As of Sunday, we are only two weeks away from Halloween which means we are rapidly approaching the holiday season. Football is in full swing, Basketball is almost here and the weather is slowly working its way through the pseudo-seasons of Idaho toward winter. One of the most common questions we get from current customers and those inquiring about getting pest control is, “You guys don’t do much during the winter, do you?” The answer is flatly, “No, we do a similar amount of work in the winter that we do in the summer.”
There are obvious differences between summer and winter pest problems. A majority of pests we deal with go dormant during the winter, but do not die off completely. This means that while you are not seeing obvious pest activity outside, there still is a pest presence in and around the home. Continuing treatment (or even starting treatment) throughout the winter can minimize the problems you face in the spring when pests begin to reemerge. Likewise, any problems that arise in your home, we come and take care of it for you.
There are other pests that are more active around your home during the winter – rodents. Most obviously, mice are most active this time of year. The cold weather and scarcity of food drive mice to look for new sources of warmth and food, frequently driving them inside. Beginning Exterior Mouse Control in addition to your normal Quarterly Pest Control program now can begin to limit the amount of mice hanging out around your home. If you have a problem with voles or gophers, winter is a great time to track their activity and eliminate the problem.
In all cases, the natural intuition to do nothing in the winter for pests is ill-informed. Pests are not only active in and around your home, but treatment during the winter serves as a preventative measure throughout the year.
