Once winter is in retreat, the march of the bugs begins. Just about every pest becomes more active in the spring and summer months here in the Raleigh/Durham triangle area, and here are a few common spring pests found in Raleigh, NC, to look out for.
Ticks:
Ticks are common all over the triangle area. They aren’t easy to spot in most cases. They spend most of their time in the shade of shrubs and when they’re ready to find a host they find a tall blade of grass or shrub branch and hold their “arms” out waiting to grab onto a large mammal. You can help keep them out of your yard by keeping your grass shorter than three inches. Our technicians can also treat your shrubs and yard for ticks if your yard is especially prone to them or you are worried about the population in your yard.
Wasps:
Wasps can start showing up as early as February as the warm days sometimes appear. These warm days signal to the hibernating wasps that spring is here and its time to start a new nest. Typically the queen can be seen building a nest in high areas around a house or in trees. If they are away from the house, they are actually beneficial in controlling the local ecosystem. When they build on the house, and especially near doors and windows, they can become more problematic. Treatment involves killing all adults and removing the nest. There is very little that can be done to prevent them from building in the first place, but regular treatments will help keep them under control.
Carpenter Bees:
Carpenter bees are easy to spot. They are large bees with a dark tail section that typically hover in small groups around wooden features. They drill holes into these features (decks, siding, etc.) and lay their eggs in them. The eggs will hatch, and after growing into adults, will often return to their previous holes unless they are treated and sealed properly. This involves a chemical treatment and mesh or caulk of some sort to seal the hole. Doing this will prevent them from returning in large numbers the following year though, much like with wasps, prevention can be very difficult.
These pests can be quite a nuisance but your local technicians at Innovative Pest Solutions are trained and qualified to deal with them. Spring brings quite a few pests so give us a call at 919-847-6267 to set up an inspection and treatment to prepare your property for Spring.
