Don't be Bugged by Bugs!

There are a number of simple things you can do to eliminate and prevent creepy crawlies from entering your home. By understanding what attracts both flying & crawling bugs and what can be done to control infestations, you can easily maintain a comfortable, bug-free environment.

Houseflies and other Flying Insects

Flying insects are attracted to moisture, food and decomposing organic material such as manure, wet feed and garbage, as they provide a place for flies to feed and lay eggs. Flies tend to linger around a breeding site where their basic needs are being met. Very few will stay in clean, dry areas. Below are some tips on preventing and controlling houseflies and other flying insects around your living areas:

Prevention and Control

• Cleanliness is the key to controlling houseflies and other flying insects. Household cleaning products help maintain a clean home and discourage flies
• Remove fly breeding sites and thoroughly sanitize the area. Without prevention, other control methods are largely ineffective
• Keep garbage in bins with tight-fitting lids. Remove decaying plant and animal material promptly and empty dumpsters regularly
• Keep doors, windows and vents closed or screened, and check for openings such as ventilation holes around water/gas pipes and electrical conduits. Screen, seal and/or caulk these areas as they can serve as entryways for flies
• Ultra-violet light traps, sticky fly traps, fly swatters and baited fly traps can eliminate flies in the home. These can be placed near windows and lights, as well as in attics and smaller unoccupied enclosed rooms where flies may be a problem
• Contact (non-residual) aerosol sprays can be applied as a space treatment to exterminate adult flies. Use contact sprays to treat small-scale fly problems
• Residual aerosol sprays that remain active for a specific number of days can be applied to outdoor surfaces where flies rest for longer term control
• Always read the product label before using and follow instructions carefully

Wasps and Hornets

Wasps and hornets typically build nests in trees, attics, eavestroughing, holes in the ground and other sheltered areas with access to the outdoors. These large colonies may contain thousands of wasps and hornets and that could pose a danger to humans. Unlike bees, wasps can withdraw their stinger and sting repeatedly. If allergic to the stinging insect’s venom, some people might experience a reaction to the sting, which may range from mild to life-threatening. Below are some tips on preventing and controlling wasps and hornets around your living areas:

Prevention & Control

• Protein foods (including pet food) attract wasps and hornets in the spring and early summer. Remove all sources such as barbecue scraps and picnic leftovers. Tightly seal all garbage and compost containers
• In the late summer and early fall, wasps and hornets become more aggressive and begin hunting for sweeter foods. Dispose of open cans of pop, fruit juice, beer, fallen apples and other sources
• Be aware – scavenging wasps and hornets will not usually become a problem if there is no food to attract them. However, once food is discovered, they will continue to hunt around that location well after the food source has been removed
• Use traps in early spring to capture the queen; be sure to empty the traps daily and keep them baited all season long
• Destroy the nest by using a foaming spray. Be sure to wear heavy clothing and long sleeves for added protection, and spray the nest in the early morning or late evening when wasps are at rest
• Always read the product label before using and follow instructions carefully

Ants

Ants are a social insect and are known for their highly organized colonies. Their nests can sometimes consist of millions of individuals. Ants are naturally attracted to sweet, greasy and starchy substances, as well as plant and animal materials. These foods, as well as conditions such as flooding or dryness, can cause ants to relocate their colony inside your home. Ants will enter through any crack or small hole that offers access. Older homes tend to offer more opportunities, as there are more cracks and crevices for ants to find. In order to eliminate your ant problem, you must destroy the entire colony. Below are some tips on preventing and controlling ants around your living areas:

Prevention and Control

• Ants enter the house in search of food and water. Eliminate the pest problem by cleaning up spilled food, fixing leaking pipes and storing pet food in an air-tight container
• Seal all cracks and crevices around your home with caulking
• Scrub down possible entry points with a detergent to remove trail smells that ants may have left for other ants to follow, and spray exterior foundations, doorjambs and windowsills to deter them from entering
• Keep outdoor colonies under control: locate the nest and flood repeatedly with a garden hose to encourage ants to move outdoor nests further from the house. If the problem remains, sprays and dusts can be used.
• If the nest can’t be located, use traps or liquid bait along the ant trails. Roaming ants will take bait back to nest to feed colony
• Control honeydew-producing insects, such as aphids and whiteflies, on plants near the house, as these pests often support large colonies of ants that subsequently invade homes
• Always read the product label before using and follow instructions carefully
• Diatomaceous earth can be placed in the cracks and crevices as a non-chemical means of control (this powder is composed of microscopic fossils that scratch the outer ‘skin' of ants, causing the ants to dehydrate and die)

Roaches, Spiders, Centipedes, Silverfish and Earwigs

Crawling insects invade and thrive in home environments. Although they are more of a nuisance, some insects can be damaging to food, possessions and can even transmit diseases to humans and pets. They hide in cracks, beneath appliances, around garbage or near moisture such as bathrooms, dark damp basements and crawl spaces. Some insects, such as cockroaches, may enter your home on furniture, grocery bags and boxes. Others, such as spiders and earwigs, enter through cracks during hot dry spells in the summer months. Below are some tips on preventing and controlling roaches, spiders, centipedes, silverfish, earwigs, etc. around your living areas:

Prevention and Control

• Seal all cracks and crevices around your home with caulking, and repair holes around water pipes, baseboards, doors and windows. This is particularly important in apartments where insects like roaches can move along pipes
• Install screens over windows, vents, floor drains and ducts, and repair leaky faucets and other sources of moisture
• Keep areas outside your home free of trash, wood piles, leaves and other decaying plant material that may attract insects
• Vacuum home frequently to remove eggs and dispose of used vacuum bag
• Remove spider webs from infested areas and use sticky traps to monitor crawling insect problems
• Use non-toxic diatomaceous dusts in areas where children or pets may come into contact with dust
• Contact (non-residual) aerosol sprays can be applied as a space treatment to exterminate crawling insects. Use contact sprays to treat small-scale fly problems
• Residual aerosol sprays, those that remain active for a specific number of days, can be applied to outdoor surfaces, cracks, crevices and high moisture areas for longer term control
• Always read the product label before using and follow instructions carefully

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are small, brownish, wingless, flattened insects with an oval-shaped body that feed on the blood of animals, including humans. Bed bugs typically bite at night around the neck, face, upper torso, arms and hands. They are often mistaken for cockroaches, as they do not fly and move quickly over floors, walls, ceilings and other surfaces. Bed bugs can arrive on furniture, luggage and area rugs. Similar to cockroaches, they can also travel into apartments along pipes, wiring and other openings. These bugs and their eggs (which are white and are about the size of a pinhead) can easily be hidden in seams, creases, tufts and folds of mattresses and box springs. Below are some tips on preventing and controlling bed bugs around your living areas:

Prevention and Control

• Inspect your mattress and bed frame, particularly the folds, crevices, the underside, and other locations where bed bugs like to hide
• Monitor daily by setting out glue boards or sticky tape to catch the bed bugs. Closely examine any items that you are bringing into your home, especially furniture put out by someone else for garbage pick-up, as it may be infested with bed bugs
• Seal cracks and crevices between baseboards, on wood bed frames, floors and walls with caulking. Repair or remove peeling wallpaper, tighten loose light switch covers, and seal any openings where pipes, wires or other utilities come into your home. This is particularly important in apartments where insects like roaches can move along pipes
• Use a nozzle attachment on the vacuum to capture the bed bugs and their eggs. Vacuum all crevices on your mattress, bed frame, baseboard and any objects close to the bed. Vacuum daily and empty the vacuum immediately
• Wash all your linens and place them in a hot dryer for 20 minutes (cover your pillows and mattress with a plastic cover while linens are being washed)
• Products for both minor and larger infestations are available, however bed bug infestations can be challenging to treat, and repeat applications may be required
• Always read the product label before using and follow instructions carefully