How to Get Rid of Winter Pests and Keep Them Out of Your House

Table Of Content

• The stuff nobody tells you about a dying pet
• Strategies to Keep Winter Pests Out of Your Home
• 9 Insects That May Be Those Little Black Bugs in The Kitchen—And How To Get Rid of Them
• Don’t forget outside maintenance to repel bugs
• How Can I Get Rid of Rat Burrows and Holes Around My House?
• How to get rid of bugs from houseplant soil naturally

Both hornets and yellow jackets are usually bigger, brighter and more aggressive than bees. Once you suspect a bee infestation in the home, there are a few things you should do right off the bat. Your first task is to make absolutely sure you have bees; other pests like wasps, yellow jackets and hornets look similar to bees and can easily be mistaken for the flighty little yellow guys.

The stuff nobody tells you about a dying pet

Check all door and window frames, baseboards, crown molding, vents to the outside, and other spots you suspect. Make sure any weather stripping is intact, and look for any cracks or places where you can see sunlight coming through. Clean the areas you want to reinforce with caulking so that it will adhere with no problems.

Strategies to Keep Winter Pests Out of Your Home

If you find a bug infestation in your pet's food, without a doubt, throw it away. Outside your home, clean and repair gutters to prevent water from pooling around the roof or foundation. Remove any decaying material, such as wet leaves or dirty garbage cans, from around your home.

9 Insects That May Be Those Little Black Bugs in The Kitchen—And How To Get Rid of Them

These bugs don’t pose a danger to humans, but they are a threat to the structure of your apartment and your furniture. If termites are found in your home, it’s possible that they will need to be disposed of in addition to your house needing some work done. Another common household bug that you probably want to be rid of are spiders. There are almost 4,000 species of spiders, some more likely to be spotted in your home than others. Some common varieties include the American house spider, black widow spider, daddy longlegs and the domestic house spider.

Lavender oil, citronella oil, olive oil, vegetable oil, lemon and lime are all substances that bees will steer clear of. You can apply these oils like a topical to keep bees away while outside. Sage (Salvia officinalis) is another culinary herb with pest-repelling properties. Its foliage can be silver-gray, purple, yellow, or variously variegated, says Pavlich. The strongly scented foliage offers protection against cabbage worms, beetles, and carrot rust flies.

Does Bug Spray Expire? HowStuffWorks - HowStuffWorks

Does Bug Spray Expire? HowStuffWorks.

Posted: Tue, 16 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Make sure your air conditioner, washing machine, and dryer are all working properly. In areas of your house that are always damp, like the basement, run a dehumidifier. She says the first step is taking everything out of the sink cabinet and making sure it is clean and items are sealed up. “Put it down so that it's easy to wipe up and clean in the base of that cabinet.” An already easy-to-clean space will make using products like Zevo’s sprays even more effective. They are also a great choice if you’re looking for a bug killing spray with ingredients you recognize, like lemongrass oils.

How Can I Get Rid of Rat Burrows and Holes Around My House?

Make sure to always cork opened wine bottles and avoid leaving wine or beer glasses out overnight. Keep bugs and other creatures from congregating in your gutters by cleaning them out in the spring (and after leaf drop in the fall). Perhaps best of all, marigolds are an easy plant to cultivate within your home since they require little maintenance and grow quickly. Alex Heinz is a writer with experience in a variety of industries from tech to lifestyle.

How to get rid of bugs from houseplant soil naturally

By tightening up your home's exterior using the methods in this article, you can go a long way toward increasing the energy efficiency of your home. By reducing your energy consumption, you're also helping to minimize your impact on the environment, and you may even notice a savings in your utility bills. To keep insects from crawling under your door, install a sturdy steel or aluminum threshold under the door. A sweep is a cheap device that can be found at most hardware stores, and helps to cover the gap between a threshold and the door bottom. Choose nylon brush sweeps over vinyl or neoprene, as they offer the best protection against bugs.

Each of these pests can show up at different times of the year, and some are more problematic in certain parts of the countries than others. Even the best indoor plants can be prone to infestation, but there are ways to remove these pests naturally without using harsh chemicals that could harm your plants or members of your household. "Consider scheduling a professional termite inspection annually. Wood-boring insect damage is not covered by homeowners insurance policies and can lead to expensive repairs." Don't forget that bugs can also sneak in through holes or tears in your existing screens. Try using a screwdriver or scissors to carefully push the broken wires back into place. Add a coat of household cement or clear nail polish to seal the hole and prevent insect entry.

Several pests are attracted to moisture, including roaches, mosquitoes, termites, and silverfish. Termites feast and reproduce around damp wood, cockroaches and silverfish thrive in areas with higher humidity, and mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. So, if you would like to keep all of these crawling and flying pests — along with several others — away from your home, get rid of the source that facilitates their survival. Your garbage is a bug's treasure, and securing it is one of the best ways to keep them from accessing it. Since bugs are attracted to almost all food sources in your home or out, removing garbage as soon as it's full is another must.

It’s important that you try to rid your home of these pests as soon as one is spotted. On occasion, flea bites can also lead to an infection or allergic reaction from the flea’s saliva. Insects love taking refuge in warm, dark spots such as your shoes and winter boots. Imagine putting your boots on to go shovel the driveway and finding a spider—yuck!

When dealing with insects, it's important to differentiate between friendly critters and harmful pests. Green lacewings, ladybugs, and ground beetles shouldn't alarm you, though "it’s important to keep an eye out for infestations," she says. "On the flip side, there are various vector pests, such as mosquitoes, ticks, rodents, cockroaches, and fleas, that can transmit disease to humans." Many homeowners choose to use chemical insecticides or termicides to treat their foundations, and these treatments are often unavoidable. For a more natural solution, consider placing boric acid or diatomaceous earth at the base of these walls. These substances are non-toxic and will not harm pets or family members.

For example, carpenter ants are able to tunnel through wood and damage the structure of your home. Once a squirrel is caught, what you can do with it depends on state and local regulations. But if he nabs a squirrel in Illinois, he’s obliged to put it to sleep.