October is when my phone changes tune. The wasp calls of high summer start to tail off. Instead, the calls about scratching in the attic, droppings in the hot press and mice behind the kitchen presses start to pick up. As the October evenings get colder and wetter across Cork, Kerry and Limerick, pests that spent the summer outdoors start looking for somewhere warm and dry to spend the winter. Very often that somewhere is your home.

Here are the October pests I am seeing and expecting in Cork, Kerry and Limerick this month. I also cover what to look out for and the simple things you can do now to keep your house pest-free going into winter.

1. Rats and mice: the biggest October pests moving indoors

This is the big one for October. Once the nights drop in temperature and farmers harvest the fields, mice and rats lose their outdoor food and shelter and push towards buildings. Houses, garages, sheds and farmyards all give them exactly what they want: warmth, cover and food.

I deal with this every autumn, from Cork City, Ballincollig and Carrigaline to Midleton, Cobh, Mallow and West Cork. I see it across Kerry in Tralee and Killarney too, and out to Limerick City and the county. Rural homes beside fields and older houses with tired seals around pipes tend to be hit first. Newer estates are not immune either.

Signs of rats and mice to look for

• Droppings in presses, under the sink, in the hot press or in the attic
• Scratching or scurrying in the ceiling, walls or under floors, usually at night
• Gnawed food packaging, chewed insulation or cables
• Greasy rub marks along skirting boards and pipes
• Pets suddenly fixated on one spot, like behind the fridge or cooker

What you can do now to keep rodents out

• Check where pipes and cables come into the house and fill gaps – a mouse can squeeze through a gap about the width of a pencil
• Fit brush strips to the bottom of garage and back doors
• Make sure air vents and air bricks have intact covers
• Keep bird feed, pet food and grain in sealed metal or hard plastic containers
• Keep bins closed and clear clutter from around the walls of the house and sheds

If you are already hearing noises, do not wait for it to get worse – mice breed quickly once they are settled indoors. My rodent treatments for detached and semi-detached homes come with a 2-year warranty, so if they come back, so do I. You can read more on my rodent control page. If you are interested in how wet weather and drains play a part, I covered that in my recent post on wet weather, sewers and rodents.

2. Cluster flies gathering in attics and windows

If you find dozens of slow, sluggish flies gathering on a sunny window, or a pile of dead flies on the attic floor, you most likely have cluster flies. They are a bit bigger than a house fly and spend the summer out in fields and gardens. In autumn they look for a sheltered spot to hibernate, and attics, roof spaces and the gaps around window frames suit them perfectly. They are among the most common October pests in rural homes surrounded by grassland, which covers a lot of Cork, Kerry and Limerick.

Cluster flies do not breed in your house or go near your food. However, they come back to the same buildings year after year. On mild winter days they wake up and crawl out into rooms. Hoovering them up helps in the short term. Sealing gaps around windows, eaves and vents helps longer term. If you have them in large numbers, give me a call and I can treat the roof space.

3. Late wasps – drowsy, but still stinging

Wasp season is winding down, but it is not over yet. Many nests are still active into October, especially after a mild September. At this time of year the workers have run out of work to do. They become slow and drowsy and go looking for fallen apples, sugary drinks and bins. That is when a lot of people get stung.

New queens are also leaving the nest now to find somewhere to hibernate, often in attics, sheds and wall cavities. A nest that is still busy beside a door, in a soffit or in a shed is still worth treating. Wasps do not reuse old nests, but you will want to know if they have built one somewhere awkward. My wasp nest treatments come with a 1-year warranty for the same year. See my wasp nest removal pages for Cork City, Tralee, Killarney and Limerick.

4. Fleas waking up when the heating comes on

This one surprises people. Flea eggs and pupae can sit dormant in carpets, rugs and pet bedding for weeks. When the heating goes on in October and the house warms up, they hatch. Suddenly fleas are biting you and your pets, often around the ankles.

• Keep your cat and dog on a flea treatment recommended by your vet
• Wash pet bedding on a hot wash
• Hoover carpets, rugs, sofas and car seats thoroughly and empty the hoover outside straight away
• If the bites keep coming after treating the pets, the house itself needs treating – that is where I come in

5. Spiders and other insects coming in from the cold

Autumn is also when you notice more large house spiders running across the floor, plus beetles and other insects coming in under doors. Most of these are harmless and simply looking for shelter. Draught-proofing doors and windows and cutting back plants and ivy from the walls of the house keeps a lot of them out. If you are seeing something you are not sure about, send me a photo and I will tell you what it is and whether it needs treating.

Why it pays to tackle October pests early

October pests that get settled indoors in Cork, Kerry and Limerick homes tend to stay all winter. A couple of mice in October can become a real infestation by Christmas. Dealing with entry points and early signs now is quicker, easier and cheaper than dealing with a full problem in January.

Get local help with October pests in Cork, Kerry or Limerick

I am a local, one-man pest control service covering Cork, Kerry and Limerick, and I have over 130 reviews from customers I have helped. When you call, you deal with me directly, from the first phone call to the final visit.

If you have noticed any of the signs above, call or WhatsApp me on +353 87 709 3516 or email info@yourlocalpestbuster.ie to book a visit. The sooner I get in, the sooner your home is pest-free for the winter.