Each new season brings a series of changes, including a variety of new pests on the scene. Some pests thrive in the warm and balmy weather of summer, while others prefer to hunker down indoors to keep out of the cold winter winds. For us humans, forewarned is forearmed. The best way to prepare your home or business is to understand which pests are the most prominent with each upcoming season.
In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the most common seasonal pests so that you can better protect your home or business all year long.
Winter Pests
During those cold winter months, you may think you’ve got a break from pesky pests. After all, many flying insects become dormant this time of year. Sadly, you can’t relax just yet. Winter has its fair share of indoor invaders. These pests make their way into homes and businesses looking for a place to keep warm and ride out the harsh cold weather.
During the winter months, here are some of the most common pests you may encounter:
- Rodents: Rodents such as mice, rats and even squirrels are some of the most prevalent pests you may see in the winter. Rodents will likely scurry through your home or business in search of food, and they may even decide to nest in your attic or storage areas to stay warm.
- Roaches: Many cockroaches die off during the winter. However, German and oriental cockroaches remain active throughout the season in search of dark, damp areas where they can hide.
- Bed bugs: Because winter months tend to see a lot of travel, bed bugs continue to thrive in the winter. These pest populations are a threat year-round.
Spring Pests
The world springs forth with new life, and new pests, during the spring season. As temperatures rise, ice melts and the flowers bloom, pests emerge from their winter hiding places to wreak havoc in your home or business. Most bugs and other pesky animals have two things on their mind during this season — eating and breeding. Spring is peak mating season for a variety of different pest species.
As you prepare to do a little spring cleaning this season, here are some of the pests you may have to look out for:
- Ants: While you may encounter some ants during the winter, they come out in full force during the spring to forage for food. The warmer weather encourages these pests to venture out farther from their colonies in search of anything edible, leading them indoors.
- Mosquitoes: While winter may have kept them quiet for a while, the rain and moisture of spring create an ideal breeding ground for mosquitos. Throughout the spring, you’ll see increased mosquito activity in preparation for summer, their peak season.
- Termites: Spring is just the beginning of termite season as they begin to leave their nests, mate and start new colonies. This type of activity is known as swarming.
- Flies: Flies reach full maturity as spring begins. Once this happens, they flock to areas where humans live in search of food.
- Stinging insects: As the flowers bloom, so too does stinging insect activity. Bees, wasps, hornets and yellow jackets wake up from their winter dormancy in spring. This time of year is their mating season, so you may see a few nests outside your home.
- Spiders: With all this increased insect activity, spiders become active and hungry. Spring provides ample opportunities for spiders to feed as they wake from their winter slumber.
- Bed bugs: As mentioned above, bed bugs can be a year-round issue, especially with many people traveling for spring break and Easter.
Summer Pests
Spring may be the season when pests work hard to breed and rebuild their populations, but when summer comes, it’s time to feed. While some pests take a break during the hot summer months, others thrive during this season. Many of the pests you’ll see this summer are the same ones that were lurking around during the springtime. Mosquitos, stinging insects, termites, ants and flies all reach their peak populations in summer.
However, there are a few additional pests that may come to call as well:
- Ticks: Where there is wildlife like deer, raccoons and mice, you’ll find ticks. These little hitchhikers thrive in warm, humid weather and may try to catch a free ride on animals sheltering from the sun in cool, damp places. Be sure to keep a lookout for your family and your four-legged friends.
- Fleas: These tiny parasites tend to be plentiful during the summer. The warmer temperatures and increased humidity of summer provide ideal conditions for these pests to reproduce at an alarming rate. Like ticks, they will latch on to humans and animals alike, and your pets may unwittingly bring these unwanted guests into your home.
- Bats: While bugs and insects tend to be summer’s most bothersome pests, unwanted intruders may be roosting in your attic — bats. It’s very common for bats to follow the air currents produced by your air conditioning and make their ways into any cracks or holes to find a cool place to rest.
- Bed bugs: If you’ve got summer vacation plans, any increase in travel increases your risk of bed bugs. Again, always be on the lookout for these persistent pests.
Fall Pests
The cool temperatures of autumn may bring relief from summer’s troublesome critters. However, this is when other pests seek out the shelter they may find inside your home or business.
Here are some unwanted visitors you may come across this fall:
- Stinkbugs and ladybugs: These common fall pests may not be particularly harmful, but they can still be quite a nuisance. Stinkbugs emit a foul odor when threatened, creating quite a stink in any property they infest.
- Rodents: As the temperatures drop, rats and mice migrate indoors in search of a place to nest during the upcoming winter. These pests are known for spreading disease and chewing through insulation, electrical wires and wood supports.
- Fleas: With rodents come those notorious hitchhikers — fleas. While fleas tend to flourish more in warmer weather, having pets and pesky rodents in your home could cause their populations to thrive indoors.
- Spiders: Spiders breed in the fall, so they may go in search of a mate indoors to avoid harsh autumn chills.
- Cockroaches: Cockroaches cannot survive in the cold. When the mercury drops, you could see a migration of these pests as they seek out the warmth and shelter found inside your home or business.
Year-Round Pest Control With Pestech Pest Solutions
Winter, spring, summer and fall, you can count on Pestech Pest Solutions to keep pests out all year round. With our comprehensive pest solutions, we return regularly to your home or business to ensure your pest problem is taken care of for good. Whether pests are already present or you’re looking to take preventative measures, we offer many different removal and pest control options to homes and businesses throughout New York.
No matter the season, stay safe from pests. Contact us to schedule your inspection.
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