Get Rid of Kitchen Bugs: Ants, Beetles, Flies

The kitchen is one of the most common – and frustrating – places for homeowners to find pests. Ants, fruit flies, and pantry pests are naturally attracted to your kitchen for the same reasons people are, but you might be surprised to learn what they’re snacking on.

Thoroughly Clean All Surfaces

In many cases of kitchen insect infestations, the cause is a missed spill or crumbs rather than food being left out or improperly stored. This can create a frustrating situation for homeowners who can’t get rid of fruit flies or ants even after they have removed all food items from their countertops and cabinets. If a problem persists, then the food source still needs to be found, and that can be more difficult than moving the fruit bowl from the island to the fridge. Nick Schanz, a Batzner Pest Control Service Manager, advises, “Inspect and be prepared to thoroughly wipe down every surface in the kitchen. This includes emptying out cupboards and cabinets and pulling out the oven and refrigerator to vacuum or sweep underneath them. Any residue left behind can attract pests, so make sure you clean it all!”

Clean all Appliances Regularly

Kitchen appliances also need to be cleaned regularly. This may seem obvious for appliances that have crumbs left inside them like toasters, ovens, and microwaves, but other appliances can also be appealing for pests. For example, the coffeemaker can be an attractant for ants. Steve Counsell, Batzner’s Training and Development Manager, explains, “They’re attracted to some of the heat sources. Plus, with the kitchen, it’s a nice area for them to grab food and water is plentiful. There’s really everything they need in order to establish a colony.”

One unfortunate woman from Somers, Wisconsin experienced ants making their home in her coffeemaker. Check out her story here!

Wipe Down Bottles

One additional food source that often gets overlooked is the spillage on the outside of bottles that are kept in the pantry. Some common culprits for having residue stick around on the container are honey, syrup, oil, and peanut butter. If you are having problems finding the food source of an infestation, wipe these down along with any other containers that might be prone to residue from drips.

Removing the food source should drastically reduce the number of insects in your kitchen, but the best way to keep any pest out of your home is through a comprehensive Integrated Pest Management program from Batzner Pest Control. Contact us today to sign up for our exclusive pestfree365 program or to learn about our additional service offerings!

How to Prevent Bed Bugs from Coming Home from School

Bed bug infestations in classrooms are rare because schools are generally poor environments for them. However, periodic introductions of bed bugs into classes occur more, often due to the increasing frequency of bed bugs in homes.

While teachers and staff can be more easily addressed, dealing with students or parents can be challenging, especially if the family cannot afford proper control measures or their landlord refuses to properly treat their home.

College dorms and apartment complexes are also hot spots for bed bugs. College housing can be prime territory for bed bug infestations to spread rapidly, and it only takes a few hitchhikers on your son or daughter’s belongings to bring that infestation into your home. 

If you have a child in this position, make sure they aren’t bringing any unwanted guests back with them.

Bed Bug Prevention in the School

If you’re a faculty member, we recommend the following for preventing bed bugs:

  • Provide educational materials to staff and parents/guardians.
  • Keep the facility clean and uncluttered. Bed Bugs are not associated with uncleanliness, but a clean facility makes it easier to detect bed bugs before an infestation gets established.
  • If children take naps at school, regularly put the bedding in the dryer on a high setting for at least 30 min. This will kill all stages of bed bug development. Dress up clothes or theater costumes should also be regularly put through the dryer.
  • Regularly clean and inspect the following: lost-and-found, sleeping areas, upholstered furniture, and wall mounted items (pictures, clocks, signs, mirrors, etc.).
  • Store items (bedding, clothes, coats, bags) in clear plastic containers when possible.
  • Consider periodic inspections by a bed bug detecting canine, if bed bugs are consistently an issue in the population you serve.

If a Student’s Home Is Known to Have a Bed Bug Infestation

  • Provide the student with educational materials they can take home with them.
  • Send a letter to the student’s parent or guardian requesting that they take steps to reduce the risk of bed bugs being transported to school.
  • Send a letter to all parents with children in the affected classroom.
  • Provide the student with plastic bags or a plastic bin in which to store their belongings while at school.
  • Isolate the student’s belongings.
  • Reduce the number of items that the student has to transport between school and home.
  • Regularly inspect the student’s desk and or locker for bed bugs.
  • Avoid an accumulation of clothes, shoes, and boots in the classroom.

Tips for Parents to Follow at Home

  • Parents should regularly inspect their children’s belongings for hitchhiking bed bugs.
  • Limiting the number of items children bring home from school.
  • Regularly checking backpacks, jackets, and clothing after kids return home, and keeping these items in a separate area of the house.
  • Wash and dry cloth items returning from school in hot temperatures.
  • Inspecting your car for signs of bed bugs, like shed exoskeletons and blood stains.
  • If the school has reported an infestation, consider housing all related items in a sealed plastic bin.
  • Ask school administrators whether they have bed bug detection and elimination plans.

Bed Bug Prevention in College Dorms and Apartments

Because bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers, they are easy to carry both to and from campus. Here are a few tips on bed bug prevention in college dorms and apartments:

  • Suitcases and trunks should be fully inspected for signs of bed bugs prior to using them for back-to-school packing, especially if they were used for other travel.
  • Any secondhand or rental furniture should be inspected to ensure that it is free of any bed bugs or bed bug evidence.
  • Dorm rooms should be inspected prior to unpacking. Begin with the mattress and check any additional furniture in the room, such as sofas or chairs.
  • Invest in a mattress encasement if your school doesn’t provide them. While a mattress encasement can’t stop bed bugs from getting into your dorm room, it can allow you to see bed bugs that get introduced to your room, since it prevents them from being able to hide on the mattress and box spring. Look for an encasement that promotes “bug proof” zipper locks.

How to Prevent the Transfer of Bed Bugs While Moving

Randy Rupert, Batzner’s Bed Bug Team Leader, recommends the following to prevent the transfer of bed bugs while moving. 

  • A visual inspection before packing is always necessary.
  • Look out for blood spots on linens and clothes
  • Check for fecal spotting on and inside the box spring and box spring frame
  • Inspect area around bed for shed skins, eggs, and live bugs

If you find any reason to believe that bed bugs are present, or if you just want to be extra careful:

In the Dorm

Bag everything, especially linens, clothes, and shoes, and securely tie the bag(s).

At Home

Leave the bags/luggage in the garage, complete the following steps before bringing anything inside (if possible)

  • Empty the bag as soon as possible.
    • Put contents into the dryer right away, dry for 30 to 60 minutes on high.
    • Keep an eye out for black spots in seams, dust skirts, fitted sheets, and other places bed bugs like to live.
  • Vacuum all the luggage, bags, etc. as well as the around the bags/luggage.
  • Wash canisters and other transferring material that cannot be vacuumed.
  • Wipe down hard surfaced items (laptops, TVs, etc.).

Let the Experts Handle Bed Bugs

Bed bugs in your home are a sure way to ruin what should be an enjoyable time with your children and students! 

Whether your kids are in school or you work in a school yourself, it is important to keep yourself educated about bed bugs and prevention. Moving day from a college campus can also be a tiring, frustrating experience, but these few extra steps are very much worth the effort. 

If by some chance a bed bug infestation still occurs, or if you have any questions on bed bug prevention, don’t hesitate to call 866-591-3519 or contact us here.

Benefits of Using Scent Detection Dogs for Bed Bug Inspections

canine sniffing for bed bugs at home in wisconsin

Summer are some of the busiest days for our bed bug scent detection canines. As the weather heats up, the summer travel season starts to pick up, inevitably leading to an increase in the spread of bed bugs. Since bed bugs are hitchhiking pests, they’re bound to spread the more people are on the move. The small nuisance critters will clasp on to clothes, luggage and other personal belongings, allowing them to go wherever their human taxis are headed. Once someone brings these pests home, it’s time for the Batzner bed bug scent detection dogs and their canine handlers to confirm suspected bed bug infestations. Our dogs are trained to only alert to live bed bugs and viable eggs.

Why You Need a Bed Bug Dog Inspection

Using canines to perform a search for bed bugs is efficient when several areas or rooms require inspection because it is less time consuming than humans searching. Using their incredible sense of smell, canines are able to detect and find live bed bugs within minutes of searching. Despite their name, bed bugs don’t limit themselves to bedding. These pests conceal themselves in the depths of furniture, in upholstery, behind wallpaper and baseboards, inside walls, and behind outlets, light switches, and cable and phone jacks. Their ability to hide makes detecting them quite a challenge. In fact, humans can uncover a low-level infestation just 30 percent of the time. That’s why so many people are turning to dogs for help.

Benefits of Bed Bug Sniffing Canines
  • The keen sense of smell in dogs makes them experts on bed bug detection with a very high percentage of accuracy. They can detect live bed bug scents through mattresses, inside walls and furniture. While bed bugs may lurk in nooks and crannies that are out of sight of humans, they cannot hide from a dog’s sensitive nose. Thanks to their keen affinity for scent, dogs can literally sniff out the presence of both bed bugs and their eggs.
  • In addition to accuracy, bed bug canines are extremely fast and efficient. Bed bug canines can easily find the areas where bed bugs reside, and detect them quicker than their human counterparts. Faster detection can speed up the treatment process and allow you to get back to business as usual. Large hotels can be covered in a fraction of the time it takes to complete a visual inspection, giving owners peace of mind that the facility is free of bed bugs.
Who Are These Dogs & How Are They Selected?

There are several training facilities, mostly located in Florida, which raise and train dogs to detect the presence of bed bugs. Dogs rescued from local shelters are mainly used and are chosen based on their breed and level of energy. The most successful dogs are highly energetic and contain biological traits that improve their sense of smell. In addition, the dog must have a solid work ethic and the ability to maintain focus while on the job.

Training the Canine

Usually canines start training between eight and twelve months old, but depending on the age when they are rescued, it can vary. To be eligible for certification, the dog must complete between 800 and 1,000 hours of training. Training takes place in specialized facilities that provide realistic situations and natural hiding places bed bugs. The dog will be exposed to the bugs in their different life stages in order to learn the varying scents of each stage. It is important for the dogs to be able to distinguish between live bugs and dead cells because a false positive could lead to unnecessary treatments and expenses. A canine should not identify past infestations that are no longer a threat. The handlers go through just as much training as the dogs. Both must be a good match for each other in order to pass the certification test.

Scent Detection Certification

Once the training hours are completed, the dogs must be certified by NESDCA. In order to become fully certified, canines and their handlers must pass the certification requirement together. If the canine is ever transferred to a new handler, the certification must be passed again as a new team. A single dog cannot be legally certified without a handler, and vice versa.

The Testing Process

Accredited judges from NESDCA will evaluate the canine and handler through a number of tests. The canine is evaluated on detecting the presence of bed bugs and his or her ability to discriminate between scents. The dog passes the test by making a motion toward the source of the scent, such as pawing or pointing with its nose. The handler is evaluated on their ability to control, command, and work with the dog. Certifications are valid for a full year for the specific scent that was tested.

Are Canine Services Cost-Effective?

Since many residents and business owners spend thousands of dollars on infestation removal, there are concerns that the use of scent detection dogs is just another added expense. However, the use of bed bugs dogs can save an individual or company several thousands of dollars on unnecessarily treating rooms that are not infested. Because of their accuracy, a bed bug canine team can identify one bed bug just as easily as it can detect a severe infestation. Early detection saves time and money before infestations can get out of control.

If you find yourself dealing with a potential bed bug issue, it might be time to call 866-591-3519 or contact the four-legged bed bug canines at Batzner!

Signs and Treatment of Fleas for your Pets and Home

closeup of flea

Most pets love getting outside to enjoy the beautiful summer weather as much as their owners. Unfortunately, the excitement of exploring the outdoors and interacting with other animals comes with a risk. Each walk around the block, visit to the dog park, and afternoon spent in the backyard increases your pet’s potential exposure to fleas. These blood-sucking parasites can cause a variety of problems for you and your pets, and requires a targeted treatment to keep them under control.

Signs of Fleas

Excessive scratching is the most common and well-known problem caused by fleas. Not all pets will scratch, however. The scratching only occurs when a pet has an allergic reaction to the flea’s saliva. Because of this, pet owners need to keep an eye out for other signs of flea infestations and the more serious issues they can cause.

If a pet becomes unusually lethargic, has a decreased appetite, and/or has pale gums, a trip to the vet and a flea control treatment are necessary. These symptoms are due to the blood sucking nature of fleas; the blood loss can cause a host to become anemic. This can be a very dangerous condition for young, old, and sickly pets.

Also keep an eye out for segments of tapeworms in your pet’s stool, weight loss without a decrease in appetite, or an increase of appetite without any gain in weight. When a pet licks or chews at areas of its skin that have fleas, it may accidentally swallow a few. This can lead to your pet developing a tapeworm, as fleas often carry tapeworm eggs. Tapeworms cause their host to be deprived of nutrients, and can easily spread from pets to people.

Treatment

Unfortunately, if you discover that your pet has fleas, it is extremely likely that there are more throughout your home.

The first and most important step in getting the infestation under control is to get the pet itself treated. Batzner Operations Manager Skie Gierach stresses the importance of getting the pet on a treatment from your veterinarian, “Before any treatment to the house, the pet must receive a treatment with a veterinarian recommended flea control product. Not only will this help prevent future problems, but it speeds up the process of ridding the home of the infestation, as the fleas are no longer able to feed on the animal.”

For your home, there are many treatment choices, including do-it-yourself options. While none are as thorough and effective as having a professional treatment, you can have success if you are willing to put in the time and effort required to rid your home of fleas. Conversely, hiring a professional service provides for more guaranteed results, but also requires maintenance on the part of the homeowner such as daily vacuuming.

At Batzner, fleas are handled with a specific, targeted Flea Treatment. This involves a treatment of the entire carpeting, wood floors, baseboards, bottoms of furniture, underside of cushions, and underneath beds. Extra attention is paid to the areas where the pet spends most of its time, both inside and outside of the house. Additionally, the client is given a comprehensive education on what they can do to speed up the treatment process and to minimize their likelihood of future infestations.

If you find any evidence of fleas in your house or on your pets, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 866-591-3519 or contact us online. Our Flea Treatment will allow you and your pets to enjoy the beautiful summer weather without worrying about pesky parasites!

Why You Shouldn’t DIY Stinging Insects: Bees, Wasps, Hornets

wasp on person's wrist getting ready to sting

Now that summer is in full swing, I bet your grill has been getting a work out. The last thing you want is for your barbecue to be interrupted by pesky stinging insects. Whether it’s hornets, wasps, or bees, they can send you and your family running back in the house abandoning your perfectly grilled burgers. Your first instinct might be to run to the closest store to pick a can of something claiming it will get rid of your problem. The over-the-counter product you buy might work for a day or two, but the truth is that it can only address insects present at the time of treatment, which is why this DIY method often does not work. Insects that were out of the nest during the treatment will not be affected by the product when they return back to the nest. When choosing a do-it-yourself treatment, your problems will likely persist.

A pest control company can correctly identify the breed of stinging insects in order to safely and thoroughly treat the infestation. Highly trained and certified professionals know the difference between all breeds of stinging insects and treat nests based on that determination. A pharmaceutical-grade product is used that not only addresses present insects, but the residual properties of the product also takes care of insects that were absent from the nest at the time of treatment.

Batzner Pest Control’s service is about a trained, certified professional knowing how to identify and treat an issue safely and thoroughly, and a service that is guaranteed. Our services carry a warranty until the end of the calendar year which allows for additional services at no charge if the problem is not resolved. Call Batzner Pest Control at 866-591-3519 or contact us online for your free estimate so you can get back outside and enjoy your burgers!

Why do Spiders, Centipedes and Earwigs Love the Bathroom so Much?

closeup of earwig in wisconsin bathroom

You know that moment when you’re in the shower, mid-shampoo and you look up to see that creepy crawly just hanging out on the wall of your shower. A quick debate runs through your head: Should I move? Yes, move. Wait, no. Hold still, maybe it won’t notice me. I’ll quickly get the shampoo out of my hair and everything will be fine. After “calmly” talking yourself through that situation, you start to wonder why insects seem so determined to ruin your shower. The simple truth is that living in your bathroom makes for a pretty easy life for spiders and other bugs.

What Makes the Bathroom so Enticing for Bugs?

Bathrooms are magnets that attract a variety of creepy, crawly pests because they provide an ideal environment for a couple of reasons.

  1. Hair, mildew, mold provide unlimited food sources, yummy!
  2. Soaps made from fats are another delicious food source.
  3. Pipes provide excellent travel paths.
  4. Plumbing leaks and dampness provide the moisture needed to survive.
  5. Cracks and crevices offer hiding places and places to establish nests.
  6. The high humidity and moisture environment is desirable.

Which Bugs are Most Common?

According to Operations Managers at Batzner Pest Control, these are the most common bugs they come across in the bathroom.

  1. Centipedes: The main reason centipedes are present in bathrooms is for the availability of other insects to feed on.
  2. Earwigs: Drawn to bathrooms because they prefer damp, dark environments.
  3. Springtails: They thrive in high humidity and will feed on whatever is available.
  4. Silverfish: They prefer dampness, but their nocturnal habits keep their pest profile low.

Why is it so Hard to Control Bathroom Pests?

Eliminating bugs in the bathroom can be a challenging task. And darn it, if there’s one thing you deserve at the end of the day, it’s a peaceful shower without being traumatized by the possibility of unwanted company. Do-it-yourself treatments only provide temporary solutions to the problem, and they don’t tackle pests at the source. The best way to remove insects from your bathroom starts with a call to Batzner Pest Control at 866-591-3519 or by contacting us online. We’ll identify and eliminate the problem, so you can get back to enjoying your personal space without unwanted company.

What Happens During a Home Pest Inspection

batzner exterminator talks to family about pest treatments in wisconsin house

It all starts with contacting us! Reach out to Batzner via phone, or our quick and easy free estimate form on our website to get the ball rolling. From there, a Batzner Pest Control consultant will assess your concerns over the phone. You may have particular pest concerns, or are in need of general preventative pest maintenance.

During your first initial service our professionals will arrive and be ready to thoroughly inspect the interior and exterior of your home. Our expertise allows us to not only search for causes and evidence of a particular pest concern, but also helps us to identify other areas where we see the potential for future pest issues as well.

While inside, our professionals are on the lookout for red flags like, food and water sources, moisture issues from leaking pipes or other humid conditions, as well as a variety of sanitation issues. They are also on the lookout for physical evidence such as damage or droppings, which may indicate the presence of pests.

On the exterior of your home, a trained Batzner Service Specialist will seek out any openings such as cracks or crevices in the mortar or foundation or any tree limbs touching your home which can provide a welcome walkway for pests of all types. Batzner specialists are familiar with other common outdoor pest attractions such as stored firewood or excess debris and trash near your home.

Batzner will leave you with the peace of mind that your pests have not only been properly identified, but if needed, an effective treatment plan has been set in motion to keep you, your family, and your pets safe.

Call 866-591-3519 or contact us today for a free Batzner consultation.

Pests That Trigger Allergies and Asthma: Stinging Insects, Cockroaches, Dust Mites

It may be prime time for seasonal allergy sufferers in Wisconsin, but there may be another cause of asthma and other allergic reactions lurking in or around your home: pests!

Stinging Insects

Those who suffer from stinging insect allergies may show signs from itching and hives, to more serious symptoms such as shortness of breath and anaphylaxis, which is a potentially fatal reaction. An allergic reaction occurs when the immune system overreacts to an allergen. In stinging insect allergies, the allergen is venom from a sting. Most serious reactions are caused by four types of insects:

  • Yellow jackets are black with yellow markings. Their nests are usually located underground, but sometimes found in the walls of buildings, cracks in masonry or in woodpiles.
  • Honey bees have round, fuzzy bodies with dark brown and yellow markings. They can be found in honeycombs in trees, old tires or other partially protected sites.
  • Paper wasps are slender with black, brown, red and yellow markings. They live in a circular comb under eaves, behind shutters or in shrubs and woodpiles.
  • Hornets are black or brown with white, orange or yellow markings. Their nests are gray or brown and are usually found in trees.

Cockroaches

What you may be surprised to know is that cockroaches are actually one of the leading causes of asthma symptoms in children. This may result in difficulty sleeping and wheezing, itchy skin, throat and nose, as well as inflamed eyes and ears. While adults may also have these symptoms, children are particularly sensitive to the cockroach droppings, saliva, shed skins and remains that contain potent allergen proteins. Every aspect of a cockroach will become a component of your home’s dust, potentially leading to an asthma attack. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation has indicated at least 78% of urban homes contain cockroaches, while the suburbs also see their fair share.

Dust Mites

Dust mites are also extremely common in the home, and symptoms include congestion, cough, facial pressure, itchy and watery eyes, and postnasal drip. Dust mites, close relatives of ticks and spiders, are too small to see without a microscope. Dust mites eat skin cells shed by people, and they thrive in warm, humid environments. In most homes, such items as bedding, upholstered furniture, pillows, curtains and carpeting provide an ideal environment for dust mites. The waste products of dust mites, not the mites themselves, are what cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Throughout its short life span, a single dust mite may produce as much as 200 times its body weight in waste products. Dust mite waste contains a protein that is an allergen. An allergen is a substance that provokes an allergic reaction. By taking steps to reduce the number of dust mites in your home, you may get control of dust mite allergy.

How Can the Pests Be Managed?

Batzner Pest Control and the National Pest Management Association recommend the following tips for safeguarding homes against pests that cause asthma and allergies:

  • Keep food sealed and stored properly, and clean kitchen floors and counters daily.
  • Dispose of garbage regularly and store in sealed containers.
  • Seal cracks and holes in homes, including entry points for utilities and pipes and in screen doors and windows.
  • Keep basements and crawl spaces well ventilated and dry.
  • Consider a dust mite allergy cover for your bed.
  • Hard surface flooring may also be helpful to lessen the allergic effects of dust mites.
  • Vacuum at least once a week using a vacuum with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate) filter.
  • If allergic to stinging insects, learn how to use an epinephrine kit and carry it with you at all times.
  • Should you experience symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as tongue and throat swelling, wheezing, dizziness, or shortness of breath, call 911.

If you suspect a cockroach infestation or notice a hive or nest on your property, contact Batzner Pest Control to identify and safely treat your home.

5 Tips to Prevent Fall Invaders, Including Spiders, Centipedes and Earwigs

closeup of a millipede, an occasionally fall seasonal pest in wisconsin

Those of us in the pest control industry consider occasional invaders to be some of the creepiest of the crawlies. You’ve probably seen them scurrying across your bathroom or living room floor at one time or another. Most commonly, occasional invaders include centipedes, millipedes, earwigs and Asian lady beetles, among others.

These pests are referred to as occasional, or fall, invaders because they sporadically enter homes or businesses through cracks or crevices, most commonly in the fall. They’ll usually seek shelter indoors when the weather becomes too hostile outside for them to survive. You’ll typically find them by themselves or in small numbers near food sources, in basements, or other cool, damp places.

Occasional invaders aren’t necessarily a health or structural concern, however, they are definitely nuisance bugs; biting, pinching, eating houseplants, damaging fabrics. The main concern for a home or business owner may be food contamination, so be sure to take proper precautions if you believe one of these pests has taken up residence in your food.

Here are Batzner’s five tips to prevent occasional invaders:

  1. Caulking and sealing entry points such as windows and doors. This eliminates some of the most common entry points for occasional invaders.
  2. Don’t forget to vacuum! You can use your vacuum in two capacities here: to clean up any dead bugs which may be attractive to pests, or to clean up any occasional invaders you spot in your home. Just be sure to clean out the vacuum right away!
  3. Make your landscaping less pest friendly. Remove leaf piles, overgrown bushes or trees, and mulch around the perimeter of your home. These are great places for these pests to live.
  4. Repair screens on windows and doors. Similar to caulking and sealing, these are also common entry points for occasional invaders, so it’s a good idea to make sure there is no damage to your screens.
  5. Seal all food containers. It seems obvious, but if a pest has no access to food, they are less likely to stay.
  6. If you believe you’ve spotted some of these occasional invaders, utilize the prevention tips above to limit the infestation. However, if you’re continually noticing these pests, it’s a good idea to consider Batzner’s year-round pestfree 365 program to keep pests at bay.

Call Batzner at 866-591-3519 or fill out a form online for more information today!

What Spring Pests to Expect: Ticks, Boxelder Bugs, Mosquitoes and Ants

As the weather warms and the ground thaws, spring pests will start to emerge from their winter hiding places to enjoy all the good things that the season has to offer. The additional pest activity can be a nuisance for homeowners, so be sure to keep an eye out for signs of infestations. Insect infestations can cause issues inside and outside the home that can be annoying and expensive to fix. Here are some common springtime insect pests to watch for, and the potential damage that can be caused by letting their populations get out of control:

  • Japanese Beetles– Japanese beetles begin the spring in their grub stage, nibbling away at your lawn’s root system. This can lead to dead spots and bare areas in the lawn which require reseeding. When the temperature gets warm enough, the grubs emerge from the ground as beetles and feed on the leaves of plants and trees, including ornamentals like roses.
  • Ticks– Ticks start appearing in the spring, and can cause a number of problems if they are hanging out in your yard. Their bites, while occasionally very painful to people or pets, are usually just a mild annoyance. However, being bitten should be taken seriously, as ticks are known for spreading diseases such as Lyme Disease.
  • Boxelder Bugs– Boxelder bugs don’t typically cause extensive damage to homes or foliage during the spring. They spend their spring and summer feeding and reproducing on a select few kinds of trees, primarily female box elder trees, and only occasionally cause minor damage to fruits and leaves. Crushing them can release an unpleasant odor, and their feces can stain light colored surfaces. Allowing their population to go unchecked does create a nuisance in the fall, when they reenter the home in preparation for winter.
  • Mosquitoes– Mosquito eggs begin hatching in the spring, and reach their adult stage in less than two weeks. As with ticks, mosquito bites are mostly an annoyance, but they can also spread diseases such as West Nile and yellow fever.
  • Ants– Ants also emerge from their nests in the spring, and are often drawn into your home in search of a meal. In addition to crawling all over any food that has been left out, research has shown that ants can cause or exacerbate asthma, allergies, and other respiratory issues for those sensitive to such problems.

More information on these pests, including signs of infestations, can be found on the National Pest Management Association’s website. As with other pests, spring insects are best handled by a professional. If you see any signs of an infestation in your home or workplace, please don’t hesitate to contact us!