They say the years go by faster the longer you live. I must be older than I think because this year has flown by!! The holidays are right around the corner and pretty soon we will be saying goodbye to 2018. But before we do, let’s look ahead to what might be “bugging” us in the next few weeks.
This is the time of year for insects and rodents to move inside your home or office. One of the creepiest of these is something called the cave cricket, or spider cricket or camel cricket. No matter what you call it, it is prehistoric looking and a bit of a nuisance. It lives in basements, crawl spaces and dark damp places. If you see something that can jump a long way but isn’t your normal black or brown cricket, you have camel crickets. They will eat your clothing as well as stored papers and cardboard. The good news is they are pretty easy to control.
Mice are looking for a nice warm place to stay during the winter. Yes, they are cute…but not in your kitchen. They leave urine and droppings everywhere they go. That includes your kitchen counters and pantry. Mice are responsible for many house fires every year because they chew your wiring.
You would think ants would be gone until next spring. You might be surprised how many calls we take about ants showing up during the holidays. They move inside and nest in the walls of your kitchen. When you turn on your oven to cook those big meals the walls heat up and out come the ants.
Then there are lady bugs, boxelder bugs, cluster flies, wasps and other numerous outside insects that want to overwinter in your home. My best advice is to seal up the gaps where they come in around windows and doors and don’t forget the garage.
If you’d like to do a little preventive work we are always here to help. And if it’s past the prevention stage, give us a call. We can make your holidays a little less stressful – at least when it comes to unwanted guests.
