Well, howdy neighbors! Fred Talley here from Faith Pest Control in Jasper, Georgia.

October is one of the prettiest times of year to live up here near Sharptop Mountain and Burnt Mountain. The air gets crisp, fire pits get fired up, and high school football is going strong. But right when you settle into your recliner late at night, that faint scritch-scritch-scritch sound starts echoing from your ceiling or behind the baseboards.

If you are hearing scurrying sounds in the dark, you are not imagining things. October marks the seasonal surge when field mice, deer mice, and roof rats pack their bags and head straight for North Georgia crawlspaces and attics.

Why does this happen so suddenly in October? Two things drive rodents inside: falling outdoor temperatures and shrinking food supplies. Once the hardwoods shed their foliage and wild seeds dry up, mice use their keen sense of smell to track the warm air currents wafting out of your home’s subfloor and attic vents.

Most homeowners ask me, “Fred, my doors and windows stay closed tight—how on earth are they getting inside?” The reality is that mice possess incredible physical flexibility. A full-grown field mouse can slip through an opening the size of a dime—just a quarter of an inch wide!

The most common entryways we uncover across Pickens County homes include:

Gaps around AC line sets: Where the insulated refrigerant lines enter the exterior siding, plumbers and HVAC techs often leave small gaps that mice treat as an open front door.

Foundation and crawlspace vents: Rusted vent screens, unlatched crawlspace access doors, or gaps beneath wooden sills allow rodents immediate access to warm subfloor insulation.

Rooflines and overhanging tree limbs: Tree branches touching gutters give mice, rats, and squirrels elevated bridges to bypass your foundation entirely and enter gable vents or roof joints.

Once inside, rodents pose serious risks. They gnaw on electrical wiring, shred fiberglass insulation to build nests, and leave unsanitary droppings. Standard foam spray from the hardware store will not stop them either; mice chew right through plain expanding foam. You have to back it with coarse stainless steel wool or hardware cloth to stop their teeth cold.

If you suspect uninvited four-legged guests have set up camp above your head or beneath your floors, do not let them multiply. Call me at Faith Pest Control at 770-823-9202. We will pinpoint the entry points, handle the pests, and keep your home protected.

Why Are Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs Swarming Jasper GA Homes in October?

Well, howdy neighbors! Fred Talley here with Faith Pest Control, right here in beautiful Jasper, Georgia.

If you have walked out on your porch this October, glanced up at your sunny siding, or tried to enjoy an afternoon watching the leaves turn across Pickens County, you have probably noticed those shield-shaped critters buzzing against your window screens. Every autumn, right as the night temperatures dip down into the 40s, our phones light up with folks asking the exact same question: “Fred, why are brown marmorated stink bugs covering my house?”

Here is the straightforward answer: stink bugs are cold-blooded overwintering pests. During the spring and summer, they stay out in orchards, gardens, and timber lines feeding on plants and tree sap. But when October hits North Georgia, those bugs receive an unmistakable cue from nature that winter is around the corner. They start searching for warm, sheltered spots to enter a state of dormancy called diapause—essentially insect hibernation.

Your house happens to be the biggest, warmest rock on the hillside. Stink bugs seek out the sunny south and west-facing exterior walls of your home in the heat of the afternoon. As the sun sets and the outside air chills, they crawl right into the tiniest structural crevices they can find. A stink bug only needs a gap about the thickness of a toothpick to squeeze behind your vinyl siding, slip through worn door weatherstripping, or shimmy past an attic gable vent screen. Once inside wall voids or attic rafters, they stay protected from freezing mountain temperatures until warm days fool them into creeping into your living room.

To keep them from moving in with your family this season, run through three practical steps:

Check window and door screens: Make sure screens fit tightly and do not have tears. Stink bugs love crawling through corner tears where the spline has pulled away.

Inspect outdoor pipe and wire penetrations: Grab a tube of exterior silicone caulk and seal the openings where plumbing, gas lines, or air conditioning conduits punch through exterior siding.

Never crush them indoors: If a few make it inside, vacuum them up or sweep them gently into soapy water. Crushing them releases that telltale coriander-like defensive odor and signals to other bugs nearby.

At Faith Pest Control, we do not believe in just doing a generic spray-and-pray. We perform a thorough 58-point pest analysis to locate exact crawlspace, foundation, and roofline entry routes. Plus, we back everything we do with our unmatched guarantee: if you hire me to solve your bug problem and you are not 100% happy after 30 days, we retreat your home for free until you are!

Do not spend October swatting smelly bugs off your curtains. Give me a holler at 770-823-9202, mention you caught this message, and let us protect your home.

• Our Winters Aren’t Cold Enough: In North Georgia, we rarely experience prolonged, deep freezes that penetrate far below the frost line.
• They Head Deeper Into the Soil: Subterranean termites survive cold snaps simply by digging a little deeper into the earth, where ground temperatures remain steady and mild.
• Your Heated Home Is an All-Inclusive Resort: Once worker termites find their way into your crawlspace, basement, sill plates, or wall studs, your heating system keeps them perfectly cozy. Inside your walls, it feels like spring all winter long.

• Mud Shelter Tubes: Termites need moisture to survive. They construct pencil-thin mud tubes along foundation walls, piers, and crawlspace footings to travel safely between the moist soil and the wood in your home.
• Hollowed Wood: Wood that sounds papery or hollow when tapped, especially around baseboards, windowsills, and floor joists.
• Tight-Fitting Doors and Windows: Moisture and structural shifting caused by termite tunneling can make doors stick in their frames.
• Bubbling Paint or Drywall Discoloration: Often mistaken for minor water damage, termite tunnels just under paint or sheetrock can cause bubbling and ripples.