Winter pest control

With temperatures dropping and rain falling, we are all spending more time indoors – and so are pests. Winter brings with it the increased threat of rodents entering your home, as well as the usual cockroach and ant activity.

Here are our top tips for keeping pests out of your home this winter:

• Remove or reduce clutter from your home. Items such as boxes provide a perfect hiding place for cockroaches and rodents, so if you need to store things, use plastic tubs instead.
• Make sure there are no food sources for rodents or ants in your home, such as uneaten pet food.
• Check that all entry points into your home are adequately sealed. This includes checking for holes in the mesh of security doors, and ensuring there are no gaps at the bottoms of doors. Rats can gain entry through a hole as small as 12mm in diameter, while a mouse can enter through a hole 6mm in diameter. Don’t forget to check eaves and your roof as well.
• Store your outside bins as far away from your home as possible, and make sure they are kept as clean as possible and well-sealed.
• If you have a pile of firewood, make sure you store it as far away from the house as possible. Mice and ants love to make their nests in wood piles.
• Ensure that tree branches are kept trimmed and away from the house, as they provide an avenue for rodents, spiders and ants to get into your house as well.
• If you have any leaking pipes or clogged drains, make sure to fix them as soon as possible. This is because cockroaches are attracted to water sources.
• Make sure you keep grass well mowed during winter, as long grass will provide the perfect hiding place for snakes come spring.

If you see or hear any sign of rodents or other pests in your home this winter, make sure to contact your local pest control specialist as soon as possible to get the situation under control.