Overwintering Pests

As a homeowner in Denver, it is pertinent to learn more about overwintering pests. Denver has long winters so these pests can ruin your life for many, many months. During the winter months, these pests will enter your home so they can stay away from snow, sleet, and cold weather. Overwintering pests tend to use wall voids and attics to stay safe and warm during the winter.

What Are Some Of The Overwintering Pests?

There are many overwintering pests. The most common in Denver can be found below.

Boxelder Bugs

During the summer, boxelder bugs will target your garden. They also like feeding on seeds of maple trees and boxelder trees, During the winter, they’ll look for a warm, comfortable place to call home. They’ll try to take refuge in your house. These pests tend to be ½ an inch in length with black and red markings. Their compact size means they can easily slip through cracks and crevices. While they do not transmit diseases or bite, they can emit a bad odor when you crush them.

Asian Ladybugs

Asian Ladybugs or Asian lady beetles are another overwintering pest that you’ll want to prevent from entering your home. When it gets cold outside, they’ll do what they must to enter your home and find refuge. Ladybugs can bite and they will emit a bad odor when they’ve been crushed.

Cluster Flies

Cluster flies spend most of their life outside. They start as a parasite within earthworms. Once they emerge as larvae, they’ll continue living outside. Once the temperatures drop, this pest will attempt to find shelter away from the elements. In some cases, they’ll hide behind loose tree back. However, there is always a chance that they’re going to take shelter behind wood planks. This means that they could target your home. If you don’t notice them until the hot weather returns, you’ll need to clean up the mess this pest has left behind.

Stink Bugs

Brown marmorated stink bugs are very popular in Denver. Adult bugs tend to grow 1/2” in length. These bugs came from Asia and have become much worse during the past few years. During the summer, stink bugs will eat vegetable crops and fruit trees. If you don’t eliminate them, they will destroy your entire crop. In addition to this, they prefer hiding inside during the cold winter months. You don’t want to crush stink bugs because they’ll release a terrible odor.

Instead, you should try to vacuum them up and get rid of them.

Leaf-Footed Pine Seed Bugs

Finally, you’ll need to worry about leaf-footed pine seed bugs. This pest will produce one generation annually. Adults are dull brown and they’ll grow roughly 3/4”. They stay outside during the summer and feed on pine cones and seeds. Adults will try to find shelter when winter comes. They prefer hiding in the bark of pine and conifer trees but this isn’t always possible. If they can’t find a suitable shelter in trees, they’ll try to enter small gaps and crevices in your home.

Do I Have Overwintering Pests In My Home?

If you want to find out if your home is infested, you should turn on your HVAC system. Warm your home and see if the bugs leave. In addition to this, they will likely disappear when the weather outside increases. If they’ve found a way into your home, you’ll know when you see them. Some are trying to stay warm, but others accidentally entered the home when trying to find shelter.

How Do I Stop Overwintering Pests?

Before these pests enter your home, you should stop them from coming. You should begin dealing with this problem in the fall. Fill the cracks and crevices in your home to stop them from coming inside.

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