Spring is the time of life renewal. Dormant trees bud and leaf. Flowers bloom, and the temperature rises, and then invasion begins. Insects, rodents, birds and other pests also rise from hibernation and eggs the have lain dormant through winter hatch, and we have bugs. We will never win an all-out war of elimination on our multilegged neighbors, but we can control their numbers and nature is best left outside, not sharing our domiciles. Some critters just make us uncomfortable, others are destructive to home and furnishing and others represent varying stages of a real threat being venomous or are disease carriers. Roaches fall under disease carriers, while fire ants, scorpions and spiders are the venom carriers. Raccoons, some bird species and most rodents are of the invasive structural destructive types.
Cockroach, Stinging Insect & Pest Allergy Sufferers
If you have allergies all the above creatures pose risks. Certain bacteria and fungi thrive on roaches, if you are allergic, they can be detrimental to your comfort and well-being. Most of use can shrug of the effects of ant stings and scorpion attacks with minor discomfort. But those who are allergic to these venoms they can be deadly. Fire ants, an invasive species, can cause sever reactions in the young or elderly. The also belong to a species that has a dedicated organ for stings, injecting a painful alkaloid compound. Another aspect is that fire ants do not hibernate, though their populations may take a hit in winter. Fire ants are expensive to manage. In the US nearly $5 billion is spent annually on medical treatment, damage and control. Pets confined outside have been found dead due to fire ant stings.
Signs of Termites in Your Walls & Yard
Top of the home destroyer list is of course the termite. These pest invade and then slowly digest your home. Signs:
• Clicking sounds coming from the inside of walls. This is the soldier ants banging their heads against wood or shaking their bodies to alert the colony of danger. The workers are the wood eaters, and they are noisy, put year ear to any wood and you can hear them munching away. Oh, for you heavy metal lovers out there, testing has shown they eat faster when they hear rock music.
• Flying termite swarmers. Like their relatives the ants the termites have swarmers, flying males and females looking for mates. Some swarm at night and are attracted to lights while other prefer the daytime.
• Discarded termite wings. The male and female discard their wings after mating. Wings in the yard are not a positive, in fact it means the bugs have moved into enjoy the smorgasbord, meaning the supporting wood structure of your home. Not good.
• Appearance of termites (not to be confused with white ants). Termites are light colored some nearly translucent. Termite antennae are straight, not bent at the ends. The important thing to remember there are no white ants. It looks like an ant but is white, it is a termite. Abs; the waist section of a termite is a lot thicker than that of ants.
• Wood damage. Termites consume wood from the inside out, leaving a thin veneer of paper wood or sometimes just the paint.
• Sticking windows and doors. Termites produces moisture when eating and tunneling through door and window frames causing warpage, making doors and windows to stick from the swelling.
• Mud tubes or tunnels. Called galleries in pieces of broken timber is a sign of infestation.
• Termite frass. Poop, yah termites do it, frass is the name for termite droppings. Small back marks and dark powdery substance around their infestation area.
Pest & Termite Inspections, Control & More in Canyon Lake, Spring Branch, Bulverde, Timberwood Park, Leon Valley, Alamo Heights, New Braunfels, Selma, Live Oak, Converse, Universal City, Cibolo, Seguin, New Berlin, St Hedwig, Adkins, La Vernia, Elmendorf, Losoya, Von Ormy, Macdona & San Antonio, Texas
Food for thought, now is the time to prepare for springtime pest Armageddon. Call A Five Star Termite & Pest Control for all your pest and termite control needs!
