October Pest Control Checklist for Alabama Homeowners

Temperatures are FINALLY dropping and football season is in full swing! October is a beautiful month in Alabama. Nice cool mornings to wake up to, weekend tailgates and falling leaves. Now here’s the not so good news. There will be a huge shift of pest pressure around your home.

When the temperature starts to cool some summer pests will stay around but others will try to find somewhere safe to overwinter. Mice and rats will start searching for consistent food and water around your garage, crawl space, attic, storage areas and in home.

Then there’s the “stink bugs” and Asian Lady Beetles. Lady Beetles look like Lady Bugs except they’re orange versus red and if you get close enough, you’ll find a white “M” shaped mark just behind their head. Lady Bugs remain our cute little friends. Asian Lady Beetles, not so much.

According to the Alabama Cooperative Extension your home can be susceptible not just the pests mentioned so far, cooler weather means an uptick in activity for ants, roaches, fleas, flies, silverfish, spiders, ticks as well. Once it gets closer to winter mice and rats will become a bigger problem around your home.

Below is our checklist for October pest control to help you find problem areas around your home that could be inviting pests in. We will also give you tips on how to eliminate food and water that can attract these pests.

There are many different pests that invade homes throughout the year.

You will find yourself dealing with mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, fire ants and more throughout the summer. When it comes to October you will want to take precautions to keep other pests from entering your home.

When the weather starts to cool insects will begin to search for warmer environments and consistent sources of food and water.

They may find that your home is the perfect environment.

Many fall insects will overwinter in safe areas. Cracks in the ground, under tree bark, leaf debris, logs etc.

There are many safe areas inside of your home that they can overwinter in as well.

Inside wall voids, attics, crawl spaces, garages, around siding, storage areas and around windows/doors.

Stink bugs, Kudzu bugs, Asian lady beetle, box elder bugs and some species of roaches will invade your home in the fall.

Its always easier to prevent these bugs from getting inside your home rather than trying to deal with them once they have invaded.

Mice and rats will start to look for food and water inside of your home as well.

Your home will provide them with all of these. They can find food, water and shelter inside of your home.

If you have a garage full of items that rodents can eat and nest under. They may never need to venture into your kitchen.

Rodents can be found in your attic, crawl space, wall voids, garages, pantries and storage areas.

Make sure to do these steps to prevent rodents from getting into your home in October.

Walking around the outside of your home and looking for holes that pests can enter is a great place to start.

Pests don’t need to have your front door open to get into your home.

They can enter your home through small cracks and holes.

These are the easiest ways for pests to get into your home.

☐ Check exterior doors.

☐ Check the seal on your garage door.

☐ Check any sliding doors.

☐ Check your windows for cracks/holes.

☐ Replace any torn window screens.

☐ Check your basement door.

☐ Check your crawl space door.

☐ Check for proper weather stripping on all doors.

If you can see light around the perimeter of your door or under the bottom of your door. Chances are pests can get in through that hole as well.

Make sure to replace any torn window screens and that your windows are sealed properly.

Pipes, internet lines, electrical lines, air conditioning lines and more can all lead to holes around your home.

These are very common places that pests will enter your home through.

☐ Check around cable/internet lines.

☐ Check around electrical lines.

☐ Check around pipes.

☐ Check around air conditioning lines.

☐ Check around your air conditioner.

☐ Check around your hose bibs.

☐ Check your dryer vent.

Make sure to fill any holes that you find with the correct materials.

Vents on your attic, crawl space, soffit and roof line can all allow pests into your home.

☐ Check your attic vents.

☐ Check your crawl space vents/screens.

☐ Check around your soffit for any holes.

☐ Check for any holes around your roof line.

☐ Check around your chimney.

If pests are able to get into your attic or crawl space they can go unnoticed for a long time.

You may not know you have mice or rats in your home until you see them scurrying across your floor.

Most of the time mice and rats will avoid humans so you may not know they are around.

Here are some signs you may have rodents in your home.

Rodents will usually be active when your home is quiet.

• Scratching in the walls
• Moving around above your ceiling
• Scurrying in your attic
• Moving around in your cabinets
• Moving around your crawl space
• Moving around in your garage/storage area

Scampering and gnawing sounds at night can be a sign that you have rodents in your home.

Rodents will leave droppings wherever they find food or a place to nest.

You may find droppings around:

• Pantry’s
• Garage
• Cabinets
• Storage areas
• Attics
• Crawl Spaces
• Around pet food
• Bird seed
• Boxes
• Shelves

Rodents can also chew through cardboard, food packaging and many other objects. Rodents can cause property damage and contaminate your food.

Call Steel City Pest if you start to notice multiple signs of rodents in your home.

Not only should you be checking the inside of your home. But you should also be keeping an eye on the outside of your home.

Many fall invaders will congregate on the outside of your home before finding a way inside.

Many fall invaders will congregate on the south/sunny walls of your home.

You may notice large groups of stink bugs, box elder bugs, Asian lady beetles or other fall invaders around your windows.

If you notice this happening check inside of your home around those windows.

You may notice bugs around the inside of your windows. They can be found in between the window glass, on the trim and on your walls.

Don’t wait until there are hundreds of bugs inside of your home to look for entry points.

Roaches are not just a summer problem in Alabama. Many species of roaches will live outside and invade your home when the weather starts to cool.

Roaches will overwinter in many areas outside of your home.

They can be found under mulch, pine straw, leaf debris, firewood, compost, trash, crawl spaces and anywhere that has moisture.

☐ Keep your landscape clean.

☐ Don’t allow too much leaf debris to build up.

☐ Don’t have mulch/pine straw piled up against your home.

☐ Keep firewood away from your home.

☐ Make sure trash cans have lids.

☐ Eliminate any moisture around your home.

Roaches can be attracted to food and water inside of your home.

☐ Keep your kitchen free from crumbs.

☐ Make sure to store food in air tight containers.

☐ Make sure your pet food is stored properly.

☐ Fix any plumbing leaks.

☐ Clean under your refrigerator/stove.

☐ Empty your trash regularly.

☐ Make sure there is no standing water under your sink.

Many pests will invade your home because they have access to food and water.

Leaves will start to fall in October and you may not think that’s a big deal. But if leaves start to pile up they can become a home for many pests.

Make sure to keep your foundation free of leaf debris.

☐ Remove any excess leaves around your foundation.

☐ Make sure leaves are not clogging your crawl space vents.

☐ Remove leaves from under your porch/deck.

☐ Remove leaves around your exterior doors.

☐ Clean around your garage.

☐ Remove debris around your A/C unit.

☐ Make sure to keep leaves cleared from your fence line that is against your home.

Also make sure to keep your bushes away from your home.

Bugs can travel from your bushes to your windows/roof line.

Just like leaves, mulch can provide pests with a place to live and breed.

Remove any excess mulch that is piling up against your home.

This will help prevent pests from being around your home.

As it starts to get colder you may start to bring firewood inside of your home.

Remember that firewood can harbor many pests. Including spiders, roaches, beetles, ants and more.

☐ Store your firewood away from your home.

☐ Keep firewood away from your garage/crawl space.

☐ Store your firewood off of the ground if possible.

☐ Check firewood for pests before bringing it inside.

Make sure to keep your firewood away from your home and check for pests before you bring it inside.

Don’t bring large amounts of firewood inside of your home. Check your logs for any pests and only bring in what you know you will use.

Many people forget to clean out their garage when doing fall pest control.

Your garage is a prime target for rodents and other pests to live.

Cardboard is a great place for rodents to nest and hide.

☐ Remove any unnecessary cardboard.

☐ Store your items in plastic bins if possible.

☐ Try to keep your items off of the floor.

☐ Give yourself enough room to walk around your garage.

☐ Get rid of any unneeded items that can harbor pests.

Dog food, cat food, bird seed, grass seed and many other items can attract rodents.

☐ Store pet food in an airtight container.

☐ Store bird seed properly.

☐ Clean up any food that may have fallen.

☐ Don’t leave bags open in your garage.

If there are small bits of food laying around your garage. Its probably not that much to you. But to a mouse its plenty.

Your crawl space can become a magnet for many pests. If you have moisture, leaf debris or other things in your crawl space.

Chances are you don’t spend much time in your crawl space. So pests can live and breed without you knowing.

Make sure to check for any moisture in your crawl space.

• Plumbing leaks
• Standing water
• Poor drainage
• Excess moisture
• Wet insulation

If you have moisture in your crawl space you can attract many different types of pests. It can also allow for other things that you may not want in your crawl space.

☐ Check your crawl space vents.

☐ Check your crawl space door.

☐ Make sure your crawl space screens are not damaged.

☐ Check around plumbing lines.

☐ Check around any holes in your foundation.

☐ Look for rodent droppings/nests.

☐ Check your insulation for damage.

☐ Look for any chew marks.

If you notice any of these in your crawl space contact Steel City Pest.

Many people think spiders are only around during September. But they can still be found in your home during October.

Spiders will be found in many areas of your home. Such as your garage, crawl space, closets, storage areas and basement.

☐ Remove any spider webs around your exterior doors.

☐ Remove spider webs around your windows.

☐ Vacuum your garage.

☐ Sweep your porch.

☐ Clean around your outside lights.

☐ Check your storage areas.

☐ Check around your basement.

☐ Check your crawl space.

If you notice spider webs all over your home it may be a sign that you have other pests.

Spiders feed on other insects. If you have spiders you may have other insects in your home as well.

If you have food laying around your trash and recycling it can attract many pests.

☐ Make sure your trash cans have lids.

☐ Clean around your trash cans.

☐ Pick up any trash that may be around your cans.

☐ Make sure to rinse your recyclables.

☐ Keep your recycling away from your home if possible.

As we mentioned earlier making sure you don’t have food sources around your home can help prevent pests from invading.

☐ Clean your counters.

☐ Sweep your floors.

☐ Clean under your refrigerator/stove.

☐ Store your pantry items in air tight containers.

☐ Empty your trash regularly.

☐ Clean any food/drink that may have spilled.

☐ Don’t leave dirty dishes in your sink.

☐ Don’t leave your pets food out for extended periods of time.

☐ Make sure your pet food bags are stored properly.

☐ Clean up any food that may have fallen.

☐ Don’t leave your pets food out overnight.

Wildlife and rodents will take advantage of food that you may leave out.

Many pests will be attracted to your home if they have access to moisture.

If you have a slow leak from your plumbing it can become a big problem for pests.

Here is a checklist to help you find any moisture in your home.

☐ Check under your sinks for leaks.

☐ Check around your toilet.

☐ Check around your washer.

☐ Check your water heater.

☐ Check your crawl space for moisture.

☐ Check your basement for any moisture.

☐ Check around your utility room.

☐ Check around your exterior spigots.

☐ Clean your gutters.

☐ Check your down spouts.

☐ Make sure water is flowing away from your home.

Once you find any leaks make sure to repair them so they don’t become a problem.

As you can see there are many things you can do to prevent pests from invading your home in October.

However, if you are noticing any of these you should call Steel City Pest.

• Rodent droppings
• Scratching in your walls/ceiling
• Chew marks
• Seeing roaches frequently
• Large amounts of fall invaders getting inside your home
• Seeing spiders all over your home
• Pests in your attic/crawl space
• Food being destroyed
• Pests coming back after treatment
• Having multiple types of pests in your home

Steel City Pest can help you with any of these problems and many more.

☐ Check all of your exterior doors/windows.

☐ Replace any weather stripping that is torn.

☐ Replace any torn window screens.

☐ Add/replace door sweeps.

☐ Fill any cracks that may be around your foundation.

☐ Check around utility lines.

☐ Check your attic/crawl space vents.

☐ Look for rodent droppings/chew marks.

☐ Listen for scratching in your walls/ceiling.

☐ Check your south/sunny walls for fall invaders.

☐ Clean leaves around your foundation.

☐ Keep bushes away from your home.

☐ Don’t allow mulch/pine straw to pile up against your home.

☐ Keep firewood away from your home.

☐ Check firewood for pests before bringing it inside.

☐ Organize your garage.

☐ Get rid of any cardboard that you can.

☐ Store your pet food/bird seed properly.

☐ Check your crawl space for moisture/pests.

☐ Remove spider webs.

☐ Clean around your trash/recycling.

☐ Store your food properly.

☐ Clean under your refrigerator/stove.

☐ Fix any plumbing leaks.

☐ Clean your gutters/down spouts.

☐ Make sure water is flowing away from your home.

☐ Call Steel City Pest if you have pests getting into your home.

Now that you know what to look for in your home during October you can prepare your home for the colder months.

There are many things you can do to prevent pests from getting into your home.

You don’t want to wait until you hear scratching in your attic or find droppings in your garage.

Take these simple steps and your home will be less appealing to pests.

If you are having problems with mice, rats, roaches, spiders, stink bugs, asian lady beetle or box elder bugs. Steel City Pest can help you.

Call us today to schedule an appointment and get your Alabama home ready for the colder months.