When it’s cold outside and warm indoors, you can be sure your home will be inviting to all of the pests and rodents looking for shelter.
Cold weather conditions bring inside rodents, silverfish, spiders, cockroaches, and fleas. Pests can also be brought inside on plants, food products, firewood, and other items. Rainfall and moisture will continually aggravate ant colonies throughout the winter, forcing ants to seek dry ground indoors. Moisture can also promote pest reproduction and accelerate growth, thus increasing the need for pest control service maintenance.
The key to keeping your home pest-free* during the dead of winter is to inspect for pests that are trying to find a safe, warm place to hide during the cold months.
What can you do?
- Seal cracks, crevices, and areas where utilities enter the house. Generally tighten up and secure your house—go around the perimeter of your home and search for gaps and holes where critters and bugs could easily enter your property. Don’t forget to inspect all around the inside perimeter of your home too. Move furniture from the walls and check along the baseboards—if there are any holes or entrance points make sure to seal and caulk to ensure a strong defense against any pests trying to make their way in. Also, look in cabinets, behind appliances (as much as possible), and especially around windows and doorways.
- Stack firewood away from your home. Winter in Memphis often calls for a nice fire—if you have a fireplace at home and keep firewood handy, make sure to keep it a good distance from your home. Try to keep at least 20 feet between firewood piles and your home—stacked firewood is an inviting home for bugs to overwinter, and the closer it is to your house, the more inviting your home will be to those pests. Also, don’t bring your firewood in your home until you are ready to burn it—insects get into the crevices of the wood and will happily infest your house if you let them.
- Repair leaking pipes and other areas where excess water may build up. Go throughout your house and look for leaks—especially in bathrooms and basements (don’t forget your attic too). Moisture attracts a variety of Memphis pests and more importantly, can lead to home and property damage if not taken care of.
- Clear clutter in areas like the garage and basement that could harbor pests. If you haven’t done so already, go all around your property and inside your garage and clear up clutter. Spiders and rodents especially will make themselves at home wherever you have clutter creating warm and dry safe spaces.
Home maintenance is essential to keeping a comfortable home for you and your family over the winter—and proper pest management is a key component for winterizing your home.
If you let pest control get away from you this season and you find yourself with a rodent or bug problem—contact Inman-Murphy for your Memphis and Mid South pest prevention needs—we can handle all of your Winter pest control services. Call 901-388-0852
