The Biggest Pests Facing Houston Homes This Fall
Summer is turning to fall and this could be the most dangerous time of year when it comes to pest invasions. The climate in Houston means that the pests of summer are still sticking around, and wildlife, which are typical winter pests, are increasing their pesky activities. When you add in all the year-round pests that plague Houston, fall is the best time to guard your home against invaders. Below are some common pests that might try to infest your Houston home come fall and what to do about them.
Termites
While termites don’t pose health risks, they certainly pose substantial risks to your home. Oftentimes they are not discovered until they are already well established in your home and have done thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in damage to the structure of your house.
Termites prefer water-damaged wood but will move on to sound wood if necessary. They do need moisture to survive though, so keeping your home free of leaks, repairing water-damaged areas, and keeping humidity low will help prevent them.
Ticks
There are four types of ticks common to the Houston area: lone star ticks, black-legged ticks, American dog ticks, and brown dog ticks. Ticks carry a host of diseases, which they can transmit to animals and humans while they feed.
It’s impossible to eradicate ticks from your property due to the way they travel, but you can lower their numbers by keeping your grass cut and your lawn well-trimmed. Remove leaf litter and brush piles from your property and keep pets out of wooded areas or tall grass.
Cockroaches
Several species of cockroaches call Houston home, including the American cockroach, the German cockroach, the Asian cockroach, and the Oriental cockroach. Roaches are dangerous because they collect viruses, bacteria, and parasites on their bodies as they travel through garbage, excrement, and carcasses, which can then be transferred to your home or business. To avoid cockroaches, reduce moisture in and around your home, seal all cracks in which cockroaches could enter your home, and remove food and garbage in and around your home frequently.
Rats/Mice/Squirrels
Rodents become a bigger problem for homeowners in the fall as they look for a warm place with a good food source to spend the winter. Not only can they cause a lot of damage to a house, chewing through walls, insulation, and even wiring, which poses a fire hazard, but they also pose several health risks. Rodents can transmit diseases through bites or scratches, they often carry bugs such as ticks that they can pass to the homeowners, and they leave behind urine and excrement.
To prevent a rodent invasion, there are several things you can do:
Seal all holes and gaps around your home.
Cover vents and cap chimneys.
Eliminate food sources in and around your home, and declutter storage areas to reduce hiding places.
Opossums/Raccoons
You might not think these larger animals can get into your home, but they can, and they’ll leave a wake of destruction in their path. Not only will they damage your home, but they also can carry dangerous diseases such as rabies. To avoid wildlife from entering your home, employ the same methods of prevention as with the smaller rodents.
Fleas
Fleas become a significant problem for homeowners and pet owners in the fall due to several factors, but largely as a direct consequence of increased wildlife activity from rodents, opossums, raccoons, skunks, and so on. As the weather cools down, these animals have to survive on diminishing sources of food, water, and shelter, which often pushes them into residential areas. And when wildlife gets into yards and homes, they bring whatever parasites they’re carrying inside with them.
Pets are also part of the issue. The cool, comfortable weather presents more opportunities for owners to spend time outdoors with their beloved furry friends, which in turn presents more opportunities for fleas to latch on and use them as a vehicle to get inside. Moreover, the humidity and temperatures in the fall create favorable conditions for flea eggs to hatch and develop into adult fleas, leading to a rapid increase in their population.
Bats
Bats are another common problem for homeowners in the fall, largely due to their seasonal migratory patterns which put them on a collision course with human dwellings. As the temperature begins to fall and bats seek out potential hibernation sites, bats seek out warm, secluded areas to spend the winter. Unfortunately, that perfectly describes the attics, garages, and even basements of many human dwellings.
In their search for shelter, bats may inadvertently enter homes through small openings or gaps in roofs, attics, and chimneys. Once inside, they can cause all sorts of problems, including noise disturbances and health hazards brought on by the biological elements they leave behind, such as droppings (guano), fur, and even from dead bats.
Making matters worse, bats are one of the most heavily protected animals in the country due to their important role in the ecosystem, so people with bat infestations are out of luck if they think they can deal with the problem on their own.
Call The Experts For Complete Protection From Fall Pests
In order to keep your home as safe as possible from a pest infestation, it helps to bring in the pest control professionals to take a closer look. Sometimes, when you see your home every day, you might not notice places of vulnerability that the experts at Modern Pest Control will spot in no time. We offer a wide range of services to protect your home year-round from all the pests mentioned above and more. Call us today!