5 Early Fall Pests to Watch Out For

The chill is almost upon us, and everyone is getting ready for winter–including pests! Here are the 5 of the most common early fall pests to watch out for.

Common Pests During Fall in the Pacific NW

1. Spiders: Contrary to popular belief, spiders do not come inside seeking shelter before the winter. Most of the spiders you see indoors during the fall are male spiders coming out of hiding to look for a mate. You’ll also see female spiders spinning webs and looking for places to lay their eggs.
2. Rodents: Like all rodents, they’re looking for food and shelter as the weather gets colder. Rodents are able to enter your home in a number of ways, both from the ground and from above.
3. Box Elder Bugs: These stinky, flying bugs are a complete nuisance. They feed primarily on box elder, maple, and ash trees, but as the fall approaches, they find their way inside to seek shelter. If left to their own devices, box elders will multiply rapidly within your walls, and create an endless cycle of infestation.
4. Stink Bugs: These insects operate in almost exactly the same way as box elders, and they are just as annoying.
5. Flies: Flies want the same thing that every other animal wants: food, shelter, and water. They come inside to avoid the winter cold, generally hibernating within your walls until it’s warm enough inside to come out. You’ll often see flies that appear sluggish or that fly around lazily; it’s because they’re just coming out of dormancy.

General Pest Prevention Steps for Fall Pests

General prevention is the best way to avoid problems with rodents, box elder bugs, stink bugs, and flies.

• Inspect your entire home
• Seal all entry points, including cracks in foundation, cracks in caulking or trim, and any smaller cracks along joints or corners.
• Fix any holes in screens or doors.
• Put screens over vents
• Remove any clutter from inside and outside of the home
• Seal garbage areas tightly

Spiders are a little different. Outside spiders are not coming in to seek shelter–your spider problem is already within your home. If you have an overabundance of house spiders in the fall, the problem is not going to go away. These spiders will continue to live, breed, and hatch within your home until you get professional help.

Preventing Pests Year-Round

These are just five of the most popular pests that move inside during winter, but there are many, many more insects and animals that would prefer to escape the cold. If you’re looking for comprehensive coverage and total prevention, we strongly recommend calling a professional exterminator who does general pest control. At Antworks, we provide two different levels of year-round pest control, so you can focus on your home and your family–not your uninvited pest-guests! Give us a call today, and see what we can do for you!