Houston's Ultimate Fall Pest Prevention Guide

Maintaining a pest-free home is not an easy task, especially if you don’t know where to start. If you have tried year after year to prevent pests around your home and had little to no success, don’t lose hope just yet. There is still one great way for you to combat pests around your Houston property. Here is our ultimate fall prevention guide to help you fight back against pests.

Why Pests Invade In Fall

Pests invade homes year-round, but more so in the fall. Why? Because nature becomes unforgiving. As temperatures drop, pests will start looking for a safer place to live. Since our homes are temperature controlled, pests often look to them as a viable shelter to survive the winter months. If your home has cracks, gaps, or openings for pests to use to get inside, be sure, you will have problems this fall.

Common Fall Pests

There are a large number of pests that invade homes more during the fall and winter months. Here are a few of the most common cold-weather pests that might try to get into your home this season and some of the problems they cause.

Rodents: Despite having supposedly warm fur coats, both rats and mice much prefer the warmth of homes over the chills of winter. When inside homes, rodents threaten dangerous diseases such as salmonellosis and hantavirus. Rodents also chew on things constantly, which often leads to considerable damage to walls, ceilings, furniture, wiring, utility pipes, and other important things around the home.
Stink Bugs: Stink bugs are agricultural pests during the spring and summer months and only invade homes when it becomes too chilly for them to survive. Thankfully, the only problems these pests pose is their pungent odor and large populations.
Cockroaches: Cockroaches invade homes year-round but are more common during the fall. Once inside, these pests threaten homeowners with a variety of dangerous bacteria, human pathogens, and parasites. Allergic reactions and asthma attacks are also associated with severe cockroach infestations.
Ants: Ants most commonly build their nests underground around homes. As temperatures drop; however, ants look to migrate indoors. Inside homes, ants cause a variety of problems. Some species of ant spread dangerous disease; others destroy wood. There’s even one species that smells bad.
Stinging Insects: Wasps and bees don’t like the cold. If a hole or gap provides them with a way into your home, they might decide to build a nest where it is warm. We probably don’t have to tell you why this would be bad as this pest's stingers do most of the talking.

How To Prevent Fall Pests

Keeping pests out of your home is not an easy task; it requires a lot of work. If you are up for the job, here are some of the best prevention tips our experts have to offer.

Using some liquid cement or a caulking gun seal gaps, openings, and cracks in your home’s exterior foundation especially around window and door frames.
Address damaged or loose-fitting door sweeps and weather stripping.
Repair or replace ripped or torn screens around your home.
Keep unscreened doors, and windows closed as much as possible.
Trim your grass weekly and keep your landscaping well-maintained.
Eliminate clutter and debris around your property.
Turn off exterior lights at night.
Reduce moisture around your home by fixing leaks, repairing broken gutters, and using a dehumidifier as needed.
Thoroughly clean your home at least once a week and try to limit the number of rooms where you eat food.
Store leftover foods inside airtight containers.
Make sure all of your trash cans have tight-fitting lids.
Clean out your pet’s food and water bowls after they have finished with them.

To make pest prevention easier, let the professionals at Modern Pest Control help. Our team offers detailed solutions designed to fight back against fall pests. From thorough inspection to high-quality treatments, we have everything your home needs to stay protected.

Reach out to us today to find your answer to pest problems.