Pests are sweeping Alabama residents away! In a 2021 survey, nearly three million Americans said that they spotted both roaches and rodents in their homes in the previous year. Millions of others spotted bugs in their homes.
Though you can spot pests in Alabama at any point during the year, you are more likely to encounter spring pests. Before March rolls around, you should understand what common pests are like so you can prevent them well in advance.
What are the most common spring pests in Alabama? Why do they become active in the spring? How can you keep them from entering your home and how can you drive them away once they’re inside?
Answer these questions and you can have a pest-free home this spring and summer. Here is your quick guide.
Ants
Ants are cold-blooded, so they spend most of the winter burrowed inside the ground or hiding inside buildings. You may encounter ants during the winter, especially if you store food in your basement or cabinets.
However, you are more likely to experience ants during the springtime. They come out of their nests and begin building elaborate colonies. They can reproduce quickly, making them one of the most common Alabama pests.
Though ants are extremely common, they are also easy to kill. You can spread deterrents like black pepper and peppermint oil on the floor to drive them away.
Baking soda is toxic to ants. You can mix baking soda with powdered sugar and put the mixture on a plate. The ants will be attracted to the sugar, but they will eat the baking soda and die.
Spiders
Spiders also become more active during the springtime. Female spiders travel into homes to find secure places to lay their eggs. A spider can lay more than 200 eggs in one egg sac, which can lead to an extensive pest control problem.
Some spiders are beneficial to you, as they can kill ants and other small insects. Others can bite you and spread venom. Be on the lookout for black widows and brown recluses and avoid them if you notice them.
If you want to get rid of your spiders, you should vacuum areas where you see spider nests. You should also install thick screens on your windows so spiders cannot crawl into your home.
Peppermint oil can act as a strong deterrent for spiders. If you don’t have any, you can mix white vinegar with water in a spray bottle and spray it near spider webs. You should also call a pest control management company that can kill spiders outside your house, as you may find them hard to find.
The Worst Spring Pests
Many spring pests are common in Alabama, but two stand out. Ants emerge in the springtime to start colonies inside your home. Spiders lay dozens of eggs at once in the corners of rooms.
Seal all access to your home and move supplies of food to high-reaching shelves. Spread peppermint oil on the ground to drive both ants and spiders away. You can kill ants with baking soda and spiders with white vinegar.