Ants Move Indoors to Flee from Wintering Weather and the Rain

Ants Move Indoors to Flee from Wintering Weather

The forecast for the next two weeks includes the perfect ingredients for a big stew of issues with ants. To find out how to stop Middle Tennessee is about to weather a perfect (ant) storm.

The forecast for the next two weeks includes the perfect ingredients for a big stew of issues with ants.

Ant Ingredients 

    • Colder weather
    • Rain
    • Sugary Halloween candy
    • Empty candy wrappers

Ant Stew

The resulting stew produces a slew of issues for homeowners. As the rain floods out ant habitats, they will head inward to your home. And, if the ants discover a fresh batch of Halloween candy, it’ll be their treat and your trick.

Many homeowners choose not to use pest control services when it gets colder outside because they don’t see as much pest activity. While the pests seem to disappear, they actually don’t. This concept is called overwintering–when pests migrate, hibernate, or take up residence inside your home for the season. Check out our blog on overwintering, originally posted February of last year. It includes a link to a great article about overwintering by the Smithsonian Institution.

To make pests unwelcome this Halloween (and always)…

    • Clean up any candy wrappers or spilled beverages.
    • Don’t allow your kids, your siblings, your husband, your wife, or your sweet grandma to store stashes of candy in a secret hiding spot — chances are the ants will find the secret spot. Instead, follow our next tip…
    • Store candy in a sealed container, rather than out in the open.

If you do find yourself surrounded by ants, we’re standing by. We’re ready and willing to brew up our own batch of anti-ant stew. Call us at 615-217-7284.

Ladybugs: Coming Soon to a Crevice Near You

Ladybugs: Coming Soon to a Crevice Near You

Watch out for ladybugs after the first frost. Check out our blog for tips on how to keep these overwintering pests out of your home.

The ladybugs are coming! The ladybugs are coming! The polka-dotted redcoats of the pest world are readying their army so they can invade your homeland!

We’re here to sound the alarm that they are coming by air after the first frost (mid-late October). They will head straight for any cracks and crevices they see in the surface of your home, especially if the exterior of your home is lightly colored. Ladybugs target the warmest side of your house. This concept of moving inside when it gets cold is called overwintering.

 

Take up arms by calling The Bug Man at 615.217.7284 to do a preventative spray. Also, seal any crevices on the exterior of your home. Repair any holes in your doors, windows, screens, siding, etc., etc.

If you find yourself infested in a flurry of ladybug activity, vacuum up all of the ladybugs and then dispose of the bag because the decaying carcasses will attract other bugs into your home.

Where do all the bugs go when it is cold out

Bug behavior during the winter

Someone asked me the other day what our company does in the winter when all of the insects die in the cold. Huh? No, silly! The insects don’t all die in the winter! Basically, they migrate, overwinter, or hibernate. Really, they are not much different than people. Take a playground, for instance. You don’t see any families there right now. But, that doesn’t mean that they all died. Lol. They’re home playing video games and drinking cocoa. But, come spring, that playground will be crawling with kids expending all of that pent-up winter energy. Bugs will do the same this spring. Until then, they often choose to hibernate and overwinter in, under and around people’s homes. That’s where we come in. 🙂 Here’s a great article I found on insect behavior in the winter from the Smithsonian Institution.

Where Do Insects Go in the Winter?