Okay. Can you do something for me? Look out your window, and tell me what you see. Is there snow where you are? Are there any leaves on the trees? Does the landscape look quiet and devoid of life? In winter, many living creatures hibernate, but a surprising number of them just hide from the cold. That can be a problem for you all winter long. Here is what you may not know about winter, in bite sized bites.

It is spring time in your house. That means that if a nest, egg sack, or cocoon enters your home it will sense the temperature change, and the babies inside will hatch. I once brought a wooden step ladder in from my shed, and ended up with hundreds of baby spiders scaling my walls. I don’t think I need to tell you how disturbing that was.

There are many ways bug eggs can be brought into a home, here are a couple: sawhorses, stored furniture, firewood, Christmas trees, wooden step ladders, stored boxes, cinder blocks, and construction materials. Any time you bring something in from the cold, you risk bringing an infestation into your home.

There could be a ticking time bomb in your attic, wall voids, or curtains. Most bugs go into a low energy state call diapause when food becomes scarce. Perhaps you’ve seen this. Have you ever noticed a stink bug creeping along the curtains, a pile of lady bugs as still as death, or box elder bug dormant on a wall. This is because they don’t want to waste their precious energy. During winter, their bodies begin to consume themselves, and many bugs will die of starvation, unless you feed them. If you leave food sources out, like an open trash, dirty dishes in a dry sink, and a ketchup splotch on the counter, you’ll give those insects the energy they need to buzz, fly, and creep, all over your home throughout winter.

Winter is the best time to prevent a spring infestation. If bugs and rodents have overwintered in your home, a pest inspection or treatment will keep you from having a real problem when spring comes. If you’ve managed to keep the food sources hidden from them all winter, spring will give them all the food they need.

Call a pest controller, and learn more about sealing and protecting your home from pests that spread illness, sting, and destroy homes. With modern pest control, you don’t have to live with intruders in your house. Get your shield up today.