Most Common Fall Pests Around Your Home

Every fall the bugs start scaling your walls to breach your defenses.You find them stuck to your screens, smeared on your windshield, smooshed on the walkway to the house, and crunched on the steps. You find them scurrying along the wall, or more disgustingly, on the wall. You see them piled up on the window sills. It's the fall plague, and you can almost set your watch to it.

Here are some common bugs you'll find infiltrating your happy abode this fall:

STINK BUGS

There is just no polite way to say it, these bugs stink! The brown marmorated stink bug is brown in color with a shield shaped body and looks like bad television receptors--back before the digital gurgle became popular. With six legs and two antennae, it is a nasty ornament on your wall or window sill. These bugs excrete a foul fluid from their abdomen that has a pungent odor, and stains cloth. If you find one--or more likely, dozens--use a vacuum cleaner to suck them up, and dispose of the bag immediately.

HALLOWEEN BEETLES

Given the name because they enter homes by the hundreds every October, Halloween beetles are basically ladybugs. These beetles are harmless, unless you consider mental trauma harmful. They won't bite you, but they'll get stuck in your screens, pile up on your window sills, crunch under your feet, and land inappropriately on the food you're eating. If your home is shaded, you are less likely to attract lady bugs. These bugs like illuminated surfaces, like: sun bathed exterior walls, light colored paint, white gutters and downspouts, and warm, white window sills. Use a vacuum to suck these bugs up as well. Don't squish them, because their yellowish secretions can stain as well. Don't handle them either because they can bite. Though not poisonous, their bite can feel like a pinprick.

BOXELDER BUGS

These bugs are named for the boxelder trees they like to feast on. They can also be found on silver maple trees as well. These bugs are oval and range in color. Most have a fiery orange trim to their black wings, but some are brown in color. When these bugs come inside, they do so in mass. Not only is this annoying, but their excrement stains curtains, clothing, and rugs. The vacuum is, once again, your best friend. Suck these buggers up, and dispose of the bag.

PREVENTION

You're best prevention against all of these bugs is proper screening. You should also be wary when you enter the house. These bugs are attracted to light and will enter with you to get at the light. If you would prefer to not have these bugs caked on the outside of your screens, or scaling your siding, an appropriate treatment as well as implemented preventative measures can deter these pests from entering your home. A fall pest treatment can be safe, easy, and environmentally friendly. Contact the pros at All-American for more information on how to protect your home from pests this fall and winter season.