When spring arrives, so do ants, cockroaches, termites and other unwanted guests. Understanding these household pests and how to prevent them can save homeowners time, money and stress.
Rodents can contaminate food and cause structural damage by chewing through wires and insulation. Sealing cracks and using steel wool in chimneys can deter rodents, as can keeping pantries clean and storing food in sealed containers. Click Here for more information.
Rodents
Rodents like rats and mice are a common pest in both residential and commercial properties. They gain access through openings as small as the width of a dime or a pencil. Their presence is unpleasant and carries health risks. They can cause property damage, contaminate food and water supplies, spread disease through their droppings and urine, and carry fleas that spread tapeworms.
There are more than 80 rodent species and the members of this order share several characteristics. For example, all rodents have continuously-growing incisors with chisel-like edges; they’ve also lost their canine teeth, leaving them with a gap — or diastema — between their incisors and their cheek teeth (molars).
Preventing the entry of rodents into your home starts with proper cleaning and maintenance. Install door sweeps, repair and replace damaged screens on vents, chimneys and windows; seal cracks and gaps with caulk and insulation; store pet foods in airtight containers; and dispose of garbage regularly in a closed can. It’s important to check for signs of rodent activity – such as droppings or gnaw marks – on a monthly basis. Then you can identify and seal any points of entry as soon as they become a problem.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood. Adults are small and rusty red; immature bed bug nymphs look similar but smaller and lighter in color. Both adults and nymphs are able to move over rough surfaces by crawling. They typically hide in dark cracks and crevices within 6 feet of areas where people sleep or rest.
Bed bug prevention begins with thorough inspection of used items before bringing them into the home. If you must bring infected furniture or second-hand clothing, label it as such so others are less likely to unknowingly infest their homes. Vacuum and sweep often to reduce hiding spots. Install door sweeps to discourage movement along hallways and use sealant around baseboards and picture frames to prevent passage through wall voids. Consider installing interceptor monitors under the legs of beds and other furniture to trap hungry bed bugs on their way to a host.
If you suspect that you have a bed bug problem, contact a professional pest control company to perform a comprehensive inspection and treatment. Managing an infestation of these persistent hitchhikers is challenging and may require the removal or treatment of infested material and subsequent monitoring to confirm that the problem is eliminated.
Millipedes
When you see a millipede curling up in a damp corner of the basement or crawling over the mulch in your garden, your first instinct may be to freak out. However, these slow-moving arthropods are not dangerous to people or property and pose no health concerns. They are a normal part of the ecosystem and are attracted to dark, cool, moist environments such as compost piles, heavily mulched flower or shrubbery beds, rotting logs, and soil under stones. They are scavengers and usually consume decomposing vegetation but can damage soft-stemmed plants, including strawberries and seedlings. They are also a nuisance in greenhouses where they can quickly damage emerging seedlings and ripening fruits. Millipedes do not bite and cannot sting, but they defend themselves by secreting a mild chemical fluid from glands along their sides that can irritate skin or eyes.
Millipedes should not be confused with centipedes, which have one pair of legs per body segment and often invade homes in search of food. The main difference is that centipedes move faster and never coil up when disturbed. The best way to prevent millipedes from becoming pests is to keep indoor and outdoor spaces dry by controlling moisture. This can be accomplished by using dehumidifiers and ventilation fans in basements, removing leaf litter or other debris from outdoor areas, and pulling back mulch to avoid direct contact with the foundation of structures.
Spiders
Spiders can enter homes for two reasons: They’re looking for food or they’re seeking a quiet, warm place to hide. Some, like cellar spiders and wolf spiders, don’t construct webs but instead hunt in damp areas such as basements and crawl spaces. Other common spiders include brown recluse and black widow spiders, which can bite. Their fangs are too weak to penetrate human skin, however. Most spiders have poor vision and cannot distinguish humans from prey.
The best prevention measures involve routine, thorough cleaning of all areas, especially those where spiders lurk (e.g., behind baseboards, in corners, under cabinets). A vacuum cleaner is useful for eliminating spiders and their webs and destroying egg sacs. A broom is also effective, but be sure to thoroughly sweep and wipe down surfaces. Adding door sweeps, caulking cracks and voids, managing moisture in crawl spaces, proper firewood storage, and dehumidification all help reduce the number of pests entering your home.
Fox Pest Control has the knowledge, experience and technology to protect your home from the most common household pests and prevent them from returning. Contact us today for a free inspection and estimate. We offer a year-round Home Protection Plan because No Bugs is Simply Better.
Yellow Jackets
Yellowjackets are medium sized wasps with jagged bands of bright yellow on the abdomen. They build nests in ground burrows, tree cavities, and wall voids. Colonies are started each spring by a fertilized queen and can grow to contain thousands of individuals.
Like most social wasps, yellowjackets live in colonies that consist of workers, queens and male drones. Queens are responsible for the nest’s operations and can lay hundreds of eggs. Eggs hatch into grublike larvae that resemble the adults and are cared for by worker wasps. Larvae eventually pupate into adults that are capable of stinging.
To prevent yellowjackets, keep food indoors and outdoors in sealed containers, don’t wear perfumes or scented products, and never disturb their nests. Watch out for a yellowjacket flying near your head or face and slowly move away from the area. A swat or hard jerk could cause the insect to release her stinger, and repeated stings can be painful.
Despite their aggressive reputation, yellowjackets are not natural predators of humans and do not seek out people as prey. However, a person who walks into the path of a yellowjackets’ nest is at risk because the wasps will defend their colony. A sting from a yellowjacket can be painful, but the sting is rarely life-threatening.
Flies
Flies may carry disease-causing bacteria that can contaminate food and irritate human skin. Some flies also are vectors (carriers) of mosquitoes, which can spread diseases like malaria and yellow fever.
Common household flies include the house fly, blow flies and fruit flies. They breed in organic waste such as animal manure, garbage and decaying fruit and vegetables.
To prevent flies, keep garbage cans lidded, and remove trash regularly. Also, keep pet feces from the yard and store pet food in airtight containers. Avoid leaving fruit out on counters and clean drains.
Blow flies and greenbottle flies are metallic blue or green in color and breed in rotting vegetable matter, animal carcasses, and discarded protein-rich garbage. They are attracted to light and can enter homes through window pulley holes, cracks around doors and vents, and unsealed screens.
Cluster flies and face flies are dark gray and do not breed in the home but overwinter as adults in wall voids, attics and sheds. To prevent them, use caulk to seal cracks and gaps in exterior walls and around doors. Install door sweeps and tighten window screens. Vacuum indoors as needed. Applying a residual insecticide to the outside of the home in early fall has been shown to be effective at controlling these insects.
Carpet Beetles
Carpet beetle (Dermestidae) adults fly into homes looking for food sources, often finding a suitable place to lay eggs. After eggs hatch into larvae, they begin feeding on animal-based materials such as wool, fur, silk, feathers and leather. The most common items attacked are clothing and blankets, especially in folds or cuffs; furniture, rugs and toys made of these materials; and taxidermy mounts.
Infestations can also stem from bird, rodent or bee nests and carcasses found in attics; plant-based materials (such as seeds, cereal grains and pet foods) stored in kitchens and basements; and decaying organic matter such as leaves and fruit rinds under or inside floor vents and ducts. Carpet beetle infestations are difficult to eradicate without using insecticides (which can be a hazardous job for the average homeowner).
Preventing carpet beetle infestations requires vigilance and good housekeeping. Vacuum frequently and thoroughly to remove hair, lint and other debris that can lure larvae. Clean clothes and blankets before storing them for long periods. This will eliminate any eggs that may have been laid and remove perspiration odors that attract pests. Store woolens and other susceptible articles in airtight containers to prevent adult beetles from laying eggs on them.