How Mild Winters Effect Pest Populations

Published on Thursday, February 16, 2012

The temperature may have dropped significantly in recent weeks, but this winter has been surprisingly mild throughout the UK. The human population may appreciate a mild winter, but we are not the only ones to react positively to mild winter days. It is a well-known fact that unseasonable weather has an effect on the pest population, but what exactly are the outcomes, and what can we do to protect our homes?

Basically milder winter weather can lead to a bigger pest problem for home and property owners come spring, when many common pests such as rodents and flies enter their busiest time. Firstly, unseasonably warm weather means that insects which would usually become dormant for the cold season stay much more active. This maintenance in activity levels leads to earlier and more prolific breeding trends, and therefore a larger population and an increased chance that the particular creature will become a problem.

Secondly, rodent activity may also become an issue before spring has even begun. Rats and mice will be in better condition after a mild winter than they would after a cold one, as food will have been easier to find on unfrozen ground. Also, rodent numbers will be elevated, as fewer individuals will have succumbed to the freezing temperatures. March is the beginning of the rodent breeding season, and if we continue to have mild weather until that time, we may end up with a very large population, and a rodent problem in our homes and businesses as a result.

We may be experiencing some cold weather now that February is here, but the damage has already been done over Christmas and New Year. You may be thinking that this sounds all very ‘doom and gloom’, but there’s also some good points to a mild winter such as an increase in natural food for birds and other beneficial creatures, and of course lower heating bills for us humans!

To stay on this positive note there are a few things that you can do to enable your home and family to ‘weather the storm’ come spring. Make sure that your property is in good repair with all holes filled and cracks sealed, store your bins away from your home and keep them clean, clear away any pet poop in the garden, and consider installing protective screens on your windows and doors. Take a look at our excellent and wide range of screens for the home and business.