Protecting your home from household pests

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - We are having a warmer winter this year. Could that mean more pests to deal with in the spring? How can people protect their homes from Idaho's most common pests like termites and spiders? Local News 8 spoke with a local pest control company to find out.

Rein Weil from Falls Pest Services says there won't necessarily be more pests, but we will likely see them earlier this year.

Homeowners might be already be seeing little upheaval trails on their lawns. Those are signs of voles.

Once the snow starts to melt, we will start to see more spiders, since they like to hide in the mold and dead plants in the yard.

"We do still have pests in the winter," Weil said. "Even though it's still snowing...we still want to treat for those pests. They're there. We just can't see them."

Weil says people can protect their homes from pests by clearing dead leaves out of their yards. Once the snow starts to melt, they should get their homes regularly sprayed for pests.

She also recommends people who are moving into new homes treat them for pests beforehand.

"A really key time to do a spray would be when the home is completely empty so we can get a good barrier down both on the interior and the exterior to help prevent those pests."

The same thing goes for anyone moving into a new home, especially in a new state. The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) recommends learning which pests are common in your new backyard and taking steps to reduce the chances of an infestation.

For more information on how to protect your home from pests, go to pestworld.org.