What are the Top 5 Most Common Spring Pests?

With spring right around the corner, fluctuations in temperature promote rain, plant growth, new beginnings, and spring cleaning. We’re excited to finally celebrate the sun, vitamin D, and the departure of Georgia’s unpredictable winter. While we’re enjoying the beautiful effects of spring, unfortunately, so are the pests. This is why spring pest control is very important.

Spring is fast approaching, and the spring pests are jumping (or flying) for joy. As the temperatures warm up, many pests, such as ants, mosquitos, termites, spiders, and rats, will come out of hibernation and become a nuisance. Now is the perfect time to make sure your home is pest-free for Georgia’s warmer months.

After winter, it’s important to prepare your home and combat pests proactively. Discover the most common spring pests in Georgia, how to prevent spring pests, and how to prepare your home for a pest-free spring below.

What are the most common spring pests during spring in Georgia?

Carpenter Ants

When the sun comes out, carpenter ants seek food and shelter. These pests can cause structural damage to your home because carpenter ants make colonies in walls. Carpenter ants will travel far away from their nests to find food. If you do have an infestation, you may notice rustling sounds inside the woodwork or within the walls. You may also notice piles of wood shavings underneath wooden items.

Where do carpenter ants enter my house?

• Piping
• Foundation
• Cracks in your home
• Attic Vents
• Telephone Lines
• Electrical Wires

At Lookout Pest Control, formerly Any Pest Inc., we provide expert pest control for any problem you may have with ant infestation. We can identify the problem and ensure that you get rid of all of the ants causing damage to your home. Furthermore, we can help to prevent future infestations so that you won’t have to worry about ants in the future.

Mosquitos

Mosquito bites can be quite irritating and very itchy. However, it is not just the itch you need to worry about; mosquito-derived diseases can make you, your family, and even your pets extremely sick. Spring is the time to start combating mosquitoes and reclaim your yard! Depending on seasonal temperatures, mosquito activity can last into October. We can help with professional mosquito treatments tailored to your home or business. For more tips on how to get rid of mosquitos, check out our blog on how prepare for summer with mosquito treatments.

In order to help prevent mosquitoes, check out the following mosquito spring pest control tips:

• Remove all sources of standing water
• Trim shrubs and keep lawn mowed
• Clear away yard debris

Termites

Termites are wood-eating insects that are known for their gluttonous appetites. The beginning of spring and after a rain is usually when termites swarm. However, not all termites swarm at the same time. In addition, termites can cause a lot of costly damage in a short amount of time. Oftentimes, these destructive creatures find a choice meal in the form of your beloved home or business. Lookout Pest Control offers Sentricon® Termite Baiting Systems, as well as Liquid Barrier Treatments, to detect and eliminate termite populations in and around your home or business.

8 Signs of a Termite Infestation

• Termite mounds
• Hollow-sounding wood
• Bits of debris
• Sagging of floors or ceilings
• Mud tubes on exterior walls
• Crumbling wood of any structure type
• Cracked or distorted paint on wood surfaces
• Groups of winged insects (“swarmers”) or discarded wings

Rats

Though rats are active year-round, their spring breeding is from April to June, and again in October and November. Rats can be a serious problem for both homeowners and business owners. Not only are they off-putting and disturbing animals to have crawling around your home or business, but they can also harbor and transmit a number of serious diseases.

Rat Control Tips:

• Check around the outside of your house for holes or gaps the size of a quarter or larger.
• Install metal weather stripping under doors to remove gaps.
• Keep garbage cans covered at all times.

Check out these additional tips to help prevent a rat infestation.

Spiders

Spring is a spider’s favorite time of year. Although the majority of spiders native to Georgia are harmless, the Brown Recluse and Black Widow spiders are both extremely poisonous and their bites can even be fatal. Spiders often like the cold, dark environments of basements and air vents, and will enter your home in search of prey. They often get into homes through poorly sealed windows and doors, or in boxes or other carry in containers.

Spider Control Tips:

• Seal cracks and crevices around the outside of your home, especially areas where utility pipes enter the home.
• Eradicate all moisture sites, including clogged drains and leaking pipes.
• Store food in airtight containers and dispose of trash on a regular basis in sealed receptacles.
  

These tips above will help you pest-proof your home for spring, but if you do have unwanted critters in your home, be sure to contact a spring pest control professional to remove them. If you suspect a pest infestation in your home this spring, contact Lookout Pest Control today for a free spring pest control inspection to inspect, identify, and treat your pest problem.

Our job is to keep spring pests out. During the inspection, our professional technicians will examine both your yard and your home to uniquely assess your individual needs. We will identify entry points, make recommendations to seal certain areas, and may treat certain areas. There is not a one-size-fits-all guide to pest control. No home or pest is the same, therefore, we find the right solution for homeowners to remain pest-free this spring.

A pest infestation comes with an increased risk of property damage and potential injury, so it may be dangerous or inefficient to try to deal with it on your own.

Contact Lookout Pest Control today at (678) 888-0035 for a free estimate!