As the weather turns colder and we go into the snowy months of the year, we seek the warmth, comfort, and protection of our homes. And so do many other pests and critters. If you want to keep winter pests out of your home, here are four things you should do to make sure you and your family are the only residents of your home this winter.
4 Ways To Keep Winter Pests Out of Your Home
1) Regular Home Maintenance
An essential part of controlling winter pests is regular home maintenance.
Do a walk-around of the exterior of your house and look for and entry points where critters could get in. Look for visible damage like broken pieces of siding or missing shingles or broken vent covers. Problems like this need to be remedied as they are prime ways for pests to enter your home. You can also reinforce doors and windows by caulking any holes and gaps around them.
2) Keep Your Kitchen Clean
Part of regular home maintenance is also just making sure your home stays clean, particularly your kitchen. Wherever you prepare or consume food, there can be crumbs or other food particles left behind. This can be on the floor, on the counter, or under objects like toasters. And if you eat in rooms throughout your home, the food particles are spread about. Make sure that your home is clean in this regard. Remaining and forgotten food particles will undoubtedly attract pests like bugs, mice, and rats, so take extra care to clean your kitchen and anywhere you typically eat.
3) Take Preventative Measures
You can also protect your home from winter pests by taking preventative measures before you have to deal with anything in your home. You can treat the outside of your home with barrier sprays for insects or bait traps for mice. Find ways to keep critters at bay before they even have a chance to enter your house. You can also hire a pest control company to help you set these kinds of barriers and preventatives up around your home.
4) Clear Any Potential Pest Habitats From Around Your Home
As you walk around your property, keep an eye out for potential habitats for pests that you can remove. This could be any place that pests will find moisture, warmth, food, and rest so they can reproduce and hide from predators. If they find a place like this near your home, it will only be a matter of time before they begin to make their way into your home as the temperature begins to drop. Here are a few places you are going to want to check to ensure there aren’t out-of-sight places for critters to call home:
- Check and clean out your gutters and downspouts–accumulated debris can provide an ideal habitat for pests.
- Remove any debris or objects that are resting against or placed near your house. These could be things like rock, boards, or bricks.
- Store firewood away from the house.
- Keep trash away from the home and make sure your trash cans always stay fully closed.
- Prune any trees or tree branches that are overhanging the roof or gutters of your home. Mice could use them to climb on your roof and find a way into your house.
- Chimneys can provide an ideal access point for winter pests. So make sure you install a chimney cap or use a mesh covering to protect the chimney from pests.
- Put screens on vents. Not every hole or opening into your home is sealable–some are designed to be like air vents around the house. If certain entries are meant to be there, consider placing screens over them to keep critters out.
Hopefully, these tips help you keep winter pests out of your home this winter! Check out our other blog posts for ways to get your home and yard ready for winter!