Preparing For Winter And Setting Yourself Up For Success

The mornings are crisp and evenings are brisk. It’s time to accept summer has ended and we’re headed into the big and scary dark months of winter. We all have our different routines for preparing for the months of cold that are ahead of us but it’s important to set yourself up for success to enjoy the following spring and summer to the fullest. Adding a few extra tasks to your list can help prevent pests getting the jump on you returning to your yard next season.

Of course, if you are a gardener or an urban farmer, there’s a whole other list of things to manage when preparing for winter. There’s a final harvest, trimming back spent plants, fertilizing, and so much more! But what can you do for your yard to help prevent bugs swarming you after the big thaw come springtime? It’s not very different from what you’ve been doing all summer long but there are a few extra steps you can take.

Winterize Your Lawn

First off, you’ll want to “winterize” your lawn. You’ll want to clear away any leaves that have fallen on your yard from nearby trees. Mulching the leaves with your mower is a great way to utilize the nutrients from the leaves to help fertilize the grass. If there are too many leaves to mulch, still remove the leaves from your lawn before it snows. When wet, leaf piles make an excellent petri dish for bacteria and mold to develop that can damage your lawn. These dark moist spots are also perfect for pests to take shelter in during the winter giving them the advantage when Spring arrives. You’ll also want to mow your lawn fairly short. Similar to the leaf piles, long wet grass provides dark moist areas that fungus and pests thrive in.

Clean And Organize

Now you’ll want to tackle storage spaces. These include wood piles, sheds, garages, and the occasional brick collection from that walkway project that didn’t get finished (again) this year. All of these places can provide shelter from the elements for pests of all sizes. For garages and sheds, you’ll want to clean and organize what’s being stored, as well as do your best to patch any holes that lead into the space. This will help with preventing any pests from making their winter home in your space. But remember, mice can fit through holes the size of a dime so be vigilant when searching for even the smallest potential entryways! For wood and other stockpiles, you can rely on the sub-zero weather to eliminate any pests or use materials like tarp to cover the supplies up to help prevent critters moving in. While winterizing your lawn and managing firewood storage is important, there’s one thing that absolutely needs to be done to really improve your chances of preventing pests in your yard this fall.

The Enemy Of My Enemy…

It is a well known fact that mosquitoes, ticks, and their ilk are afraid of spiders. Spiders, while they can scare us hiding in the corner of the bathroom, are horrifying to smaller pests. So what’s scarier to ticks and mosquitoes than one spider? That’s right, ONE GIANT SPIDER! Be sure to head to your local halloween store that appears to be popping up in every strip mall and stock up on large spider decorations. Mosquitoes and ticks aren’t known for being the smartest pests out there so they’ll have a tough time discerning your large decorative spider from the real deal. Pro tip: add some webbing over bushes and porches to level up the deception. There are some reports that mosquitoes are highly superstitious but many debate that since they are blood scukers like vampires that those studies don’t hold any water. In my opinion, it couldn’t hurt to add a few spooky ghosts to your yard as well for the mosquitoes that are afraid of the afterlife.

Mosquito Squad Of West Michigan Lakeshore Is Here To Help

All jokes aside, handling a few tasks before the snow piles up can really help you get the jumpstart on your spring and summer. Not only will you be tidy and organized, but you’ll also remove areas where pests like to shelter and hunker down throughout the winter. To keep control of the pests after winter, calling pests professionals and maintaining regular treatments for your yard gives you the one up against them! Call Mosquito Squad of West Michigan Lakeshore to learn more about our preseason treatments against mosquitos and ticks or to hear about our Stink Bug Control upgrade.

Set yourself up for success and get a headstart on enjoying your Spring. Call Mosquito Squad of West Michigan Lakeshore today at (616) 426-6776 and ask about setting up preseason treatments next year!