There are any number of families that head south for the winter months to warmer weather. In certain regions, those people are known as snowbirds. It’s not, for the most part, that they can’t survive the cold weather; they just prefer a warmer climate. But what about insects that literally can’t survive cold weather? What happens to pests during winter? Do they die? Do they hibernate like bears or migrate like some birds do? The answer is… yes. All of the above. Mother Nature has instilled in insects, as it has in many animals, the drive to survive under any circumstances by whatever means necessary. Climate and its severity are the major consideration when it comes to whether or not pests can stay behind when the weather snaps. Let’s take a look at how pests survive the winter months.
Hibernation – It’s Not Just for Bears
Many people associate hibernation with bears. They climb into a cave, go to sleep, and wake up in spring refreshed and revitalized. Bears are not the only ones that drop into a dormant state for the winter months. Some mosquitoes, paper wasps, and ladybugs are just an example of pests that hibernate in the crevices of rocks, inside hollow trees, or under leaves and bark until the weather is warm again. Some creatures, like moths, form cocoons in which to complete their development and hatch from them in the spring in their new form.
Get To Know The Process Known As Overwintering
We may all know about hibernation, but not everyone has heard of a process called overwintering. Under the bark of trees, inside buildings, and under the fallen leaves in forests, some insects pass the time simply waiting out the colder seasons. Box elders and honeybees are an example of insects that seek this kind of shelter from temperatures that are considered frigid. Until winter subsides, these species’ activity is reduced, literally, to nothing but breathing. Of course, rodents, cockroaches, spiders and some other pests take up residence in our homes and other buildings to wait out the winter months so their overwintering period is considerably more active and, clearly, far comfier.
Some Species Migrate
One would think that more than just humans and birds would migrate and that is exactly the case when it comes to certain insects. Monarch butterflies are possibly the most well-known migration when it comes to insights. Santa Barbara California is the winter home two monarchs that normally live west of the Rockies. A winter gathering in a forest in central Mexico’s Oyamel takes place each year by monarchs that live east of North America’s Rocky Mountains. These species of insect determine the distance they will travel for the purpose of migration.
In order to survive a harsh winter, insects will do whatever it takes. They are, after all, built to survive. Their precise method of winter survival depends largely on instinct and their geographic location. And even those that die leave behind the next generation of creepy, crawly creatures in the form of eggs that will be ready to hatch in spring. The best way to fight these insects is through methods that kill not only the live pests but the eggs/larva/pupae left behind as well.
https://ecovenger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Where-Do-All-The-Pests-Go-During-The-Winter-Season.jpg366499Todd Zonhttps://ecovenger.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/EcoVenger-R-header-340x70-1.pngTodd Zon2017-03-24 09:44:312024-05-17 06:47:02Where Do All The Pests Go During The Winter Season?
Household pests can be a problem in every home; every neighborhood; every city, and every country. Insects and pests in one form or another have been around since before the beginning of mankind, and show no sign of leaving the planet anytime soon. Household pests come in all different sizes, shapes, and species. Here’s a look at five of the most common pests we encounter here in the United States:
Ants
Some ants are so small you can barely see them. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Here are some species of ants in the United States: pharaoh’s ants, pavement ants, ghost ants, garden ants, fire ants, carpenter ants, bull or bulldog ants, black house ants, and Argentine ants. While some are destructive, they are all creepy, crawly nuisances. Covering up food when not in use, whipping up sticky messes, treating apparently nesting areas outside, and ceiling obvious entry points can help control and save your home.
Bed Bugs
This is a pest problem that has come to light more and more lately, and can present an infestation problem in not just low-income areas or establishments that have seemingly countless visitors on a regular basis, but in high-end stores, luxury resorts hotels, well-known gyms, and ritzy homes. Bed bugs ride around town on clothing, in luggage, in purses – and when they can’t ride, they crawl. Their bites look similar to mosquito bites but they leave behind telltale signs on furniture, draperies, rugs, bed linen, and mattresses that let you know they’re bunking with you.
Mosquitoes
One would think that a creature that can carry and spread diseases like the Zika virus, malaria, and the West Nile virus should have been eradicated from the face of the earth. As pleasing as that would be to some of us, mosquitoes do have their own little place in the whole ecosystem being the main food source for some larger species. That doesn’t mean they have a place in and around our homes, however. At least partial control is available through insect repellents and insecticides, cutting back tall grassy areas, eliminating standing water, and wearing the right kind of clothing when you’re outside to avoid bites. This is another species that has somehow lasted millions of years.
Rodents
In the minds of many, rats are worse than mice but in the minds of others, a rodent is a rodent. No one wants either one of them in their house. Rats can devastate a home. They can undermine retaining walls and hillsides by burrowing through them. They chew cables carrying electricity which can cause a fire. They chew through walls and floor joists and damage the insulation in your home. Mice have equally destructive habits through feeding and nesting and are known, like rats, to spread disease. Some are so small that they can slip through almost unperceivable cracks and crevices.
Cockroaches
Just the name invokes shivers, the hair standing up on the back of your neck, goosebumps… you name it. These are some of God’s most disgusting, vile, and despised creatures. And for good reason. They have been around since the beginning of time and will be here long after humans are gone. That doesn’t mean, however, that they have to take up residence in your house! Would you believe that researchers have determined that certain cockroaches have actually developed personalities? It’s what may help some adapt to change and survive more than others. Worst of all, cockroaches bring disease: allergies, viruses, fungus, roundworm, tapeworms, dysentery, and food poisoning can all be attributed to cockroaches.
Ridding your home of these pesky creatures will likely mean killing some in the process. That’s too bad, but it is unavoidable in many cases. Few of us feel bad about it, truth be told. There are safe ways to get rid of insects and other pests in the home. Green methods of pest control are already in existence and new eco-friendly methods are springing up every day. Talk to us if you are having trouble with pests, and can’t seem to find the remedy you are looking.
https://ecovenger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/5-Most-Common-Types-Of-Household-Pests-In-The-United-States.jpg500389Todd Zonhttps://ecovenger.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/EcoVenger-R-header-340x70-1.pngTodd Zon2017-03-21 09:42:492022-03-03 00:03:245 Most Common Types Of Household Pests In The United States
When spring is right around the corner, many people’s thoughts turn to flowers, robins, warm weather, spring break… you get the idea. Not ants. Their minds turn to food sources and how to get them. Unfortunately, your home is probably going to be the best place to grab a quick meal for many household pests this spring, including ants. The good news is that you can prevent an ant infestation this spring by any number of methods. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Where To Typically Find Ants
Finding ants around the outside of your property can eventually lead to finding ants inside your property – namely, your house. Air-conditioning units, garages, basements, bathrooms, and kitchens are popular infestation locations for not only ants but many other insects and household pets. They are not limited to those areas by any means, of course. Spring cleaning is a great time to take a look at your yard and areas around your house in order to head off the next ant infestation.
Pets Versus Pests
When you have pets around the house you provide an increased source of food for household pests. When your pet is done eating, promptly wipe up any water or spilled food and keep their bowls and/or dishes clean, as much as possible. Remove food from the bags in which it comes and transfer it to sealed plastic containers stored it a dry area. This also helps keep the food fresh. Ants and rodents can get into a paper bag in the blink of an eye.
Clean That Kitchen
As with cockroaches, it doesn’t take a lot of food to feed an ant. Take the trash out on a regular basis. Keep fruit, especially if it is right, in the refrigerator. Keep all food in sealed containers. And always remove spills and crumbs from the floor and wipe off countertops. This will also help curb the spread of disease.
Get Rid of Standing Water
Ants, just like any other creature, have to drink. Out-of-doors, make sure that water is flowing outwardly from the foundation of your home and that gutters and downspouts are operating properly. Indoors, in places like attics, crawl spaces, and basements, consider utilizing a dehumidifier to cut back on dampness. Check for leaky pipes or other causes of moisture under sinks and around tubs.
Seal Off Entrance Points
If you can stop ants before they come in you have taken the biggest step toward controlling an infestation. Trim shrubberies and tree branches back away from the outside of your house. Use a silicone-based caulk to seal tiny gaps and small holes through which ants may enter. Areas around utility pipes, cables, and other crevices and cracks are good places to start your inspection and begin sealing the tiny little entryways and to your home.
Killing the live ants in your home is only part of the process. You have to stop them from coming inside so that, once you do kill the living ants, more don’t come in to sublet the homes of the deceased. Thankfully, there are many methods with which to treat ants and other pest infestations. Best of all, eco-friendly, natural methods of pest control assure the safety of the ecosystem and our loved ones.
https://ecovenger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Learn-To-Prevent-An-Ant-Infestation-This-Coming-Spring-Season.jpg333500Todd Zonhttps://ecovenger.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/EcoVenger-R-header-340x70-1.pngTodd Zon2017-03-18 09:40:312022-03-03 00:03:24Learn To Prevent An Ant Infestation This Coming Spring Season!
Where Do All The Pests Go During The Winter Season?
/in Blog /by Todd ZonThere are any number of families that head south for the winter months to warmer weather. In certain regions, those people are known as snowbirds. It’s not, for the most part, that they can’t survive the cold weather; they just prefer a warmer climate. But what about insects that literally can’t survive cold weather? What happens to pests during winter? Do they die? Do they hibernate like bears or migrate like some birds do? The answer is… yes. All of the above. Mother Nature has instilled in insects, as it has in many animals, the drive to survive under any circumstances by whatever means necessary. Climate and its severity are the major consideration when it comes to whether or not pests can stay behind when the weather snaps. Let’s take a look at how pests survive the winter months.
Hibernation – It’s Not Just for Bears
Many people associate hibernation with bears. They climb into a cave, go to sleep, and wake up in spring refreshed and revitalized. Bears are not the only ones that drop into a dormant state for the winter months. Some mosquitoes, paper wasps, and ladybugs are just an example of pests that hibernate in the crevices of rocks, inside hollow trees, or under leaves and bark until the weather is warm again. Some creatures, like moths, form cocoons in which to complete their development and hatch from them in the spring in their new form.
Get To Know The Process Known As Overwintering
We may all know about hibernation, but not everyone has heard of a process called overwintering. Under the bark of trees, inside buildings, and under the fallen leaves in forests, some insects pass the time simply waiting out the colder seasons. Box elders and honeybees are an example of insects that seek this kind of shelter from temperatures that are considered frigid. Until winter subsides, these species’ activity is reduced, literally, to nothing but breathing. Of course, rodents, cockroaches, spiders and some other pests take up residence in our homes and other buildings to wait out the winter months so their overwintering period is considerably more active and, clearly, far comfier.
Some Species Migrate
One would think that more than just humans and birds would migrate and that is exactly the case when it comes to certain insects. Monarch butterflies are possibly the most well-known migration when it comes to insights. Santa Barbara California is the winter home two monarchs that normally live west of the Rockies. A winter gathering in a forest in central Mexico’s Oyamel takes place each year by monarchs that live east of North America’s Rocky Mountains. These species of insect determine the distance they will travel for the purpose of migration.
In order to survive a harsh winter, insects will do whatever it takes. They are, after all, built to survive. Their precise method of winter survival depends largely on instinct and their geographic location. And even those that die leave behind the next generation of creepy, crawly creatures in the form of eggs that will be ready to hatch in spring. The best way to fight these insects is through methods that kill not only the live pests but the eggs/larva/pupae left behind as well.
5 Most Common Types Of Household Pests In The United States
/in Blog, Uncategorized /by Todd ZonHousehold pests can be a problem in every home; every neighborhood; every city, and every country. Insects and pests in one form or another have been around since before the beginning of mankind, and show no sign of leaving the planet anytime soon. Household pests come in all different sizes, shapes, and species. Here’s a look at five of the most common pests we encounter here in the United States:
Ants
Some ants are so small you can barely see them. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Here are some species of ants in the United States: pharaoh’s ants, pavement ants, ghost ants, garden ants, fire ants, carpenter ants, bull or bulldog ants, black house ants, and Argentine ants. While some are destructive, they are all creepy, crawly nuisances. Covering up food when not in use, whipping up sticky messes, treating apparently nesting areas outside, and ceiling obvious entry points can help control and save your home.
Bed Bugs
This is a pest problem that has come to light more and more lately, and can present an infestation problem in not just low-income areas or establishments that have seemingly countless visitors on a regular basis, but in high-end stores, luxury resorts hotels, well-known gyms, and ritzy homes. Bed bugs ride around town on clothing, in luggage, in purses – and when they can’t ride, they crawl. Their bites look similar to mosquito bites but they leave behind telltale signs on furniture, draperies, rugs, bed linen, and mattresses that let you know they’re bunking with you.
Mosquitoes
One would think that a creature that can carry and spread diseases like the Zika virus, malaria, and the West Nile virus should have been eradicated from the face of the earth. As pleasing as that would be to some of us, mosquitoes do have their own little place in the whole ecosystem being the main food source for some larger species. That doesn’t mean they have a place in and around our homes, however. At least partial control is available through insect repellents and insecticides, cutting back tall grassy areas, eliminating standing water, and wearing the right kind of clothing when you’re outside to avoid bites. This is another species that has somehow lasted millions of years.
Rodents
In the minds of many, rats are worse than mice but in the minds of others, a rodent is a rodent. No one wants either one of them in their house. Rats can devastate a home. They can undermine retaining walls and hillsides by burrowing through them. They chew cables carrying electricity which can cause a fire. They chew through walls and floor joists and damage the insulation in your home. Mice have equally destructive habits through feeding and nesting and are known, like rats, to spread disease. Some are so small that they can slip through almost unperceivable cracks and crevices.
Cockroaches
Just the name invokes shivers, the hair standing up on the back of your neck, goosebumps… you name it. These are some of God’s most disgusting, vile, and despised creatures. And for good reason. They have been around since the beginning of time and will be here long after humans are gone. That doesn’t mean, however, that they have to take up residence in your house! Would you believe that researchers have determined that certain cockroaches have actually developed personalities? It’s what may help some adapt to change and survive more than others. Worst of all, cockroaches bring disease: allergies, viruses, fungus, roundworm, tapeworms, dysentery, and food poisoning can all be attributed to cockroaches.
Ridding your home of these pesky creatures will likely mean killing some in the process. That’s too bad, but it is unavoidable in many cases. Few of us feel bad about it, truth be told. There are safe ways to get rid of insects and other pests in the home. Green methods of pest control are already in existence and new eco-friendly methods are springing up every day. Talk to us if you are having trouble with pests, and can’t seem to find the remedy you are looking.
Learn To Prevent An Ant Infestation This Coming Spring Season!
/in Blog /by Todd ZonWhen spring is right around the corner, many people’s thoughts turn to flowers, robins, warm weather, spring break… you get the idea. Not ants. Their minds turn to food sources and how to get them. Unfortunately, your home is probably going to be the best place to grab a quick meal for many household pests this spring, including ants. The good news is that you can prevent an ant infestation this spring by any number of methods. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Where To Typically Find Ants
Finding ants around the outside of your property can eventually lead to finding ants inside your property – namely, your house. Air-conditioning units, garages, basements, bathrooms, and kitchens are popular infestation locations for not only ants but many other insects and household pets. They are not limited to those areas by any means, of course. Spring cleaning is a great time to take a look at your yard and areas around your house in order to head off the next ant infestation.
Pets Versus Pests
When you have pets around the house you provide an increased source of food for household pests. When your pet is done eating, promptly wipe up any water or spilled food and keep their bowls and/or dishes clean, as much as possible. Remove food from the bags in which it comes and transfer it to sealed plastic containers stored it a dry area. This also helps keep the food fresh. Ants and rodents can get into a paper bag in the blink of an eye.
Clean That Kitchen
As with cockroaches, it doesn’t take a lot of food to feed an ant. Take the trash out on a regular basis. Keep fruit, especially if it is right, in the refrigerator. Keep all food in sealed containers. And always remove spills and crumbs from the floor and wipe off countertops. This will also help curb the spread of disease.
Get Rid of Standing Water
Ants, just like any other creature, have to drink. Out-of-doors, make sure that water is flowing outwardly from the foundation of your home and that gutters and downspouts are operating properly. Indoors, in places like attics, crawl spaces, and basements, consider utilizing a dehumidifier to cut back on dampness. Check for leaky pipes or other causes of moisture under sinks and around tubs.
Seal Off Entrance Points
If you can stop ants before they come in you have taken the biggest step toward controlling an infestation. Trim shrubberies and tree branches back away from the outside of your house. Use a silicone-based caulk to seal tiny gaps and small holes through which ants may enter. Areas around utility pipes, cables, and other crevices and cracks are good places to start your inspection and begin sealing the tiny little entryways and to your home.
Killing the live ants in your home is only part of the process. You have to stop them from coming inside so that, once you do kill the living ants, more don’t come in to sublet the homes of the deceased. Thankfully, there are many methods with which to treat ants and other pest infestations. Best of all, eco-friendly, natural methods of pest control assure the safety of the ecosystem and our loved ones.