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Occasional Pest Invaders
Pests are the last thing homeowners want to worry about as we enter fall and anticipate the holiday season. Homeowners in Wisconsin are very familiar with our typical seasonal pest invaders, but what about the occasional invader?
Although major infestations of pests like boxelder bugs, brown marmorated stink bugs, and centipedes are rare, they can still be very annoying when you can’t figure out how to get rid of them. That’s why we offer special residential pest control services, which ensures you’ll be protected all year long.
How Do I Prevent These Fall Pest Infestations?
Given the nature of these occasional invaders, the best way to protect your home is to prevent them from getting inside in the first place. They are active for a short period of time, so be sure that all prevention methods are applied before the first frost.
- Keep the area around the foundation of your house clean and free of debris.
- Repair and replace any torn screens on windows and doors.
- Trim any overhanging branches or overgrown shrubs near your home.
- Repair and seal any cracks and crevices around windows, eaves, doors, insulation, and siding.
- Pay close attention to places where pipes and wires enter your home.
- Sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth around entry points and other vulnerable areas. This natural substance is abrasive to pests but safe for humans and pets.
Some essential oils, like peppermint and lavender, are natural pest repellants. Mix a few drops with water and spray on windowsills and at entry points. Not much can be done beyond vacuuming them up once these pests are inside.
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How to Identify Seasonal Pests
Boxelder bugs, Asian lady beetles, and brown marmorated stink bugs probably aren’t the first pests that come to mind when you think of a pest infestation, but these fall invaders get their name from occasionally invading structures.
Boxelder Bugs: A common nuisance for homeowners across North America, they tend to congregate in large numbers, especially during the fall and winter months.
- Flat, oval, and black with reddish-orange markings on their back
- Congregate in the fall on the south side of trees, homes, and structures
- When crushed, they emit a foul odor and will stain surfaces
- Will be found in large numbers around your home’s foundation and ground-floor windows
Asian Lady Beetles: Often mistaken for ladybugs, Asian Lady Beetles were brought to the US as a form of crop pest (like aphids) control but are more of a nuisance than a benefit.
- Mustard-yellow to a dark reddish-orange with spots on the wing covers (but in some species, the spots are absent)
- Slightly larger than typical ladybugs
- Dark “M” shaped marks on the space right behind its head
- Release a foul odor when disturbed and will stain surfaces
- Can be found in attics, wall voids, on siding, and inside closets
- May be attracted to light
Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs: This occasional invader will not bite or cause structural damage to your home, but if they do find their way in, there’s not much that can be done to avoid the smell.
- Marbled grayish-brown and shaped like a shield.
- Gather on the south and west sides of buildings when the sun heats exposed surfaces.
- Mainly agricultural pests, they are nuisance pests for homeowners due to their attempts to overwinter.
- Emit an obnoxious smell when crushed, frightened, or disturbed.
Silverfish: Like most other pests, silverfish prefer dark, damp environments – such as attics, basements, crawl spaces, bathrooms, and kitchens. However, they can also be found outdoors under mulch, stones, and leaf litter. Silverfish are harmless, but tend to damage newspapers, magazines, boxes, cardboard, and clothing. They’re hungry for starchy foods, and feed on carbs, paper, boxes, and insulation.
- Small with flat, fish-like bodies
- Wingless
- Silvery, metallic appearance
- Three long, bristly appendages at the tip of their abdomen
Centipede: Often found outdoors under stones, logs, and mulch – once centipedes get indoors, you might find them in basements, bathrooms, and closets. Centipedes are very quick and like to hunt for prey at night. They can bite, but it’s rare and not fatal. House centipedes are the most common species in Wisconsin.
- Elongated, flat, segmented bodies (with a pair of legs per segment)
- Brown to reddish-orange in color
- One to six inches in length
Rodents: The most common rodents found in Wisconsin include Norway rats, deer mice, groundhogs, eastern gray squirrels, beavers, eastern meadow voles, muskrats, meadow jumping mice, and white-footed mice. All of these species are most active at night – typically feeding after dark and right before dawn.
Spiders: Prowling spiders, southern black widows, grass spiders, garden spiders, brown recluses, ant mimic spiders, and goldenrod crab spiders are the most common rodents found in Wisconsin. And you can guarantee that all of them seek shelter in warm, dark places (such as the inside of your home).
Your Year-Round Pest Control Experts
When it starts to get cooler outside, it’s time to think about pest prevention against these fall pests. Otherwise, whatever infestation you get could easily get out of hand. These pests will attempt to invade your home in the fall in search of a safe place to escape the coming cold to overwinter.
Batzner Pest Control offers a fall pest control service that creates a barrier of protection around your home. We’ve been protecting Wisconsin homes for over 75 years!
So if you suspect you may already have an infestation, don’t hesitate to call in the professionals.
Occasional Invader Prevention in Wisconsin
Serving Wisconsin