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The advent of warmer temperatures after a long winter’s chill comforts the human spirit and mark the presence of many sweet-smelling happenings.
Unfortunately, this symbolic euphoria of new beginnings and the rebirth of Mother Natures colorful bounty of grasses, glorious blooms and shrubs is also a time when many pest invaders, such as — rodents; cockroaches; diverse species of ants; spiders; termites; earwigs; wasps and stinkbugs emerge and begin their cycle of life, which always involves interaction with humans who have the nerve to get in their way.
This pleasant and fragrant season is not carefree although poetically speaking, it probably should be.
Colorful blooms abound and adorn gardens and driveways, but deep within their rich and vibrant folds, creepy crawlies of many varieties are waking up from a long winter’s sleep and seeking food and shelter in unsuspecting homes and surrounding grounds.
With the opening of windows, desirable warm air drifts and unwanted visitors arrive without luggage or any intentions of leaving.
Springtime Pests In Pittsburgh and Western PA
If you live in or near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and are a homeowner, beware of the following pests that are likely to invade your space and, more importantly, learn how to deal with them with the help of the pest-control and pest-management experts at Pestco!
Rodents
A rodent infestation can happen vey quickly as they are known to reproduce rapidly. They seek out dark places like basements where they can chew on just about anything to trim their teeth, which never cease growing during their lifetimes.
They are vectors of disease and highly destructive, often ruining wooden furniture and chewing on wiring, which can and often does cause electrical fires.
Wasps And Bees
Bees are vital to the human food supply as natural pollinators and must be protected at all costs. Both the queen bee and queen wasp are among the first to arrive when the weather becomes warmer.
They are driven by the need to survive by first finding a meal within clusters of wild spring flowers and then a suitable nesting place.
The building of wasp nests can causing structural damages and unlike bees, wasps can sting without stopping.
Outside help from the pest-control and pest-management specialists at Pestco will be necessary to eliminate yellow jackers from a home or property.
Yellow Jackets are wasps that can cause damage to both home and industry because they construct their nests from materials sourced from surrounding structures.
Nest can be very large and heavy and can contain thousands of insects. Over time, their nesting process weakens and erodes building walls and ceilings and creates conditions that can cause structural collapse.
The House Fly
Flies emerge when the weather gets warm and their constant search for food draws then inside homes when they run our of flowers, nectar and garbage.
The are often ubiquitous around a structure as they mate and reproduce quickly in the spring.
They are probably number one or two on a list of the most annoying insects, and they carry diseases such as: cholera; typhoid; dysentery; salmonella and tuberculosis, which occur from their dietary regimen of rotting carcasses, decaying food and waste.
Spiders
Spiders usually spend the winter in attics, basements, closets, or inside the walls of an entire home and simply wait for more tolerable temperatures.
Although some species are beneficial to households.because they eat other insects, such as: flies, silverfish, cockroaches and even centipedes, the are still considered pests because some species are poisonous and their appearance can send shivers up many spines.
Some species known to Pittsburgh include: the Brown Recluse, the Cellar Spider, the Wolf and House Spider.
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants and termites share some similarities. Both live in colonies and are social insects that attack wood.
Homeowners may easily mistake one for the other, but they are very different and require diverse pest-control and pest-management measures.
Although the black carpenter ant aids Mother Nature in the decomposition of dead and decaying trees by providing compost for new environmental growth, the large worker ants destroy residences as they search for food for the colony.
Usually moisture is the issue whenever a carpenter ant infestation occurs in a private residence or commercial space.
They are often found near sinks, dishwashers, laundry areas, and bathrooms, and are known to tunnel into soft materials, like foam insulation, and moist rotting wood, to make their nests.
Common indoor nest locations include: wall studs; window and door casings; porch pillars and supporting timbers; sills; girders; joists and under insulation between ceiling joists or wall studs.
Subterranean Termites
Subterranean termites are the plague of Pittsburgh home owners and the ones that our teams are most often called upon to remove.
These termites literally eat wood, which makes them more destructive than carpenter ants that bore through wood as a way to get to food and shelter.
This species eats only softwood, which results in layered damage. In addition, unlike others of their ilk, they eat with the grain rather than across it.
This species constructs tunnels that are known as mud tubes, which allows them protection from the open air and access to food sources.
They nest in vulnerable buildings and residences of all types, and the worst aspect of a subterranean termite infestation is that there is little indication of their presence until it is far too late to do anything about it.
Other Ants
Pittsburgh is home to several species of ants, all of which whether black, red, brown, small or large, are annoying and problematic when they find their way into a private residence.
Most prevalent are pavement ants, whose nests will likely require professional expertise to locate, and fire ants that can be very dangerous to both humans and animals and are known to cause millions of dollars in damages annually.
Their name derives from the painful burning sensation they cause when they sting.
Stinkbugs
While the sight of a stinkbug, unmistakable for the shield type covering on its back, may be annoying to the average home owner, for the business world and the Pittsburgh agricultural industry particularly, this insect poses a serious threat to crops and plants and profits.
In general, the industry has incurred losses in the millions due to ruined crops.
These insects love fruit, and often attack apple orchards, peaches, figs, mulberries, citrus fruits, corn, tomatoes, green peppers and persimmons as well as ornamental plants and soybeans grown for food production.
They ruin fruit because their mouthparts pierce and suck on their juices, rendering produce that is shriveled and unmarketable.
Roaches
There are three common cockroach species found in Pittsburgh; namely, the American cockroach, which is the largest and can be an be found in moist environments, including sewer systems and basements; the German cockroach, which prefers to be indoors in structures containing paper products, packaging and used appliances and the Oriental cockroach, known to often travel through sewer pipes and usually found in basements, crawl spaces and under sinks.
Eliminating all varieties requires vigorous measures the are usually best left to professionals.
Mosquitoes
Although mosquitoes reach their peak season in the summer, springtime marks a coming of age, so to speak, for both the adults in diaphase (hibernation) and the eggs laid before the onset of cold weather.
Sometimes mosquitoes lay eggs in standing water before the winter at which point the development of the eggs is temporarily paused, only to begin again with the advent of warmer climes.
These insects are the number one irritants during spring/summer seasons because of their incessant buzzing, the fact that they feed on human blood and that some species are vectors of serious life-altering diseases,.
Earwigs
Earwigs are an intrusive insect species that come alive in springtime.Their English name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon ear-wicga, which roughly translated means, the ear wiggler.”
It is speculated that the moniker of these annoying insects is related to an old wive’s tale that suggest earwigs burrow into the brains of humans through the ear and lay their eggs there.
Certainly not the kind of information to be revealed during or shortly after meal times, it is true that if earwigs do get comfortable enough inside a home where there is a lot of moisture, their sharp pinchers can be unpleasant to encounter especially when a hapless human is asleep and under the covers.
Springtime Pest Prevention Tips For Your Home
The following tips will help in the struggle to keep pest invaders out of Pittsburgh homes and should be applied in early spring before the warm weather prevails.
1. Install window and door mosquito nets as soon as spring arrives to prevent flies from entering a home.
2. Keep outside garbage bins closed, eliminate standing water, and if necessary, buy a fake nest. Wasps do not build their nests close to one another.
3. Earwigs will be prevented ingress if they don’t come first into a yard that has much moisture in the soil surrounding the home. Removing leaf litter, keeping a lawn trimmed and eliminating weeds will all contribute into making a home less welcoming to these pests.
4. Cockroaches, silverfish, and other creepy-crawlies love the darkness and moisture. Make sure to seal the pipes in the bathroom and kitchen. Check the drains and, in general, make sure to eliminate any standing water, such as in gutters and/or birdbaths.
5. Rodents and spiders thrive in cluttered areas, which are often prevalent in attics basements or spare rooms. Search and destroy anything that you no longer want or need and/or have a yard sale. Your junk just may be someone else’s treasure.
6. Avoid cardboard boxes for storage. They are tempting because they are cheap and easy, but they are also delicious treats for mice! Use plastic storage tubs instead.
7. Monitoring food and waste is important to pest-control. Keep food stored in air-tight containers, including pet food, and all trash receptacles sealed. These are effective deterrents. Make sure to also clean up dishes and spills quickly.
8. Keep insects from gaining ingress to your home by doing a yearly deep cleaning. Clean and dust in cracks and other openings that often get missed. Seek out and destroy any food debris that may have gathered behind the fridge and under kitchen counters. Empty cupboards, check for dated food and give the insides a good cleaning as well. Vacuum all flooring and use a carpet cleaner, especially in those hard-to-reach areas.
9. Maintaining yards by removing dead leaves, melted snow, damp wood, mud or thick overgrowth can help to deter spring pests. Eliminate standing or stagnant water from puddles or clogged gutters and check the roof and walls for any cracks that can provide entry.
10. Ultimately, the best pest prevention tip of all is to follow the words of that boy scout mantra that speaks of always being prepared. This entails contacting the pest-control and pest-maintenance specialists at Pestco and scheduling an inspection of the premises to determine specific options – (412) 252-5200
Pestco History And Solutions
We are a 5-star-reviewed, family-owned and operated industry leader in the pest-control and pest-management sector have been in continuous operation for more than seven decades.
With age comes experience, and that wisdom reflects in our superior products and services, which far exceed industry standards.
We are, in fact, the only pest-control and pest-management company that manufactures many of the hygiene maintenance products that our technicians utilize.
Our highly trained professionals can provide quick answers to all questions and their solutions are based on the principles of prevention, inspection, exclusion, understanding insect behavior and the hard-earned ability to detect and identify the signs of any type of infestation.
In conclusion
If you are a Pittsburgh home owner and find yourself in need of controlling any of the above-mentioned spring time critters, or even if you would just like to explore some preventive and exclusionary measures, contact our teams today and be pest-free tomorrow – (412) 252-5200!
Final thought on pests: I hate how spiders just sit there on the wall and act like they pay rent ~ leilaworldblog.com
Photo Credits: Pixabay