It’s Fall – What’s In Your Backyard?

Just because the temperatures have started to drop outside, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t still pest activity outside of your home. Fall is probably the most important time to maintain an exterior barrier pest control service, because this is when pests begin to seek out shelter to overwinter. They often overwinter within trees, under rocks, and inside of homes, which maintain a temperature around 50-60 degrees within the wall voids.

Insects That Come Out in the Fall

These insects are actually outside all year round, but start to make their ways indoors as fall approaches and temperatures start to drop. Wasps, ants, stink bugs, box elders, mice, beetles, and most other insects are looking for a warm bed for the winter. These are just some of the insects the move inside during the fall, and it’s crucial to maintain a protective barrier around the perimeter of the home.

Wasps

Wasps become more territorial and aggressive as fall approaches. Their food shortages are dwindling, and the populations are fully grown. The queen will begin laying eggs, which will be a new queen and fertile males for reproduction. That new queen will seek out shelter to overwinter so she can grow the population for next season, and continue the cycle of life. However, if a queen starts her colony somewhere within the wall voids, there could be significant damage to your home. The wasps will chew the wood, which mixes with their saliva, and they use that to build their nests. If a nest is untouched and able to grow, the drywall could be damaged and eventually expose the population to the interior of the home.

Mice

Another common pest in the fall is mice. They also begin to seek out shelter inside the home. If they make their way into your home, they reproduce very quickly and you may find yourself with a large mouse population in a short time. Catching the mouse is part of the process, but sealing up their entry points is important to keep them from returning at a later time. Homes near fields and forests may notice higher mouse populations, and in certain cases exterior maintenance is necessary to keep populations from moving indoors.

Ants

Queen ants also overwinter and start off-shoot colonies, called satellite colonies. Due to their highly social nature, these satellite colonies will continue to grow and move around all fall and winter long. Ants are resilient and will move indoors during the fall, and continue to live within the wall voids throughout the year, traveling outside the home for food and water during spring and summer. Ants communicate to one another by touch, so if you’re already seeing ants indoors during the fall, an aggressive approach needs to be taken to remove the colony.

Box Elder Bugs and Stink Bugs

During the fall, you may see a large amount of stink bugs and box elder bugs hanging out around the outside of your home. Without a protective barrier, those bugs will enter through small gaps and crack in the windows and doors. They will live within the walls, or inside of the home throughout the winter, and then exit the home during the spring---unlike ants or wasps, which will continue to grow their nests/colonies throughout the entire season and continue to nest within the wall voids.

Protecting Your Home From Autumn Insects

The Spidexx technicians are trained to detect insect activity, and use highly researched and targeted treatments to eliminate those pests from the home. We understand that you don’t want to see ants in your bathroom during the summer, and especially not in the winter. That’s why our biggest priority in the fall is maintaining a barrier, while we continue to target activity both on the interior and exterior of your home. Take advantage of our Spidexx Ultimate Protection Guarantee, which provides you with free spot treatments at any time during your maintenance service.

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