Don't drop your guard!
The winter months have problems of their own when it comes to unwanted visitors. Many creatures which are happy to make their homes outside in the summer will be looking for warmer quarters when the weather turns nasty. It's best to be prepared, and to deal with infestations before they become serious.
Mice
There are three species of mouse to be found in UK homes. Confusingly, the name 'house mouse' is sometimes applied to the long-tailed field mouse, which is more common in houses in suburban and rural areas. Even more confusingly, it's also known as the wood mouse, and has a longer tail and bigger ears than the true house mouse. The wood mouse likes to move indoors in winter, as does the yellow-necked mouse, which is common in some parts of the country.
Rats
During the winter months, rats will more often be seen in the garden, and in outbuildings, which they will use for their nests if possible. If your garden is visited by foxes, you may find that they help to control the rats, which are a favourite prey; so you could be using one pest to manage another.
Bed bugs
Bed bugs were nearly eliminated from Britain in the 1940s, but more recently, international travel has led to a recurrence. They are small reddish brown insects whose bites cause irritation. They can lie dormant for months, and are hard to eradicate without professional help.
Carpet beetles
Another pest gaining in numbers, the carpet beetle prefers a warm home and likes fitted carpets. In a normal life cycle, the larvae will feed on woollen fibres before hibernating during the winter.
Moths
Summer cotton clothes laid up for the season are a perfect hiding place for the larvae of the clothes moth. By the time the flying insects emerge the harm is done, as it's the larvae that eat the fibres. In a warm wardrobe, the moths will continue breeding throughout the year.
Silverfish
If your books, papers, and even wallpaper show signs of damage, you may have silverfish. They get their name from their silvery conical bodies, which are covered in tiny scales.
Woodworm
Tiny holes in your wooden furniture indicate woodworm infestation, but the damage could have occurred many years ago. Covering the holes during the winter will trap the woodworm inside, if they are still around, so in spring you will see the holes reappear if and when they emerge to breed.
Spiders
Spiders are only a pest if you find them scary, or if you believe that cobwebs are an unbearable nuisance. Otherwise they will help you to control many of your flying insect invaders, and no British spiders are harmful to humans.
The winter months have problems of their own when it comes to unwanted visitors. Many creatures which are happy to make their homes outside in the summer will be looking for warmer quarters when the weather turns nasty. It's best to be prepared, and to deal with infestations before they become serious.
Mice
There are three species of mouse to be found in UK homes. Confusingly, the name 'house mouse' is sometimes applied to the long-tailed field mouse, which is more common in houses in suburban and rural areas. Even more confusingly, it's also known as the wood mouse, and has a longer tail and bigger ears than the true house mouse. The wood mouse likes to move indoors in winter, as does the yellow-necked mouse, which is common in some parts of the country.
Rats
During the winter months, rats will more often be seen in the garden, and in outbuildings, which they will use for their nests if possible. If your garden is visited by foxes, you may find that they help to control the rats, which are a favourite prey; so you could be using one pest to manage another.
Bed bugs
Bed bugs were nearly eliminated from Britain in the 1940s, but more recently, international travel has led to a recurrence. They are small reddish brown insects whose bites cause irritation. They can lie dormant for months, and are hard to eradicate without professional help.
Carpet beetles
Another pest gaining in numbers, the carpet beetle prefers a warm home and likes fitted carpets. In a normal life cycle, the larvae will feed on woollen fibres before hibernating during the winter.
Moths
Summer cotton clothes laid up for the season are a perfect hiding place for the larvae of the clothes moth. By the time the flying insects emerge the harm is done, as it's the larvae that eat the fibres. In a warm wardrobe, the moths will continue breeding throughout the year.
Silverfish
If your books, papers, and even wallpaper show signs of damage, you may have silverfish. They get their name from their silvery conical bodies, which are covered in tiny scales.
Woodworm
Tiny holes in your wooden furniture indicate woodworm infestation, but the damage could have occurred many years ago. Covering the holes during the winter will trap the woodworm inside, if they are still around, so in spring you will see the holes reappear if and when they emerge to breed.
Spiders
Spiders are only a pest if you find them scary, or if you believe that cobwebs are an unbearable nuisance. Otherwise they will help you to control many of your flying insect invaders, and no British spiders are harmful to humans.
About the Author:
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