Importance of Winter Pest Control

While some pests and rodents migrate to warmer climates for the winter months, others may seek places to hide out from the cold or hibernate. Regular pest control treatments during the colder months is essential. Your Lake of the Ozarks pest control company takes a look at the importance of winter pest control.

Insects During The Winter
While some pests do migrate, others spend the winter in hibernation. This is because they're cold blooded creatures who need to conserve their energy during the frigid winter months. Other insects, like bees and wasps, will hide under fallen logs and warm underbrush to keep as warm as possible. Since those insects rely on the pollen from trees and plants, they must use as little energy as possible due to the poor food supply.

Why Continue Pest Control During Winter
It's important to continue pest control treatments inside and outside your home throughout the winter months to keep pests that are seeking warmth from gaining access. Rodents, termites, carpenter ants and spiders all can invade homes during the winter, and when they do they tend to take up residence inside the walls, which could make it more difficult to find and treat.

• If pests are inside the walls of your home, they are not affected by the cold temperatures outside.
• In addition to insects living in the walls, attics provide shelter to wasps and spiders, as they try to escape the cold.
• If there are points of entry that are not sealed up, rodents can find their way into your home.
• When a professional pest control company treats your home, they will ensure there are no pest related issues or identify any conditions that could lead to the future pest problems.
• When a pest control company removes spider webs, egg cases and wasp nests, it prevents them from reemerging when the weather warms back up.

How Winter Weather Affects Treatment
However, the weather could have some effects on the treatments. During this time of the year, most treatments are performed around the foundation of homes, where there are eaves and overhangs that tend to be sheltered, so they don't usually receive large amounts of moisture. Treatments around the outside of the home are usually ok during light rain or snow. However, if there is no shelter or if there's heavy rain and snow, it may be best to reschedule the treatment for a different day. Once pest control treatments have been applied and have had a chance to dry, precipitation will not usually affect the treatment.

Your Favorite Pest Control Professionals at the Lake of the Ozarks
This month we've seen some unusually warm temperatures, which may have caused some pests to not go into hibernation or to come out of hiding. If you need pest control services this winter, call A B Pest Control & Insulation at 573-964-1100. We can help you keep your home pest free this season!

Lake of the Ozarks
Pest Control Company

Visit Our Website:

www.abpest.net

Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on LinkedIn

Follow us on Google+ 

How Does Cold Weather Affect Insects?

Now that the weather is starting to cool down, you may be wondering what happens to those pesky bugs in the winter. How do they survive until the spring? Where do they go? Does anything kill them? You may be asking yourself these types of questions when you see a spider making a new home on your window screen or a trail of ants walking through your kitchen. For many insects, winter is the end. Other insects have adapted to the extreme temperatures and winter has no effect on them. A B Pest Control & Insulation knows that whether insects seek shelter inside of your house, or they have other ways to survive, insects are persistent and if you understand their cold tolerance levels, you can control them better. Your pest control company at the Lake of the Ozarks has some information to help you deal with insects this winter.

When the Seasons Change

Most people notice a drop in the number of insects, both inside and outside of the home when the season changes from summer to fall. This shows that the colder weather does have some effect on insects, but what exactly happens to them?

Hibernation

Like certain animals, some insects will go into hibernation to avoid the cold temperatures. When the temperature begins to drop, some types of insects will go dormant. When they go dormant, the insect’s metabolism slows, and energy is conserved. When the temperatures begin to warm up, they are able to use that energy and their metabolism goes back to normal.

Freeze Avoidance – one of the most popular cold-temperature defense mechanism for an insect is freeze avoidance. This is just another way to say that insects “hunker down for the winter”. Insects that use freeze avoidance will retreat into rotting trees, they will bury themselves beneath the soil, or they will make their way into your home or another structure in order to ride out the cold temperatures.

Freeze Tolerance – a few insects, usually those with habitats in extreme latitudes, have developed the ability to survive ice formation within their tissues. They can create a natural anti-freeze which allows them to survive in the coldest of temperatures. This anti-freeze prevents the formation of damaging ice crystals and allows the insect to survive until the warmer temperatures allows them to thaw.

Migration

Some insects outrun the cold weather by migrating away from it. These insects usually take part in a one-way migration to warmer climates where they reproduce, die, and then send the new generation back to start the cycle again.

Death

Many insects do die when the cold weather strikes. It’s not as bad as it seems, many insects are able to fulfill their mission in life before the winter hits. That mission is to reproduce. Before the cold weather hits, many insects will prepare the next generation for the upcoming spring. They do this by laying eggs in specific areas or by providing larvae with food and shelter to make it through the winter.   

Where do Spiders Go in the Winter?

The spiders you see in your house have been there all along. These spiders colonize your home thanks to eggs sacs that are brought into your home. Most spiders avoid humans. The spiders you do see in your home are more than likely male spiders that are looking for mates. Many outdoor spiders are cold-tolerant and hide from predators before they go dormant for the winter.

Where do Cockroaches Go in the Winter?

These extremely pesky insects acclimate to cold temperature quite well. Inside of your home, cockroaches have no problem at all during the winter. Cockroaches that are outside look for a place to take shelter once the cold weather hits. They look for: food, warmth, and a daytime hiding place.

Where do Bed Bugs Go in the Winter?

Bed bugs tend to stay active during the winter. They tend to go dormant in temperature below 65 degrees, but since your home tends to stay warm throughout the winter, they thrive.

Now that you know what happens to insects during the winter, hopefully, you are more prepared. If you need help getting rid of pesky insects that are still sticking around, give your Lake of the Ozarks pest control company a call.  A B Pest Control & Insulation will make sure your home is pest free and ready for the holidays. 

Lake of the Ozarks
Pest Control Company

Visit Our Website:
www.abpest.net

Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on LinkedIn
Follow us on Google+

How Winter Weather Affects Pest Control

While some pests will migrate to warmer climates for the winter months, some insects will spend the winter in hibernation. It's important to continue regular pest control treatments during the colder months, however, the weather does affect it. Your Lake of the Ozarks pest control company takes a look at how winter affects pest control. 

Insects During The Winter

While some pests may migrate to warmer climates during the winter season, some insects spend the winter in hibernation. This is because they're cold blooded creatures who need to conserve their energy during the frigid winter months. Other insects, like bees and wasps, will hide under fallen logs and warm underbrush to keep as warm as possible. Since those insects rely on the pollen from trees and plants, they must use as little energy as possible due to the poor food supply. 

Why Continue Pest Control During Winter

It's important to continue pest control treatments inside and outside your home throughout the winter months to keep pests that are seeking warmth from gaining access. Rodents, termites, carpenter ants and spiders all can invade homes during the winter, and when they do they tend to take up residence inside the walls, which could make it more difficult to find and treat.

 - If pests are inside the walls of your home, they are not affected by the cold temperatures outside.

- In addition to insects living in the walls, attics provide shelter to wasps and spiders, as they try to escape the cold.

- If there are points of entry that are not sealed up, rodents can find their way into your home.

- When a professional pest control company treats your home, they will ensure there are no pest related issues or identify any conditions that could lead to the future pest problems.

- When a pest control company removes spider webs, egg cases and wasp nests, it prevents them from reemerging when the weather warms back up.

How Winter Weather Affects Treatment

However, the weather could have some effects on the treatments. During this time of the year, most treatments are performed around the foundation of homes, where there are eaves and overhangs that tend to be sheltered, so they don't usually receive large amounts of moisture. Treatments around the outside of the home are usually ok during light rain or snow. However, if there is no shelter or if there's heavy rain and snow, it may be best to reschedule the treatment for a different day. Once pest control treatments have been applied and have had a chance to dry, precipitation will not usually affect the treatment. 

This month has been unusually warm, which have caused some pests to not go into hibernation since there hasn't been a hard freeze. If you need pest control services this winter, call A B Pest Control & Insulation at 573-964-1100. We can help you keep your home pest free this season! 

Lake of the Ozarks
Pest Control Company

Visit Our Website:

www.abpest.net

Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on LinkedIn

Follow us on Google+