|
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.
NOTE: Some pests, once introduced, may remain active and breed indoors the year round, if conditions are suitable. These include
bed bugs (which hide in crevices in luggage, fabric, furniture and structural voids within several feet of where occupants sleep and rest),
cat fleas on our dogs and cats,
oriental cockroaches (“waterbugs”),
silverfish,
centipedes and
common invasive spiders (in warm, dark, damp places),
house
mice, stored product pests (Indianmeal
moths, red & confused flour
beetles, sawtoothed grain
beetles, rice & granary
weevils, drugstore
beetles, cigarette
beetles, spider beetles and
larder
beetles) and pests that infest items made of wool, felt, fur, hair, hide and feathers, as well as dried carcasses (i.e.,
webbing clothes
moth, casemaking clothes
moths, black carpet
beetles, varied carpet beetles and
hide
beetles). German
cockroaches, American cockroaches and
brownbanded cockroaches may be introduced unknowingly to structures via infested appliances, entertainment systems, furniture, luggage and cardboard boxes and then propagate as long as warmth, food, water and shelter are present. Small flies that breed in moist decaying and fermenting organic matter in and beneath heated structures (i.e.,
small fruit
flies, moth flies and
phorid
flies) will continue to be a problem unless action is taken. Likewise, where retained moisture and fungus/mold continue to be an issue,
springtails,
booklice (a.k.a. psocids / barklice) and fungus beetles (including the
foreign grain
beetle) will thrive.
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.
|