Cooler nighttime temperatures make us all want to bundle up, especially Asian Lady Beetles and Boxelder Bugs. These fall invaders sneak into homes in the fall, stay the winter and then look to escape back outside in the spring.
September means back to school, the return of cooler weather and the invasion of over-wintering pests. Over-wintering pests are those pesky creatures that move into structures in the fall, camp out and lay dormant all winter, and then emerge with abandon at the first sign of warm weather. The most common over-wintering pests in the upper Midwest include Asian lady beetles, box elder bugs and cluster flies.
Pest control companies receive an influx of calls in the spring when these pests try to exit homes or businesses. The best way to avoid seeing them in the spring though, is to prevent them from entering your home or business in the fall. So, how do you keep over-wintering pests out?
Yellow jackets are certainly worthy of avoiding, as insect stings are the leading cause of death from venomous creatures. While they are not noted for being extremely aggressive, yellow jackets will sting people if they feel physically threatened. They will also fervently defend their nest if they think that it is being disturbed.
Here in the Wisconsin, we’re no strangers to mosquitoes. How can we be when we live in the great lakes region and water is a major attraction to these pests? More than a nuisance though, mosquitoes are a serious threat to health.
If might be fascinating to watch tiny fleas doing amazing feats of strength, swinging on a trapeze, diving from a high place into a pool of water or being fired from a canon, but in your home, they are far from entertaining. Fleas leave itchy, irritating bites on you and your pets--bites that can mean loss of hair and sickness for your pet, and dangerous illnesses for you and your family.
No one wants to have pests raining on their Fourth of July fun. The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday! It is a great time to get together with family and friends and celebrate Independence Day with a family cook out, maybe catch a parade in town and watch the fireworks at night. This is a great opportunity to make great memories with your family and friends. It is not a time to be dealing with unwanted pests. Unfortunately with the nicer weather also comes more outdoor pests and sometimes they even welcome themselves indoors.
What does your home look like to bugs and rodents? Is it a foreboding place, devoid of even a morsel of food? Or, is it a buffet restaurant filled with every delicacy imaginable? In order to determine this, you have to get down to their level and see the world from their perspective. It might actually startle you how many food sources are littered throughout your home.
Ants, even though they are not considered to be dangerous, disease-transmitting insects, are tenacious pests that relentlessly continue to be a nuisance to Wisconsin homeowners. While carpenter ants are capable of invoking damage to the wooden components of the house and must be dealt with, most other ants are simply labeled as nuisances. Even then, no one likes the idea of ants crawling around on counter tops and inside cupboards and cabinets. Unless they are eradicated, these nuisance ants will get inside containers and contaminate food.
Have you ever been walking up the sidewalk to a business establishment only to see that unsightly view of bird droppings covering the area all around the building? You automatically look up—just in time to see the fly by shooting of a bird bomb splat right in front of you. Suddenly, your desire to do business has waned as you carefully step around the bird droppings in your retreat.
Seen here in its natural habitat, the North American mess maker is a creature that can thrive in the stickiest of environments. Not easily taken to living in captivity, the mess maker can be found getting into protected areas in search of items of a confectionery nature. When caught, this little critter uses a self-defense mechanism to subdue predatory disciplinarians with its adorable curls and wide eyes. Though not technically considered a pest, the North American mess maker can set the conditions for other pest creatures to infest your home. Here are some tips for minimizing the damage.
