, or cracks in the foundation, floor, wall, or ceiling. If you tightly seal your food sources so they’re inaccessible to the ants and keep your home free of crumbs, you’re far less likely to encounter ants.
While cluster flies are less of a threat to humans than house flies because they do not lay their eggs in human food, they are still a nuisance. They can live to be 2-3 years old, and take shelter in warm homes to overwinter.
Cockroaches need warm climates to survive, as they are native to tropical countries in Africa. However, if they can find a home, they will invite themselves in and be a real pest to kick out.
While not as unpleasant as the cockroach as a houseguest, ladybugs can still be an overwhelming nuisance to fight off. Usually, the bugs themselves aren’t so much of an issue as their yellow, staining, and stinking secretion that they leave behind.
Like the other pests mentioned here, Beetles use warm homes to overwinter. Beetles aren’t much of a hazard, but they can swarm, multiply, and make you uncomfortable in your own home.
You’re most likely to find them in the warmest places of your home, such as heat vents, water heaters, near clothes dryers, stovetops, recently-used microwaves, exhausts, and warm windowsills.
Are you wondering how to get rid of winter pests? It’s not as difficult as you may assume.
Declutter your home so that the spiders feel unwelcome. Boxes, bags, and untouched clutter are their favorite places to hide. If you can remove these items, the spiders will retreat elsewhere, preferably someone else’s home.
When the spiders come out of hiding, vacuum them up from corners, drapes, under furniture, and windowsills. Use equal parts water and vinegar as a natural pest control solution.
Remove the food sources they have accessed, thoroughly clean your home, and ensure no food particles are left behind. A fifty-fifty mixture of water and vinegar can kill off ants with ease.
Seal all openings to your home to prevent new flies, and vacuum up the existing ones. They are slow and sluggish fliers, so this shouldn’t be too difficult. You can also light citronella candles to deter them from entering your space.
Cockroaches are notorious for how quickly they multiply and infest buildings. You can mix boric acid with sugar, flour, and water to create a dough. Roll this dough into balls and set them out where you have seen the cockroaches.
For more severe infestations, it is strongly recommended to call a professional exterminator.
Spray the ladybugs with a twenty-five to one solution of water and dish soap. This will not only kill the ladybugs but make it easy for you to wipe up their smelling and staining calling card.
Another fast and effective method for removing ladybugs is to vacuum up their swarms, usually found in windows.
Like ants, the best way to remove them is to contain your food in sealed, airtight containers and remove the crumbs from your home. Vacuum beetles up whenever you spot them, and you should soon be rid of them.
Reach out to 417 Pest Solutions today for fast and effective pest control. You may call us at (417) 356-3021 or use our contact form for your new customer discount.