As the days get shorter, the weather gets cooler and there’s that familiar smell of Pumpkin Spice in the air, it reminds us that it’s time to start thinking about getting the home buttoned up to handle the long cold winter months ahead of us here in the Greater St. Louis Area. The Farmers Almanac is calling for a colder than normal winter in the Midwest for 2019-2020.
Unfortunately, there are others thinking about finding a nice warm and cozy home to move into for the winter months too! Small critters such as mice, squirrels, rats, raccoons, spiders, cockroaches and other pests are looking for a safe haven. These pests can become more than just a nuisance if they find a way inside. Rodents can contaminate food, spreading disease and damage electrical wires, which may lead to a fire. Cockroaches are known to trigger allergies and asthma, especially in children. And, some spiders may bite if they are disturbed.
You may be wondering what you can do to prevent these pesky pests from getting inside your home?
Here are some things you can do to prevent wintertime pests:
- Year-Round Pest Control Maintenance
- From sickness to disease to damage and disgust, pests can be disastrous for many reasons.
- Even if you don’t have a pest problem now, pest prevention is always cheaper and easier than pest reaction. We highly recommend signing up for a year-round maintenance plan that fits your needs.
- Holper’s can have our Certified Efficiency Analyst come out and do an inspection. Learn how to keep pest and animals out while maintaining the efficiency of your home. Learn the A – Attic, B – Basement, C’s – Crawl Space of insulation and weatherization from Holper’s!
- Keep your Yard Maintained
- Properly landscape to avoid providing pest harborage sites. Keep branches and shrubs trimmed.
- Clean leaves and other debris from your gutters to prevent standing water, the perfect breeding ground for many pests.
- Keep basements, attics and crawl spaces well ventilated and dry.
- Keep all garbage covered or in a container to discourage animals from scavenging for food in the winter months.
- Store your Firewood at least 20 feet away from your house. Five feet is a minimum distance. Keep the firewood on racks of some kind, to: don’t let it rest on the ground.
- Pest Control Inside your Home
- Keeping your home clean will go a long way to preventing a pest invasion.
- Seal your Doors & Windows! Install door sweeps and repair damage screen. Torn window screen and cracks under doors are an ideal entry point for household pests.
- Filler larger gaps and holes inside your home with pieces of steel wool, as pests are deterred away from the roughness of the steel fibers, especially rodents who are unable to gnaw through the material.
- Inspect the outside of your home for easy access points. Seal any cracks and crevices with silicone caulk, paying special attention to areas where utility pipes enter the structure.
- Screen attic vents, openings to chimneys and any other areas where homes may be open to the outdoors – mail slots, for instance, or pet doors.
- Replace weather-stripping and repair loose mortar around basement foundation and windows. There are easy ways to keep pest (and cold air) out of the house.
This list of pest control tips should help eliminate pest activity in and around your house.
If you do suspect a pest infestation in your home, DON’T try to remove it on your own, it may be dangerous and inefficient. Contact Holper’s Pest & Animal Solutions today. We have been giving the Greater St. Louis and surrounding areas “Peace of Mind” for over three decades, specializing in wildlife, pest control and now insulation and weatherization!
Contact us for a free evaluation at (314) 887-7102 (PEST). We’ll give you peace of mind and your home back!