Did you know that full-service pest control can range from about $300-$550? This is not to mention the cost of damage to your home.

While summer may be prime pest season, pests don’t become completely inactive in the winter. When it starts to get snowy, cold, and wet outside, they’re more likely to seek shelter and warmth in your home.

Having pests in your St. Louis home during the holidays isn’t only annoying but also increases the chances of you and your loved ones suffering from health complications like allergies. Therefore, as you prepare for the winter season, it’s vital to get pest control St. Louis and protect your home from winter pests.

Below is a winter pest control guide to help you out.

Common Winter Pests in St. Louis

During winter, pests can invade your home in search of food and shelter. Here are common winter pests you should look out for in St. Louis.

Rodents

As winter approaches, rodents can take advantage of the shelter, food, and water supply your home provides them. From rats to mice, these rodents have front incisors that grow continuously.

To stop their front incisors from overgrowing, rodents will chew on almost anything they come into your house. Whether it’s your clothes, furniture, drywall, or wires, they can cause extensive damage to your home.

Apart from leaving their elongated and conical-shaped droppings everywhere, they also have a terrible skunk that affects the quality of your indoor air.

You’ll most likely find rodents in indoor nesting behind large appliances spots like basements, crawlspaces, underneath your furniture, behind wall voids, and large appliances. They can also invade your garage and nest inside equipment such as lawnmowers.

Termites

Described as social insects, termites live in large numbers and can invade your home as a colony. Most colonies will build a nest near your home and find their way inside while looking for food. They often move inside unnoticed through pieces of wood or spaces in your foundation.

As they move around your property, the termites feed on structural wood, causing extensive and costly damages. Before these damages occur, you need qualified termite services in St. Louis to get rid of these pesky pests. You can get in touch with them in case you notice any mud tubes in your home.

Cockroaches

Although they may vary in size and color, cockroaches have similar flat, oval-shaped bodies, with two antennae. Depending on the species, roaches may or may not have wings. They often live in large groups – making it hard to control and eliminate them once they move into your home.

When inside your property, cockroaches will contaminate your food, dishes, food prep areas, and other surfaces with bacteria that they carry on their body and legs. What’s more, their excrement and shed skins can also trigger allergies and asthmas attacks in your household. You may find roaches in any dark corners of your home.

Overwintering Insects

Guided by the changes in daylight in late summer, insects like cluster flies and stink bugs know when winter is approaching and will try to get in your home. They usually arrive in large numbers, flocking your windows and walls and looking for ways to enter.

Other overwintering insects will find structural gaps and openings that permit access to your home. Most of these insects are a nuisance so you’ll want to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Spiders

During summer, your yard is often filled with insect activity. As spiders prefer feeding on insects and other spiders, they often prefer your outdoors. Unfortunately, their food becomes scarce when the insects move inside your home to overwinter.

While some spiders like the brown recluse can be dangerous to be around, others are just annoying to have around. This is why you need to contact a professional pest inspection in St. Louis. You’ll most likely find inside spiders hidden in dark, less-traveled areas like your basement, closets, attics, under furniture, and more.

Winter Pest Control Guide in St. Louis

Winter pests are a nuisance that can end up ruining your holidays. But before they do that, there are ways you can prevent their entry into your home. Here are some pest control tips you should incorporate to stop the winter pests invasion.

Thorough Cleaning Your Home

Most pests are attracted to filth. If you keep a filthy home, they will find your home a comfortable place to stay. To keep them away from your home, you should clean them regularly.

Apart from focusing on the surfaces, you should also clean items like your bedding, clothes, and more.

When deep cleaning, you should pay extra attention to the kitchen, laundry room, attic, bathroom, and other hidden areas of your house. You should also frequently remove the trash.

Seal Up and Block Off Your Home

Gaps or holes in the structure of your home provide entry points for pests to escape the colder weather. You can block off your home by filling in the holes, crevices, cracks around the perimeter areas of your property.

Another effective rodent control method involves checking your doors and windows for any gaps and sealing them. You should also place mesh covers over drains and vents leading to your house and a tight-fitting cap on your chimneys.

Keep Moisture Areas Dry

Bugs like cockroaches love moist areas. That’s why you’ll often find them under kitchen sinks and in bathrooms. To keep them away from your home, you should ensure to keep your kitchen and bathroom dry.

You should also fix any leaking pipes or plumbing issues that can lead to condensation build-up.

Use Pressure-Treated Wood

As a termite control tip, using termite-resistant wood for construction can help deter termites from chowing down on your structure. This can save you from costly damages.

Hire Professional Pest Control St. Louis Exterminators

Got a pest infestation? Searching for “pest control near me”?

Look no further than Amco Ranger Termite and Pest Solutions. Our pest control St. Louis is eco-friendly without sacrificing strength and effectiveness. We’ll drive the pests out of your home, leaving it pest-free during the holidays.

Feel free to contact us today for quality services.