Overwintering garden pests, insects that have survived the winter by burying themselves or their eggs in bark or plant debris, can surprise you in the spring when they emerge and start to damage your plants.
One method of controlling overwintering pests on outdoor plants is to thoroughly clean up your garden in fall, at the end of the growing season, so that insects have fewer safe places to hide or lay their eggs. A further effective control method is to apply oil spray to dormant roses, fruit trees, and shade trees in early spring before buds open, but when temperatures exceed 40° F. for at least 24 hours. A spray of dormant oil kills scale insects and insect eggs before they can emerge and eat your plants.
There are also overwintering pests that come indoors in the fall, then hide in cracks and crevices inside your house. Fortunately, you can easily control many of these with indoor insect killer. Simply follow label directions and spray under sinks, along baseboards, around plumbing, behind the refrigerator, and in other places where these unwanted guests can hide.