During the cold weather of winter, your attic can become a warm and cozy prospect for a number of pests. Like you, these pests are simply seeking to escape the cold weather outside. Unfortunately, they could damage your attic in the process.
If you have heard noises in your attic, then one or more of the following pests could have moved in for the winter.
1. Squirrels
During the winter, tree squirrels will enter an attic to seek a warm place to shelter if they can gain access to the roof. And because tree squirrels don't hibernate, they'll be active in your attic throughout winter. Squirrels are bad news for your attic because they can damage your insulation, and they may even hoard nuts in your attic.
2. Roof Rats
Roof rats are excellent climbers. That means that they will be able to access your roof if nearby trees or structures provide them with a path. If your pest invaders are roof rats, then you need to remove them as quickly as possible because they will cause a significant amount of damage otherwise.
Roof rats gnaw on electrical wires, which is a fire risk for your home. Roof rats may also gnaw through water pipes if no other water source is available. This could lead to some costly damage.
3. Mice
Mice can enter your home through a tiny crack during winter in search of food and warmth. Mice like to nest in attics because that is the warmest area of a house. Although mice are small, they can breed rapidly, even in winter, and that spells big trouble for your insulation, which is the ideal nesting material for mice.
4. Bats
Of all the pests on this list, only bats hibernate throughout the winter. In late autumn, early winter, bats enter homes through small holes or cracks and then take up residence in the warmest part of the building, the attic. Although bats don't damage insulation or wiring, they can keep you up at night as they fly around your attic, or crawl around inside your walls seeking warmth.
If you have bats roosting in your attic, a pest controller will likely advise you to wait until spring to remove them, otherwise, they could die in the cold temperatures outside.
If you suspect that one of these pests has invaded your attic, then you need to remove them before they do some costly damage. Call a company offering pest control services today to arrange to have your pest problem removed.