Ants
Ants are known for causing havoc in gardens, lawns, and homes. They invade these areas in the pursuit of food, water, and shelter. These three necessities are what ants need to survive, and they will invade your property and your home to get them. Failing to regularly maintain your lawn and having unsanitary conditions inside your home can entice ants to take up residence with you.
Two of the most common ant species you may have to deal with are fire ants and carpenter ants. Fire ants are an invasive species with the ability to adapt and spread quickly. In the process of invading an area, they will kill off or displace entire colonies of native ants. Fire ants are highly aggressive and will fiercely defend their nest. They have stingers and use a coordinated attack that can kill young wildlife, small pets, and humans with a severe allergy to their venom.
Though fire ants prefer to nest underground in open areas such as grasslands and fields, they have been known to live inside homes and crawlspaces. They invade homes when water and food sources are readily available and can be hard to manage once they have established a nest.
Carpenter antsare notorious for causing structural and cosmetic damage to homes. They don’t actually eat wood but burrow into it to create elaborate nests with thousands of tunnels. Carpenter ants can be found living in the structural timber of houses, firewood, trees, and deadfall. They are ultimately drawn to wood that has been damaged from such things as water damage. Once inside your home, they can be hard to remove and often require an expert exterminator to eradicate them completely. Ensuring that your home doesn’t offer easy food and water is the best defense against all ant invasions.
Termites
The three commontermite speciesare dampwood termites, drywood termites, and subterranean termites. Dampwwod termites grow to be 20 to 25 millimeters long and are yellowish-brown. They aren’t a significant threat unless your property is full of shrubs or you live near a citrus farm. Dampwood termites will generally only infest wood that’s at ground level or slightly below. Drywood termites grow to be 11 to 12 millimeters long and have a brownish-black abdomen with a brown thorax and head. These termites can infest homes and other buildings, causing significant damage.
The most common and most concerning are subterranean termites. They grow to around 7 millimeters and range in color from pale, yellowish-brown to cream colored. Termite prevention is key to keeping all of these under control, in turn protecting your home and other buildings from irreparable damage. Yearly termite treatments are a great way to keep them at bay.
Spiders
There are many species of spiders plaguing the United States. A spider is classified as an arachnid and has eight legs, multiple sets of eyes, and can grow from just a few millimeters up to4 inches in size. Most spiders are ambush predators who build elaborate nests out of the silken web they produce out of their bodies. Others are active hunters who stalk and chase their prey. There are many spiders whose venom is harmful to humans, with some being deadly if not properly treated.
Spiders will invade your home in the pursuit of moisture and food. If you haveissues with spidersin your home, you most likely have other pests that are natural prey for spiders, and getting rid of these other pests is a good place to start. However, spiders will cause a mess with webbing, dead insect carcasses, and other debris once inside. Getting rid of spiders can be difficult when you have a full-blown infestation, and you may need the help of a professional exterminating agency to eliminate the threat.
As with many different pests, spiders will enter your home through openings in your home’s foundation, around windows and doors, and other cracks or fissures. Sealing off and repairing any and all of such areas will help prevent all manner of pests from obtaining access to the interior of your home, including spiders.