How To Tackle Outdoor Winter Pests
Florida’s vibrant, sunny climate makes it easy to maintain lush, green landscaping all year round. Trees don’t lose their leaves, grass doesn’t go dormant, and wintertime flowers bloom fervently. Unfortunately, a thriving winter ecosystem does not come without its corresponding outdoor pests.Mole crickets, chinch bugs, and sod webworms thrive in North Florida’s dry, sunny winter. These pests feed on your grass and landscaping, damaging the appearance and health of your lawn. Other pests, such as rats, mice, termites, and roaches, may even sneak into your home in search of warmer weather and more abundant food sources.
A combination of regular maintenance, proper watering techniques, and professional pest control services is the best way to keep outdoor pests at bay this winter. Contact Champion Termite and Pest Control today to learn more about how to keep pests out of your yard and home this upcoming winter season!
Regular Maintenance
When you live in Florida, you don’t get to take a break from your regularly scheduled lawn maintenance program during the winter. All but the most sensitive plants will continue to grow, fruit, and flourish during Florida’s colder months.
Our expert exterminators suggest keeping your lawn manicured and well-maintained during the winter to minimize pest presence on your property.
Keep Your Lawn Short
Regular mowing keeps your lawn uniform and aesthetically appealing while promoting healthy growth and discouraging harmful pests from making themselves at home in your lawn. Chinch bugs and sod webworms thrive in untrimmed, dry, tall grasses, which are often characteristic of unkempt North Florida lawns in the wintertime.
Keeping up with your mowing routine throughout the winter is a good way to discourage pests from settling in your lawn.
Trim Back Trees, Shrubs, & Bushes
Overgrown plants make great food sources, shelters, and breeding grounds for many of the outdoor pests brought by Florida’s mild winter.
Our pest control experts at Champion Termite and Pest Control recommend trimming back any branches or plant growth within a few feet of your house. Excess vegetation near windows or doors allows outdoor pests to easily invade your home, where warmer temperatures make them inclined to stay.
Minimize Clutter
Outdoor pests, such as termites and spiders, love cluttered, overgrown yards. Abandoned boxes, decorations, or yard work supplies, such as ladders, shovels, or wheelbarrows, are prime locations for these winter pests to make themselves at home. Removing clutter from your yard and securing any tools in covered sheds or garages are simply methods of pest management that you can adopt during the wintertime.
To prevent a termite infestation from plaguing your home, our pest control company also recommends moving all firewood at least 20 feet away from your property. Firewood retains moisture during the dry winter months, making it an attractive shelter and food source for termites. Keeping firewood away from your property prevents termites from entering your home and causing larger problems come spring.
Infrequent, Thorough Watering
Outdoor pests can thrive in Florida’s moist and dry soil alike, making it difficult to maintain a healthy, pest-free lawn in the wintertime. The best way to discourage outdoor pests is by watering your lawn thoroughly and infrequently. This allows water to soak through every layer of your soil, not just the top layer where bugs like to burrow. The result is a healthier lawn that is neither too wet nor too dry, making it an inhospitable environment for mole crickets, chinch bugs, sod webworms, and other pests, diseases, and fungi.
Hire Professional Pest Control Services
Working with a reliable pest control company is the only way to guarantee a pest-free lawn this upcoming winter. Champion Termite and Pest Control offers a variety of extermination services, including ant, spider, cockroach, and termite control to keep your yard pest-free throughout the year.
Our pest control services include a 12-step program that evaluates your home for any hidden entrances, gaps, or holes that may expose your home to invasion from outdoor pests. Contact us to learn more about our extermination services or to receive your free estimate today!
