Keep These Cold Weather Bugs Out of Your Home This Winter
Some bugs die off as soon as the last warm day of summer or fall is over; others overwinter by entering a state of torpor, cozying up in cocoons, or carrying on in underground nests. And then there are the bugs who sneak into your house when seeking winter shelter.
Today’s edition of our weekly pest blog posts is all about cold weather bugs: which ones are common, how to prevent them, and how to get rid of them if they make it inside your home. Keep reading to learn more from our integrative pest management experts!
Three Common Cold Weather Bugs
#1 Stink Bugs
Coming into contact with these dusty brown and ivory-speckled, medieval heater shield-shaped creatures will not harm you. Stink bugs aren’t poisonous either, so if your curious pet tries eating one, they’ll be fine.
Still, you don’t want stink bugs in your house. Stink Bugs excrete an essence from their abdominal glands, emitting a foul, distinctive stench when perceiving a threat. The essence is more than just stinky—it stains and ruins any porous material where the stinkbug excretes it.
Stink Bugs also live and travel in groups, so when you kill one in your home, there’s likely more lurking nearby.
[Read Our September Blogpost All About Stink Bugs]
#2 Drain Flies
Drain flies, known as moth flies for their similarities to moths and true flies, can survive anywhere with heat, water, and their favorite food: rotting organic material. Drains, as their other name implies, are welcoming to moth flies because they feast upon whatever decomposing skin, hair, fungus, or waste they find in plumbing systems.
These critters can’t hurt you, your loved ones, or your home, but they reproduce and multiply very quickly; a swarm of them can overtake the rooms of your home, flying into your face and landing on your food. Drain flies are brutal to get rid of once they establish their presence in your home, and without swift, effective intervention, they can continue to stick around for months!
#3 Spiders
Many people are scared of spiders, and some, like the brown recluse, are worthy of fear. If you see a poisonous spider looking for warmth in your home this winter, you should not touch it!
However, harmless ones like cellar spiders are beneficial to have around your home because they eviscerate and devour any other bugs that try to sneak in.
Preventing and Removing Cold Weather Bugs
Block Out Their Entrances
Cold weather bugs are coming inside your home to warm up, but they usually aren’t polite enough to knock at the front door. Instead, pests sneak in through gaps around doors and windows, cracks in walls and floors, crevices between walls and baseboards, and holes in the roof.
Fill these wall entry points with spackle, foam insulation spray, caulk, or weathering striping, and get your roof inspected and repaired for leaks in the fall before winter is in full swing.
Make Them Feel Unwelcome
Many common winter pests, especially moth/drain flies, are extremely stubborn to remove. To get them out, you must ensure your home is not a welcoming environment for them. Start by implementing the following prevention strategies:
- Keep surfaces in bathrooms and kitchens dry whenever possible.
- Wipe all leftover food and particles off plates before putting them in the sink or dishwasher.
- Change trash in your kitchen, bathrooms, and other rooms often.
- Put away sweet or savory scented items (like candles or perfumes).
- Have a plumber regularly inspect and maintain your plumbing system.
- Pour 8 oz of an enzyme drain cleaner into drains once a month.
- When you have an active fly problem, pour 8-16 oz. boiling water down all drains every day.
- Plug in a sticky insect trap that uses a light to lure them.
Call a Professional
Getting help from pest professionals near you is the safest and most effective way to keep your home free of cold-weather bugs. It’s also not an all-day inconvenience—with many home treatments, you can still be there to watch or come home the same day.
It doesn’t have to cost a fortune, either. We make our household insect defense services affordable for Birmingham families without sacrificing quality.
Birmingham’s Best in Controlling Pests
Thanks for reading today’s blog!!
For 40+ years, our team of integrative pest management professionals from Vulcan Termite & Pest Control has proudly aided hundreds of families in Birmingham and nearby communities by investigating and solving problems with pests on their property.
We’ll gladly perform a FREE evaluation and create and implement an effective strategy using our tried-and-true methods so you and your family can enjoy a pest-free home.
Are you curious to keep learning about common critters found in Alabama or how to safely and humanely deal with them when they show up on your property uninvited? Check out more of our weekly pest blogs for helpful tips, tricks, and educational content!