As Halloween nears, millions of Brits will be carving pumpkins and either placing them outside their property or decorating their home with them. However, what many people are not aware of is that carving pumpkins carries a significant risk of unknowingly bringing pests into your home.
The colder months make houses in the UK particularly vulnerable to pest infestation as critters go seeking for warm shelter and food.
Pest Infestation Expert Joshua Houston at Household Quotes has now revealed five of the biggest reasons for pests invading your home during the colder months.
Bringing pumpkins and Christmas trees indoors
During the colder months we celebrate both Halloween and Christmas, meaning a large chunk of the population bring pumpkins and trees into their home.
However, what many don’t consider is that they both could be homes to unwanted creepy crawly guests including squash bugs, squash vine borers, aphids, snails, slugs and beetles – all of which can increase in numbers before becoming a major pest infestation.
Ensure to check your pumpkins and Christmas trees thoroughly before bringing them inside your home as not doing so could lead to an expensive extermination bill.
Open doors
Outside pests will be looking for warm and dry areas to shelter in during the winter and your house is the perfection location. They will take advantage of open doors, pet doors like cat flaps can be particularly common ways for pests like rats and mice to gain access.
To prevent this, make sure your front and back doors are shut at all times when they’re out of view. Consider locking your cat flap as well, as this leaves your home vulnerable to any critter looking for somewhere to stay.
Leftover food
Food sources are more limited to pests in the colder months than they are in spring and summer. So any food dropped or left out would be a major attraction to them.
It’s essential that yo take good care of your bins by keeping the area tidy and making sure they’re secure as the winter often brings harsh weather. For example a bin blowing over will spread a lot of food waste which is sure to attract pests.
Cracks
Pests will take advantage of any crack in your home with the loft, the shed and the garage all being common entry areas.
These spots tend to be the places where damage is harder to identify, so there’s more time for cracks to build before being exposed. Perform an inspection of your loft, garage and shed if you have them, and fill in any cracks you find.
Ensure that you look in the corner of the room, as well as the top and bottom of the walls.
Poor sanitation
Maintaining a clean living environment is crucial to avoid attracting pests. House flies and cockroaches can carry harmful bacteria that could potentially be fatal if ingested.
Therefore, it’s essential to regularly clean your home, promptly wipe down surfaces and immediately clean up any spills. Deep cleaning of your bathroom and kitchen areas is particularly important as these are the most common sites for pest infestations due to poor sanitation.
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