The winter months are an inviting time for pests to reside in your home. Just like many humans, they are looking to escape the cold and enter into a warm paradise. Unfortunately, your home is the sweet spot. With an abundance of food and places to hide, pests have no issue invading your home as the temperature drops. Here are some common wildlife pests to look out for this winter:
What are common winter pests?
3 common winter pests are:
● Opossums: During the colder months, opossums often find shelter in burrows that were originally created by other animals. Opossums rarely dig new burrows—they’d rather set up shop in an existing den.
● Raccoons: It’s harder for raccoons to find food during winter than it is during the rest of the year. Because of this, they may venture farther away from their dens and into your yard to scout for fallen berries, nuts, and/or garbage.
● Squirrels: Squirrels do not hibernate. In fact, they are quite active in the winter. They adapt and survive in colder weather by sharing a den during the winter months. Winter is the time of year that squirrels may try and sneak into your attic for warmth.
What attracts winter pests to my home?
Food, warm shelter, and water are the 3 attractions that bring these winter pests into your home. Typically, they will enter through cracks, open windows and doors, or any holes in your home’s siding. They have no shame hiding in your walls or nibbling on crumbs, so it is important to capture these critters as soon as you see them.
How do I keep winter pests out of my house?
● Patch any holes, cracks, and/or gaps. Sealing any points of entry will be crucial to eliminating a winter pest invasion. If you find an area that you believe has already been invaded, make sure to remove the pests before patching the spot(s).
● Remove or properly seal food sources. Shutting garbage cans, removing bird seed, and properly storing food inside of pantries and refrigerators will aid in limiting winter pest activity. Without their food sources, they will hopefully search elsewhere!
● Keep trees and shrubs away from the perimeter of your house. Branches can give wildlife pests like squirrels and raccoons a bridge right into your home. Prevent this by keeping shrubs at least 12” away from your home and remove any trees that hang over your roof.
● Call the professionals. Instead of trying to solve your winter pest problems yourself, contact Varment Guard today. Our experts can safely and humanely remove these pests without damaging your home. Give us a call!
Not only can Varment Guard get problematic wildlife away from your home, we offer preventative exclusion as well. This service will keep animals away before they even enter in the first place! This will save you the hassle of dealing with problematic wildlife and save you money on animal removal and clean-up costs.
