Summer has ended and we are all now taking refuge in the warmth and comfort of our cozy homes. Our appealing home environments are as alluring to outdoor pests as they are to us. Just like humans, pests like their homes warm and their food plentiful. Food tends to become less plentiful at this time of year and so the pests will look to their benefactors for sustenance. Some of these pests can be a real nuisance and disruptive to the homes we live in. The good news is though - these commonly found pests can be dealt with!
Rodents
As the summer fades away and temperatures begin to drop, the rodent population is looking for warm places to overwinter.
Any location that provides protection and bedding materials can be a site for rodent numbers to increase over the winter months - your house, shed, garage or under your deck. A hole the size of a quarter is all rats need and mice only need a hole the size of a dime to squeeze through. So finding and sealing these holes is the most important step to prevent rodents from entering your home.
Spiders
Knocking down cobwebs only to find another one in it’s place the next day? You’re not alone. For some species of spiders, now is when they are at their largest, making them more noticeable, and females are laying eggs before they die.
Because spiders aren’t much interested in human food, wiping down counters, disposing of trash and other typical pest prevention efforts aren’t likely to work. Instead, focus on:
Identifying entry points around your home and sealing them with screens
Tossing out empty bags, boxes and other favorite spider nesting materials
Cleaning up the dusty corners that often house spider webs and spider eggs
Ants
Ants don’t go away in any season and cool autumn weather may bring ant trails indoors. Ants sometimes move their colonies into the walls of your home or beneath a slab foundation to escape the chill. House ants can contaminate food and should carpenter ants enter your home, they can damage its structure.
To keep ants from becoming fall houseguests:
Sweep your floors regularly
Store food in airtight containers
Get rid of any standing water
Cut tree branches and plants back from walls and roofs
Seal entryways and small openings and cracks in the walls or floor of your home
Silverfish and Centipedes
These critters target moisture primarily. Moisture and dampness, as well as small dark areas. Moisture can be hard to spot, it could be coming from condensation under windows, around pipes that go in and out of the house, in the laundry room, the bathroom and particularly unfinished basements. Controlling the moisture in the home is often overlooked or considered necessary. Keeping food stored tidily will help, as well. Crumbs and spills should be cleaned up in a timely manner. Some insects consider rotting plants to be food as well, so make sure the yard is tidied and any debris or mossy areas are cleared up.
Left unattended, pests can become a real problem to the home and leave you with repairs you don’t really want to deal with. If you’re seeing too many insects for your liking either inside or outside the house, or think you may have a rodent problem, contact us for pest control recommendations and the experts at QFI will be happy and ready to assist.
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