As we head into the colder months of the year, bugs are looking for warm and dry places to hole up for the winter. They’re like snowbirds, only they don’t require accommodations with shuffleboard courts and bingo. So today I’m sharing 10 ways to winterize your house against bugs.
1. Put your vegetable garden to bed.
Every year we tear out our nearly dead vegetable garden and get it ready for winter. That way the garden is ready to be planted in the spring, and it reduces pests.
2. Clean out your gutters and downspouts, which are good hiding spots for bugs. I know this isn’t the most fun or exciting task, but it’s important.
3. Cut down the plants around your house. Every fall we cut down the plants around our home. Like with the garden, the dead plants attract bugs. Cutting down certain plants also helps with root development so it’s a win-win, because who doesn’t like more blooms on their peony plants in the spring?
4. Store firewood away from your house. Logs are like bed and breakfasts to bugs, so it’s best to keep them farther away.
5. Seal any cracks in your foundation with weather-resistant sealant. By sealing the cracks you’re reducing pests’ entry into your house.
6. Store trash and recycling containers, away from your house and make sure the containers are tightly sealed. That way you’re eliminating the all-you-can-eat buffet for bugs.
7. Check for colonies of insects and eliminate them. Last winter we had a small colony of ants move into our pantry for the winter so I used Hot Shot ® Ant & Roach Plus Germ Killer₂ to spray around the pantry baseboards, which keeps certain bugs away for up to 12 weeks on non-porous surfaces, to get rid of that issue and prevent them from coming back.
8. If you leave window screens on year-round, make sure there are no holes or gaps.
9. Install weather stripping around doors and windows. You’re doing double duty by investing in weather stripping because you’ll be keeping bugs out and keeping warm air in and cold air out.
10. Make sure attic vents are sealed tightly.
Hopefully by doing these ten things, bugs and other pests will move along and seek accommodations elsewhere. Unless you’d like more houseguests to keep you company during the winter months. But personally, I’ll pass.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hot Shot® Insecticides. As always, all opinions are my own.
Great tips! I really need to get on some of this stuff. We back to woods and live near a pond so the creepy crawly stuff is all around us!
Great tips! An ounce (or ten) of prevention over the winter can make a HUGE difference come spring!
Every winter, the ants descend on my sunroom! Thanks for the great tips to keep them out!
Bugs are not fun anytime of the year. Great tips to keep those nasties out.