Many people assume that pests are
only really a problem in the warmer summer months. In some ways, this is true;
food is plentiful and the breeding season usually starts in the warmer months
of spring through to the golden days of autumn.
However, this does not mean that
the winter months are barren months when it comes to pests.
· Flies
Many people assume that flies and
other insects like fleas and cockroaches for example, die out during the winter
months, only to mysteriously re-emerge in the spring. The truth is they don’t
die, but simply wait the cold months out somewhere warm – like your home.
There is however, a natural
predator but the eight legged insect is by far the most feared and unpopular
insect here in the UK. The spiders native to our shores are not venomous and so
if you can, why not let it roam around, doing its thing and eating all those
flies and other little critters?
·
Mice
Cute and cuddly in the pet shop,
mice in the home can cause us many problems, from spreading disease to chewing
everything in sight. With enough food around, mice can have a litter a month,
not something you want to hear if you have mice in the garage or the basement.
Like many animals, mice like to
have somewhere warm and cosy to live – just like us – and our homes make for
perfect place.
As well as taking various
preventative measures, you can also lay traps, including live ones so you can
release the mice back to where they should be or you can also lay poison.
However, with the latter, it is always preferable to get a professional pest
controller to do this.
·
Rats
There is a saying that a human is
no more than 6 feet away from a rat – or is it 10 feet? Needless to say, no one
really knows how many rats are in the UK at any one time, or how close they are
to us in terms of proximity.
Like mice, they enjoy the warmth
and security of our homes, along with the abundance of food close-by – your bin
is a great place for a meal for the rat. They spread disease, however, as they
are constantly urinating, as well as a huge amount of damage. As winter sets
in, be vigilant for rats.
·
Wasps
Commonly associated with summer,
the winter months are when the mated queen buzzes around looking for somewhere
warm and safe to hibernate. When the depths of winter have passed and spring
arrives, these queens spring into action building a nest.
Make sure any damage to soffits,
facia boards, sheds and so on is repaired to prevent them from entering. And,
if you find what looks like a dead wasp, it may actually just be asleep. A dead
wasp will be curled, but a hibernating wasp will be lying straight, as if it is
having a rest
Winter is the time that many animals, insects
and rodents hibernate but, they can still cause us a problem or two.
