Winter Pest Control
The body of the average housefly carries more than one million bacteria. Cockroaches, rodents, and other pests likewise transmit dangerous bacteria and viruses. They can also cause significant damage to your home.
You might associate flies, cockroaches, ants, and other pests with summer picnics and open windows. You might also assume that one of winter’s consolation prizes is a decline in their activity. When it comes to pest control, you might even assume that you can let down your guard.
However, these assumptions are mistaken. Forgetting about winter pest control can be dangerous and costly. In fact, pest control is essential year-round.
So what winter pests are most common? And what do you need to do to protect your property from damage and your family from disease?
Find answers to these questions and more in this helpful guide.
Why Do I Need Winter Pest Control?
A common misconception is that bugs and other pests simply leave in the winter. You don’t see them as much, so they must have gone somewhere, right?
Well, yes, they have gone somewhere, but they likely haven’t gone far.
Insects, rodents, and other pests don’t migrate in the winter. Rather, they seek nearby shelter and food supplies. They also reduce their activity levels to conserve energy.
For some pests, this means burrowing into the walls of your home and going dormant until spring. For others, like mice, it means seeking not only warmth but also food sources, like insects and waste, inside your home.
Harboring these disease-carrying insects and rodents in your home lets them survive the harsher winter months. It also positions them for an even more active season in the spring.
When the weather warms, you and your family are likely to experience an invasion—unless you take the necessary steps now.
Winter in Northern California
Keeping up with winter pest control is even more important in northern California. Here, winters are generally milder than in other parts of the country.
Rancho Cordova experiences its lowest temperatures from mid-November to mid-February. During this time, daytime highs range from the 50s to the low-60s. Meanwhile, nighttime temperatures fall to the low-40s and high-30s.
Barring a rare frost, even the lowest of these temperatures is not cold enough to kill household pests. However, northern California winters are just cool enough to prompt pests to move indoors.
What Pests are Common in Northern California Winters?
So what kinds of pests should you look out for? Common northern California household pests include a range of rodents, insects, and arachnids.
Squirrels, Rats, Mice, and Other Rodents
Rodents are year-round household pests. However, the threat of rat and mouse infestations increases in the winter.
Like other pests, rodents seek food and warmth in the interior of your home. They may burrow into your walls, insulation, and furniture, causing significant damage and even house fires. Insurance companies report that rodents chewing wires cause at least 20% of house fires.
Mice and rats also carry dangerous diseases. They can spread these diseases to humans or pets through bites and feces.
Among rodents, the California Ground Squirrel is most often considered a threat to your yard or garden. However, its burrows can threaten the foundation of your patio, your deck, or even your home. Like other rodents, it can also carry and spread diseases to you, your family, and your pets.
Because winter is when ground squirrels breed and become most active, these threats are also higher in cold weather months.
Insects and Arachnids
Spiders are another type of pest that can become more active during winter.
Black widow spiders, one of the most venomous spiders, are common throughout California. They tend to build webs in doorways, vents, crevices, and cracks. They are most active at dusk. However, they can strike at any time when disturbed.
Neglecting pest control in winter can make your home an appealing sanctuary for black widow spiders. This is because black widows eat common household insects. Black widow spiders tend to build their webs in locations that offer a steady supply of these insects, including flies, cockroaches, beetles, and ants.
Depending on the species, ants may live inside your home or nearby in the ground, woodpiles, and other organic materials. Carpenter ants tend to burrow into the walls of your home. Black ants may establish colonies beneath or next to your home’s foundation. From there, they can use cracks and other small spaces to enter your home in search of food.
Finally, cockroaches pose a yearlong threat. Cockroaches are among the hardiest pests. Throughout their long history, cockroaches have adapted to surviving inclement environments. They are generally impervious to cold and many toxins. They can also survive long stretches without food and even oxygen.
Because cockroaches are so hardy, prevention and early detection are essential to protecting your home against them.
Cockroaches tend not to cause structural damage. However, their droppings make infestations obvious. Infestations are thus unsightly. They can also make selling a home much more difficult. Finally, cockroaches and their droppings carry dangerous diseases, including E. coli, typhoid, and dysentery.
How Can I Protect My Home From Pests in Winter?
Protecting your home from household pests is a matter of health, safety, and financial security. It is, moreover, a year-round job.
You can take the following steps to protect your home and family from pests.
Schedule Regular Pest Control Treatments
The most important step you can take to protect your family is to schedule regular pest control treatments. In the winter—as in every other season, it’s essential to maintain this schedule.
So what does a “regular” schedule of pest control look like? Most California homeowners opt for a bi-monthly program.
When you opt for a bi-monthly program, a pest control expert will inspect and treat your property every other month. Regular inspections enable early detection of any new problem areas. They also ensure that pesticide applications are appropriate for your needs. Finally, regular applications are necessary for pesticides to be effective.
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) establishes safety standards for pest control chemicals. To adhere to these standards, pesticides are designed to break down over time. This limited period of effectiveness is necessary to protect not only people and pets but also the environment. However, this limited time period also requires recurring applications.
For most homeowners, bi-monthly applications are sufficient. If your home or yard is larger, though, you might need more frequent applications. Homes in rural locations also pose greater pest control challenges and might be better suited to monthly programs.
Choosing a Pest Control Company
Whether you choose bi-monthly or monthly applications, look for a company that takes a comprehensive approach to pest control. A comprehensive approach includes the detailed inspections described above. However, a comprehensive approach to inspections and treatments goes further.
Effective pest control must target known problem areas while preventing new infestations from developing. This requires knowledgeable technicians and wide-ranging applications. Results Pest Control’s comprehensive services include treatments for each of the following areas:
- Eaves and gutters
- Porches and decks
- Garages and sheds
- Fences
- Home foundations and interiors
- Grass, shrubs, and other landscaping features
Many of these locations, such as garages, sheds, and firewood piles, see an increase in pest activity in the winter. Results Pest Control experts know pests, and they take the time to get to know your home. The result is exceptional service and satisfied customers.
As you look for pest control options, see what previous clients have to say and ask trusted friends for recommendations.
Finally, it’s also important to find a company that’s confident in its own services. With Results Pest Control’s 100% guarantee, you can rest easy. If the pests return before your next appointment, we’ll come back too—at no extra charge.
Engage in At-Home Pest Proofing
Another advantage of working with a pest control expert is access to valuable reports and expert advice.
After each service, Results Pest Control provides you with a detailed report of our findings and treatments. This information can help you identify additional steps you can take to pest-proof your home.
These include:
- Sealing cracks in your home’s walls and foundation
- Repairing or replacing broken window and door screens and replacing worn weatherstripping
- Inspecting walls, insulation, and wires for bite marks that could signal the presence of rodents
- Trimming trees and shrubs to keep branches away from your home
- Storing firewood at least 20 feet away from your home and at least 5 feet off the ground
- Removing clutter and keeping boxes off the floor
- Storing food securely in well-sealed containers and promptly disposing of leftovers
- Eliminating standing water and other sources of moisture, like clogged drains or leaky pipes
By taking these steps, you can help keep your home safe and pest-free all year long.
Welcoming Family and Friends—Not Pests—Home for the Holidays
Winter festivities are seasonal. Pest control is not. Effective pest control is a year-round task that requires vigilance from you and your pest control company.
Failing to take the necessary winter pest control steps means opening your home to small but dangerous and destructive intruders. Mice, squirrels, ants, spiders, and cockroaches are just a few of the pests that can wreak havoc on your home in the cold weather months.
Fortunately, Results Pest Control has everything you need to keep your home and family safe. Schedule a free inspection today or fill out the form on our website to request a quote.