9 Reasons You Need Hopper Winter Pest Control

It’s a common misconception that with the cold weather months, familiar pests of warmer seasons have simply left us for a while. The truth is in the colder months, crawling insects and other pests that don’t go dormant in the winter can make their way into our homes and draw in mice and other rodents, looking for warmth. Additionally, winter in Arkansas and Missouri bring their own specific set of insects and other pests to stay on the lookout for.

Here are nine reasons why using Hopper Termite & Pest Control is essential during the cold weather months:

1. Mice and Rats

Mice and rats require only a tiny opening or crack to gain entry into your home. They can enter through your attic and gnaw on the wires, wood beams, electrical wires, and insulation. We can find these areas and eliminate the threat.

2. Wood-Destroying Insects

Carpenter ants and termites destroy the home from the inside out, so you really never see the damage until it is too late. If you find carpenter ants indoors during the winter, it is an indication that they are nesting inside walls, floors or decaying wood.

3. Cracks and Crevices

The early winter is the best time for Hopper’s Pest Control Team to seal up all openings before mice seek shelter in your home or business. We will check the areas where utilities and pipes enter the building. A mouse can fit through a hole the size of a dime. Also – if you are a “do-it-yourselfer” – consider replacing loose mortar and weather stripping around the basement foundation and windows, install door sweeps, and repair damaged screens in the windows.

4. Dormant Insects

Many insects will hide in the attic or basement in late fall and early winter to escape the frigid winter temperatures. Spiders, Cluster Flies, Asian Lady Bugs and Boxelder Bugs will remain dormant until spring. Then as the weather warms, they can easily find their way into your living spaces. By hiring Hopper to apply a preventative treatment in these key hiding spots, it will repel insects as the weather warms.

5. Spider Webs and Nests

Removing webs, nests and egg cases may help prevent pests from reemerging in your home when the weather becomes warmer. Some creatures are hardwired to return to certain places –  but if you get rid of all the reasons for them to return, you increase the probability that you’ll finally be saying a permanent “goodbye” to them.

6. Firewood

Store firewood at least 20 feet away from the home. Mice and ants can make their nests in woodpiles and easily gain access to your home if the pile is nearby.

7. Unorganized Storage

Rodents can hide in clutter, so keep storage areas well organized, and store boxes up off the floor.

8. Moisture

Eliminate all moisture sites, including leaking pipes and clogged drains. Extra attention should be paid to kitchens and bathrooms, as these areas are particularly vulnerable to cockroach infestations.

9. Crawl Spaces

Screen the vents to chimneys. Keep attics, basements and crawl spaces well ventilated and dry. Cracks in the foundation are the perfect place for pests to make their way into your warm, inviting home.

Hopper For the Win

Hopper’s fall and winter pest services are primarily targeted at your home’s interior. For existing clients, one of the first things our team looks for is anything that has changed since the last visit. It’s extremely common to find new openings that didn’t exist before. We’ll also check out any rodent protection equipment that we’ve put in place. This will help to indicate if there is any new rodent activity, and where it might be coming from.

Hopper services are tailored to the homeowner’s individual needs. In the winter months, our trained service experts focus primarily on the interior of the house, searching for any openings where pests could enter. We will notify the home or business owner if any such openings are located, and seal those openings to ensure pests remain outside. In the meantime, spider webs will also be knocked down and cleaned out in the home’s interior. Your pest control expert will also target basement and storage for a preventative pesticide treatment for crawling insects.

Once we complete our visit, clients are left with a detailed inspection report, outlining the things that we’ve observed – and if applicable – an action plan moving forward.

Don’t mistake winter as a time to lay off on the pest control services. Call us today to discover how Hopper Termite & Pest Control can service your winter pest control needs.