What Creepy Crawlers Can You Expect to Find in Your Home During the Fall?
With every seasonal transition comes a change in pests. While we're all more than ready to say goodbye to summer critters, like mosquitoes and ticks, as fall arrives, so does a whole new batch of creepy crawlers. Kari Warberg Block, a pest prevention expert and the CEO and Founder of EarthKind, says that we should be ready for pests like grubs, army worms, cutworms, ants, mole crickets, mice, and even fleas as autumn kicks off. Ahead, how to safeguard your home and yard against these creatures.
Related: How to Rid Your Garden of Five Common Summertime Pests
Yard Pests
While the temperature outside is still above freezing, there will still be plenty of critter activity going in your yard. To help control these critters, Warberg suggests keeping your green space as tidy as possible. "Maintaining a clutter-free yard can drastically reduce your outdoor pest population," she explains. "This means trimming overgrown trees, bushes, shrubs, and grass, picking up piles of sticks, leaves, firewood, and debris, and weeding out overflowing vegetation." You'll also want to make removing sources of standing water part of your regular fall maintenance plan, as lots of critters will be drawn to even the smallest amount of water. Ultimately, making your yard less of a fall oasis will prevent unwanted bugs from trying to overwinter in your lawn and garden beds.
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Indoor Pests
As the mercury drops outdoors, pests begin to move inside. Come fall, stink bugs, spiders, moths, mice, and cockroaches will all be interested in making your home theirs. "Our eight-legged spider friends are the most likely to come in—in fact, on average, every home is home to over 61 spiders," she explains. "As much as they may creep us out, they prefer quiet, dark, undisturbed places to hide out in, like basements, attics, and closets."
Preventing an Invasion
While it's inevitable that some unwanted visitors will make their way indoors, Warberg says a little prevention can go a long way when it comes to ensuring their stay is a short one. She suggests eliminating their food sources by cleaning up crumbs on counters, taking out the garbage regularly, cleaning up traces of pet food (dog food is the number-one rodent attractant), and transferring dry foods into air-tight storage containers so pests like mice, cockroaches, and pantry moths can't get inside. "Be sure to place these containers high up in the pantry," she says. "Also, fix any leaks in the faucets and pipes to eliminate water sources." Cockroaches, in particular, are attracted to moisture, so she suggests closing the drains and covering them with a cup to prevent them from entering the home via the pipes.
Overwintering Bugs
Because some of these pests will come inside in droves to overwinter (like stink bugs) you may benefit from calling in the professionals and having your home treated. Many pest control operations offer fall services that are designed to keep as many pests as possible from calling your house home as the seasons change.
