How to Combat Infestation of the Most Common Fall & Winter Pests

Hating bugs, rodents, and other critters (in our homes, at least) may be the one thing that brings us all together. Almost all of us can relate to the disgust, revulsion, and violation we feel when we see a pest skitter across the baseboard.

We ask ourselves questions like, “Didn’t I close the window? Does the screen door have a hole in it? Where are they coming from?

Seeing a bug in the house during chilly weather stings a little more when we realize that even though it’s cold, pests and critters are still a nuisance. The colder weather of fall and winter got rid of the mosquitoes and flying bugs we hate, but the seasonal change also brought new bugs to replace the ones that made bug spray essential during the spring and summer.

The cycle is never ending, but thankfully, there are ways to avoid an unwanted pest infestation in your house. Keep reading to learn how to prevent and combat an in-home takeover by the most common fall and winter pests.

Stink Bugs

I hate stink bugs. They’re ugly, foul smelling, and have the patience of a dog who really wants to play and won’t take no for an answer. Stink bugs also have the tendency to pop up in the same spot you just looked away from.

I’ll never forget how one left my car smelling like spoiled milk for a week. No amount of Febreze, Glade vent plug-ins, or perfume saved the day. The experience was, as stink bugs are, horrible.

How to get rid of stink bugs

Stink bugs are determined pests, and they will find unique ways to get inside—especially if it’s cold. The smallest opening in your doorway or window will grant them entrance, so to keep them out, make sure that even tiny cracks in window and door frames or tears in window screens are stuffed and sealed.

While it’s also tempting to let stink bugs rest where they are since they won’t bite you or your pets, you should instead remove them promptly because stink bugs release two distinct odors. Their infamous stench comes about if you kill them, but they also release another odor while alive that will attract more stinkbugs.

Who wants that?

Here are some common methods to rid your home of stink bugs:

• Rub dryer sheets on your screen doors
• Buy traps from the store
• Create a soapy water concoction to spray on the bugs you find (inside or outside)

Also keep your outside lights low (or turn them off altogether), since light entices pests. Choose the option that fits you best, but whatever you do, don’t kill a stink bug inside your home—or else you’ll learn exactly where the name stink bug came from.

Lady Beetles

For a while, when my college housemates and I would see lady beetles, we’d smile. To us they were just harmless lady bugs, and our superstitious backgrounds taught us that their presence was good luck.

But after a while, the beetles weren’t cute anymore, and we soon realized that our “lucky home had an infestation problem. Making matters worse, the lady bugs we loved turned out to be lady beetles—pests that, unlike lady bugs, choose to hibernate inside homes and warm buildings during the fall and winter.

To our dismay, they were everywhere we turned. The lady beetles were living their best life on our highest ceilings or were dead in our windowsills, trapped in our bedroom lights, and belly-up in our doorways.

The infestation left us stumped, but that doesn’t have to be the case for you.

How to get rid of lady beetles

If you want to ensure that lady beetles stay out, window screens will become your best friends. Put screens in every window you have, and be sure to regularly check them for holes. Lady beetles won’t be a match for your diligence.

Vacuuming lady beetles up is also an option, and sealing the cracks and gaps in your house will keep the critters at bay as well. If you’re up to it, painting rooms a darker color will make your house a last resort for the pest since bright and light colors attract them.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches are traumatizing.

It seems like no matter the season, weather, or day, they will appear out of nowhere in your kitchen, bathroom, or living room, and if they’re really bold, they even have the nerve to fly.

Not only can these critters make your heart stop in shock, they can be dangerous as well. Cockroaches can ruin food, incite asthma in children, and spread bacteria.

How to get rid of cockroaches

Since cockroaches find solace in a home’s damp areas, like the kitchen, bathroom, or anywhere with plumbing pipes, cleanliness is the best strategy to keep them out. Sanitize areas where you cook and shower, and dust and vacuum on a consistent schedule.

If the problem is a little more troublesome than you initially thought, and you don’t want to use harsh chemicals, there are natural methods you can rely on. One of these options includes making your own bait. A combination of boric acid and powdered sugar will attract and kill the cockroaches, but the concoction will remain harmless to your children and pets.

Bottom Line

Fall and winter pests are, unfortunately, quite common. Luckily, you are certainly not the only person to figure out how to rid your home of them, which means that there are plenty of resources that detail the best ways to rid your home of bugs—including local Best Pick pest control companies that enjoy eliminating pests from your home.

When you take the necessary steps to protect your home before and after a visit from the bug you love to hate, you can get right back to enjoying the fall and winter seasons without having to worry about what’s scurrying around your house.

Tired of bugs and pests? Find a local Best Pick® pest & termite control company near you now.