Here’s How to Keep Winter Pests Out of Your Home

Winter weather sees mice, rats, and other rodents start searching for a cozy hideaway, and your home is a prime destination. Larger animals can also pose a threat as their natural food sources become scarce. Here’s how to keep pests of all sizes out of your home and off your property throughout the winter season.

Common Winter Pests

Mice & Rodents

In addition to creepy scuffling sounds, rodents also pose a real safety hazard. They carry pathogens that spread diseases and are notorious for chewing through electrical wires, which can pose a fire hazard. Scents like citronella, peppermint and eucalyptus are effective deterrents, as are fabric softener sheets stuffed into potential entry points. Various rodenticides, mouse traps, and rat traps are available to help rid your home of these pests, including live-catch traps that do not harm the animals.

Raccoons

Non-hibernating animals like raccoons will look for dens in dark and warm places. Your chimney is a popular choice, but you may also encounter raccoons in your attic, or outside in hollow trees and thick brush piles. Aside from the nuisance factor, raccoons can also damage property and can carry rabies and roundworms. Remove any branches that could allow raccoons to enter your attic. Ammonia, vinegar, garlic, and cayenne pepper can also be effective deterrents. You might also consider larger live animal traps that are specifically designed not to hurt the animal.

Possums

Possums are great climbers and would love to convert your attic into a cozy home. Unlike some pests, they’ll usually make their presence known. They’re extremely smelly and their droppings make a big mess that’s easy to spot. Mix some camphor oil and petroleum jelly into a paste and spread it around anywhere possums are a nuisance. Live animal traps are also an option.

Skunks

Skunks like to burrow under your home’s foundation or porch. Exercise caution: skunks can be quite dangerous if they see you as a threat. They can carry rabies and their foul-smelling spray can cause temporary blindness. Mothballs are an effective deterrent, as are orange peels, lemon peels, or citrus-scented household cleaners. Do not use live animal traps as a skunk can easily spray you through the trap.

How to Pest-Proof Your Home

Pest-proofing your home is your first and best line of defence against small rodents and medium-sized animals. Here’s some tips to keep them out:

• Clean your home on a regular basis 

• Ensure your kitchen is free of food scraps 

• Wipe down your kitchen counters after cooking 

• Use tight sealing containers for dry food storage

• Keep garbage can lids closed and secured 

• Seal any holes or cracks that could be potential points of entry 

• Inspect the shingles, vents, and flashing on your roof 

• Remove brush piles and debris that could serve as potential rodent dens

Electronic Pest Repellers

An electronic pest repeller is a pest control device that emits a sonic or ultrasonic frequency to deter pests. Harmless to humans, the output of ultrasonic pest repellers is adjustable to target different pests including rats, mice, raccoons, skunks, possums, bats, and some insects.

Protect Your Car Wiring

Mice, rats, squirrels, and other rodents are known to seek out the engine compartment of a vehicle. It’s warm right after driving and offers good protection from the elements. They don’t eat your wiring for sustenance, they gnaw on it to prevent their teeth from growing too long. Here’s a few prevention tips:

• Remove any leaf litter and debris from your engine compartment 

• Start up and run any infrequently used vehicles 

• Move your vehicles around to different spots on your driveway 

• Park your vehicles in a garage if possible

Deer

Deer are pretty to look at, but they can decimate your garden and feast on your shrubs and fruit trees. They can also carry ticks that spread Lyme disease, which can infect both dogs and people. Here’s a few preventative tips to keep deer at bay:

• Harvest your vegetables continually as they ripen 

• Place deer-nip plants like lettuce, strawberries, pansies and fruit trees close to your home 

• Use deer-repellent plants like lavender, garlic and chives 

• Apply deer-repellent to your trees and shrubs 

• Install motion-activated lawn sprinklers and lighting to drive deer away 

• Install a deer fence around your gardens or yard

Bears, Coyotes, Wolves & other Predators

Bears, coyotes and even wolves can pose a problem for rural homeowners and cottagers, especially if natural food supplies are short during winter. Keep in mind that most predators have an excellent sense of smell. Here’s some tips to help keep them away:

• Store garbage inside your home in animal-resistant trash containers, and deodorize them with bleach after use 

• Use heavy-duty garbage bags to reduce odours, and put garbage out shortly before pick up time 

• Do not leave grill food unattended, clean your grill thoroughly after cooking, and store it away in a garage or shed when not in use 

• Do not leave pet food outside 

• Add agricultural lime to your compost to reduce odours 

• Harvest fruits and berries as soon as they’re ripe 

• Keep windows and doors closed and locked at all times 

• Keep pets inside if predators are in the area 

• Install electric fencing around your yard or gardens (it will shock but not harm the animals) 

• Install bars or grilles on windows 

• Keep bear repellent and bear bells handy 

• Install motion-activated lawn sprinklers and lighting to drive predators away 

• Apply pine-scented cleaner around doors, window frames, and porch steps 

Winter pests pose a unique set of problems for homeowners. Start by taking the steps outlined above to keep them out your home and off your property. If your defences do get breeched, now you know the best ways get rid of the most common kinds of winter pests.