With summer nearing its end, you might be expecting a bit of reprieve from pests, particularly the especially irritating ones in peak season like mosquitoes, ants, and stinging insects; we regret to inform you that this is not the case. In fact, there are several pests that will stick around well past the summer months and into autumn, and it tends to be those irritating pasts that, stick around. This post will act as your guide for navigating the murky waters of those “in-between time” pests, and give some tips and pointers for preventing, identifying, and eliminating any pests that might be harassing your home, business, or property past peak season.

Which Pests Stick Around?

While you may already be prepping your home for autumn invaders looking to find a warm home for the winter like squirrels, rats, raccoons, and birds, it’s wise to keep a watchful eye out for some of those warm-weather pests as well. Which ones in particular?

MosquitoEs

While mosquitoes are certainly more active in the warmer weather, they will still be out and about until temperatures drop to under 50 degrees; in the capital region that means a mosquito presence that can persist into early-November. If you’re spending some of those nice fall days out on the porch, you’ll want to keep burning the citronella!

Wasps and Bees

While wasps, bees, and other stinging insects peak in the summer, there’s a good chance that they may try to enter your home or business more in the coming weeks than during the summer months. Why? Come fall, stinging insects will start looking for secure places to hibernate, and the warmth coming from your home might just make it the perfect place. If you have any exterior siding damage that a beehive could safely tuck into to stay warm during winter, beware.

Ants

Ants actually slow down during cooler months; their movements literally slow down because their body temperatures drop with the temperature. However, ants are still on the prowl for food year-round, and an ant presence in your home as summer transitions into fall, it could mean that an ant colony has set up shop somewhere in your space.

Flies

Flies also slow down as the weather cools, but they do not become totally inactive. If you’re noticing an unusual amount of flies continuing to pester your home or business come September, it’s important to make sure you get them taken care of; there’s a decent chance that they are trying to use your space as a safe space to reside and occasionally retrieve food until spring, when they will come out in full force. Don’t let your house become a haven!

How Can Inter-Season Pests be Prevented?

Because many of these pests are looking to enter your home in the hopes of finding food and heat to survive the incoming colder months, it’s vital that you know any possible entry points that may make your home especially susceptible. Any cracks, spaces, or holes will be the first point, along with any spaces in your house siding or roof; sealing these points of entry is a good start!

Still, even with no visible entry points you will naturally be opening doors to the outdoors frequently, and there are always  and if you aren’t keeping your home- particularly the kitchen- free from any insect attractants ( in other words food particles) then you’re increasing the chances that a fly, ant, or mosquito will view your home as a good place to harvest food for the winter. This also goes for trash; stinging insects and other winged bugs will go after any scraps or sweet smelling garbage that they think might make a good meal, and will want to stay close to an indoor food source, especially as the outdoor climate becomes less and less tolerable for them.

I’ve Tried to Protect My Home, but Pests Keep Getting In

Even if you take careful preventative measures on your own, there’s always a decent chance that these pests will find some way into your home or business, especially when their livelihood depends on it as the summer departs. That’s where we come in. Thomas Pest Services offers comprehensive care plans for both homes and businesses that has both surefire preventative measures along with removal and extermination protocols that will eliminate an infestation if it is already occurring. Whether you need bi-monthly interior and exterior home treatments, or Integrated Pest Management (IPM) specifically built around your business's unique needs, Thomas Pest has a plan that will guarantee you can sleep easy knowing that summer pests looking for winter shelter aren’t taking shelter in your space!