Author: Kurt Treftz, Cascade Pest Control
Just because you may not see as many pests out and about once winter hits, doesn’t mean that they aren’t around. Particularly in the greater Seattle region, some household pests go into hibernation when the weather gets colder, but the ones who don’t will still be on the hunt for warm shelter and easy access to food. Don’t let your home be a target for these critters. Learn what to look out for and how to prevent wintertime pests.
How to Keep Out Winter Pests in Seattle
There are many different types of pests that could be plaguing your home or business through the winter season. The first step of prevention is knowing what you’re working with. These are the pests and rodents most active in the winter in the Seattle area and what you can do to start preventing them:
Rats and Mice
Rats and mice unfortunately thrive along the Puget Sound and are annoyingly active during the colder months. Their main prerogative is finding food and shelter, and they are attracted to human spaces as a place that can provide both. They typically target outdoor trash cans or garage spaces as a first means of entry, but their sharp teeth can chew through siding or roofing tiles to get in attic and crawl spaces.
Once in, they’ll work on creating their nests and finding food and water. These rodents are nocturnal, so you may not see them while you’re out and about in your home, but there are signs you can look out for that will tip you off to their presence. Any signs of droppings or chewed through pantry items are easy ones to catch, and you can give your crawlspaces and attics a regular inspection for signs of rodent nests.
The best prevention for rodent infestation is keeping your space clean, properly sealing pantry food, keeping your trash cans away from easy entry points to your home, and keeping the outside of your home in good repair so they don’t have an easy way in.
For those Seatleites struggling to keep rats out of their home or business, ongoing rat control is often the ultimate prevention method.
Spiders
You may associate these critters with fall, but they can be active in winter as well. Spiders are actually cold blooded, so they are quite resilient to the cooler temps. So while they won’t be seeking your home out for warmth, if you are seeing a lot of spiders in your space during the winter, it’s likely because they’ve been there for a while. They’re not inherently a threat if they’re not venomous, but in large numbers they can be unsettling.
Spiders are attracted to cluttered, rarely disturbed spaces with lots of dark places to hide. Regularly vacuuming and keeping your space tidy, especially attics and crawl spaces will give them fewer places to get comfortable. You can also check and re-seal your window sills, door jambs, and any siding that might be loose to prevent them from having an easy way into your home.
Spider infestations can be trickier to catch, so don’t hesitate to call a professional exterminator if you’re in need of spider control services.
Ants
From carpenter to traditional odorous house ants, these critters are also a problem year-round. An infestation of house ants is usually visible, as they go after leftover crumbs and food left out in the kitchen. Carpenter ants, on the other hand, are decidedly trickier because they don’t tend to surface often.
Carpenter ant infestations are the hardest to spot without a professional inspection, but there are things you can do to prevent them from being there in the first place. Look out for any rotting wood near your home that they could nest in, and check up on your pipes periodically to make sure a leak isn’t creating any rot in your home that they’d be attracted to. This will make it harder for them to get in, nest, and cause damage to your space.
Cascade Pest Control has been working to identify, eliminate, and prevent pests year-round in the greater Seattle region for over 42 years. Our technicians are skilled and knowledgeable about any pest or rodent control problem you may be experiencing, and they’re eager to create a pest control plan that works for you. It’s never too late to further protect your home or business from pests.
Need help preventing pests this winter? Call 888-989-8979 for a quote from Cascade today!