Nasty Winter Pests and How to Avoid Them
- Monica Sabella
- Apr 16, 2023
- 3 min read
By Monica Sabella, Horticulturist and Journalist
Frosty winter winds blow in and send the trees to sleep and, unfortunately, the bugs to shelter. Sometimes that shelter can be the warm and cozy comfort of your home. Here are a few pests to watch out for this winter and how to prevent intrusion.
The best way to prepare is to survey the most common entry points. The attic, the garage, the basement, the roof and the chimney should be checked for cracks or ware and tear. Cracks along the foundation are potential entries as well as vents, ducts, drafty doorways and windows, siding and chimneys.
Removing clutter and debris around the perimeter of the house and sealing any crevices will prevent some intrusion. Careful inspection of what residents bring in on their clothing and with their groceries is also a helpful strategy in limiting pests from entering.
Let’s rip the bandaid off and start with some of the peskiest critters to watch out for during this season.
Stowing away in boxes, grocery bags, or appliances, cockroaches - specifically German cockroaches - are some of the most common house pests in the world. They are attracted to small, tight, dark places near moisture and a steady food resource. Human homes are the perfect environment for these insects, but with them comes the potential spread of bacteria and allergy triggers for those with asthma.
Pest World Organization (PWO) recommends to keep counters clean from crumbs and food residue, vacuum frequently and remove the garbage. Home owners should also regularly monitor those more humid areas of their home, under sinks and damp basements.
Moving on, with six legs and a three-pronged tail, silver fish are next on the list to beware of. Like cockroaches, these insects are attracted to heat and moisture and some times nest in opened containers of grains, pasta, or cereal. Although relatively harmless in themselves, their excrement can destroy paper products, carpet, books and clothes.
Another uninvited guest is a constant headache for many year round: the spider. Now these are a little easier to manage. With a little vinegar, water and lemon zest, this mixture will trigger the spiders’ sensitivity to acid and cleanse your home simultaneously, working as a deterrent for future guests. If you have a fireplace, striking a fire is another way to keep spiders from nesting and spinning webs in the chimney’s anex.
“Keep trees and shrubs trimmed away from the home and cut back limbs overhanging the roof. This will help reduce the chance of spiders finding a way inside,” the PWO suggests. “Store clothing and shoes inside plastic containers. Pay special attention to shoes, baseball mitts and gloves that aren’t used as frequently as other items, as spiders like to hide inside them.”
The last two pests I’d recommend keeping an eye out for like to sneak into the house on your tropical house plants carried inside for the winter. Sometimes they ride in on your newest plant purchase from Lowes. These would be mites and thrips. Both, though small, can be devastating to your indoor plant collection. If the leaves of your plant start to shrink, crinkle and fall, they may have fallen victim to the sucking mouths of the hungry thrip. Due to their size, they can be hard to spot, but a trick to spot thrips is to bang a branch or a few leaves over a sheet of paper. A pyrethrin spray twice every four days should solve the problem.
Mites, however, differ in a few ways. An arachnid, they come in a bright colors and are relatively easier to spot, despite their small size. Spraying the plants with water with a few drops of soap can eliminate the issue if caught in time. However these strategies must be implemented as soon as possible or they’ll spread throughout the house and launch an epidemic.
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