Winter Pests

Mice and rats end up on your property looking for warm places to hide with plenty of food and water. Since they can fit through tiny openings, they can squeeze through any cracks or gaps in your windows, doors and walls. Once they enter your home or business, rodents might gnaw on the wires, wood framing and insulation, leaving your property vulnerable to structural damage. Aside from the physical threat, rodents can carry bacteria and diseases that can contaminate your food and valuables. Blocking entry points, cleaning up food and keeping wood piles away from your house can help you reduce the risk of a rodent infestation during the winter.

Even though cockroaches are prevalent in New York all year long, you may notice them in the winter months when you turn on the heat and unintentionally bring them out of hiding. These creepy crawlers enjoy areas near food and moisture, such as the kitchen or bathroom. They tend to spread bacteria, contaminate food sources and worsen symptoms of allergies and other respiratory conditions.

Cockroaches are incredibly resilient pests that show unique survival tactics. Cockroaches are likely to be attracted by the warmth of your home during the winter. There are ways to prevent cockroach infestations that will keep them out during the winter. Cleaning your kitchen, for instance, is one of the best proactive ways of keeping cockroaches away

You may notice these pests with black and orange marks in the winter, but they’ve most likely wandered into your home in the fall. Since they like warm weather, they might have thought it was spring when you turned your heat on for the winter. Even though boxelder bugs aren’t dangerous, they tend to have an unpleasant smell and stain upholstery and other fabric items.

These pests release an extremely potent and unpleasant odor if you crush or intimidate them. They usually infest homes or businesses in the fall, but they enter a dormant phase and spend most of the winter hiding in crawl spaces, walls or attics. However, if you have an unusually warm day in the winter, stink bugs may come out of hiding prematurely.

Yellow and brown stains on your walls and furniture are signs of a stink bug infestation, as these stains are caused by their secretions. Smells similar to rotting vegetables or skunks are a sign that you have a lot of stink bugs in your home or business. These are some of the signs of a stink bug infestation that you will need to keep an eye out for during the winter.

Bed bugs hide in your bed and bite you in the middle of the night. They tend to survive all year long, and they can go for a long time without feeding. You may bring these critters into your house through your luggage while traveling or if you get secondhand furniture. You might want to invest in professional bed bug control to keep you and your family safe and healthy.

These wood-loving insects have large colonies that can quickly destroy your property. They tend not to be as active when it’s cold outside, but if you have an unusually warm day, you may find them in your garden. Since they eat at rotten wood from your building’s walls, framing and foundation, you can save money on renovating your house by investing in termite control services.

You might not notice spiders right away because they tend to hide in quiet places, especially ones with cardboard boxes and window moldings. Spiders tend to eat mosquitoes and flies, so you may want to have a few of them around your house. However, they also multiply quickly, leaving your home more vulnerable to undesirable debris. Certain types of spiders, such as the brown recluse and black widow, inject poison when they bite.

These insects enjoy eating fabric, especially on your carpets, clothing, bedding or curtains. Their prickly hair can cause allergic reactions when they walk on you, resulting in itchy, red bumps. You may notice these pests at any time of the year, chewing through your fabric or crawling around your windows.

Fruit flies are usually already on the fruit you’ve purchased from the store. They start breeding once the fruit becomes ripe. They can contaminate your food supply when they touch and eat your fruits and vegetables. Since they can reproduce quickly, one little fly can become a large infestation without the proper treatment.

If you see flying ants in your home or business, you may have an infestation on your hands. Carpenter ants may wind up on your property looking for food, water and shelter, and when they find what they’re looking for, they’ll most likely create a nest underneath the building or in the yard. Carpenter ants excavate moist wood to make their colonies inside, leaving your residential or commercial space vulnerable to structural damage.