Common Pests in December

This page is a general DIY guide on treating and preventing common winter pests such as rats, mice, bed bugs, cockroaches, stink bugs, ants, ladybugs, asian lady beetles, ticks, bark beetles, cluster flies, and other animals like raccoons or opossums. Follow this guide and the attached links to learn more about these December pests and the recommended products to control them.

In warmer months, you may be used to seeing most insects or animals outdoors. However, when the weather begins to become cooler these pests may move into your home causing structural damages and exposure to diseases. Since pests like rats, mice, bed bugs, cockroaches, stink bugs, ants, ladybugs, asian lady beetles, ticks, bark beetles, cluster flies, and other animals like raccoons, squirrels, and opossums.

Here in this DIY guide are some common winter pests during the month of December and ways to control them.

Rats and Mice

When the weather outside gets cold, rodents like house mice, Norway rats, and roof rats may invade your home seeking food and shelter. You can stop them from coming inside by cleaning up potential food sources and sealing any cracks, crevices, and other openings around your home with caulk and copper mesh. Remember, mice can squeeze through openings as small as a US dime.

To treat active infestations, set up tamper-proof bait stations with Eratication Rodent Bait. This is a First Generation Anti-Coagulant Rodenticide made with attractants and diphacinone. Check the stations every few days and replenish the bait as needed. Additionally, you will need to set a variety of traps, including Easy Set Snap Traps, Pro Glue Boards, and Glue Trays. You will notice a reduction in pest activity after about two weeks. Continue to set traps until there are no more rodents.

Other animals

When it gets cold out, larger animals like opossums or raccoons may want to shelter underneath decks or in crawlspaces, and smaller animals like squirrels can find ways to infest your attic.

If you are interested in humane animal control and need to relocate these pests, check out our Humane Live Animal Traps. These traps are made with a powder-coated steel wire mesh and come in three sizes.

To use these traps, set the appropriate bait behind the trap’s pressure plate. Then, arm the trap by holding the door open and pulling the trigger arm towards the direction the trap is facing, making sure the arm’s hook catches the door and prevents it from closing.

When an animal steps on the plate, the door shuts quickly and tightly to ensure a safe and secure capture. Check your traps twice a day. Once you have caught something, travel at least two miles away from your home and release it as soon as possible. Be sure to contact local authorities to confirm laws in your area regarding animal trapping.

Bed Bugs

Bed Bug infestations ramp up during the holidays, and that’s simply because people travel more during this time. Travelers unknowingly carry bed bugs from hotels to homes and vice versa. When staying in a hotel, be sure to leave your belongings in your car first before doing an inspection of the room.

If you are currently dealing with bed bugs in your home, then you’ll need to commit to a persistent control plan to eliminate the infestation. Use a long-lasting insecticide like Flex 10-10 and treat your mattress tufts and folds to kill bed bugs that make contact with the spray or its residual effect.

Mix in Gentrol IGR for an additional mode of action and spray your other furniture, cracks, and crevices. Flush bed bugs out from hiding with Pyrid Aerosol, then treat sensitive areas with D-Fense Dust. Finally, you can protect your mattresses from further infestation with bed bug encasement bags.

Roaches

Many insects like cockroaches can’t remain active in cold temperatures, so they will invade indoors looking for food, water, and shelter.

To keep roaches out of your home, first wipe down floors, counters, and other surfaces to get rid of any grime and food sources. Be sure to use water and no harsh cleaners or bleach.

Next, apply a bait like Apex Cockroach Bait Gel. Apply pea-sized drops every 12 - 18 inches where roach activity was seen. Cockroaches that eat the bait will bring the poison to their nests, systemically killing the population.

Then apply insecticides like Novacide indoors, D-Fense Dust in cracks and crevices, and make a perimeter treatment around your home with Supreme I/T to keep further roaches out.

Stinkbugs

Stinkbugs, especially the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, are among many overwintering pests that will hide within your home when temperatures drop, then emerge in large numbers when spring comes around.

To stop stink bugs from invading, we recommend you make a perimeter application around the exterior of your home with a long-lasting residual insecticide like Supreme I/T. Supreme I/T kills labeled pests that make contact with the spray and its residual. It also has a repelling effect that will keep insects away from treated areas.

We recommend you make this treatment before temperatures drop and stink bugs move into your home. Then, you’ll need to seal cracks and crevices along the inner and outer perimeters of your home with caulk and copper mesh to stop pests from invading.

Ants

Most ant colonies grow dormant for winter, however, some ant species may move into your walls to stay active when it’s cold out. The first step to control is identifying which species you’re dealing with.

Different ants may require different control strategies. Regardless of which ants are inhabiting your walls, you can mitigate activity by cleaning up food sources in your home. Loose foods like rice, flour, and even pet food should be kept in airtight containers.

Vacuum your floors regularly, and wipe down your countertops with warm water to get rid of any crumbs and clean up grime. For many species of ants, we recommend FiPro foaming aerosol. This product is non-repelling, so ants will travel over treated areas without detecting the chemical. If ants can detect danger, they’ll create another colony and make your problem worse. Many ants, except fire ants, can also be controlled with Ficam Insect Bait.

Ladybugs & Asian Lady Beetles

Ladybugs may not seem like a big deal, but they can invade in numbers when the temperature drops. Their lookalikes, Asian Lady Beetles, may even bite and leave stains on the walls or furniture.

To stop these pests from invading, use long-lasting insecticides like Supreme I/T and Flex 10-10. Make a perimeter application of Supreme I/T to stop pests from invading your home.

With Flex 10-10, you can use this product as a space spray application to kill Asian lady beetles in the air and to treat outdoor resting spaces. We recommend you make this treatment before temperatures drop and these beetles move into your home. Afterward, seal cracks and crevices along the inner and outer perimeters of your home with caulk and copper mesh.

Ticks

Homeowners know ticks to be more active in summer, so many are caught off guard when ticks infest during the winter months. If your pet has become infested, we recommend treating with Martin’s Prefurred and Petcor. Application directions vary depending on body weight, age, and breed, so read all instructions thoroughly before applying.

After your pet has been treated, we recommend you vacuum your entire home and treat indoor floors with Novacide Flea and Tick Killer. This product contains an IGR that will control juvenile pests that may be hiding or traveling in your home. Do not apply this product directly to your pets, and keep all people and animals out of treated areas until the product dries.

Next, we recommend you treat outdoor spaces with residual insecticides like Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules and Supreme I/T to kill ticks harboring on your property and prevent them from reinfesting.

Bark Beetles

Bark beetles are responsible for destroying millions of acres of trees, including trees in our yards and on public property. You might think cooler temperatures will stop their activity, but many species overwinter and develop underneath bark, killing the trees when it’s cold out.

To stop bark beetles from infesting, use a long-lasting insecticide like Sylo. Sylo will kill pests that make contact with the spray, and it leaves a controlling residual that lasts for up to 90 days under normal weather conditions. Different species target different spots on a tree. You may need to treat the lower trunk, mid trunk, upper trunk, or the tree’s branches. This treatment only protects the surface of treated areas, so apply this product before bark beetles have infested.

Cluster Flies

Cluster flies normally live outdoors, but when it gets cold in fall and winter, they will invade indoors and cluster around windows for warmth.

To control cluster fly infestations, treat outdoors with a long-lasting insecticide like Supreme I/T. This will kill cluster flies that make contact with the spray or it’s residual, and repel them from treated areas. Make applications outdoors around windows, doors, eaves, and other entry points to stop flies from invading through small cracks and crevices.

We also recommend Pyrid Aerosol to quickly kill any cluster flies buzzing around, and use D-Fense Dust to treat and protect inside of cracks and crevices. For long-term monitoring, consider installing a Fly Light. Our professional fly light uses UV bulbs to attract flies towards a non-toxic glue board.

Key Takeaways

Pests that Invade Homes During the Winter

• Rats, mice, bed bugs, cockroaches, stink bugs, ants ladybugs, asian lady beetles, ticks, bark beetles, cluster flies, and other animals like raccoons, squirrels, or opossums are common pests that invade homes during December.

Why Bugs Come Out in December?

• Insects are cold-blooded pests that need warmth for survival so during the winter they move indoors for the available heat and moisture.

What Temperature Kills Most Bugs?

• Temperatures below 45 degrees, eliminates most bugs.