From Carpenter Bees to House Ants: What’s Invading Your Home? Part 1

Pest invasions are never a fun time, but some of them seem worse than others because of the warning signs. Besides the clear sightings of pests running around the place, there are certain pieces of evidence that point to small unwelcome guests. But how can you tell which pest is causing problems in your home? Many pests share the same habits and produce the same messes when it comes to invading houses, but there are some key characteristics in each type of pest infestation to help differentiate. For the first blog in this two-part series, let’s look at five common pest invasions and some of the telltale signs of each one.

Carpenter Bees

This may seem like a strangely-specific type of bee to include in this listing, but carpenter bees are a major problem for homeowners, especially in the spring and early summer. These giant bees have a purpose comparable to termites or carpenter ants, but on a slightly smaller scale. Carpenter bees bore holes in wood to live in and lay their eggs, but they do not eat the wood or live in massive colonies. However, that does not mean that their holes are not destructive, as too many holes in a wooden structure can eventually cause structural failure, especially if the wood is damaged anyway. But most invasions are stopped before it gets to that point, thankfully, as long as the signs of the invasion are noticed by homeowners or pest control technicians. One fact to note is that only female carpenter bees can sting; males guard the nests and will buzz around the heads of anyone who comes near, but they do not have stingers. Female carpenter bees rarely sting, but they can sting more than once if they are angry enough!

Signs of Infestation:

• Circular holes in wood, especially if there are multiple in the same piece of wood
• Sawdust or small wood shavings below the affected wood
• Excrement stains on the wood
• Multiple carpenter bees flying around the area
• Carpenter bees crawling on and inside an area of wood

Prevention Tips: The best way to prevent carpenter bees from invading your yard is to remove the temptation of making their new homes in the area. Carpenter bees love plain, unaltered wood, so any wood that has been painted, stained, or covered in any coating is not for them. If possible, remove any unaltered wood from the yard, especially if there is any near flowers. Cover any firewood and wood that needs to be plain to function. Another tip is to use natural scents and oils for more than just diffusing in the house. Carpenter bees seem to despise anything citrus-scented, so using citrus oils or sprays around wood should do the trick for at least a little while. 

Bed Bugs

If we were to survey a lot of homeowners, this may be the most dreaded pest for many people just because of the extensive treatment they require. These nocturnal pests are not only found in mattresses, as scary enough as that is. They can be in couches, chairs, backpacks, and suitcases, and can even live behind wallpaper and in electrical sockets until they can get closer to their food source. Bed bugs need to feed at least every 14 days, which means they can stay in the same productive spot and just wait until they are hungry again. Bed bugs can lay hundreds of eggs at a time as well, so what starts as a small problem turns into a major issue before long. It is crucial to look out for signs of a bed bug infestation, since getting a minor bed bug problem professionally treated is a lot more efficient than a huge invasion that numbers in the hundreds. 

Signs of Infestation:

• Members of the house waking up with new red, itchy bites
• Tiny blood stains on the mattress or furniture
• Dark spots (excrement) on the mattress or furniture
• Discarded egg shells (not the ones from cooking!) or cast skins on the mattress or furniture
• A musty odor in the area

Prevention Tips: Something to keep in mind is that a bed bug infestation does not indicate a “dirty” home. It can start with a couple of bed bugs hitching a ride on some kind of fabric, then result in multiple generations being born in the same area. The easiest way to prevent these pests is to do minor inspections of beds and fabric-covered furniture somewhat often. When removing the bedsheets to change them, check the mattress for any of the above signs. Inspect the surrounding furniture and carpet just in case they decided to jump ship and hide out for a while. Examine all new and secondhand furniture that comes into the house beforehand, as well as any luggage after traveling. Reducing clutter and vacuuming somewhat frequently will also be a great help. And if it brings the needed comfort or if bed bugs have been an issue before, mattress and pillow covers are always a great purchase to make. 

Rodents

Unless you own rats or mice as a pet, finding rodents in the house is never a good time. Rodent pests are destructive, disease-ridden, and dirty. They definitely leave a lot of evidence behind when they invade a space, as they are always working to find food and make a nice home for their rapidly-growing family. Rats and mice are unfortunately a common pest for homes across America due to their superb scavenging skills. They are primarily nocturnal, so it is more common to see or hear them in action during the night. But if you do happen to stumble across a rat or mouse, just remember that chances are high there are more rodents in the area. They can function alone, but rats and mice both live with their big families for a large portion of their lives, often in their handmade nests or burrows.

Signs of Infestation:

• Droppings everywhere, especially in cabinets and along walls
• Gnaw marks on objects and walls
• Nesting materials scattered about
• Scratching and squeaking noises
• Urine stains
• Chewed holes in the wall
• Chewed wiring 

Prevention Tips: The best ways to prevent rodents are very similar to how you would prevent ants. Clean up all crumbs and spills as they happen, since rodents have keen noses and are always searching for food. Keep all food and pet food completely sealed and stored when not in use. As for the actual house, make sure to check for holes and cracks often that any kind of pest could use. It is crucial to seal these holes before any rodents find them, since they can squeeze through just about any opening the width of a pencil or larger. Use caulk to seal small openings, and push copper mesh into larger holes for maximum protection. Also, one way to prevent rodents that is not talked about as much is to get rid of as much cardboard as possible. Rodents easily chew through this material and love to nest inside a cardboard box, especially in an isolated place like the attic or garage, so it is best to use these boxes as little as possible. Plastic tubs with snap-close lids are the best alternative for boxes because they are largely weather and rodent-resistant. 

Spiders

The good news about spiders is that they do not invade in droves, as spiders do not live in colonies. But the bad news is that they can become numerous very quickly if a mother spider’s eggs hatch. They create eggs sacs out of their webbing to hold the hundreds of eggs, which is then protected until it opens to reveal a nightmarish amount of baby spiders crawling around. This is the last thing a homeowner wants, as one spider is much different than hundreds of tiny spiders. Many spider species are capable of biting, but they typically do not unless they are handled or closely cornered. The only extremely concerning bites in the U.S. are from the brown recluse and black widow, as both spiders release deadly venom that can be fatal if not treated. If you are bitten by one of these spiders, please seek medical attention immediately. 

Signs of Infestation:

• Spider webs or cobwebs in multiple locations
• Any issues with insect populations are mysteriously solved (aka the spiders are eating well)
• Multiple spiders in the house or yard
• An egg sac in the house or yard (a white sticky glob with eggs)

Prevention Tips: Even though spiders are technically beneficial with their insect-centered diets, we don’t want them hanging out in our homes all the time. Spiders will only really invade if they find a reliable food source in the area or if there is adverse weather outside. But it is still possible to experience a small-scale invasion, especially if insect populations are thriving. Doing basic household chores, like dusting and vacuuming, should do the trick of ridding the house of arachnid guests. Spiders are so independent that seeing one does not necessarily mean more are around, but it can help to briefly look around and see if any are hiding in isolated corners of the home.

Bees

As with spiders, bees are beneficial and help plants and nature in general to thrive, but they can quickly become a pest when their hives are in our backyards. Bees are pretty docile insects when left alone, which is not always possible depending on the location of their hive. There can even be more than one hive in the yard, as bees will expand their housing when one hive gets overcrowded. The old queen will produce the new future queen, then travel to the new hive in the swarm while the new queen stays behind to continue growing that colony. This can be a problem if both hives happen to be in the same backyard! If you or anyone in your family is also allergic to bee stings, that creates a new world of worries for the yard. Bees may pollinate our flowers, but they can create a lot of problems if they love our backyards a little too much.

Signs of Infestation:

• Many bees around flowers and flowering plants
• Hive(s) in the yard, usually near flowers
• Honeycombs in the area
• A swarm moving around the area
• Constant buzzing when it is not typically “bee season”

Prevention Tips: If your home is near any kind of field and the weather is usually temperate, there is a chance that bees will make their hive in the area. Check for any bee hives in the yard, especially in trees or behind building materials. If you find one, it is best to have professional pest control services remove it for the safety of everyone. Also, make sure to have any current or past honeycombs removed. Even if it is not from a current bee colony, it can be used by a future one if they deem it functional. Remove any clutter from the backyard that could be housing a bee hive, like a pile of cinder blocks or rocks. And to prevent bees from using your house as a winter home, seal all cracks and holes with caulk before the cold weather sets in. Bees prefer to stay outside in average conditions, but preparing for winter usually causes pests to go where they should not.

Pest Control is the Answer to Every Pest Problem! 

No matter what insect, arachnid, or rodent is plaguing your home or business, pest control services can solve the problem. Many pests have adapted to various traditional pesticides over the years, which means that they may not be eradicated as efficiently or thoroughly as we want. But recent pest treatments have been created with these changes in mind in order to actually solve the pest problems at hand. Our pest control services only uses EPA-approved, eco-friendly treatments that solve the pest issues without the use of dangerous chemicals. Contact our team to learn more about our services and how our experienced technicians can prevent all kinds of pests from taking over your home.

Citations

Carpenter bee infestation removal. (2021, April 22). Best Bee Brothers. Retrieved August 16, 2022, from https://bestbeebrothers.com/blogs/blog/carpenter-bee-infestation 

Denisa. (2020, July 20). Is your house infested with spiders? 7 signs that the answer is yes. Daily Dream Decor. Available at https://www.dailydreamdecor.com/2020/07/is-your-house-infested-with-spiders-7-signs-that-the-answer-is-yes.html (Accessed on August 16, 2022). 

Dunkin, M.A. (2020, November 11). Bedbugs. Web M.D. Available at https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/bedbugs-infestation (Accessed on August 16, 2022)

Protecting your home from bed bugs. (2021, September 13). United States EPA. Retrieved August 16, 2022, from https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/protecting-your-home-bed-bugs 

Roach, D. (2014, May 28). How to keep honey bees from nesting in your home. Entomology Today. Available at https://entomologytoday.org/2014/05/28/how-to-keep-honey-bees-from-nesting-in-your-home/ (Accessed on August 16, 2022).

What’s that noise? Six tell-tale signs of a rodent infestation. (n.d.). Pest World. Available at https://www.pestworld.org/news-hub/press-releases/what-s-that-noise-six-tell-tale-signs-of-a-rodent-infestation/  (Accessed on August 16, 2022).