SPRING PEST GUIDE
Spring is officially here and what an amazing start to the season so far! The sun is shining, the snow is melting away (and in many places has already melted away), the birds are chirping, and nature is waking up from a long chilly hibernation. It may be muddy and brown-looking outside, but the trees are budding with new growth, and soon yards will be covered with bright green grass and vibrant spring flowers.
The two best parts about the spring season (in our opinion) are nature’s transformation and the promise that summer will be here soon.
We’re not the only ones who love the spring season - pests do too. There are many common pests that come out of hibernation in the spring. Our phone rings non-stop this time of year from concerned people who have suddenly discovered that their home or business has been infested with pests, and they have no idea where they came from, and why there are so many.
To help, we’ve prepared this spring pest guide. Let’s get started!
The 101 on Spring Pests
For those situated in the country, rural areas, or in new developments built near or on once forested areas or farmland), the emergence of spring often comes with 4 core spring pests - cluster flies, Asian lady beetles, pine seed bugs, and boxelder bugs. These pests are overwintering pests, which means they commonly invade homes or businesses in the late fall and hibernated through the winter season. Come spring, when the warmer temperatures arrive, they awaken inside, catching home owners and businesses by surprise.
Cluster flies are those large, noisy and sluggish you find clustered in large numbers in your home or business around windows and lights fixtures on warm sunny days in the winter and in the spring season. They often appear confused and erratic and bump into things. The cluster fly is a parasite of earthworms and breeds outdoors in grassy areas in the spring and summer. These flies are not a sign of unsanitary conditions if you discover them in your home or business in the spring or in the fall.
Asian Lady beetles are a common spring pest that are often mistaken for lady bugs. Asian lady beetles have very large white cheeks and most often a deep orange colouring. These pests can also have red, yellow, and tan colouring too. Asian lady beetles are aggressive and can bite. Homes and businesses located in country or wooded areas or near farm fields are especially prone to severe Asian lady beetle infestations. Why? Once farm fields are harvested in the fall, their food source (aphids) disappears. With no food, and the pending freezing winter season coming, they seek out a new habitat to overwinter in.
Western Conifer Seed bugs, better known as pine seed bugs or ‘stink bugs’ (because they emit a stinky odour when squished) are a dull reddish brown in colour and average ¾ of an inch to 1 inch long. Their antennae are almost the full length of their body, and some have a light white zigzag line across the centre of their back. Pine seed bugs do not sting, bite, or feed on humans or animals, nor do they carry or transmit diseases. They are a huge annoyance simply by their presence and the stinky smell they emit when squished.
Boxelder bugs are identifiable by their long, flattened bodies with black & red/reddish orange colouring. They live, feed, and reproduce on trees like boxelders, maples, & ashes, shrub in the summer months. They become nuisance pests in the fall when they leave plants in pursuit of a new home to overwinter in, and again in the spring if they’ve overwintered inside a home or business.
Because overwintering pests are true experts at finding refuge indoors from late fall to early spring, and because they invade in large numbers, they instantly become a serious problem in a home or business in the spring, which is when they wake up and want to get outside again (where they naturally belong). This is why it’s really important to prevent them from getting inside your home or business in the first place, and to address them at first sign.
We also get a lot of calls during the spring for mouse control. Now, Mice can be a serious spring pest, but the reality is that mice can be and often are a year-round issue. The fall is actually a key time of year where mice often invade homes and businesses. Why? They are driven away from fields during harvesting and search for habitable conditions (food, water & shelter). Mouse infestations are often discovered in the spring because time has passed for them to nest, feed, breed and ‘live’ in your home or business. Learn more about the house mouse and field mouse in our pest library, and how best to get rid of mice.
What is the Best Way to Deal with Spring Pests?
The best way to deal with spring pests is a 2-parter:
- Pest proof your home or business. Pest proofing is a year-round, ongoing effort. There are things you can do each season to help keep pests where they belong – outside. If you are successful in preventing pests from getting inside your home or business, you instantly decrease the likelihood of a future pest control issue. Here are our Top 10 Spring Pest Proofing Tips to help you with getting this done.
- Consider annual spring & fall services from a licensed pest control professional. These treatments help prevent, manage, and resolve pest issues year-round. We know there are many DIY pest control and ‘over the counter’ pest control products you buy at the local store, but the truth is that they just don’t work. They are ineffective in resolving real pest control issues. Why don’t they work? They lack the strong, enduring residuals that professional pest control products have, which are necessary in treating and preventing overwintering pests (and pests in the general). A strong residual means that the product, once applied, will not quickly fade, or wash away in the sun or rain. The is very important when exterior treatments are being done. Upon application the product continues to work on pests that encounter it for a long time after.
Get Help Preventing or Controlling Spring Pests
We have lots of great resources and advice in our Pest Library. Check out these resources to learn more about the specific pests we covered above, and how to prevent and get rid of them:
How to get rid of cluster flies
How to get rid of Asian lady beetles
How to get rid of pine seed bugs
How to get rid of boxelder bugs
Visit our blog for lots of helpful information, tips and advice on different pest challenges, pest prevention, and pest proofing.
If you would like to book a pest control service, we hope you’ll contact us. Since 1988 Environmental Pest Control has been your local experts for boxelder bugs, pine seed bugs, Asian lady beetles, cluster flies, mice, and more! When you hire us for your pest control needs, you are backed by 30+ years of expertise and knowledge. You can also count on us for safe solutions and guaranteed results.
Happy Spring!
