Pests like cockroaches, ants, mice, and mosquitoes are annoying pests, but usually only during certain months of the year. However, thanks to this year’s heat waves and heavy rainfall, a lot of pests that usually go away come fall and winter will still be around looking for a home—your home.

How to Manage Your Winter Pest Problem

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Recently, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) released their Bug Barometer™ forecast for the upcoming seasons, and it does not look good for those who get the heebie-jeebies from all kinds of creepy crawlies. Entomologists and pest experts are expecting a lot more pressure from most of these critters than usual. Here’s a handy map from the NPMA:

via NPMA Pest World.

The Pacific Northwest will see increased rodent populations looking for water in residential areas due to heat and dryness. Along the West Coast and in Southwestern states we’ll likely see more cockroaches, ants, spiders, and stinging insects thanks to the lasting heat, and flooding will ramp up the mosquito population. In the Midwest, the mild spring and warm summer increased rodent populations that will be seeking food and shelter come cold weather, and more rainfall will mean more earwigs and millipedes seeking higher ground indoors. To the Southeast, mosquitoes will continue to terrorize anyone with blood left in their body, and termites, in addition to ants, will be active until winter. Lastly, the Northeast is expected to see a lot of stink bugs and ladybugs, along with more insects and rodents flocking indoors to avoid the cold than usual. Ticks will also continue to be a problem until the temperatures start to drop dramatically.

What to Do When Mice Have Invaded Your Home

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There’s more to this than just being creeped out by bugs and rats, though. As Jim Fredericks, Ph.D., and chief entomologist and vice president of technical and regulatory affairs for the NPMA, explains, it’s a matter of health:

“The extended summer pest activity, combined with the high pressure expected from fall pests, will make the upcoming seasons particularly pest heavy. There’s also an added health concern given that ticks, mosquitoes and rodents are all capable of transmitting diseases to humans.”

So prepare your homes for the upcoming invasion and stay vigilant. The more you can do now to prevent an infestation the better off you’ll be come winter.