It can feel like bugs have gone south for the winter but, the truth is, those bugs don’t go anywhere. The reason we don’t see as many bugs in the winter has to do with the way cold weather affects cold-blooded creatures.

Have you ever seen a lizard sunning itself on a rock? Lizards are cold-blooded. They do not have the ability to maintain a consistent temperature the way warm-blooded animals do. Their body temperature fluctuates with their environment. If it’s hot, lizards are hot. If it’s cold. Yup. You guessed it. Lizards are cold. When it is hot, lizards speed up. When it is cold, lizards slow down. But, when it gets cold, they may lie on a nice hot rock to bring their temperature back up.

Bugs are the same way. Cold temperatures make them slow down. If it gets too cold, they can die. But usually, it doesn’t get cold enough to kill them in the places they hide–especially if that place is inside the walls of your home.

Winter temperatures aren’t the only thing that affects bugs in winter. Food resources dry up and bugs must use energy that is stored in their bodies. These resources are limited. So bugs slow down to conserve it.

The combination of cold weather and reduced resources is a one-two punch that keeps bugs mostly immobile through the Kansas winters. That is, of course, assuming they don’t find a nice warm place with food resources, like your kitchen.

At some point, all of those bugs are going to start moving again. When they do, the bugs that are outside your home are going to start exploring your exterior walls. The bugs that are inside your home will start appearing in common areas as they search for a way to get out. Neither of these is good for you, your family, your pets, or your home.

Do you really need pest control in winter? Yes. Winter pest control is part of an ongoing pest plan that controls pests that are active in your home all winter and controls pests that will start being active in spring.

Bugs don’t fly south for the winter. Effective pest control must be ongoing and always active.

If you live in our Kansas service area, let Schendel protect your home all year long with our Premium Care pest plan. With Premium Care, you’ll get exactly what you need, in every season, to keep your home a pest-free zone. In fact, we guarantee it. Check out our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, and let’s get started today.