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It‘s the holidays in Minnesota, so people will be hosting many guests. Whether it’s Grandpa and Grandma for the weekend or all the cousins spending the day together. If you’re lucky you might even have an unannounced guest coming down the chimney. Unfortunately, he isn’t the only guest visiting announced this winter. There are a handful of winter pests in Minnesota that BOGO services including; stink bugs, boxelder bugs, spiders, house centipedes, ants, and mice. All of these pests are in search of warmth and food. Similar to how a bear will shut down and hibernate for the winter. Most insects do the same thing if they are outside. Their core body temperatures drop and they are forced to stay still to conserve energy. If they go inside on certain sunny days in the winter you can see these insects moving around. Lots of times they will be crawling looking for food or just sitting by a window or on a wall taking in the warm sun rays.
The pest we get the most calls for in the winter is mice. Yes, mice like insects are attracted to the heat inside your home. But, mice don’t hibernate like other mammals they are active all winter long. They are usually still running in and out of the home, foraging for food to hoard and store during winter. Due to the cold temperatures mice are going to spend a lot more time inside than out. That means they will most likely be breeding inside as well. Mice do not have a designated breeding season. They can have up to 10 litters a year with 5-6 young per litter. This means that a mouse problem can get out of hand quickly if not taken care of right away. There are many different ways in which mice can find their way inside a home. Lots of times it’s through the foundation but it can also be from climbing trees, and chimneys that are overlapping or touching the roof of the house. Luckily our mouse exclusion service is our niche service. No other pest control company is as thorough as us when it comes to getting rid of mice inside. Our mouse service operates all year long and that means we work outside in the snow. When there is snow on the ground it works to our advantage by showing us mouse tracks leading to entry points around the house. The tracks are seen as 2 small symmetrical ovals from their back feet with a long line going in between them coming from their tail as it touches the snow. We have sealed many homes in the winter. If there are any limitations such as noticing mouse tracks on the roof or tracks leading underneath a low deck we have solutions for both scenarios. We will come back in the spring to get on the roof as long as it’s safe to seal the rest of the entry points and if there are deck boards that need to be pulled we advise waiting to do that in the spring as well. If you are still curious about our mouse service visit our page that will show you why BOGO’s mouse service is so effective in getting rid of mice. Click Here
The house centipede contributes to a common phobia for most homeowners. House centipedes live inside all year long but during the winter in Minnesota, as people start spending more time indoors it’s common for people to start noticing them more often. They are considered a moisture pest meaning they thrive in moisture-rich environments such as; basements, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and outside underneath leaf litter and mulch. An important tip to keep them away and out of your home would be to remove any leaf litter around your home, especially inside basement window wells. Another tip is to keep any foliage such as bushes or trees at least one foot away from the home. These tips help keep mice and any other insects from being attracted to your home as well. If you are still seeing them inside we offer a winter service to spray inside any unfinished rooms and the basement and in the spring we can spray along the foundation to create a barrier that will kill any new centipedes that are trying to make their way inside.
Boxelder bugs and stink bugs are common insects seen inside during the winter months. Most of them likely made their way inside through entry points in the attic, gaps in doors and windows, or cracks in brick chimneys and foundations. As they are navigating their way through your home it’s safe to say that they aren’t doing any harm to the structure or laying eggs making the population inside larger. The best way to get rid of them unfortunately is to just vacuum them up when you see them. If the population inside has gotten to the point where it is a nuisance call BOGO Pest Control to schedule a Spring and Fall treatment service for 2023. We will spray a barrier around your house that will kill the insects before they make their way inside next winter.
Ants are the most common insect that can be found inside in the winter. Most ants that have made their way inside are in search of moisture, food, and most importantly warmth. Since it’s winter ants tend to change their diet to a more sugar-based diet rather than a protein-based diet. Sugar helps each ant to store energy that their bodies need to stay warm and active. Protein is used to help hatch eggs and grow the colony during the warm months. In the winter the amount of egg laying and brood in the colony decreases dramatically. Lots of times you may not even realize that there’s a colony of hundreds or thousands of ants living inside your home. They spend most of their time underneath floors or walls dormant for the winter. They will only come out at certain times in search of food and water. Because of their changes in diet, it becomes increasingly more difficult for baiting to be effective. So the best option would be to have a professional pest technician come inside the home to spray inside cracks and crevices. After the treatment is applied you may have to wait up to 30 days to allow the product to exterminate the entire colony. One of the most common ants found inside in the winter is the pavement ant. They are extremely tiny and often also called grease or sugar ants. In the winter they are usually found nesting inside heated concrete foundations, under the slab of slab-on-grade homes, under heated floors, and inside kitchens. These ants are attracted to greasy foods and pet food. Contact us if you’re seeing ants this winter and we will come inside to treat them for you. Any store-bought bait stations are only effective in keeping ants away for a few days but in the winter the ants are most likely not even going to touch the bait at all.
Spiders are special in that they can stay active in the winter. During the winter, the spiders living outside have a unique way of staying alive. Their bodies produce a chemical inside them called polyhydroxy alcohol. This chemical allows spiders to be able to still move around in temperatures as low as 23℉. It works as an antifreeze and keeps the spiders alive and eventually goes away as it gets warmer outside. This chemical allows spiders to move in and out of the structure all winter. If a spider or fall insect treatment was not applied to the home’s exterior before winter, there is a chance that there could be a larger population of spiders inside. Spiders are more active in the fall as they are fattening up for winter when the population of flying insects outside is 0. In the winter the only place left to find insects to eat is inside homes. For this reason, most signs of spiders inside come from there being another insect infestation happening such as fruit flies, ants, or other fall pests such as boxelder bugs. Here at BOGO, we are transparent with our customers by letting them know that any exterior sprays will not be effective in the winter which is why we only treat inside. When spraying for spiders we focus on any unfinished rooms and in the basement. The unfinished rooms have electrical and plumbing lines that spiders use to navigate throughout the house. We advise having pets and children avoid the treated rooms we spray for an hour to let the product dry. Once the product is dry it will be stuck on the surface and spiders and other insects will be the only ones affected by it.
BOGO Pest Control is your one-stop shop for exterminating any winter pests. We are honest with all our customers and follow the science to provide them with the most helpful advice. We want to remind you that we do work all year long and are just one phone call away to answer any questions or concerns you may have regarding unannounced visitors this winter except for ones with a white beard and a jolly old laugh. 😉
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