Winter is quickly approaching and before we know it Huntington WV will be blustery and cold once again. Many homeowners believe that pest just simply disappear during this time of the year.
That could not be further from the truth. Many insects, and even rodents are very sensitive to changes in temperature, and can even detect a slight change from several feet away. This makes are homes a beacon for these pest.
Think of it this way, if you are outside in the cold and you see a potential heat source you would move closer to keep your body warm, insects and rodents do the same thing. What I am trying to say is your home can be a winter retreat for many rats, mice and insects like spiders, To find out a great way to get rid of spiders, click here.
There are steps a homeowner can do to prevent these pest from taking up winter time residence in your home or other property, keep reading to find more info. In the pest control industry we call this Integrated Pest Management or IPM for short. What this means is we use both non-chemical and chemical control methods to prevent pest in your home. For the sake of this article I am going to focus on one non-chemical method call exclusion. Exclusion is a method used to prevent pest from entering into a structure. Below is some suggestions most homeowners can do to prevent insects, spiders, and rodents from entering your home.
Pest Exclusion
- Caulk all small openings or cracks around your foundation.
- Use stainless steel or copper scrubbing pads to fill larger holes in your foundation.
- Caulk around window, and door trim.
- Replace or add door sweeps.
- Inspect garage door seals, replace or add them if they are not present.
- Remove large stones, low growing shrubs, or weeds.
- Seal around outside heating/cooling units with sheet metal or heavy gravel.
- Screen off all gable vents to prevent bats, rats, even squirrels, plus the use of rat poison that works
- Keep gutters clear of leaves and other debris.
The goal in any pest exclusion plan is to seal as many potential entry points as possible. This will keep the pest outside your home, and not inside where it is nice and warm. There is a big misconception about pest control in the winter time, and yes there is less pest activity outside your home in the winter. Also is really important to keep your house clean to avoid pests and other things like mold, click here to learn more on how to keep your house clean. That doesn’t mean that you should stop all pest control services during the cold winter months. There are many pest on warmer days of the winter that are active and inching closer and closer to your home. So a little forethought and work in the warmer months of the year will help keep your home pest free when old man winter comes a blowing in.