Top 5 Spring Pests in 2020
While many of us are spending extra time inside our homes, bugs and pests are business as usual. We are counting down the top 5 most important spring pests. These pests are either extremely active this time of year, or their spring activities cause extra concern. The spring time is the best time to make sure your home remains pest free throughout the summer. Here’s what you need to know…
#5
Ants
Ant species use the warmer days to increase their food foraging activities. This means ants are more likely to enter your home. Once a colony establishes themselves near your home, you may fight tirelessly against them. That’s because, ant colonies may contain thousands of individual ants – its not just one insect.
How to prevent ants...
Ants can thrive in a variety of habitats and situations. However there are a couple of things you can do to help prevent ants. Keeping a clean house and eliminating outside nesting areas are the best ways. Though, if these don’t work, often an outside chemical treatment is the best option. The Toby’s Pest Control technicians use industry leading colony eliminating products to control ants.
#4
Wolf Spiders
Wolf spiders are extremely dormant during the winter months. They lie hunkered down under brush piles or in other insulated materials. However, as soon as the sun starts to heat the ground, these large spiders jump into action! With a winter long appetite, they prowl the ground’s surface looking for insects hiding in cracks and leaves. Inevitably, as they are searching for food, wolf spiders will end up entering your home through its cracks and openings.
How to prevent spiders...
There are many ways to prevent spiders from entering your home. Eliminating shelter areas conducive to the spiders habitat outside your home is a good place to start. However, this may not be reasonable for many homeowners. A general pest control spray on the inside or outside of your home will provide the best solution. A chemical spray such as this will not only kill spiders, but also kill the spiders’ prey, providing multiple elimination systems.
#3
Wasps
No insects love the warm weather like wasps! Wasps are extremely active in the spring, because this is when they establish their nest for the season. While looking for nesting sites, wasps target overhanging and protected structures. Your home’s eaves, windows, and attics all provide ideal nesting sites for wasps. Once nesting sites are established, wasps defend their home with a painful sting!
How to control wasps...
Wasp nests may start small during the spring but if left unattended, will flourish into massive systems. Wasps are best controlled during the early morning while they are less active. When treating a home for wasps, Toby’s Pest Control’s technicians will spray any potential nesting site on the structure. This often includes spraying eaves and soffits around the perimeter of your home.
#2
Carpenter Bees
You may not know this, but carpenter bees are one of the most destructive pests. Carpenter bees drill holes in exposed wood to lay their eggs. After creating the initial opening, carpenter bees then begin to excavate a long tube through the wood, up to 30 inches long! If this damage isn’t enough, carpenter bee eggs are a favorite food of woodpeckers. The woodpeckers have a knack for finding carpenter bees deep in the wood. Once located, the birds peck into the wood until the bees are found.
How to control carpenter bees...
The spring is an especially important time for controlling carpenter bees. Carpenter bees establish their home for the rest of the summer in April and May. Once a suitable piece of wood is found, they remain there throughout the summer, drilling deeper and deeper until they have enough space to lay their eggs. If you can prevent the bees from attacking your wood for these months, then your home should be protected for the remainder of the summer.
#1
Termites
Termites are not just a spring time pest, they are active 365 days a year. However, termites often reveal themselves in the spring time. Each spring, termite colonies release flying reproductive termites called swarmers. This process often reveals to home owners that their home is infested with termites. Did you know… Termites cause more than $5 billion in damage annually in the US! If your home has not been treated for termites, you have an increased risk.
How to identify termites...
Pest control professionals often deem termites as one of the most elusive pests. It is in termites best biological interest to go undetected. They use shelter tubes to forage for wood and to protect them from predators. Toby’s Pest Control offers new customers free termite inspection and quotes. Give us a call and let us educate you on these unique pests.