Are you wondering what happens to the various nuisance wildlife and pests in your home and yard when the temperatures drop? It seems like insects and rodents disappear after the first frost, but these pests might be lurking just below the surface. Some insects may migrate to escape the cold, while others are waiting out the winter as larvae, while others are overwintering in warm, secluded locations. Mice will find their way into homes or burrow into the ground, but rats cannot survive without humans, and will die if they cannot get into a manmade structure during the winter. Raccoons, snakes, squirrels and skunks will often retreat to their dens to lay low and enter a state of reduced activity during the winter, but they will get into your home if they are able, as homes and buildings provide the perfect shelter, warm and safe from predators. Thankfully, Summit Wildlife Removal can help, we offer pest control treatments year-round as well as wildlife inspections, seal outs/exclusions and removal.
Where Do Mice and Rats Go in the Winter?
Mice do not hibernate during the cold seasons, instead, they will spend the winter searching for sources of food. Mice are hoarders, who forage to add to their massive stockpile of food. Mice are adept at foraging, and they will enter your home to search for food. Winter and colder temperatures will lead to an increase in mouse sightings, as these pests will spend winter indoors if they are able. Mice will find entry points you might not even think of, and they can breed extremely quickly, leading to an infestation seemingly overnight. Mice can get in through small cracks in your home’s foundation and siding, as well as through exterior vents like dryer vents. If your doors and windows aren’t sealed and screened properly, this might also be an entry point for them. While mice definitely prefer to cohabitate with humans, they still can survive the harsh temperatures of winter on their own, typically by burrowing underground. Rats are not so lucky.
Rats are actually more reliant on humans than mice are. Rats do not hibernate, but instead they will become more active as they search for food. If a rat has not found a warm, safe place to spend the winter, they will start to die once the temperatures start dropping. Some common places rats will build their nests in the winter include attics, chimneys, walls, crawl spaces, basements, sheds, and barns. All of these locations will provide warmth and protection from predators. Similarly to mice, rats can get in through extremely small entry points, and once inside, they can ruin your insulation, leave their droppings everywhere, gnaw on wooden structures, spread diseases like rabies, and raid your kitchen for sources of food. Leaving out pet food and not repairing plumbing leaks can provide easy food and water sources for these pests, making your home even more attractive as a winter home for them.
What Happens to Insects in the Winter?
One of the benefits of the onslaught of cold temperatures that winter brings is the population of insects significantly goes down. However, insects don’t all magically die off and then return every Fall-Spring cycle, so where do they go?
Some insects will adopt migration as a method of escaping the harsh winter temperatures. Monarch butterflies are the most famous example, as these insects are known for migrating to Mexico during the winter. Many insects will overwinter as larvae, either underground like grubs or under leaf litter like some caterpillars. Some insects lay eggs that will survive the winter, and some moths will overwinter as pupae until emerging as adults in the spring. Insects do not hibernate, instead they undergo a state where their growth, development and activities are suspended temporarily, called diapause. However, many insects will also enter diapause as mature adults throughout the winter. Ladybugs will congregate in great numbers to diapause together. Honeybees stay inside their nets or inside hollow trees during the winter, where they can survive through the generation of body heat and stored reserves of honey. Some insects will try to get inside your home to overwinter. Large wasps will often try to get inside attics and eaves for shelter during the winter. Cockroaches and stink bugs are two common insect pests that will find their way into your home during the winter.
Squirrels, Raccoons, Skunks and Snakes in the Winter
While some mammals will hibernate in the winter, many of the nuisance wildlife you might have on your property will stay active all year. Squirrels often intentionally fatten themselves up during the fall, so on days with no food in the winter, they can live off the fat stored in their body. Squirrels will often retreat to their nests, built out of twigs, sticks, feathers, leaves, grass, and moss. Squirrels can build these nests in high-up trees, but they will get inside your home and build these nests in attics as well, where they will rip up insulation to add to their nests. Raccoons retreat to their den and lay low during the winter. Raccoons are opportunistic when it comes to finding homes. They often reuse dens abandoned by other animals, even underground ones like fox dens or groundhog burrows. However, raccoons in suburban/urban areas will usually build dens inside buildings. Raccoons love to spend the winter inside a nice, warm attic. Chimneys will also work as nesting places for raccoons. Raccoons will also den underneath decks and porches. Raccoons are opportunistic feeders, so during the winter they will be seen breaking into trash cans to look for food. Skunks do not hibernate, but when the weather becomes particularly cold and snow covers the ground, they will burrow deep in their dens to keep warm. Similarly to squirrels, skunks will fatten themselves up to have the fat stores to survive the winter. Skunks will also build dens underneath porches and decks, as well as inside sheds. Snakes do not hibernate, instead they brumate, which is a state in which they greatly slow down their metabolism, so they can survive the winter without needing to eat. Snakes will stop brumating on warm winter days to catch some sun, drink some water and look for a food source. Snakes will brumate inside hollow trees or in burrows underground, however buildings also make a perfect site for brumation during the winter. You might find snakes brumation inside of your walls, inside the crawl space, inside wall voids, or underneath your foundation. Snakes often brumate together, so you might have multiple snakes waiting out the winter on your property.
Pest Control and Wildlife Removal in the Winter
Pest control and wildlife removal are services typically associated with the spring and the summer. The spring is when most animals begin nesting inside homes to have babies, and the summer is the season when pests and wildlife are most active. However, pests like mice, rats, cockroaches and bed bugs will often gain entrance to your home in order to find a warm place to spend the winter, and wildlife like squirrels, raccoons, skunks and snakes will also make their way inside or near homes and buildings in order to escape the harsh temperatures. Pest control treatments during the winter can keep the pests at bay. Wildlife inspections done by a licensed professional can help locate any potential entry points for animals seeking shelter, and Summit Environmental Solutions offers seal outs and exclusions to protect your home from wildlife intrusions during the winter. If you have an animal in your attic or crawl space that needs to be removed, or if you are noticing an intrusion of pests in your home, contact Summit Wildlife Removal today. We offer the best winter pest control and wildlife removal in the area, call us for a FREE estimate at (703) 520-5868 or fill out a contact form.
