Household Pest Infestations
There are over twenty varieties of common pests that plague home owners. Common household pests that can and frequently do infest homes include: a variety of ants, a variety of flies, various cockroaches, rodents (such a rats and mice,) termites, stinging insects, a variety of other insects and larger creatures such as squirrels, raccoons and opossums.
All year pests: roaches,silverfish,bedbugs = (ayp)
Jan & Feb – mice, rats, cluster flies, boxelder bugs, lady beetles, ayp
March & Apr – termites, ants, spiders, ayp
May & Jun – flies, millipedes, centipedes, caterpillars, ticks, fleas, wasps, hornets, bees, mosquitoes, a multitude of garden variety pests-commonly referred to as occasional pests, ayp
By June all pests are active so I will list the pests that generate most of the calls we receive.
July & August – mosquitoes, moths, bird lice, bat bugs, carpenter bees, carpenter ants, ayp
September & October -fleas, flies, millipedes, spiders, ants, bees, ayp
Nov & Dec – mice, rats, roaches, bedbugs, bats, squirrels
Some areas that you will want to pay closer attention include:
- Bathrooms – Cockroaches and rodents use moisture-ridden pipes and drains to enter homes.
- Kitchen – Ants often create colonies around kitchens where food is consistently available.
- Garage – Spiders, cockroaches, and mice establish havens just outside the home but near enough to go in and out of easily.
- Basement – Virtually any type of pest can utilize the typically dark, damp, and less-frequented environment of basements to breed infestations. Termites, mosquitoes, and ants are only the beginning.
- Closets – Spiders take advantage of the cramped quarters to stay hidden while building enormous webs.
- Yard – Wasps, bees, ants, and mosquitoes can build nests and colonies around grass and flowers near your home.
There are various precautions that homeowners can take to prevent pests from making their way into homes.
Keeping the home clean and free of clutter is one of the biggest steps to avoiding a pest infestation. A clean, dry home free of messiness and dust is the best way to signal to pests they aren't welcome.
Here are some other precautionary steps homeowners can take:
- Seal up access points. Doors and windows are the most common, but cracked siding, soffits and fascia and also prime entry ways.
- Have a professional exterminator run a yearly or bi-annual evaluation of your home's structure. Ask about preventative treatment that keeps these areas standing strong against pests.
- Keep food sealed and away from open areas.