Summer is here, which means spending more time outdoors in nature
Lots of pests are active now and will become more noticable as the temperatures rise!
Primary Summer Pests
If you have questions, concerns, or want to schedule an appointment
Call Us Today! 952-404-BOGO (2646)
Mice
Mice in the summer will start to spend more time outside looking for food. It’s a misconception that mice like cheese. Mice prefer to eat seeds and nuts found outside. In the summer, they are constantly moving in and out of homes at night to stockpile food for the winter. When inside, mice nest and create caches inside the insulation. Most homes will show evidence of mice tunneling in the attic insulation. Some pest companies will say this is a health risk for homeowners. There have only been 2 reported cases of Hantavirus in Minnesota since 1993. If a mouse were carrying any diseases, the only way a homeowner would come in contact with them would be if they moved through the insulation, forcing the particles airborne and breathing them in. Unfortunately, even without mice, inhaling insulation is extremely toxic and unhealthy. To keep mice from getting inside the home, all their entry points outside the home need to be sealed. Removing the insulation will not prevent mice from getting inside.
Wasps
Wasps build brand new nests every year. This process starts around mid-May or mid-June. A wasp nest that was built the year before is dead and will never be used again. We recommend scheduling a wasp prevention service at this time to kill any wasps that land on the home before they can build a new nest. This service will not prevent your home from seeing foraging wasps. It’s designed to prevent wasp nests. Wasps will forage around homes with cedar shake roofs, brick & stucco siding, and around wooden decks and fences. Wasps use the wood to make their nest-building material. They peel small layers off dried wood, mix it with their saliva, and use the mixture to construct the papery material that their nest is made of. Homes with brick and stucco siding radiate heat, attracting wasps to land on the home to warm up their bodies. Most wasps will only become violent and sting if an intruder gets too close to their nests. It’s rare for foraging wasps to sting unless they are provoked.
Voles
Voles often get misidentified as mice. Voles have short tails and shorter ears. They are also not nocturnal and have no interest in going inside homes. They can be spotted running across the lawn in broad daylight. In summer, many homeowners will notice them running across their lawns during the day and mistake them for mice. They nest inside retaining walls and under long grasses and shrubs. In the summer, they feed on grass, roots, and seeds. To prevent voles from damaging the lawn, we provide a service where we place exterior bait stations around the property that the voles will feed on and die in a day or two. This service does not affect larger wildlife, as the voles only eat enough poison to kill a small vole and nothing larger. Another tip to mitigate the population of voles is to trim any shrubbery from the ground up so that the voles can’t use the plants as cover and nest inside.
Spiders
Spiders can be found living inside homes all year long. In the summer, they start to build cobwebs outside the home to catch insects to eat. When spiders are found outside, they are drawn to live in locations that attract other insects. Most commonly, it’s a home near a body of water or wooded habitat. Our summer spider service focuses on the exterior of the home. We knock down the cobwebs and treat the home with a kill-on-contact product. The spiders will become motivated to move around and cross over our treatment as they attempt to rebuild their cobwebs that were knocked down.
Ants
Ants are commonly found inside and outside homes in the summer. One of the most common ants to see at this time of year is the pavement ant. They nest underground below sidewalks, driveways, patios, and pavers. Their nests are easily identifiable by their sand piles. Our summer ant service focuses on treating around the exterior foundation, around cement and brick patios, and ground-level windows that are used by the ants to get inside. The product we use does not kill them on contact. It allows the ants to carry it back to their nests to spread and exterminate the entire colony. This product is effective in killing any ant species that are seen inside. Every ant service comes with a 1-year warranty that kicks in 30 days after the initial service.
Springtails
Springtails can be difficult pests to control due to their tiny size and the sheer number of them that live in the ground. They are the most numerous insect on the planet! During hot, dry summer days, they become highly motivated to search for moisture inside homes and other structures. They can also be spotted inside during and after very wet and rainy days. Just like how earthworms come out of the ground due to the excess groundwater after a storm, springtails do the same thing. This usually causes them to congregate around bathrooms, basements, kitchens, and plumbing leaks. Reducing the moisture inside the home is the most effective way to keep them out. Living outdoors, they play a key role in consuming fungi, algae, and decaying organic matter. They are most abundant in mulch, gardens, and under leaf litter
If you have questions, concerns, or want to schedule an appointment
Call Us Today! 952-404-BOGO (2646)
BOGO Provides Pest Control Services for the Twin Cities and Beyond!
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