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January 09, 2023
Have you noticed there are life hacks for just about anything you can think of these days? For example, strategic planning is all you need to hack your hydration and according to this article, sponge spa headbands, laptop cooling pads, and vegetable choppers are a few Amazon life hacks that will change your life in 2023. While we don’t really have an informed opinion on those particular life hacks, we do have a few tips that will help you keep insects and rodents from taking over your home this winter.
But first, let’s identify a couple of common winter pests in Maine
Mice & Rats
Rodents are a year-round pest problem in and around homes and businesses all year-round but their need for warm shelter and access to food increases as the temperatures drop.
More than nuisance pests, mice and rats will damage and/or destroy property if left untreated, and contact with feces, urine, and even live rodents can jeopardize health and safety. The bottom line is that it’s never a good time to have a rodent infestation in your home.
Cockroaches
Unfortunately, cockroaches don’t automatically die when winter arrives in New England. That would be too easy, right? Instead, these nasty bugs retreat into homes and buildings where they’ll enjoy our warm structures and have easy access to food.
Not only will roaches eat from our pantries, but they also feed on book bindings, wallpaper glue, toothpaste, and pretty much anything they come across. This can lead to damage inside homes. Besides that, roaches have a reputation for triggering asthma attacks and allergic reactions. They also contaminate food, utensils and cookware, and food preparation surfaces and have the potential to expose you to food poisoning and infections.
4 Winter pest prevention tips
While this post only mentions rodents and roaches, the following tips, if implemented properly, can help you keep out a whole host of pests.
Seal up the house
To keep insects and rodents out of your home, you must eliminate every potential entry point they might use to sneak inside. Spaces under garage doors, cracks in the foundation, gaps around utility lines, and gaps under doors are all ways opportunistic pests need to slip in but in reality, you’ll need to inspect every inch of your home from foundation to roofline.
Be wary of what you bring into the home
Pests don’t always enter a structure under their own steam, sometimes property owners bring them in. To avoid bringing them in by accident, we recommend storing your firewood outside and inspecting it carefully before it passes the threshold. We also encourage property owners not to bring cardboard boxes home from the grocery store and be careful about purchasing second-hand items, especially upholstered furniture.
Develop good sanitation and housekeeping habits
Cockroaches, mice, and other pests love clutter. They love trash. They love environments that are dirty. If you want to make your home less attractive to pests, you must keep counters clean, take out the garbage, wash dishes every day, vacuum and mop regularly, remove food and grease build-up around the stovetop, and eliminate clutter.
Pay attention to your pantry & areas where food is stored
Open packages of food in your pantry or on your kitchen counters are a no-no if you want to discourage pest activity in your home this winter. Store open food in containers that are impenetrable to insects and rodents. Don’t leave bread or other food on the kitchen counters and be sure to store pet food, bird seed, and seeds in a manner that protects them from pests.
Pine State Pest Solutions takes care of winter pest problems
Locally owned and operated, Pine State Pest Solutions offers effective home pest control services in Auburn, Freeport, and Portland as well as throughout our multi-county service area that eliminate existing pest activity and prevent new infestations from developing. Check out our year-round plan features and pricing below or simply reach out today to discuss your pest problem.
*initial start-up fees may apply.
Commercial pest control services that deliver results
In addition to our residential service offerings, Pine State Pest Solutions offers commercial pest control services for multi-unit housing, hotels, warehouses, healthcare facilities, and other types of businesses. If you’re looking for local pest control pros who offer customized pest management plans, who value your time, and who respect your business, we are the ones to call!
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