Pests We Strike

Ants are a very successful species that has hundreds of varieties, here in south central Kansas we see a good amount of Odorous house ants (little black ants), Acrobat ants, Carpenter ants and pavement ants. There are many more but these seem to be some of the most common. Typically 24-48 hours after a good rain we will see an uptick in ant activity so I always advise people to do a good walk around their house a few times after rain to see if it has stirred up any ant activity. Ants are usually pretty easy to treat and we quite a few tools in the toolbox to battle them for you.

Crickets will not cause harm to us or to our property, it is the numbers that they come in and the sounds they make that can be an annoyance to homeowners. Typically high population of crickets can attract spiders and wasps as both prey upon them.

Bedbugs are the stuff that nightmares are made up, little bloodsuckers feeding on us humans every day. Populations can explode if left unchecked, they get into the smallest places to live and come out to feed and lay eggs. It does not matter who you are or where you live, bedbugs can and will inhabit any place where there is a food source available.

Termites are hard working and destructive, they feed on the cellulose of the wood and once they find a food source they do not stop. Wood that has been exposed to moisture would be at the highest risk and the easiest for the termite to chew through. In the spring a mature colonies queen will release a signal for a portion of the colony to leave, they will swarm in to the air and establish their own colony.

Mosquitoes are attracted to the smell of uric and lactic acid as well as ammonia your body releases when you sweat, they can swarm on us and pierce our skin with a small needle like tube and drink our blood. Standing water sources will attract mosquitoes as they are a place to lay eggs, mosquitoes can carry some types of pathogens that are harmful to us humans.

Roaches are the model of survival, they can live in almost any environment, all they need is moisture and humidity. A larger population does not really even need a food source as they will feed on their sick and dying. With a food source the population can grow very rapidly and spread through out the structure.

Rats and Mice can invade our homes and breed in very high numbers, they can chew our wiring in our homes and eat our food and leave little reminders that they are present all over the place. Typically the fall is when they invade the home but can at any point in the year if there is an established population. We have seen uptick In activity after fields are cut and from new construction.

Wasps will usually leave us alone if they are not bothered, its when they establish a home on our home they some types can become aggressive. Our homes provide shelter from the elements and different species of pest provide a food source, houses that are close to wooded areas can be at higher risk for wasps of all kinds.

There are many species of beetles and they come in a wide range of sizes and colors. There are some beetle larvae that can cause damage to yards as they eat the roots of grass, there are some that bore holes in wood, and there are others that come in such high numbers it is like being invaded.

Spiders are the most common call we get, there are a multitude of different varieties of spiders but the most common home invaders are the wolf, jumping, brown recluse and on occasion a black widow. Spiders will typically follow their food, so seeing an uptick in spider activity will usually have other pest coming inside the house as well. Spiders such as the brown recluse can stay hidden in a hiding place for months and then emerge to hunt for food, this is why a regular pest control program is essential to the control of spider population.