London pest control this winter: How to stop cold guests from inviting themselves in
London Pest Control | Winter in London | Festive Season London
The cold is approaching, fast. You have probably felt the air getting crisper, you can start to spot the first festive lights, and London is transforming into its beautiful, frosty winter self.
Whether you’re battling the crowds to see the lights on Regent Street in the City of Westminster, enjoying a quiet, cold walk through Richmond upon Thames, or braving the ice rink by the South Bank in Lambeth, we’re all looking forward to that moment we step back inside our warm, cosy homes.
But, if you’re craving the warmth, so are the London pests. As soon as the temperature starts to drop outside, your secure, heated house, full of food and insulation, stops being a home and starts looking like a five-star luxury hotel to every rodent, pest, and insect desperate to escape the cold.
At Mercury Pest Control, we know that winter is the most critical time for preventative pest control all across London. Your efforts now will save you a lot of headache (and money) in the depths of the winter months.
Below is your November guide to London pest control, to gear up ready for the winter, focusing on the pests most likely to invade, what they’re up to, and the practical steps you can take today.
The winter rush: why pests move into your London home
Our homes offer three comforts all creatures need when trying to survive the cold: Food, Water, and Shelter.
In older boroughs like Islington and Hackney, the network of interconnected period homes provides an easy route for rodents once they find an entry point. Here’s a look at the key pests who become highly active in the cold:
Rats and mice
Rats and mice don’t hibernate. When the ground freezes, they simply shift their focus from surviving outdoors to thriving indoors. Their survival depends entirely on finding a reliable warm place to stay.
What they’re doing now:
- Targeting the heat: Their focus shifts to getting into the main structure of the house, rather than sheds or out houses. We find them in loft spaces, wall cavities, and always close to sources of warmth, like the boiler room.
- Finding their meals: In busy family homes across areas like Camden and Kensington and Chelsea, a stray crumb or an open bag of pet food in your kitchen is a huge luxury when natural food sources are harder to come by.
- Building nests: They will shred anything for bedding, insulation, cardboard, fabrics, and yes, electrical wiring. This isn’t just a nuisance; it’s a serious fire hazard that peaks in the winter months.
After a busy day of Christmas shopping in the West End, the last thing you want to come home to is a mouse in your flat. A mouse needs a gap the size of a pencil to enter your home, and a young rat only the size of a 20p coin. Proof by sealing every single crack you find, especially where pipes and cables enter the home, using durable materials like wire wool and proper sealant.
Squirrels
You might see them burying nuts in Greenwich Park or Hyde Park, but when it gets seriously cold, the grey squirrel wants your attic, and these little intrusive pests will stop at nothing to get in.
What they’re doing now:
- Forcing entry: Squirrels are shockingly strong and persistent which often people don’t realise as they enjoy seeing Squirrels in parks. They will gnaw right through roof vents, soffits, fascia boards, and damaged flashing to access the driest, warmest space in your home, your loft.
- Structural chaos: Once they’re in, they’re messy. They tear apart insulation to build a huge nest, leave droppings everywhere, and the noise of their scratching and scurrying can drive anyone mad. They cause much more concentrated damage than mice or rats, and often, long lasting trauma for residents.
Now is the time to inspect your roofline, safely. Ensure any vents are covered with a sturdy metal mesh and that all tiles and eaves are fully sealed. Don’t underestimate how determined a squirrel is to avoid a night out in the cold.
Other winter pests that thrive indoors
Securing your home means thinking about more than just rodents and squirrels. Other pests thrive in the consistent, centrally heated environments we maintain through winter.
Bed bugs
The holiday season brings family visits, students home from university, and winter breaks. Bed bugs are infamous hitchhikers who love luggage.
What they’re doing now:
- Consistent comfort: Bed bugs don’t hibernate and they are active and breeding all winter, especially when you maintain a warm indoor temperature.
- The free ride: A single pregnant female introduced via a visitor’s suitcase or a returning student’s laundry bag can start a massive infestation in your bedroom. We see spikes in calls for London pest control in the winter right after the holiday travel season.
When you or visitors return from travel, keep luggage off beds and sofas. Wash all clothes immediately on a high-temperature setting and if you’re getting unexplained bites, don’t wait, call Mercury Pest Control straight away.
Moths
It’s time to dig out our winter clothes and this is where we often find evidence of clothes moth larvae.
What they’re doing now:
- Feasting in the wardrobe: Your warm textile filled wardrobes, drawers and cupboards offer a perfect spot for moth larvae to feed on wool, cashmere, and silk. And yes, they have expensive taste.
- Open buffet: Pantry moths continue to breed in your dry goods, as they do year round as they can easily chew through soft packaging. Main focus areas can be cereal, flour, and spices.
When switching out to your winter wardrobe, wash all woollen items before storage or wearing. In the kitchen, transfer all dry goods into hard plastic or glass containers, throw away spices that are not used and just take up space.
Final check: your plan for effective London pest control in the winter
If you want a winter free from scratching noises and costly damage, you need to act now.
- Seal it all: Be relentless. Plug every crack, gap, and utility entry point with sealant and wire wool.
- Tidy the kitchen: Don’t leave anything out overnight. Store pet food, crumbs, and snacks securely.
- Secure the bins: Ensure all indoor and outdoor bins are sealed tight. This is your first line of defence against rats in dense areas like Ealing and Tower Hamlets.
- Clear the clutter: Declutter lofts and basements. Pests love undisturbed piles of cardboard and fabrics for nesting. Store items in sealed plastic tubs.
- Call at the first sign: If you find one dropping or hear one scratch, act fast. Pests multiply rapidly, and in London’s properties, they can spread through your neighbourhood quickly.
London pest control services that we provide
Mercury Pest Control provide expert pest control across all of London for both residential and commercial properties.
The most common London pests include;
- Pest control surveys in London | professional inspections, pest surveys, and commercial pest control contracts to identify pest activity and entry points
- Textile insect control in London | expert treatment for clothes moths, carpet beetles, and other fabric pests, including moth and carpet beetle surveys & treatments
- Rat control in London | effective rat control & prevention, rodent control, and removal for residential and commercial properties
- Mouse control in London | safe mouse control & proofing and rodent control treatment solutions
- Squirrel control in London | humane squirrel control removal and loft protection services
- Wasp and fly control in London | fast and reliable wasp control, wasp nest removal, and fly control treatments
- Bed bug treatment in London | thorough bed bug control treatments and ongoing monitoring
- Drainage surveys for rats in London | specialist CCTV drain surveys, drain surveys, drainage cleaning/high pressure jetting, and drainage no dig repairs/relining to trace and block rat access routes
- Commercial pest management in London | tailored commercial pest management, commercial pest control contracts, and pest prevention plans for all businesses including restaurants, offices, warehouses, and retail spaces
- Integrated pest management in London | long-term, environmentally responsible pest control solutions
- Flea control in London | targeted flea control treatments for residential and commercial properties
- Cockroach control in London | professional treatments for cockroaches and ongoing monitoring for all species
- Ant control in London | effective solutions for ant control and eradication of various species
- Bird control & pigeon proofing in London | professional bird deterrents and pigeon control & proofing systems for commercial properties
📞 Call: 0208 166 5110
📩 Email: info@mercurypestcontrol.co.uk
📍 Serving homes and businesses across all London postcodes | London Pest Control Winter