When it gets cold in Albany, New York, what do you do? You put on a jacket, right? You're also going to spend more and more time inside. The desire to be inside, where it is warm is a trait we share with bugs and wildlife. When it gets colder, they're going to want to find a place to get away from it. Many will hide under a piece of bark or inside a hole, but if they find out you have a warmer place they could be, they'll take you up on the offer. even if you didn't knowingly invite them, but being the gracious host that you are, you would probably never turn anyone away who needs a warm place to stay. But, when it comes to bugs and wildlife, you might want to change your ways. Pests can damage your home, chew into your food packages, and spread harmful bacteria and disease. When they come looking for a place to stay, let them know that there are no vacancies at your place.

Keep overwintering pests out.

• When wasps or rodents ask to stay in your attic, give them a gentle, "No," by having pest guards installed on your eaves. Eaves are a common entry point for many bugs and animals.

• When bugs explain that it is a bit chilly and that they would love to hide in the corner of your cellar, let them down easy by sealing up your basement walls. There are liquid cement repair kits that can do the job nicely.

• When pests get bold and look to come right into your living spaces through your doors and windows, let them find sealed screens and functional door sweeps and weather stripping. If your screens have tiny holes in them and you're worried about the cost of having those screens replaced, have no fear. There are some great screen repair tips on YouTube that will help you effectively fix them for pennies.

• When cockroaches pretend they're Santa Claus and try to slide down the chimney, let them know it isn't Christmas yet and make sure they find it covered with screening or topped with a damper.

• When rodents come to chew in through soft or rotted areas on your exterior walls, let them know that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated. After all, you wouldn't go over to their house and chew a hole in it. Use a caulking gun to fill those holes, gaps and cracks.

• When ants--especially odorous house ants--start crawling up your walls to find all the little entry points you missed, let them find a light layer of pesticide to motivate them to find another place to be.

There are a number of creatures that can mistake your home for a winter harborage. Get things sealed up before the temperatures start to drop and you'll have a lot fewer bugs and rodents this winter and next spring.

For natural exclusions specific to your home, or treatment options for hard-to-keep-out bugs and wildlife, give us a call. Thomas Pest Services is a proud recipient of the 2013 and 2014 Angie's List Super Service Award and the company more and more New York residents are turning to for effective Eco-friendly pest control.