How to Keep Overwintering Pests Out of Milan Homes

Every fall, like a timed appointment, 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. Some overwintering insects seek protected spaces such as wall voids, attics, crawl spaces, garages, and other sheltered areas as temperatures fall.

In Milan, pest control might not be high on your list. But if you have a plethora of overwintering insects in your home this fall, come spring, 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 nooks and crannies to rest in.

Here are some overwintering pests homeowners may notice:

• 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 the Milan area. In fall, they migrate from these trees to your home’s warm exterior and then find a place to enter.
• 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.

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

Milan 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

During fall, most overwintering insects haven’t committed to a winter hideaway yet. So, before they settle in for good, there are a few things you do to repel them. 

Try these:

• 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, it’s that much more difficult to remove them.

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.

Also, make sure to keep track of where the insect activity happens. Doing so helps our trained technicians target the correct areas (and keep those critters out).

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 Milan

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

Mosquito Squad Plus of Southeast Michigan 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.

Overwintering pests don’t give up, so neither do we. 

Ready to reduce those pesky fall invaders before they settle into your home this winter? Call Mosquito Squad Plus of Southeast Michigan at (734) 636-2893 or contact us online for a free pest control assessment and quote.