On a cold, snowy day, nothing beats staying inside your warm and cozy home. Unfortunately, you may find a few unexpected guests. Some bugs head indoors to wait for winter to pass. Pest-proofing your home in fall and winter can help to keep these bugs away. Check out a few tips to help keep your home pest-free this winter.
Seal Entry Points
If bugs can find a way into your home, they’ll often take advantage of the opportunity. Examine the interior and exterior of your house for cracks and gaps. Check for holes near your home’s foundation. Repair or replace screens with holes, broken siding, and damaged weather stripping. Adding screens to vents and your chimney can also help to keep winter pests out.
Clean Up Your Yard
A messy yard can provide pests with places to hide. If snow isn’t covering them, keep your lawn and plants trimmed. Overgrown vegetation close to your home can make it easier for pests to sneak into your house. Remove yard debris including bricks, rocks, logs, and leaves. If you have firewood, store it at least 20 feet from your home and keep it off the ground.
Remove Food Sources
Pests are always looking for something to eat. Clean up crumbs and spills. Vacuuming can help ensure you don’t miss any crumbs. Keep a lid on your trash can and dispose of garbage frequently. Store your food and pet food in containers to keep bugs out of it. Fruit flies can bug you year-round, so keep produce in the refrigerator. Pick up your furry family member’s bowl when they aren’t eating. Don’t leave dishes in the sink overnight.
Reduce Moisture
Bugs are also attracted to moisture. Check for and repair leaky pipes and faucets. Using a dehumidifier or fan can help to reduce moisture build-up in damp rooms. Eliminating standing water outside is also critical to keeping pests away. Remove items where water can collect like old flowerpots, tires, and watering cans. Keep your gutters clean and make sure downspouts are working properly.
Remove Clutter
Creepy crawlies, including spiders, prefer dark and secluded areas. Minimizing clutter will help to reduce these hiding places. Clothes, paper, and even toys can all act as shelter for pests. Cockroaches and silverfish like to slip into cardboard boxes, so use plastic storage bins instead. Take time to organize messy rooms, storage areas, and cabinets to help keep pests out of your home.
Create a Protective Barrier
Spraying your yard and the perimeter of your home with a plant-based insecticide spray can help to deter winter pests. Our Yard Bug Spray and Home Bug Spray kill pests on contact. They also provide residual repellency. This creates a protective barrier helping to keep pests from entering your home. You can also spray Home Bug Spray near doors and other common entry points to keep bugs out.
Use Baits
When dealing with certain winter pests, including cockroaches, there’s often more pests than what you see. Using a bait, like our Roach Killer Gel Bait, can help to attack the source of the infestation. Bait is designed to allow cockroaches to eat the bait and return to the nest where other cockroaches will be exposed to the bait. This will help to eliminate the entire nest.
Use Dusts
Insecticide dusts can also be helpful in preventing and getting rid of winter pests. Our Bed Bug Killer dust and Spider & Insect Dust can be applied to areas where pests have been seen. Dust is great for reaching small cracks and crevices where bugs like to hide. When left undisturbed, dusts provide long-lasting protection against pests.
