Why do Overwintering Pests Move Toward Westport Homes?

Every fall, like clockwork, the leaves turn brilliant fall colors, nights have that crisp chill, and you can see your breath, white and chalky in the cold air.

And while you might think most insects die off in the winter cold, it’s not really true. This is when pests start looking for their winter hideaway to wait out the cold until spring.

In pest control, this is called overwintering. And it refers to the way insects find a protected, tucked away place to survive the colder months. Because they wouldn't survive the winter chill outside, they move into your wall voids, attics, crawl spaces, garages, and other sheltered places to wait out winter.

In Westport, pest control might not be high on your list. But for overwintering insects, while they are not doing very much harm indoors, they are present. And as soon as spring hits, they'll start to move around in large numbers. So, pest control helps you get ahead of this before a true problem starts. 

Common Fall Invaders to Watch For

Not all pests are seeking to nest, damage your home, or eat your food. In fact, most overwintering pests are only looking for a place to crash for the winter. They're looking for warm, small crevices to rest in.

Here are the most common overwintering pests in Westport:

• Stink bugs - these brown, shield-shaped insects gather on warm exterior surfaces in large numbers before squeezing through gaps around siding, windows, and utility openings. Once inside, they shelter in wall voids and attic spaces until spring.
• Asian lady beetles (a.k.a. ladybugs) - these cluster on south and west-facing walls to gather warmth on fall days before finding ways to enter your home. They gather together in large numbers inside attics and upper wall voids.
• Boxelder bugs - these critters love box elder, maple, and ash trees, which are common throughout Fairfield County. In fall, they migrate from these trees to your home's warm exterior and then find a place to enter.
• Cluster flies - these overwinter in attics and wall voids. They tend to come out on warm winter days, leaving you wondering how they got there.
• Spiders - as prey insects seek shelter indoors, spiders follow. They find undisturbed corners in garages, basements, and storage areas and become more noticeable as outdoor activity slows.
• Mice and rats - while they are not insects, these pests are the most destructive out of all overwintering pests. They enter your home looking for shelter, water, and food resources to sustain them for the winter. And when they get comfy, they can be difficult to remove without professional help.

How Overwintering Pests Get Inside

Your home might have more cracks and crevices than you realize. And when pests find them, they use them.

Here are the most common entry points:

• Cracks around siding and trim
• Gaps at door and window frames
• Deteriorating weatherstripping
• Soffits pulling away from the roofline
• Unscreened vents
• Utility penetrations
• Gaps around garage doors
• Damaged window and door screens

Westport winters arrive fast, and once temperatures drop, fall invaders are already on the move. The goal is to close as many access points as possible before that happens.

What Homeowners Can Do Before the First Frost

The fall window, before pests commit to a location for winter, is the most effective time to act. 

Here are a few tasks you can do:

• Replace damaged screens and weatherstripping
• Caulk visible gaps around windows, doors, and utility lines
• Inspect your roofline and soffits before temperatures drop
• Check door sweeps on all exterior doors, including the garage
• Reduce clutter and debris against the foundation that gives pests a sheltered staging area
• Trim vegetation back from the exterior of your home

The goal here is closing as many access points as possible before winter sets in. Once overwintering insects snuggle up inside your wall voids and attic, the options narrow considerably.

What to Do If Pests Are Already Indoors

If overwintering insects are already emerging inside your home on warm winter days, a vacuum will be your best friend. Collecting and removing them rather than crushing them (especially stink bugs) reduces odor and cleans up the visible problem. 

Keeping track of activity helps you understand where they enter. Also, this information can help your trained technician spray targeted areas. 

Also, keep in mind that indoor treatment doesn't solve an exterior entry problem. If pests keep appearing through winter, their entry points are still open for business.

Professional Fall Pest Control in Westport

Sealing gaps helps keep pests out, but combining that with professional exterior treatment helps keep your home yours this winter.

Mosquito Squad Plus of Greenwich offers fall pest control services designed to target the exterior surfaces and entry zones where overwintering pests gather before they move inside. Our trained technicians apply EPA-registered products to your foundation, exterior walls, eaves, and other high-risk areas, timed to work before pests have already moved deep into wall voids and attic spaces.

And if mice and rats are present too, professional rodent control goes beyond barrier spray. Our technicians walk your property to find all the areas where rodents enter and properly seal them off, because rodents need a different kind of exclusion entirely.

Once overwintering pests are deep inside wall voids and attic spaces, they’re much harder to address. 

Ready to stop those pesky fall invaders before they settle into your home this winter? Call Mosquito Squad Plus of Greenwich at (203) 496-8636 or contact us online for a free pest control assessment and quote.