Winter is the time for warm sweaters and hot chocolate. It's also the time for all the pests to make a beeline towards your home. If you're not careful, you can end up with more winter house guests than you anticipated. Unfortunately, these winter house guests will ruin your home, and make life miserable for you. That's where proper preparation comes into the picture. If you take the right steps during the fall, you can reduce your risk for winter pest infestations. If you're not sure where to start, read the list provided below. You'll find four simple steps you can take right now to keep the pests out of your home this winter.
Start With a Pest Control Service
If you're ready to implement your winter pest control plan, the first thing you need to do is hire a pest control service. You might think that you can handle the job on your own, but that's not the case. There are steps you can take to help prevent a return appearance this winter. However, to get your home prepared to stop the infestation, you need professional pest control services. Pest control services go beyond the initial pesticide treatment. They'll continue treatments throughout the winter.
Pest-Proof the Access Points
If you have a problem with rodents during the winter, talk to your pest control technician about setting bait traps throughout your home. The bait traps will help get rid of the rodents that make it into your home. To help keep rodents out of your home, you need to pest-proof the access points. Begin by caulking any holes you might have in the exterior stucco. Next, repair damaged window screens. Finally, install door sweeps on all of your exterior doors. These steps will help prevent rodent infestations this winter.
Service Your HVAC System
If cockroaches invade your home each winter, there's a good chance that you have a moisture problem. You might not realize this, but roaches tend to nest wherever moisture is readily available. One way to reduce the moisture in your home is to service your HVAC system before winter arrives. Once your HVAC system is working properly, you should be able to keep the moisture levels to a bare minimum inside your home. It's also a good idea to inspect your indoor water pipes and faucets for leaks. Those leaks could also be inviting the roaches.
Monitor the Firewood
Finally, if you have a fireplace or wood-burning stove, it's time to make some changes to the way you store your firewood. Without even knowing it, you could be carrying pests into your home with every load of firewood. First, store your firewood on an elevated platform. Second, keep your firewood dry at all times. Finally, rotate your firewood on a regular basis to prevent nesting.