With the Fall weather here, many pests begin to seek shelter in the warmth of homes because they are the perfect refuge for the chilly winter ahead. It is important to remember to pest-proof your home for extra safety from these unwanted pests.
Here is a list of the top pests that show up in homes during the fall season!
1. Rodents
Rodent invasions are more common during the cooler temperatures of autumn because these animals seek a warm place over winter. Late summer is the peak rodent breeding season, and pregnant females establish a secure nesting place, a reliable food source, and a hiding place away from predators over winter.
Rodents include mice and rats, squirrels, and chipmunks. All of these animals can carry dangerous diseases such as leptospirosis, bubonic plague, and Hantavirus. Hearing rustling noises in attics or walls, noticing foul odors from urine, and seeing feces on floors near baseboards or in a kitchen pantry are signs of a rodent infestation in your home. Inspect around your garage and the outside of your home for signs of entry points. It is recommended to caulk these entry points, especially around your air conditioning lines. Also, remove debris and firewood from around your building as possible.
2. Ants
In Georgia, there are hundreds of ant species that will seek a warm shelter and a food source over the winter months. They need to find a place to live for the survival of the ant colony. Ants live in colonies with thousands. They are typically found in landscape beds or inside timber located near your home. The worker ants usually are in a kitchen looking for food. Carpenter ants will make their nest in various structures inside your home. They will “galley out” wood to lay their eggs, and can potentially cause the same damage as a termite.
3. Fleas
Rodents and family pets can bring fleas into your home. Flea bites can be painful and irritating, as well as dangerous. Fleas can be tough to eliminate from your home.
4. Cockroaches
During the fall season, the most common pest found in a home is a cockroach, which can also be the most dangerous. These pests can spread 33 different types of bacteria and cause asthma in children. They are fast, large, and remarkably resilient. They typically hide near pipes or drains, making it extremely important for homeowners to keep kitchens and bathrooms sanitized.
5. Spiders
Over the fall and winter months, the number and variety of spiders creeping into your home increase. The most frequent types of spiders are the typical house spider, wolf spider, and hobo spider. House spiders are responsible for most cobwebs and can usually be seen around windows and doorways. Wolf spiders are a common pest but are far less harmful than they look. Hobo spiders, however, are extremely long and have bites that can be significantly more painful than most spiders.
6. Stinkbugs
Stinkbugs are an invasive insect who create a really horrible odor when smashed or crushed which is why they are named stinkbug. This foul odor can be tough for a homeowner to eliminate because it’s is located deep in a wall void.
They thrive on sunlight and warmth, which is why they invade particular walls located on the sunny sides of homes. A stinkbug enters interior spaces through small gaps found around windows and doorways. A large number of stinkbugs can live inside wall voids of a home until the following spring season.
7. Box-Elder Bugs
Typically box-elder bugs are on trees and shrubs on your property. Box-elder bugs hatch on Box Elder trees, which can be located randomly in neighborhoods, and the resulting insects migrate to nearby residential and commercial buildings.
In Georgia, this insect will invade homes in the fall season. They like the warmth created by the sun against the side of a building. Box-elder bugs lay their eggs around window frames, under siding, and under gutters along the roofline. If this pest is left unchecked, your home will serve as a continual fall to spring breeding ground for this insect.
Please contact us immediately if you see any pests in or around your home, so we can help you eliminate them.
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