FALL PEST PREVENTION 101

Fall is a beautiful season, especially in York region. The air is fresh and crisp, the trees are beautiful shades of red, gold and orange, apples are ripe for the picking and pumpkins are, well, everywhere!

Fall is also the season where certain common nuisance pests begin searching for a place to hibernate over the winter. They often end up inside homes and businesses in large numbers and hide in wall and attic voids, where most become inactive during the cold late fall and freezing winter. In the spring they awake indoors, and swarm windows and lights trying to get back outside to feed and breed. Fall pests are a huge issue for those who live in the country or who live in new developments that were built in previously forested areas.

Cluster flies, wasps, hornets, boxelder bugs, pine seed bugs, Asian lady beetles, and mice are fall pests that overwinter and are a concern this time of year.  To avoid the cooling weather and survive the long winter season, they enter buildings through tears in screens, gaps and cracks around doors, windows, soffits, utility pipes, foundations and through uncovered vents. Once inside, they find quiet, dark low traffic areas to hibernate. Homeowners and business owners often do not know these pests have invaded until the spring when they suddenly appear in large, endless numbers. Where infestations are very large, buzzing or vibrations can be heard or felt through walls where these overwintering pests have taken up residence. This can be unnerving and concerning.

We want to point out that while you can have a mice issue or rodent infestation any time of the year, fall is a season when mouse infestations increase. This is because fall is when fields are harvested, which are natural habitats for rodents. In need of a steady supply of water, food and shelter, they tend to find entry into buildings, like homes and businesses. Mice are not dormant over winter. They feed, breed and are destructive.

To help prevent fall pests like mice, cluster flies, Asian lady beetles, wasps & hornets, boxelder bugs, or pine seed bugs, from becoming a home pest control issue or a commercial pest control problem, take precaution this fall by pest proofing. Visit our Common Pest Library learn more about these fall pests, and check out these fall pest proofing tips. For added protection against fall pests, get a fall pest control treatment from a licensed pest control professional. The combination of these 2 efforts is the most effective way to keep pests out of your home or business, and therefore prevent pest control issues altogether.

Enjoy fall and happy pest-proofing!