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MARCH 21 2022 / PEST AND TERMITE
When it comes to climate, Virginia is ideally situated in the United States. We do have hot, humid summers, but we also get to experience all four seasons without dealing with severe winters. Living in such a place has many advantages, including being able to enjoy outdoor activities all twelve months of the year.
However, no place is perfect, and Virginia is no exception. One of the issues we have to deal with in abundance is pests. Just like humans, pests appreciate Virginia’s climate. Because of that, there are a lot of pests in our area and they are eager to get into your home if they can find a way inside.
Any home that remains unprotected from pests is at risk of a pest infestation, no matter the season. If you’ve ever heard that you should have year-round pest control for your Virginia home but wondered why it’s necessary, American Pest can clear up the confusion.
When most people think about pests and pest problems, they think about the warmer months of the year. Summer is when we see the most pest activity, so it seems like it would make sense that pest problems would be most likely to occur when there are more pests around to cause trouble.
It is true that plenty of pest problems can occur in summer and that the majority of pest activity occurs in the hottest months of the year. However, that’s not where pest problems end. Pests can be a problem for Virginia homeowners through all four seasons of the year. Below you can get an idea of what each season brings with it for pest problems.
When the weather begins to warm up in the spring, pest activity starts to increase as many pests come out of their winter hiding places. Spring is when ants, mosquitoes, flies, and stinging insects all begin to reappear after taking a break during the coldest months of the year.
Although their activity starts out small and most of them remain outdoors, there is a chance that some of these pests will move inside as they look for food or water.
Furthermore, if you can nip pest activity in the bud now when their numbers are small, you can avoid bigger problems in the summer. For instance, eliminating a stinging insect nest before it’s fully built and when just the queen is active is much easier than trying to eliminate it in the middle of summer when hundreds of stinging insects live inside it.
Termites are another pest that you might find yourself dealing with in the spring. These wood-destroying pests are active all year long, but spring is usually the time of year that they mate. It’s also the time of year that offers you the best chance at noticing an active colony because it’s the only time they come out in the open.
If you find a large swarm of winged termites (they look very similar to flying ants), or if you find piles of discarded wings, you probably have a termite infestation either in your house or very close by on your property.
Summer is the busiest time of the year for pest activity because so many pests love, and thrive in, hot weather. Summer is when the pest activity of ants, mosquitoes, stinging insects, flies, ticks, and more will be at its peak.
Although many of these pests will remain outdoors throughout the season, they can be a threat to your health and safety outside as well as inside.
The pest infestations that are most likely to make their way into your Virginia home in the summer are ant, fly, and fruit fly infestations. You may also encounter nuisance pests, such as stink bugs or house spiders. These pests often find their way inside while looking for water, food, or shelter from the heat.
Fall is a busy time of year for pest infestations. Many pests, such as lady bugs and stink bugs, begin to make their way to indoor locations as the weather begins to cool. Some of these pests may move into your walls and stay hidden through the winter as they go into diapause or hibernation.
Although these pests have infested your home, you probably won’t be aware of it until either an unseasonably warm day in winter or spring.
However, some pests will come into the main part of your house and can cause a variety of problems. Stink bugs and ladybugs are both considered nuisance pests, but when you crush either of them, they give off a very unpleasant smell. Fleas are common home invaders in the fall.
They cover the people and pets in your home with bites, can cause anemia in pets, and can spread tapeworm.
Rodents are another type of pest that start to become problematic in the fall. As the weather gets cold and their food sources start to disappear, they begin to look for a place where they can spend the winter. Once they move into your house, they’ll cause serious problems, destroying your home and spreading illness-causing pathogens all around the surfaces where they walk.
Most people consider winter to be the season when they can stop worrying about pest infestations. Although most pest activity does slow down in the coldest months of the year, it doesn’t mean that there are no pests around that can get into your house.
Just like in the fall, rodents are a major concern all winter long. Rodents are easily able to access the inside of your house by exploiting weak areas around the exterior of your house.
Even if they can’t find a hole or opening large enough to fit through, they can use their chewing abilities to make a gap big enough to get inside. Once they’ve made their way inside, rodents cause all kinds of problems.
Cockroaches are another pest that tends to be a problem in the winter. These pests are a serious health risk to anyone who comes in contact with them. They are known to spread over 30 kinds of bacteria and trigger allergies and asthma in some people.
Many Virginia homeowners take a “wait and see” approach to pest control. A lot of homeowners think the best way to go about pest control is to call in the pest control experts only after they experience a pest problem. After all, why bother spending money on something like pest control when an infestation might never happen? Although it seems like this is a good way to do things, it can be a mistake.
The first problem with this approach is that you’re waiting for pests to infest your house before taking action. Any time you allow pests to get into your house, you run the risk of developing serious pest problems. Although some pests might be nothing more than a nuisance, others can destroy important parts of your house, make your family sick, and bring other pests inside with them.
The longer that pests are in your house, either without you realizing it or before they can be fully eliminated, the better chance they have of causing harm in one form or another.
Another problem with this approach is that there is a decent chance you’ll end up dealing with pests multiple times a year. For instance, spiders might move inside in the spring, ants in the summer, and stink bugs in the fall. Having to deal with pests regularly is time-consuming and stressful, not to mention expensive.
The expense of dealing with pests on a case by case basis is another problem with this approach. On the surface, it seems like it would be cheaper than paying for year-round pest control. After all, why would you want to pay for something that you might never need? However, the truth is that preventative pest control is often the cheaper option.
If you wait until pests invade to do something about them, you’ll likely have more to pay for than just pest control. You’ll also have to pay for repairs to anything that was damaged by the pests. You may also have medical bills if they cause any illnesses that require a doctor’s visit.
Another way that Virginia homeowners try to deal with pest infestations is by attempting to eliminate them on their own. This method is often employed in an effort to save money, but it usually doesn’t work out that way.
Typically DIY methods of pest control don’t work or are only partially effective. When all is said and done, you end up spending more money because you spend money on the products you use in your DIY efforts before calling in the professionals and paying them. In some instances, DIY methods can even make the problem worse.
Instead of wasting time and money, not to mention frustration, dealing with pest problems as they occur, the smarter and safer option is to have year-round pest control to protect your Virginia home. With year-round pest control, you are preventing pest infestations before they can occur.
This protects your home from damage and your family from illness, which saves you time, money, worry, and frustration.
American Pest offers a number of pest control options to protect your home all year long while also being mindful of your needs and budget.
Our Preferred Care Pest Control Plan provides quarterly services that include an exterior perimeter treatment, exterior spider de-webbing, and exterior rodent prevention. It also includes an interior service guarantee.
Our Preferred Care Plus Pest Control Plan Plus Termite Monitoring includes everything from our Preferred Care plan. It also includes Halo Termite Monitoring.
Our Preferred Care Complete Pest Control Plan Plus the Sentricon® System With Always Active™ includes everything from our Preferred Care plan. It also includes Sentricon® With Always Active™, which is the #1 termite baiting system available.
We also offer a seasonal mosquito and tick plan to protect your family from these biting pests when they are active.
Year-round pest control doesn’t have to be expensive or intrusive. When you choose American Pest to protect your Virginia home, you can receive the kind of pest protection you need to keep pests out, no matter the season. Don’t wait for pests to invade before you do something about them.
Contact American Pest today to get started on your way to a pest-free home all year long.
