Pest of The Season

SPRING

Many of the same pests that entered our homes/offices stealthily back in autumn, for the purpose of finding secure places in which to overwinter, now make their presence known as they warm up and head for daylight. Oftentimes, insects make their way into well-lighted living spaces/workspaces instead of exiting outdoors where they belong. Among these are paper wasps, lady beetles (ladybugs), boxelder bugs, leaf-footed bugs, cluster flies, and blow flies. Paper wasps may be noticed sunning themselves on the outside surfaces of our homes/offices or hovering by eaves and shutters, as they search for promising nesting sites. Likewise, the winged reproductive forms of social insects currently nesting within or beneath the structural components (i.e., wood, drywall, insulation, foundation) of our dwellings often emerge indoors through crevices in order to swarm (engage in mating flights). Eastern subterranean termites, pavement ants, odorous house ants and carpenter ants number among these. 

Furry vertebrates that enter our homes/offices in autumn and, come springtime, have their young inside attics, soffits, wall voids and chimney flues include raccoons and tree squirrels.

Skunks bear their young in sub-slab dens. Moles may be active the year round but may be particularly noticeable in the spring due to the appearance of their unsightly mounds in lawns. Springtime feathered invaders include three unprotected nuisance birds - pigeons, starlings and house sparrows, as well as a protected nuisance species - the chimney swift, which builds its twig and mud nests in uncapped chimney flues. This final species often go unnoticed until the chicks hatch out and emote bizarre screeches when disturbed or the parents return to feed them. Another protected species, the Canada goose, sometimes claim spots on our premises in which to congregate or construct nests (usually among tall vegetation, near ponds and lakes).

Some insects and mites enter our homes/offices or manifest themselves in an irritating fashion during spring in search of nourishment and harborage (i.e., earwigs and the workers of pavement ants, odorous house ants, small honey ants and carpenter ants), to lay eggs (i.e., clover mites) or to excavate nests (i.e., carpenter bees and small solitary bees).

Springtime honey bee swarms may rest temporarily on structures and ornamentals, in which case a local beekeeper can be called to remove these beneficial insects alive. However, once a swarm has moved inside a structure, then it is time to phone Varment Guard.

Wood-destroying beetles, such as anobiid powderpost beetles and lyctid powderpost beetles may continue to infest the structural wood of our dwellings undetected, except for the presence of small round exit holes in infested woodwork.