November has come to Kent, WA, bringing more than colorful trees, brown leaves, and shorter periods of sunshine. With temperatures cooling and the rain melting away, residents across the city are noticing a trend they would rather not see: pests making their way indoors.
It is not just humans making the transition from outdoors to indoors — local pests are doing the same. Kent’s location within the Green River Valley, where it has the most residential neighborhoods closest to several nature parks, makes the city face some difficulties this type of year.
Pests destroy property, taint food, and pose health risks to your family. Use Kent pest control to eradicate any issues at an early stage – before they turn into massive infestations – if you notice signs of activity.
What Makes November a Turning Point for Kent’s Pest Activity
November is the tipping point month for infestations in Kent. A typical November day in the city is mid-40s, while nighttime lows fall in the mid-30s, cold enough for pests to go looking for warm, dry places to hibernate.
With dropping temperatures and greatly increased moisture, this is a perfect storm for pest migration. Vegetation dies back and outdoor food sources diminish, and the warmth leaching from your home becomes irresistible for cold-blooded pests and warm-blooded pests as well. What they are seeking to gain is the stability your foundation, attic, and crawl spaces provide: steady temperatures; protection from predators; and potential food and water sources.
The “Big Four” Pests Dominating Kent This November
- Norwegian Rats and House Mice
Kent has the right recipe for rodent populations with the city near the Green River and several parks. The city has noted that rodent complaints in Kent spike 40% from October to December, according to King County Public Health data. With the ability to funnel through holes the size of a quarter, older homes in neighborhoods like East Hill are particularly sensitive to these tenacious creatures.
- Giant House Spiders
Those long-legged spiders you’re spotting? They are found in the Pacific Northwest and are most apparent in November when they breed. When they are indoors, males are supposedly roaming around looking for females (which is why you end up with them in bathtubs or scuttling across your living room floor at 3 AM).
- Moisture Ants
Dampness in November, following Kent’s rainfall, sends ants from their nests underground, swirling in the air to find a dryer cranny. Ants are drawn to houses with water damage, leaks, or bad drainage — particularly an issue in Kent’s old housing stock, where an estimated 35 per cent of homes were built before 1980.
- Cluster Flies
These slow flies come together in the attic and wall voids, making your home a winter hibernation zone. When the weather warms up in November, they take flight and buzz around your windows, an annoying presence in upper stories.
What Kent Homeowners Should Do Right Now
Begin the inspection by examining the outside of your home. Take a walk around the outside perimeter and look for gaps around any utility lines, cracks in the foundation, and damaged weather stripping around the doors. Here is where you often get small gaps, so pay special attention to where different building materials meet.
Indoors, look under sinks for moisture issues and examine items in your garage or basement for any signs of rodent activity, such as scat or chewed-up items.
Professional assessments catch problems that many Kent residents otherwise miss. Saela Pest Control offers thorough inspections throughout the Lynnwood area, covering all areas where pests can enter and where activity may already be present. Their integrated pest management methods tackle immediate disease while preventing future outbreaks, a crucial method in Kent during a cold November. With their technicians familiar with local pest behavior, they can tailor the treatments directly to all the risk factors around your home.
Now that winter is approaching, your only chance to keep pests out where they belong is to act before winter sets in.
