Preparing for Winter Guests

Most bugs and wildlife have an ideal temperature they prefer to live in. As winter approaches, the temperatures in Arkansas will inevitably dip low enough to drive pests inside to hide from the cold, even if only for a short time. When pests choose your home instead of some loosened tree bark, a hole, a pile of leaves or a rotten stump, it is called overwintering. It is nature’s version of “wintering in Florida.” Before those critters start crawling around on the bark of your home looking for a place to hide from the coming cold, you need to get prepared during the fall.

If you wait, not only will you have less time, you may miss your opportunity to get things done before pests begin their search for a winter home. Hopper Termite & Pest suggests you do the following:

Seal it. Seal it Good.

• Inspect all your screens for rips or holes. When bugs and other pests start getting cold, these are the most obvious entry points. If you find that your screens are damaged, you may not have to have them completely re-screened. Smaller issues can be fixed with a small piece of screen and some clear fingernail polish. There are several helpful videos available on YouTube.
• After you’ve checked the screens on your sliding doors, you should check the weather stripping. When weatherstripping gets damaged, it provides the perfect entry point for smaller overwintering pests like stink bugs.
• Inspect all entry doors to make sure your door sweeps are working. Pests don’t need much of a gap to squeeze in.
• Do you have a chimney? Overwintering pests can easily climb down your chimney and gain access to your home when the fire is out. A smart way to stop overwintering pests is by installing a damper at the top of your chimney, instead of just above the firebox.
• Do you have any rotted holes in your exterior walls? Now is the time to get out the caulking gun to seal those holes up. Sure, it doesn’t look as nice as you’d like, but it gets the job done until you can get the spot fixed properly.
• When overwintering pests come to climb around on your walls and search for the tiniest of gaps to exploit, they should find an unsavory surface that instantly repels them. Have your exterior walls, soffits and eaves treated by the professionals here at American Pest to force those pests to find another place to overwinter.

Exclusion methods go a long way to reducing the number of pests that will find a way into your home this fall. But to fully seal and protect your home from overwintering pests, weak areas need to be treated with agents that kill or resist these pests. Hopper Termite & Pest have been protecting customers for years from pests that want to take up residence inside their homes. We would be happy to help you seal the deal! Give us a call today.