As the weather cools, the great outdoors becomes an entirely different environment. Plant matter breaks down, providing ample food for foraging insects, colonies of bugs start to huddle together in preparation for colder weather, and pests are sure to be on the move all the while. While you’re working on weatherproofing your home, keep an eye out for these common autumn pests and be ready to tackle them. In this article, we’ll be covering some of the most troublesome autumn pests that you can run into when the days start to grow short.
1) Roaches
Believe it or not, the most commonplace for cockroaches to live is right outside. There’s plenty of shelter and company out there and all the garbage cans a roach can eat. However, when the temperature drops, they need to stay warm same as anything else. If you’re cold, the roaches are cold, too. They’ll be looking for a warm shelter full of food and water, so be proactive and remove standing food, overflowing trash cans, leftovers, and fix any plumbing leaks. Put your pet food in storage, and make a point to change and clean the food bowl regularly. If roaches get established, call us right away – These suckers can be tough or impossible to get rid of on your own.
2) Spiders
There’s probably a reason cobwebs have become a symbol of the Halloween months. It seems like every day, you knock one down only to find a new one the very next day. Some species of garden spiders, like various varieties of orb weaver, only grow to their largest during the autumn months as the females prepare to lay their eggs and give up the ghost. Try not to antagonize them while they’re outside, as they play an essential role in keeping bug populations low, but if they’ve moved inside seeking warmth, a pest control expert can inspect your home for ways to reduce their numbers or eliminate them.
3) Beetles
Hibernation isn’t just for bears, you know. Beetles such as ladybugs, boxelder bugs, and even stink bugs can come crawling inside looking for somewhere warm to spend the winter. Don’t directly touch any stink bugs you might see, and especially resist the urge to squash them. The awful odor they release can linger and resist lots of clean-up – the beetles themselves can resist traditional pesticides quite well, too. They tend to gather in the south and west-facing sides of your house, so be sure to check these areas for cracks and gaps that they could enter through.
4) Mice
Bugs aren’t the only visitors trying to get into your home for the winter. They come in looking for food, and their powerful teeth and relatively complicated brains make them pretty good at finding it. Seal gaps and openings around your home’s exterior. This holds especially true with siding close to the ground and along with the corners of your home, install weather stripping, and be sure to cover outside vents with appropriate filters and covers. Remove thick brush that mice could hide in from around your home, and use glue boards in areas mice might try to enter as an early response to mice that might sneak in through less used areas of the house.
In Conclusion
If any of these autumn pests manage to get in, they can quickly reproduce and cause a big problem over the winter. You don’t want to be stuck inside during the colder months with spiders and mice and roaches running the show while the beetles sleep and stink up the place, right? When you notice pests moving in, give us a call, and we’ll send them packing.
