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6 Common Winter Pests

What pests survive and even thrive during winter?

According to the Tourism Australia website, the average temperature in Sydney during winter is between 8.8 – 17°C (47.8 – 62.6°F). You may consider this relatively mild, right? But despite the drop in temperature, you shouldn’t let your guard down when it comes to common winter pests. Just because it’s colder, it doesn’t mean that these pests will stay out of your house.

Winter pests in Australia

You may think that pests are more active during the summer time because of the bright and sunny days and the longer daytime. However, pests can still sneak into your home during winter. The cold weather makes both cold-blooded insects and warm-blooded animals seek shelter.

Your house can become their next shelter during these cold months. Therefore, it’s best to prepare yourself and find out some common winter pests to guard your home from. Here are six pests that might infest your house this winter season.

1. Rodents

Rodents are warm-blooded animals, which means they can produce their own body heat. During winter, rodents seek a warm shelter to keep their body heat regulated. Besides finding a warm place, they also seek food when temperatures begin to drop. These are the main reasons why they may find your house attractive.

Take note that once rodents invade your home, it may be challenging to get rid of them. Rodents usually build their nests in sheds, wall voids, or even inside old cabinets. So, one of the things you can do to prevent them from entering your house is sealing possible entry points. This can include gaps in pipes, spaces around your windows, and vents.

Rodents prefer to travel in hidden plots; they don’t like open and wide spaces. With this in mind, you should also try keeping an open space between your house and garden.

Note that the presence of rodents in your home could spell further danger. That’s because they can damage your electrical wiring, contaminate your food, or worse, they can bite you or give you scratches. These are just some reasons why it’s important to do pest inspections regularly even during the winter.

Rodents

Ants

2. Ants

Ants tend to be dormant during the winter. But if your house is not well-maintained and you start leaving your food out on the counter, chances are you may see an increase in ant activity. Ants bring diseases and can also contaminate your food. They also give quite a nasty bite that hurts, which can sometimes develop into a rash.          

You may usually find ants hiding under stored boxes, wood piles, and even inside cabinets. They see these places as ideal for laying their eggs and raising their nymphs. Ants can continue to live within your premises if they find warmth and a viable food source.

3. Termites

Termites are active 24/7 regardless of the season. They may slow down during winter, but they do not suddenly leave your home. Just like any other common winter pests, termites will go deeper into the ground to keep themselves warm throughout the winter.

They also sneak into houses to find warmth, and your home is no exception. It can be difficult to find termites in your house because they do not have a smell, nor do they make any noise. However, you can watch out for sagging floors and ceilings, any cracks on your walls, missing roof tiles, and damaged decks or garden posts. Termites tend to crawl into these tight spaces and settle there. Therefore, it’s best to get regular termite inspections so an expert can help you determine the presence of termites and help address them.

Termites
Bed Bugs

4. Bed Bugs

Beg bugs are parasitic insects that feed on human blood. It’s always unexpected when you get a bed bug infestation. These small and flat parasites usually get transported via purses, bags, and even through your clothes. Unfortunately, if left unattended, this common winter pest can spread from one room of your house to another.

While they are not known to spread diseases, these bugs can still cause a lot of inconveniences, especially to kids. Bed bug bites are itchy, and scratching on the bite area too much can cause secondary skin infections. These itchy bites may also interrupt your sleep.

5. Cockroaches

Just like termites, cockroaches are also active and present all year-round. Your house can have a roach infestation no matter the season.

Yes, they can be most active during the summer, but this does not mean that your house suddenly becomes roach-free during the winter. The food source is one of the main culprits for roaches in your home. So, keeping your bins covered and your leftover food stored properly is vital.

Roaches are known for bringing in diseases. They are notorious for being carriers of various germs and viruses. You don’t want to risk your health and the well-being of your family, so make sure that your house is free from roaches by getting regular pest inspections even during the winter.

Cockroaches
Overwintering Pests

6. Overwintering Pests

During the winter, overwintering pests would need the warmth of your home as well as the food available in there. From the term itself, this kind of pests overwinters inside your home to keep them from the cold temperature outside. They usually start their infestation during the fall and start nesting during the winter. Some of the most known overwintering pests are stink bugs, beetles, and ladybugs. It’s essential to check your other walls and windows for any signs of infestations.

Consider Vital Building Inspections Sydney for Winter

Wintertime doesn’t mean a pest-free home. Some insects prefer to migrate, but there’s still several insects that prefer to stay inside of homes for protection. Therefore, you must regularly have pest infections in your home, even during winter.

Our team members at Vital Building Inspections Sydney are available anytime of the year to help you prevent pest infestations. Let us safeguard your house from further damage. Call us now at 0401 012 074 to get more information about our pest inspection.