What Pests Come in The Winter?

What Pests Come in The Winter?

We should consider ourselves lucky that we don’t have to deal with the snowstorms and frigid temperatures that our snowbirds and tourists fly down to avoid with colder months ahead. Up north, the winters are full of all sorts of pests that move indoors when the weather cools, as they’d die or have to go into stasis to avoid freezing to death. However, just because times aren’t as dire during Florida winters, that doesn’t mean you won’t have any pests during the cold season. What can you expect? Who’s going to show up when you start wearing long sleeves more often? This article will go over a few pests and what you should do about them.

Cockroaches

These guys never really stop attacking, but as cold-blooded animals, they tend to head towards warm places when it gets cold. Unable to regulate their body heat and unable to travel very vast distances, the closest and most convenient hot spot is your own home. Holiday parties are another big draw – You increase the amount of food supplies available to the roaches as you clean up, stock up, and party down. Do parties draw cockroaches? You bet they do. Any food scrap will do in the winter.

Therefore, regularly keeping your kitchen clean and taking the garbage outside will keep roaches discouraged, reducing moisture in your home.

Rodents

Mice and rats are just as hard-working as cockroaches. If you live in Florida, you’re definitely at risk for mice and rats during the winter: These animals don’t hibernate and will continue reproducing and eating, and aggressively building nests for the whole winter. When rodents move in, you’re in trouble. They cause immense property damage and spread disease rapidly. Parasites, bacteria, and even viruses transmissible to humans can all be a concern. As can the damaging effects of breathing in the dust left behind when their excrement dries.

To prevent rodents from getting in and staying, you’ll want to act before you have a rodent problem. First, consider a professional pest control plan with a focus on exclusion. Exclusion is the idea of limiting entry into your building. This involves sealing cracks in walls, looking for holes in the attic, and getting rid of food sources.

Ticks

Usually, when you think about ticks, you think about the summer, but these vampires can still present an issue during the winter. Though they don’t migrate indoors like the other pests mentioned today, they can find a way into your home if you have outdoor plants that you move indoors for the winter. They can also hitch a ride on your clothes or pets in warmer parts of the state.

Ticks carry diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever which can seriously harm you and lead to painful, costly, and long-term treatment. To prevent ticks from entering your home, the battle starts outside. Making the environment hostile to ticks is very useful – Cutting tall grass, limiting leaf litter and tall foliage, and keeping your property free of garbage can remove the chance of ticks appearing. Why is this? Ticks usually travel by wildlife. If wildlife isn’t drawn to your yard, neither will their parasites! If you’ve found any of these awful critters and can rid from your home yourself, give us a call!