As the skies turn grayer, the days turn shorter, and the temperatures start to plummet, many homeowners take misguided comfort in the belief that the colder season will reduce the need for house pest control. It’s a widely held misconception that freezing temperatures would simply kill off the many pests that can plague a home. If that was true, then winter would eliminate the need to have a pest management service inspect and treat homes.

Unfortunately, when one looks at the facts, this is not the case. While you may not see as much external evidence of pests causing damage to your house, it doesn’t mean the threat isn’t still present. In fact, it’s absolutely critical to maintain pest management services all year long.

Major Reasons to Keep Service Going:

• Your Warm Home Attracts More Pests

  – During winter, your home becomes a safe and cozy haven for the very pests you’ve been fighting against during the warmer months. As pests are driven inside your house’s walls to escape sub-zero weather, they’re basically taking advantage of the free warmth your home provides.

• Cold Weather Makes Detection More Difficult

  – When it gets cold out, dangerous pests such as termites and carpenter ants can burrow even deeper into your home’s infrastructure, making it more difficult to detect them until they’ve already done irreversible damage.

• Outdoor Pests Go Indoors During Winter

  – Other pests, such as spiders, roaches, and mice can actually feed and breed more rapidly while wintering inside your home, and you may not realize they’re there at all until next spring…at which point it requires a greater effort to get the situation under control.

Seeking warmth in your home

• Ongoing Pest Management is More Efficient and Cost-Effective

  – In the long-term, it’s easier and less expensive to keep a handle on your pest situation rather than pay for a more expensive fumigation or other drastic pest control methods only after you realize the true scope of the problem.

• Seasonal Treatment Strengthens Prevention Measures

  – Pests tend to congregate in low-traffic areas of the home such as an attic or basement. The only real way to detect and eliminate them is to bring in trained specialists (like the residential EcoShield pest control technicians) who can provide full attic treatments, seal potential entry points, eradicate nesting bugs and rodents, and provide ongoing peace of mind.

With all these factors in mind, it’s wise to reconsider pausing your pest control service subscription during December, January, and February. It may seem like a minor budget-saving option, but it can cost far more in the long run due to unchecked pest damage. With pest control, the best solution is a mix of prevention and consistent oversight. Pests never rest in their attempts to gain a foothold in your home—and so you should remain equally active in kicking them back out into the cold.

Next time, prepare for an in-depth report covering the various winter-time signs and symptoms to determine if your home is under attack from any number of pest species. If, as a homeowner, you aren’t aware of or take steps to curb pest presence, this just gives the undesirable creatures the upper hand once the weather begins warming again.

Contact EcoShield today to speak to a pest control expert and determine the best way to keep your home protected throughout the winter and beyond.