I used your maxxthor and bithor all summer and they kept my yard and house pest free. My question is do I need to keep treating all winter? We’re in Missouri and get cold for a month or two. We definitely see bugs up to the new year but not much outside in January or Feb. Sometimes we get a lot rain and some warm spells and then they appear all over so I don’t want them coming back. What do you recommend?
So first, cold temps won’t negatively affect your treatments. And since springtails are actively reproducing all year long (even in the dead of winter), you should at the very least be spraying the home siding and especially around windows and doors given the problem you had last year.
So should you continue with regular monthly treatments in January and February? 100% YES!
And this is extra important if you reside in any of the middle or southern states.
There are a few reasons.
First and foremost, contrary to what most people believe, cold does not kill most insects.
The following short video shows active springtails and its around 27 degrees out. In fact it had been very cold for several days prior to the filming of this video. True, they were hiding. But the deck they were on was as cold as the air around it. More notable is that springtails are what we consider to be a “weak” pest when it comes to things like the temperature yet they were very healthy. In other words, the cold was not bothering them.
And if that isn’t proof enough, here is another video taken a year later. This is one of our “test homes” where we actively monitor insects to see what is active, when they’re active, etc. These same windows might have anything from MOSQUITOES to ANTS on them from spring to fall but the one pest we can find every month even when the outside temps are well below freezing? It’s the SPRINGTAIL.
Now it is true that most insects are essentially governed by temperature regarding their activity level and so yes, if it gets below 35 degrees and stays that cold for a week, most insects will go dormant.
But SPRINGTAILS WILL NOT STOP REPRODUCING EVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER!
In fact that’s what the ones in the video above were actively doing. Essentially the ones you see moving on the window frame and sill are males foraging to leave sperm packets (known as spermatophores). These are left for females to find and from there, to start new colonies.
This means even in the January, springtails are starting new nests and the most likely place this is happening will be around WINDOWS, DOORS, HOME SIDING and GUTTERS.
But it’s not just springtails that might be active where you live.
Many pests will come out when the temperatures get to 45 degrees or more. And on those days your home will be targeted.
This means your home, assuming it’s heated, will be a giant magnet to both insects and animals during the cold season.
So if you have trees and other vegetation around your home where pests might be hiding, they will NATURALLY MOVE TOWARD YOUR HOME WHEN THE TEMPS DROP.
Flying pests like LADY BEETLES and STINK BUGS will start appearing on your home’s siding looking for shelter. Same thing with crawling pests like ANTS and ROACHES not to mention TERMITES.
THE MOST LIKELY SEASON OF THE YEAR WHEN YOUR HOME WILL ATTRACT BOTH INSECTS AND ANIMALS WILL BE THE WINTER!
Now it is true the same thing can happen if its too hot out or when it rains a lot. So yes, during the summer, insects and animals are doing whatever they can to keep cool. In nature, they’d seek the hollow of a tree or maybe a cave if available.
But with homes and other buildings being air conditioned, its easy to understand why bugs and animals want to get inside during summer. Same can be said when it rains; ground dwelling pests like CENTIPEDES and MILLIPEDES will readily move onto homes to avoid drowning. From there, they will end up in basements, crawl spaces and wall voids too.
But this same effect is in play during the winter. Basically all the pests around your home will find any house to be very comfortable when the cold arrives and they can “see” your home that much easier in the cold.
The other big reason is that most insects thrive on trees. Their foliage provides shelter along with food and water. But when trees drop their leaves in the fall? All of the insects and animals (like FLYING SQUIRRELS and ROOF RATS) will be forced to find a new home. This is when they end up on your rooftop and eventually, inside attic spaces.
For all of these reasons its generally true the most likely time for your home to become their home will be at the end of the year and the winter.
Now if you live in northern tier close to Canada, you can probably skip treating in January and maybe February. Especially if the ground remains frozen or covered in snow.
But if YOU LIVE IN A MIDDLE OR SOUTHERN STATE, YOU SHOULD NOT STOP TREATING YOUR HOMES EXTERIOR SIDING DURING THE WINTER.
We recommend continuing treating once a month if you had springtails. Because if you don’t, they will almost assuredly be migrating up your homes siding and around windows, etc. and from there, get inside by March or April.
And thanks for the feedback on Maxxthor and Bithor. Nothing stronger than Maxxthor/Boost for the yard and homes siding. And for inside treatments, Bithor is well formulated for the task!
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