Bugs are not immune to cold weather, they also need warmth during the winter and will look for a place to hide or burrow in. They are also in danger once winter arrives, and most of them will not last and die when they can no longer adapt to the extreme temperature.
Here are some lists of the worst winter bugs in winter you should know about.
Stink bugs
Just like its name, when they invade your home, they emit an offensive odor as a form of their defense mechanism. Once these bugs feel the changing weather, they will also scuttle and look for cover. They will shelter in tree barks, and under logs, but they often love to live with you in your home where the temperature is just right for them to survive.
Are they poisonous?
Although they don’t bite, sting, or cause a health risk, they are still annoying to have inside our abode. Once you step on them, you will surely smell the stink from afar. What’s more, is that the smell lingers for some time.
Just like roaches, stink bugs are explorers because they will crawl on any surface such as the couch, bed, countertop, cabinets on the sink, or even on your stove. They can also fly, and their annoying ways will remind you of flies and cockroaches at the same time.
The only positive thing here is that they do not reproduce in your home or eat your food, however, they are just trying to make pests of themselves by living in your living spaces and will fly at the first change of season. If you find one stink bug crawling on your couch, pretty sure there are many of them underneath.
How to get rid of them?
What you can do to get rid of them is by using an essential oil, this will make your house smell great and, at the same time, will offend the stink bugs and force them to leave your place.
Neem oil is another way to attack them by spraying a solution of water and neem oil on entry points such as window sills or space under the doors.
Then there is garlic spray, which is a mixture of garlic and water sprayed indoors or in spaces where stink bugs may enter.
How to stop recurrence?
Remove moisture and dry damp areas in your home and seal off entry points. Check your walls or doors for any cracks or crevices where these bugs can easily crawl in.
Ladybugs
These bugs are not harmful compared to other bugs because they invade your home to find a warm shelter and are just inside to survive during winter. What they eat are aphids and not your next meal.
They also hide under the rocks, tree trunks, and other warm places. They will also use the cracks on walls or holes in your screen window to get inside. When one ladybug learned to enter your home, there will surely be dozens to follow it.
Are they poisonous?
They are harmless, and except for being a nuisance in your home by crawling on floors and some surfaces; they do not bite or sting. They are not pesky and will just get comfortable in your wall cavities.
How to get rid of them?
It is rarely effective to use any spray on them. However, you can sweep them out once you see where they are hiding, or you can also use the vacuum cleaner if there are just too many of them. Once you have them inside your vacuum bag, you can then release all of it outdoors or place them where there is warmth so they can survive.
Preventing re-occurrence
What you can do to prevent this from recurring is by sealing openings on your window, checking some cracks left unattended, covering the holes on your door or walls.
Boxelder bugs
As the cold weather is felt, and winter is almost near, boxelder will find shelter inside your home. They will slip between cracks, and door rifts, holes in the window, and will
Are they poisonous?
Boxelder is just like stink bugs because they also emit an odor when stepped on or squished. One other thing is their defensive bite, unlike stink bugs that do not bite humans.
Boxelder is not harmful cause it does not cause any damage or feed on anything inside your home. They also do not breed indoors and will mostly get in your home by following others to take shelter.
We consider them nuisance pests because they are intrusive and can annoy. You can also see their wastes staining your wall, furniture, or your floor.
Getting rid of them
The best way to remove them is by spraying them with dish soap or water solution. Find out where they are hiding and then use a vacuum to remove the bugs. Once there are dead bugs, make sure that you don’t further squish them or step on them so that there are no stains left on any inside surfaces.
How to keep them away for good?
There is boxelder control that can be bought in the market, and this may be your best option than most residual insecticides. Read labels first, so you’ll know it is especially intended for boxelder bugs and not other bugs and pests.
As always, the best way to keep them away is by inspecting where they are getting in. Cracks, crevices, gaps, and holes are mostly the way they get inside. Repair these holes and damages to your window to remove any entry points.
Wasps
These insects will find a warm shelter where they can hibernate during the winter. Queen wasps will mostly survive as they hide in crevices or even in your attic. The wasp colonies are sure to die during the winter months because they cannot get any food and will die because of starvation.
Queen wasps are mostly taken care of by the colony, so they will stay alive to lay their eggs.
Do they bite or sting?
You need not worry about wasps stinging you during the winter cause the queen will mostly sleep during the winter while the colony will not be aggressive and would most probably be holding on to life because of hunger. But it is another case during summer or spring.
The types of wasps include yellowjackets, black hornets, as well as paper wasps. What you should worry about are black hornets and yellow jackets because they are highly aggressive, but it is highly likely they will die naturally during the winter as well.
How to get rid of them and prevent recurrence?
Contact a professional for help once you notice a nest around your home and do not remove it yourself as their sting can be dangerous, most especially if you have a high allergic reaction to its sting.
Make sure that your windows and doors are all closed, and there are no gaps or cracks. A fly screen will work also, as long as there are no holes in it.
Bed bugs
It will surprise you to find out that you have brought home bedbugs from your last flight. Bedbugs love to have a warm place where they can survive. During winter, they love to be indoors, safely tuck, and protected by your home’s warmth.
Are they poisonous?
Bed bugs are not poisonous, but they can feed on your blood while you are sleeping at night or when you are least active. You may think it is just a normal bite from something else and not bedbugs, but when you see itchy welts on your skin and scratch it the whole day, check your surroundings cause you may have some bedbugs lurking under your bed, corners, on your pillowcase even on your bedcovers.
How to get rid of them and keep them away for good?
Check your beddings, and other furniture, mattresses and bedsprings and for sure you will find them hiding there. Once you see bugs scuttling away, you have an infestation problem.
It would be hard to get rid of them because they can hide even in the tiniest holes or cracks on your bed or furniture. Most especially during winter, when they need to survive the extreme cold.
Clean and wash everything from your clothes, bedcovers, blankets, pillows, and remove mattresses, doormats, and any other items that you think they may be hiding in.
If you find that it is hard to get rid of them by yourself, best to contact a professional exterminator so it will not be a hit-or-miss solution.
Cockroaches
Although cockroaches can survive outdoors or indoors, they will likely move indoors to find warmth during the winter. You can find them in your crawl spaces, basements, and floor drains, or where there is moisture or water to survive. Most of the cockroaches will find electric motors or heated offices a great place to board during the winter and even the whole year-round.
Are they poisonous?
Roaches are a bringer of toxic pathogens like E.coli and Salmonella. Once they crawl from an area that is contaminated and then crawl on your glasses or plates, the contamination spreads. They are also a risk for those who are asthmatic, both young and old.
Getting rid of them and keeping them away for good
Roaches are getting immune from different insecticides and are becoming hard to eliminate from homes.
As they developed resistance to different insecticides, they multiply and get to infest many houses, and the only thing that can be done is to have them eliminated by those who knew how to control them.
There are many professional pest management that can use a fresh approach in removing these bugs and making sure that they will not crawl back to your beautiful home.
If you want to learn more about various insects, then checkout our site categories, we have a bunch of articles there that are totally worth reading:
P.S.
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All the best
Steve
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