Learn about Common Winter Invaders in Minnesota, including boxelder bugs, Asian lady beetles, and brown marmorated stink bugs, and how to prevent them.
With the cold season upon us, a growing number of pests are frantically looking to survive, which means seeking out shelter, food, and water. As a result, homeowners are under invasion as these winter pests make their way indoors. The most common winter invaders are mice, rats, spiders, and stink bugs.
Mice – A mouse can act like a contortionist, squeezing and bending their bodies to get into houses through openings as small as 1/4 of an inch. Once inside mice reproduce quickly, and before you know it – your house can be overrun with mice. Not only are they destructive to property, building nests and chewing on wood and furniture, but mice present a health hazard through their bites, urine, and feces.
Rats – Slightly larger than the common house mouse, rats are rodents that destroy property by chewing electrical wires and building nests in walls and under appliances and leave a trail of potentially hazardous excrement. Both mice and rats thrive in the many nooks and unused spaces a house offers for nesting.
Spiders – While spiders are often thought of as beneficial pests because they eat other household pests, most people don’t want to share their homes with a bunch of creepy, crawly spiders. One of the most unfortunate things about spiders is that they often enter homes while hunting other pests that have come before them.
Ideally, homeowners will take steps before winter to prevent invaders, as pests commonly start looking for shelter during the fall and winter seasons. The National Pest Management Association makes the following recommendations for preventing pests from getting into our homes in the winter:
For the best results, put in place a year-round pest control program from Adam’s Pest Control to not only prevent these common winter invaders, but to keep your home pest free all year long. Our licensed technicians will treat your home each season for the most common pests, eliminating existing infestations and preventing new pests from getting inside.
