Every year, we look forward to spring after a long, gray Ohio winter. But with the arrival of spring comes—you guessed it—pests.
We’ve covered this topic before, but it’s always good to get a reminder! We know life gets busy, but whether you live in an apartment or a house, it’s important to make time for pest control. Ideally, you would do this year-round (since some pests, like rodents, cockroaches, and bed bugs, are active all year); however, it’s especially important in the spring.
Below, we’ll talk about the pests you need to be on the lookout for come spring. We’ll also link to further reading that will help you identify and eliminate a pest problem. Consider this your go-to guide for spring pests.
Ohio’s Spring Pests
Termites
Termites are a wood-eating pest that can cause serious damage to a home over time. This pale, soft-bodied insect lives in colonies or nests either underground or within wood.
Termites are actually active year-round, but they slow down in the winter. This makes it easier to miss termite activity in the winter. Spring is when you’re most likely to notice your home has termites: this is when termites swarm, with winged termites leaving the nest to mate and start new colonies.
While there’s not much you can do to prevent termites, there are a few things we recommend. These include cutting back trees so they don’t touch your house, removing stumps and wooden debris from your yard, and moving firewood away from your house. These tips make your home less hospitable to termites.
If you notice termite activity in your home, don’t hesitate to call in a pest control expert. Termites are extremely difficult for the average homeowner to get rid of, making this a job for the professionals.
FURTHER READING:
- Home Remedies for Termites
- Why Do Houses Get Termites?
- Winged Ants or Termites?
- Can Termite Damage Be Fixed?
- Buying a House? Look Out for Termites!
- The Ultimate Guide to Termites
Ants
We’re sure you’ve seen this pest. Ants are just about everywhere in Ohio in the spring and summer, as they come out to mate. (Like termites, they’ll have wings.)
While ants are fine outside, you don’t want them in your home. They’re more than a nuisance: they eat your food and spread diseases like E. coli and Salmonella.
Ants are social creatures that live in colonies. If a few ants come into your home, you can bet that more ants will follow their scent trail. To prevent ants from making your house theirs, we recommend a few steps—including pruning trees and other vegetation away from your home, keeping surfaces in your home clean, storing pantry items in airtight containers, and applying a perimeter treatment around your home.
If you notice more than a few ants in your home, we recommend getting help from an expert. While there are plenty of tips to get rid of the odd ant online, that won’t get rid of a full-blown infestation. (This is because more ants will keep coming.)
FURTHER READING:
- Know Your Enemy: How to Identify Common Ohio Ants
- Home Remedies for Ants
- 3 Tips for Keeping Ants out of Your Kitchen
- How to Get Rid of Ants
Stinging Insects
Stinging insects—like hornets, wasps, yellow jackets, and bees—spend the spring mating and building new colonies. While bees are beneficial and should be left alone as much as possible, other stinging insects are far less desirable.
To prevent stinging insects from setting up shop around or inside your home, there are a few things you can do. We recommend sealing entry points, putting screens on windows and doors, planting flowers away from the house, and avoiding outdoor picnics.
If you see a nest or other signs of significant stinging insect activity, we recommend leaving it alone and calling a pest expert. Stinging insects can be aggressive, which means that it can be dangerous to remove active nests. If you are allergic to wasps or other stinging insects, we strongly advise against removing the nest yourself.
FURTHER READING:
- Common Stinging Insects and How to Keep Them out of Your Home
- Do “Natural” Wasp Repellants Really Work?
- I Spy with My Little Eye…Wasps! What to Look for around Your Home
Fleas
Fleas can’t survive in cold temperatures for very long, but they can survive on animals and in warmer places like barns and under homes. Because fleas thrive in warmer weather, they come out in droves.
To protect your pets from discomfort, it’s important to maintain flea prevention treatment. We recommend asking your veterinarian for the most effective treatment for your dog or cat. If you have a cat, you can further protect it by keeping it indoors. Also, if your yard has a serious flea problem, consider having it treated by a pest professional so that your pets can go outside, worry-free.
FURTHER READING:
Ticks
Like fleas, ticks thrive in warmer weather; however, they can survive the winter by seeking warmer shelter. Then, when spring arrives, it’s time to watch out.
Ticks are a parasitic pest, with six legs as a nymph and eight as an adult, that attaches to a host. This pest can be harmful to both pets and people, spreading serious diseases (like Lyme disease).
To prevent ticks from flourishing in your yard, we recommend taking similar steps as you would for fleas. (Some medications are designed to prevent both fleas and ticks.) Check your pets for ticks (especially around the face and neck) after they come inside. In addition, make sure to keep your yard tidy, mowing the grass regularly and clearing up debris. This makes your yard less hospital to ticks. And again, consider a pest control treatment if you have a serious tick problem in your yard.
FURTHER READING:
Contact Us Today
If you have an infestation, it’s time to call in the professionals.
Contact Scherzinger Pest Control, a trusted pest control company in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky areas, including Dayton, OH, and now Columbus, OH. We’ve been pioneers, engineering new standards for ways of eliminating and controlling bugs and pests. Contact us by phone at 1-877-748-9888 or through our website, Facebook, or Twitter.