Fall Pests in Minnesota

It’s time to start talking about fall pests in Minnesota.

It’s fall in Minnesota, and that means two things – kids are heading back to school, and outdoor pests are starting to head inside homes for the winter. There is an abundance of different pests that become more active in the fall, and once it starts to get a little chilly at night, they know it’s time for them to start moving inside for the winter. BOGO has services to help you combat all of those pesky fall pests,s including boxelder bugs, Asian lady beetles, stink bugs, voles, and mice. Let’s review the science behind the behaviors of some of these pests.

Boxelder bugs are the most common fall nuisance pest. This time of year, they can be found on the south side of homes and crawling along on boxelder trees. These trees release helicopter seeds, which make up their diet. Don’t be surprised to see boxelder bugs around your property if you or a neighbor has these trees. The beginning of fall is the perfect time to treat homes for boxelders as they are starting to migrate into more sheltered places to overwinter. They hide under siding and in cracks along windows, door frames, and fascia boards, which is why many people notice them inside during the winter. Once inside, it’s too late to treat. BOGO pest control recommends treating for boxelders in September.

Asian lady beetles are a common fall nuisance and are often seen inside during the winter. They are commonly misidentified as ladybugs, but this invasive species originated from China, Russia, Korea, and Japan. They were first brought to the U.S. to help farmers protect their crops against harmful plant pests such as aphids, scales, and other soft-bodied arthropods. In the fall, these beetles start migrating away from outdoor fields and gardens to more protected areas to spend the winter. You will see the largest amount of activity during the afternoon, as they are attracted to illuminated surfaces. Much like the boxelder bug, the Asian lady beetle tends to congregate on the south side of buildings where it’s the sunniest. They find their way inside by crawling under siding and through cracks around doors and windows. BOGO Pest Control’s fall treatment for boxelders will also help in eradicating the Asian lady beetle.

Another invasive species found in Minnesota is the stink bug, also known as the brown marmorated stink bug or BMSB. Stink bugs, just like the Asian lady beetle, came to the U.S. from Asia. They have become more prevalent in Minnesota just in the last few years. They were first spotted here in 2010. Just like the rest of the pests previously mentioned, stink bugs are attracted to the warmest areas of the home. During the fall, they search for areas to enter through to overwinter. Stink bugs often find their way inside through chimneys. While we recommend installing a termination cap cover to help keep stink bugs out, the best way to keep your home pest-free is to contact BOGO Pest Control to treat the exterior of the home and the chimney.

A commonly misidentified fall pest is the vole. Here at BOGO, we receive many calls from concerned customers who have seen mice running across their lawns during the day. However, as soon as the customer reveals that these sightings are happening during the day and only outside, we know right away that they aren’t seeing mice, but rather they are seeing voles. Unlike voles, mice are nocturnal and more active at night. Voles, on the other hand, are active throughout the day and night. They are easy to identify simply by their tail. They have much shorter, fur-lined tails, unlike mice. Voles live outside year-round and aren’t interested in going inside. Their main focus is to wreak havoc on your lawn. They tunnel under the snow in the winter and chew on the roots of grass, bulbs of flowers, as well as bark around trees. Voles love living in areas with heavy ground cover, inside long grasses, retaining walls, and near ponds and river banks. To prevent voles from destroying your lawn during the winter, we recommend having BOGO Pest Control place bait stations along the perimeter of your lawn in the fall. These stations are filled with poison blocks, and once consumed, they die before they can cause any further damage to plants and lawns. It is important to note that voles will only eat enough poison to harm themselves, and cannot cause harm to larger predators. To keep voles from making themselves at home, we recommend trimming back bushes and low-hanging shrubs so they do not touch the ground. It is also helpful to keep your grass cut low in the fall, especially during the last mowing of the season, and to remove leaves and sticks that could provide warm shelter for voles during the winter. BOGO’s Outdoor Rodent Management Plan includes monthly or bi-monthly visits to refill the stations as needed, depending on activity levels. To manage the population, we conduct year-round checks, including in the winter.

Last but not least, the fall pest that wreaks the most havoc out of all the pests listed is the mouse. Mice often invade homes for warmth in the fall. There are multiple types of mice in Minnesota, but only a few are commonly found inside homes. The most common found inside is the house mouse. They are easy to spot by their large ears, thin tail, and pink feet. Second is the eastern and white-footed deer mouse. The eastern deer mouse is easily identifiable by its large black eyes, gray or brown fur, and white feet. An obvious difference between the two is the white fur on its belly and reddish-brown or gray fur on top of the white-footed deer mouse. Once inside, most mice will build their nests in hollow foundation walls, attics, and basements, and spend most of their time out of sight of humans.

BOGO Pest Control offers a unique approach to mouse prevention – a full exterior exclusion service. We start with a thorough inspection of the property. Our team will look for any major entry points around the perimeter of the home, along with photos of each entry point that will be sent to you in an email that includes an estimate. We will note any limitations that may be blocking their view of the foundation, rendering the possibility of missing an entry point. If you would like to move forward with an exclusion service, we will then schedule a time for our technician to return to your home to perform a seal-up, which will include setting snap traps inside the home. However, the technician will not just seal the entry points in the photos, but will also spend a couple of hours searching for additional entry points missed during the inspection. We at BOGO Pest Control stand behind our work and proudly offer a 2-year warranty, dependent upon existing limitations. If there are limitations present,t such as a low deck or porch that is not accessible, we will offer limited free visits within two years. The warranty will kick in 30 days after the seal-up is complete, giving ample time to trap the existing population of mice inside the home. BOGO Pest Control provides mouse exclusion services without requiring a contract for monthly visits. We aim to solve your mouse issues, not manage them with maintenance.

BOGO Pest Control should be your one-stop shop for all fall pests in the Twin Cities and outer suburbs. We spray to keep insects from moving inside over the winter, and our exclusion service for mice is bar none the best mouse service you will find in Minnesota.