While summer can bring heat waves, including one upcoming, and outdoor activities like water parks, it can also bring the most active season of the year for some insects.
These pests can sting or bite, but they can also transmit disease and cause building damage or affect living conditions. These pests seek shelter from the heat and rain in your home.
This summer could be particularly bad for mosquitoes as a particularly humid year led to more humidity. Additionally, St. Louis and Chicago are already capitals for mosquitoes, with Chicago ranked fifth worst for the pest by Orkin and St. Louis ranks 27th.
“They’re very common,” said James Newcomer, owner of Mosquito Joe’s in Pontoon Beach. “This year is amazing because we had such a wet spring and summer and a lot of moisture and that created a huge mosquito problem.”
Mosquitoes can be primary vectors of disease, with diseases like West Nile, encephalitis, and Zika (although Newcomer says this is less common in Illinois) being transmitted by mosquitos. They’re not the only pest-borne disease, as ticks, which are more common in rural areas of central Illinois and the Metro East, transmit Lyme disease.
To tame and keep the pest problem at bay, one of the tips for newcomers was to be active after rain.
“We make recommendations like taking a five-minute walk around the house and removing standing water sources,” Newcomer said. “This leads to fewer mosquito and tick problems. Water is key. Keep the garden clean, don’t get clumped, keep the grass short, get the water out of everything. Clean your gutters every six months Sometimes they go down your gutter. “
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in stagnant, stagnant water, so things like outdoor food bowls, fountains, bird baths, rain barrels, and plant containers should be emptied and changed frequently.
Ticks can be avoided by walking forest trails and treating clothing and equipment with products that contain 0.5% permethrin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Quite a few customers have ticks,” said Newcomer. “Some of the tick problems occur in subdivisions, but more in rural areas with heavy wood lines where they are quite common. Deer ticks are the most common in our area.”
The greatest risk of being bitten by black-legged ticks or deer ticks is in spring, summer and autumn. Deer ticks are common in the eastern United States, including Illinois and Missouri.
Mosquitoes and ticks aren’t the only pests to avoid. While termites are less of a problem in Illinois, as there are no drywood or wetwood termites in the area, carpenter ants are similarly attracted to wood and can cause similar structural damage.
Ants are a common pest in homes in summer, as are spiders. To get rid of ants, bait them with an ant bait that you can find at home goods stores and destroy their mounds.
Spiders – often forced into the home by heat and moisture – in Metro East and Central Illinois include the American house spider, cellar spiders, wolf spiders, brown recluses, and black widows. To prevent them from occurring, keep your rooms clean and organized. Spiders love clutter, so keep the exterior of your home clean as well, and get rid of clippings, weeds, and logs as much as possible.
Roaches can also be a bigger problem in the summer as they thrive in the summer months. Cockroaches bring disease-causing bacteria and food contaminants with them. To prevent the pests, keep your home clean by taking out the trash frequently, cleaning the dishes, and keeping the house free of litter. Also keep food in tightly closed containers.
Finally, bed bugs are also more common in summer as they use the hotter months for feeding and breeding. To prevent bed bugs, don’t bring used furniture without checking for signs of bed bugs and be tired of traveling, staying in hotels, and using shared laundry facilities.
