Few things are more annoying in a home than dealing with unwanted guests, and when we say guests, we mean pests, not unexpected relatives that dropped by and stayed too long when you needed to put the kids to sleep. We’re talking about the ones that move right in and assume your home is their own. Here are the five most common household pests in Idaho.
1. Spiders (Hobos)
Hobo spiders aren’t much for climbing so they choose to make their homes in any crack or crevasse you may have in your house. They are typically found in window wells or basements and can often be seen from June to October as the males are out and about looking for a mate.
Prevention – Seal up cracks on the outside of your home and make sure all doors and windows have a screen covering. It also helps to declutter basements and storage areas so there are fewer places for a spider to make into his cozy little home. Additionally, choosing to have an interior and exterior pest control service can greatly serve as a preventive measure. Applying insecticides serve as an invisible barrier that keeps those creepy crawlers out.
2. Pavement (Sugar) Ants
Sugar ants are the ants that you typically find forming a nice neat line in your kitchen, carrying off your crumbs into the cracks in your walls. They are light brown in color and are typically night owls though you may see them during the day. They prefer damp places with plenty of food and can become quite the bother.
Prevention – Seal off any cracks or entryways you’ve seen them using to access your home. Sometimes replacing the weather stripping around your door or windows can help. Make sure to wipe up any food crumbs left after a meal so they don’t have a food supply to return for. It can also help to lay down sticky paper to catch them as they make their way across the kitchen. For added protection, call on your local pest control service to help apply insecticides to the inside and outside of your home.
3. Earwigs
Ever wonder what an earwig’s pincers are for? They use them for defense and also to spar with other earwigs. Earwigs like to live in damp and cool areas so if it’s an especially dry summer they may choose to move into your home where they can enjoy the nice cool tile and crumbs on the floor.
Prevention – Try to keep dead leaves and mulch about a foot away from the foundation of your home. It also helps to keep your trees and shrubs neatly trimmed to limit the nice damp shady areas in your yard that earwigs are drawn to. Professional grade insecticides provide better protection too. The Yard Butler uses a chemical blend that is not harmful to kids, pets, or adults.
4. Wasps
No one likes to see a wasp’s nest forming outside their window. There are many varieties of wasps, but all of them have the ability to sting. And because they are hunters they tend to always be on the attack, making any yard that a wasp has made its home in a little scary to hang around.
Prevention – Water mixed with two teaspoons of dish soap can be used as a safe bug repellent to spray on wasp nests that have already formed. Keeping any bin or tubs away from the side of your home will reduce your home’s attraction to wasps. It also helps to seal up any cracks that they slip through to get into the house. It’s especially good to check in the attic or around windows for potential openings. Or, if you don’t want to try natural remedies and want extra assurances, a pest control service can help apply insecticides in and around your home.
5. Boxelder Bugs
Boxelder beetles are especially attracted to maple, and ash trees. If you have any of these in your yard or near you, you might find an increase of the pests around your home. They usually show up when things start to warm up in the spring and stay throughout the summer. You’ll often find them in large groups for mating purposes.
Prevention – Sealing windows, cracks and doors is a big step in protecting your home from boxelder bug invasions when the weather begins to warm up. Loose siding on your home is another way that the beetles may gain access to your home. It also helps to keep wood piles far away from your homes since boxelder bugs tend to congregate there. You can also have a pest control company apply insecticides for added pest prevention around your home.
If your bug problems are becoming too much for you to handle you can always call on The Yard Butler to help exterminate the problem. We are well trained in your local pests and can get your problem handled in no time.