Winter is Coming!

Posted May 15, 2021 by Sarah Malone
Category: Advice

How to prepare for the winter pest invasions into your homes.

As the colder months approach, we find ourselves staying indoors more and seeking out warm and dry places to rest. Insects and pests are no different and will want to join you in your homes and offices and no body wants to share their warm homes with mice, rats and bugs. However, there are a few things you can do to help reduce the chances of these uninvited guests from entering your home this winter.

Check the Exterior of the house

The best way to stop an invasion from occurring is by ensuring that all your defences are in place. Take a walk around the building and look for any cracks or holes present. Seal these gaps using steel wool or caulk. This is an easy way to help keep pests out that are trying to find shelter in your homes.

Remember to check around all the windows, door edges or around exterior timbers that are in need of repair. Try not to store things directly against the building as this can hide possibly entry points and keep all guttering clear and free of leaves which provides another place to hide.

Keep a Clean Home

Just like the outside of the building you need to ensure that there are minimal hiding places for rats, mice and bugs to live. Reduce clutter and excess stored items from building up around the home. It is also important to remove any possible food and water sources.

• Keep food in sealed containers away in the fridge or pantry.
• Repair any dripping taps and pipes. Ensure there is no open water sources. This can also mean possible leaks in the roof void and sub floor areas of the house.
• Make sure all bins have lids and that any spills or messes are cleaned up and never left for long periods of time.

This will help make your home less attractive for mice and insects.

Guest and Hobbies Rooms

A lot of homes have extra rooms which are used for different occasions such as guest rooms, storage, games room, sewing room however we find we do not access them regularly. It is for this reason that pests like rats and mice like to take the opportunity to hide and breed in these areas.

Ensure that you take time regularly to check these areas. Look for possibly signs of infestation such as damage, droppings, claw marks, holes or rub marks. By checking for these signs regularly you will ensue that you will catch a problem before it gets out of hand.

The colder months may entice more pests into the building but by ensuring that you prepare early and keep on top of general house keeping you will make your home less inviting.

Early detection is very important to stop a small problem from becoming huge.

If you feel you might have a problem starting, give us a call.