Winterizing Your Home Against Pests: The Ultimate November Checklist

Step 1: Find the openings. Walk the foundation and lower siding with a flashlight. Look for crumbling mortar, gaps around utility lines, and unsealed weep holes.

Step 2: Seal correctly. Any opening wider than ¼ inch gets silicone sealant or stainless steel mesh. Softer materials are chewed open by rodents.

Step 3: Secure vents. Screen attic and crawlspace vents with 1/8 inch hardware cloth to keep insects and rodents out.

Warm indoor air escaping through cracks creates a small draft that pulls pests inside. Even narrow seams near flashing can leak enough scent and airflow to act like beacons. For practical techniques, the University of Missouri Extension offers a clear walkthrough: Seal your home to keep insects from spending the winter with you.

Doors and windows are the usual suspects. Replace worn sweeps, refit thresholds until no daylight shows, and recaulk where weather stripping no longer seats. A silicone based caulk tolerates freeze thaw cycles better than latex.

Attics deserve a slow, methodical check. Warm air rises and pools there, which draws cluster flies, paper wasps, and rodents. Close roofline gaps, repair torn vent screens, and foam around exhaust pipes and recessed lighting. Cut down light leaks and you also cut down phototactic insects. In my experience, one neglected gable vent can invite dozens of overwintering flies in a single week.

Heat is only half the story. Humidity drives a lot of winter activity indoors. Camel crickets, centipedes, and silverfish thrive when relative humidity stays above 55 percent. Run dehumidifiers in basements and crawlspaces until you are under 50 percent.

Clean gutters and extend downspouts so water moves away from the foundation. Damp soil along exterior walls becomes a nursery for ants and beetles. Inside, store pet food and grains in airtight plastic or metal containers. Rodents follow odor trails from garages into kitchens through plumbing chases and wall voids. Break the scent path, and you break the traffic.

Based on Pests.org’s 2024 homeowner survey, a majority of winter pest reports originated from homes with chronically damp basements. That matches what I see in the field.

Integrated Pest Management begins outside the walls. Leaf piles along the foundation create shelter for earwigs, spiders, and roaches. Rake debris back, and keep shrubs trimmed at least 12 inches off siding so air can circulate and pests lose cover.

Stack firewood 20 feet from the house and at least 5 inches off the ground. Wood boring beetles, carpenter ants, and termites overwinter in logs, then hitchhike indoors with the next load. Check sheds and compost bins for fresh soil mounding or gnaw marks after rain.

Lighting plays a quiet role. Warm toned LED bulbs attract fewer flying insects than bright white lamps. Motion sensors reduce the time lights stay on near doors, which lowers nighttime insect pressure at entry points.

Once inside, pests survive on the crumbs you never see. Pull out the stove and fridge. Vacuum along baseboards, under appliances, and around heating registers. Sticky residue on cabinet interiors is a magnet for cockroaches.

Before you bring out holiday decorations, crack each box in the garage or on the porch first. Look for shredded nesting material, pellet droppings, a few dead insects. In my years inspecting homes, stored décor is a top source of surprise infestations.

Declutter basements and attics to remove hiding spots. Place sticky monitors or bait stations along baseboards and near utility penetrations to map activity. They are diagnostic tools, not long term fixes, but they tell you whether your sealing and sanitation worked. If you find droppings, use Mice Droppings – Identification, Risks, Dangers for safe cleanup steps.