When the air grows cold at the start of every Utah winter, it should mean a few months away from pests like flies and mosquitoes. Unfortunately, pests such as cockroaches, mice, and termites don’t take the holidays off. In fact, they do their best to intrude on our holidays and make themselves at home!
During the cold months of the year, watch out for these four common pests. If you spot them, Nature’s Balance can solve the problem before it starts.
Cockroaches
Very few pests are more disgusting than cockroaches. They are easily identified by their dark-colored, bean-shaped bodies and long antennae. If your home is infested, you can generally find them in the dark crevices of cupboards and closets. The infections they carry are dangerous to children, adults, and pets alike.
What makes matters worse is how they spread disease. Cockroaches lay eggs wherever they find food and water, and they defecate wherever they go. If you see small granules of dark “sand” combined with an awful smell, you’ve found proof of a cockroach issue.
As cockroaches are notoriously difficult to get rid of on your own, Nature’s Balance is your best bet to get rid of cockroaches and keep them away.
Rodents
Rats and mice are very hardy creatures, capable of living in almost any outdoor environment. When the season turns cold, though, they like nothing more than to squeeze into the nooks and crannies of warm human homes.
Mice and rats depend on readily available food and water sources to survive and reproduce. Worse, they chew on everything, including food packaging, wooden beams, and even your home’s electrical wires. They do this out of necessity; their front teeth never stop growing, and chewing wears them down to prevent discomfort.
Mice and rat droppings along the edges and corners of your walls are definite proof of a rodent infestation. While these rodents are known for making scratching noises from behind the walls of homes, finding mice and rat nests can be a tricky task. While traps can help, professional pest control will ensure they don’t return.
Termites
Termites are one of the most destructive species of insects in the world, causing an estimated $40 billion in damages and destroying over 600,000 homes every year. How can something so small cause such devastation?
Termites chew on the tough fibers of wood, processing the cellulose to create glucose. This provides them the energy they need to work and reproduce at alarming rates. These tiny, pale-white insects love to live in or near water-damaged wood, as this gives them everything they need.
If you are aware of pipe leaks or roof leaks in your home, have them fixed immediately and monitor the damaged areas for termite infestation. If you see termites, Nature’s Balance can treat them for you before they cause lasting and permanent damage to your home’s structural integrity.
Carpenter Ants
As one of the most common ant species in North America, carpenter ants are no strangers to Utah. They are harmless enough if you spot a nest outside beneath a crack in the pavement. But if they have discovered a home inside yours, they can be very difficult to remove without professional assistance.
Ants follow each other through pheromone trails. If one finds food or water, they will communicate to their fellow nestmates where they discovered it. Keep an eye out for trails of ants appearing in your home, especially near your kitchen, bathroom, and other sources of sustenance. Where there’s a few, there’s a nest looking to feed itself!
Get Rid of Winter Pests
Winter is an awful time to discover pests in your home, especially if you aren’t sure how long they’ve been living inside. Once you have found evidence of pests, we urge you not to wait; give Nature’s Balance a call and let us scope out the extent of the infestation and damage. We will make sure your pest problem vanishes.