Carpenter bees are a burrowing pain. Though they may not wiggle their way inside your home, they'll gladly wiggle through your deck. If enough carpenter bees make their home there, your deck could collapse at any point, putting you at risk. They'll happily dig through outdoor furniture and the siding of your house too. Consider these pest management tips to prevent carpenter bees from disrupting your outdoor fun.
Carpenter bees look like a black version of your average, harmless bumble bee. However, these bees aren't harmless, North Carolina State University stated. They don't like painted wood, but would rather dig through soft types of wood such as redwood, cedar, cypress, pine and others. Sadly, many outdoor decks and furniture are unpainted. These bees have a field day, leaving behind a trail of sawdust and demolishing the structure of whatever they burrow through. They'll mostly come around in the spring looking for something to bite through, Log Home Care noted. Males usually stay on the defense while the females dig. They may act aggressively toward nearby people, but, like bumble bees, they don't have a stinger. Females will lay their eggs in the established tunnels, which could be several inches long. The bees will also enlarge old tunnels. If left unattended for long periods, carpenter bees destroy tunnels.
Some homeowners may think their deck is safe from bees because it's stained. Though it may be waterproof, it isn't bee-proof. Stains usually won't stop a bee from wiggling inside its desired target.
Instead, try to paint all wood near your home. Painted wood acts as a natural repellent for carpenter bees because they don't view it as wood. A gloss topcoat on a stain may have the same effect. Decks that are stained and then painted with a gloss coat have proved to prevent bees in the past. Experts speculate that the shininess of the wood can look like a hard surface that can't be penetrated.
Homeowners should constantly look for small holes in wood around their home. If holes are found in the winter, bees might still be nesting inside. Call pest services professionals to properly eradicate bees from your home. Using pesticides yourself puts you and your family in danger and may not get rid of the bees entirely or cause them to return at a later point.
You probably already know that most people are repulsed by the simple sight of cockroaches. If you are personally dealing with a cockroach infestation, the feelings of disgust are probably even more intense. Unfortunately, the cold winter weather tends to be one of the reasons this pest ends up in your home in the first place, according to Any Pest. While you may know that you don't want to share your home with cockroaches this winter, there are a number of interesting facts about this pest that you've probably never heard.
Because of the high amount of traffic and the versatility of the facilities, pests are naturally attracted to long-term care institutions. Many nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and other care facilities include on-site kitchens and cafeterias as well as private rooms and common spaces. All of these places are susceptible to attracting pests because of the presence of food, water and viable habitats.
During the summer months, some people love to go camping with family and friends. Yet this fun trip can be ruined with a few unwanted visitors, most notably different types of bugs. Crawling spiders, hungry mosquitoes and buzzing flies can become annoying quickly. How can you avoid these pests when you're outdoors? Consider these tips to keep bugs out of your campsite.
Carpenter ants can chew through the strongest studs and stringers in a house as they hollow the wooden beams out for nesting. The resulting damage can weaken the home's structural support and require expensive repairs. Professional pest control workers can remove a colony of ants, but the best practice for homeowners is to learn the best ways to keep out an ant colony and prevent the problem before it begins.
As the weather cools, you'll probably see fewer pests than you did during the warmer months, but that doesn't mean they're all gone just yet. Some insects can actually come out in full force during the autumn, while others might seek refuge in your warm home. Here are some key tips to keep in mind as fall gets underway:
As the middle of summer approaches, you need to be vigilant about keeping your garden free of pests. Many insects breed during the summertime, which means they're on the lookout for great places to lay their eggs. For many bugs, that means near a source of food. In fact, some species of insects will lay their eggs inside budding vegetables and fruit so their larvae have something to eat as soon as they hatch. That's why you have to keep harmful bugs out without damaging the bugs that could help you, such as bumble bees.
You might have noticed that, with the exception of the kitchen, you find more pests in your bathroom than in the rest of your home. This is because insects and rodents see the bathroom as a convenient watering hole. Pests love leaky pipes and standing water because these offer them a hydrating oasis in the otherwise dry biome that is your house or apartment. And if your bathroom develops mold, all the better for pests, who may eat fungus or use it to lay their eggs.
The kitchen is largest gathering place for pests in a residential home. The reason is simple: pests can grab a bite to eat and take a sip of water while they're here. And when they find such a bountiful place, they will return home to their nests and report the finding - before you know it, your whole pantry is a buffet for ants! The problem could get even worse if a piece of food falls somewhere and begins to rot. Similarly, fruit and vegetables you bring into your home may be harboring unseen pests waiting to hatch.
