Feb 16, 2023 | Pest Control
Laurens Pest Control: Common Winter Pests
During the winter season, we don’t typically see a lot of pests around, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t present! Certain wildlife pests tend to look towards our Laurens home to escape the cold, causing damage and posing a health risk in the process. For homeowners, it’s important to understand the types of winter pests that could invade and the winter pest control methods needed to keep them out. Check out our top 3 winter pests to look out for in Laurens, South Carolina.
Cockroaches
During the winter, cockroaches enter our homes to search for heat and humidity. Common roaches found in homes are American roaches, oriental roaches, and brown-banded roaches. These pests can pose a serious health risk to humans, as they’re known to transmit diseases and trigger allergies and asthma. Roaches will utilize any open gap or hole to find their way inside homes. These pests will also hitchhike on grocery bags, boxes, and used appliances. You will often find them in areas where food and water are available, such as our kitchens and bathrooms.
Termites
Termites are year-round pests and will destroy the structural integrity of homes. The damage termites can cause will often cost billions in repairs. Termites, such as subterranean termites, will eat the wood from the inside out, usually staying hidden until the damage is done. These termite types need soil to live, creating mud tubes to search for a food source. Firewood and mulch are two major attractants to termites and will provide a way inside your home. If they’ve infested, you can often find them in the home’s baseboards, crawlspaces, and wooden beams.
Silverfish
Silverfish prefer to live in damp, colder places. These pests are quite common in the winter months and are often found in basements or bathrooms. If they’ve gained access to your living space, it’s usually because they’ve hitched a ride when you’ve taken items out of storage in your garage or attic. While these pests are harmless to humans, if they infest in large numbers, they can become a nuisance. Silverfish will feed on your books, glue, wallpaper, and boxes.
Preventing Winter Pests
There are several methods and preventative measures you can implement to keep these pests from invading your home! Consider these winter pest control tips when you want to keep these pests away:
- Seal any holes, cracks, or gaps around your home
- Avoid leaving your pet food and water out overnight
- Clean up leftover food crumbs and spills
- Fix any leaky faucets or pipes found as soon as possible
- Avoid leaving your dirty dishes in the sink overnight
- Take your garbage out on a regular basis and utilize a trashcan with a tightly secure lid
- Remove old newspapers, mail, and cardboard that is laying around your home
- Inspect boxes, groceries, and used furniture before entering your home
- If you utilize mulch, place it at least 20 feet away from your foundation
- Consider reaching out to your pest control company to get a customized plan to prevent pests year-round
Jan 20, 2023 | Pest Control
Despite our best wishes, pests don’t just disappear when the weather gets cold. Winter pest control becomes critical to keeping your house protected during the season. Overwintering pests will make their way indoors to escape the cold and have access to a plentiful food supply. Common overwintering pests include roaches, spiders, and rodents.
Overwintering pests pose a threat to both you and your home. They can chew through wires and insulation, contaminate surfaces and food, spread diseases, and trigger allergies and asthma.
Help protect your home with these 14 tips for winter pest control:
- Seal any cracks, crevices, and holes on the exterior of your home.
- Seal around utility pipes that enter your home.
- Replace or repair weatherstripping and screens.
- Elevate your firewood and store it at least 20 feet from your home.
- Declutter, especially in the basement, garage, and attic.
- Repair any leaky pipes to reduce moisture.
- Keep gutters free of debris.
- Install doorsweeps.
- Install chimney vents.
- Keep attics, crawlspaces, and basements dry and ventilated. Consider crawlspace enclosure.
- Keep floors and counters clean daily.
- Dust, sweep, and vacuum regularly.
- Empty the trash regularly.
- Invest in routine pest control throughout the entire year.
If you have a problem with winter pests, contact your local pest control company for a complete evaluation and treatment plan.
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Jan 6, 2023 | Pest Control
It’s a common myth that spiders come into our homes to overwinter until spring. In actuality, they most likely were already there to begin with. These household pests are more active in fall and early winter for two main reasons: they are preparing winter and the upcoming scarcity of food and they are mating and in search of a partner to reproduce with.
House spiders take up residence in your home year-round. Spiders can be beneficial to have around as a form of natural pest control as they eat other insects (even other spiders) found around your house.
One exception to this is the brown recluse spider. They will seek warmth and food indoors in the winter by hiding out in dark, unused areas of your home. Brown recluses are identified by the distinct violin-shaped mark on their back. They will bite and are considered harmful to humans.
You can prevent spiders in your home by:
- Checking your foundations for cracks and repairing them immediately.
- Checking windows and doors each season. Repairing any cracks and check seals.
- Decluttering, especially in basements, attics, closets, and pantries; this limits the places they can hide.
- Vacuuming and dusting frequently, especially in rooms that are seldom used.
- Checking any items before bringing them indoors, including pets, firewood, plants, boxes, decorations, etc.).
- Investing in routine pest control. Eliminating other pests limits food sources for spiders, leaving them to search other places for a meal.
If you have an issue with spiders, contact your local pest control company for an inspection.
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Nov 30, 2022 | Wildlife
Winter is nearing and that means it is time to make sure your attic doesn’t become a sanctuary for wildlife critters. The most common winter wildlife critters that you should keep an eye out for this winter are raccoons, squirrels, bats, and mice. They can all cause severe damage to your home and pose a significant threat to your health.
The most obvious way for wildlife to get into your attic is through vents and any gaps in your home’s exterior. Once inside, they can make their nest in your attic which results in ripped or destroyed insulation. They could also begin compromising the well-being of your attic from their urine or feces. This can make for a smelly home or become a hazard to your family’s health since animal waste can contain parasites or bacteria.
If you discover wildlife has taken over your attic, then it’s best to call in professional help to get them removed. If your insulation has been impacted, then it’s imperative to get it replaced as soon as possible. Insulation that has been removed or contaminated can lead to higher energy bills and no one wants that.
Reach out to your local wildlife control company to assist with the removal of these pests, so you can get back to enjoying your home this winter!
Nov 21, 2022 | Pest Control
Contrary to popular belief, pests don’t just disappear when colder weather sets in. Overwintering pests are those that find a warm place to shelter during the winter, most often inside your home! Some household pests thrive year-round because the warmth, water, and food supply in your home allow them to survive even in the harshest weather conditions. Some common winter pests include rodents, roaches, spiders, and bed bugs. For this reason, it’s important that you don’t forget about winter pest control! Here are a few of our favorite winter pest control tips you can use to make your home pest-free.
- Seal cracks and crevices outside your home to keep pests from being able to get in, especially where pipes and utility lines come into the house.
- Replace any loose mortar.
- Replace weather stripping around doors and windows.
- Store firewood at least 20 feet from your home and elevate it if possible.
- Keep your home decluttered.
- Use plastic storage instead of cardboard when possible.
- Eliminate moisture and standing water in and around your home (leaky pipes, clogged drains).
- Use door sweeps.
- Repair or replace screens on windows and doors.
- Use chimney screens.
- Ventilate and keep attics, basements, and crawlspaces dry.
- Clean up any food and crumbs.
- Invest in routine pest control from a professional pest control company.
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