Pest GazetteBrought to you by Franklin Pest Solutions

 

Don’t Invite these Carpenters into Your Home: Carpenter Ants

Flowers are springing from the ground and ants have started trailing around your home- spring has arrived! Ants currently hold the prized #1 position as far as top nuisance spring pests go in the United States. Thus, it is very likely that you may encounter ants in your home at some point this spring and into the summer. While there are over 50 species of ants that may infest homes, there are a few in particular that are common invaders. One of the more typical ants that you may encounter as temperatures warm up are carpenter ants.

Carpenter ants are a large species, ranging from a quarter to half-an-inch in length. A common misconception about carpenter ants is that they eat wood. However, they do not feed on wood but actually eat protein and sugary sources. They do cause damage to wood in homes though, because they tunnel into wood to dig galleries and create nests for egg-laying. Wood that has been previously damaged or has a high moisture content can be even more problematic because it will be more attractive to carpenter ants for tunneling. You will be more likely to have nests of carpenter ants in your home around sinks, bathtubs, windows, doors, and other areas that could be affected by water leaks.

Aside from damaged wood, you may also see swarms of carpenter ants in your home in the springtime. These winged carpenter ants will emerge from their nests in spring to mate and is a sure sign that you may have a colony of carpenter ants nesting somewhere inside your home. There can be multiple nests inside of a home and the extensiveness of the damage is dependent on how long the ants have been in the wood and how many nests are present. Aside from having carpenter ants in the home, there may also be related parent colonies outdoors in a tree stump, under a woodpile or even from a nest hidden behind a wall that may be the main nest and need to be removed. Give us a call today at 800-GOT-PESTS? to assess any damaged wood and to evaluate any suspicious ant activity.

No Fleas Please!

Fleas can be a nuisance and problem any time of year, but springtime begins their busy season and prompts early sightings and bites. These spring pests can be brought into your home on cats, dogs or even orders or other small mammals seeking shelter. Fleas are small, typically one-sixteenth of in an inch, reddish-brown, wingless, blood-sucking insects. Their bodies are laterally compressed, (i.e., flattened side-to- side) permitting ease of movement through the hairs on their host’s body. Their legs are long and well adapted for jumping and the mouth parts of an adult flea are adapted for sucking blood from a host. The female adult needs a blood meal to lay eggs and other life stages need blood to complete development and survive.

Fleas associated with pets can be treated by properly applying products directly to the pet using a “spot-on” or by using oral medications after consulting with a veterinarian. However, there can still be fleas outdoors doing well in wildlife and rodent populations. If a pet is not responsive to treatment or misses treatments, there are opportunities for fleas to infest a home. The interior and exterior of the home may need to be treated if an infestation occurs to gain proper control. We recommend you give us a call 800-GOT-PESTS? so that we can provide suggestions and treatments to eliminate your flea problems.

Pill Bugs

Sowbugs,  Pillbugs, and Roly Polys Oh My!

As the weather warms up, bugs will come out of hiding throughout your house. You will probably come across many bugs while spring cleaning in your home in the basement and in garages, especially the family of pillbugs. Sowbugs and pillbugs are very similar and look almost identical, the only difference is that pillbugs roll into a ball while sowbugs do not. These bugs are often collectively called roly polys because of their behavior of rolling up into a tight ball when disturbed.

Pillbugs and sowbugs prefer damp areas with ample moisture and are typically found outdoors under leaf debris and wooden logs. They can be found in moist mulch around the home and often will enter into basements and garages adjacent to walls that contact soil. Let us know if you are seeing a lot of these bugs in your home to do a detailed moisture inspection around your home and minimize the entry of spring pests.

Hopefully, these spring cleaning tips find you well. If you seek any further information on protecting your home from spring pests feel free to reach out to us at 800-GOT-PESTS?

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