Insect Move Indoors in the Fall
Being new to the county, I opted to rent from an apartment complex for several reasons. Cost was a good portion of it, and the other was the maintenance. All of the chores that are associated with home ownership and even with renting a house are taken care of for me. An example of this was the mandatory pest control that came through inspected and sprayed all of the units. It reminded me that summer has come to a close. Our days are getting shorter and our nights are getting cooler.
Those seasonal changes bring a change in insects, both pest and beneficial. They will be looking for places to take cover even if it means finding human roommates. Insects will take advantage of any cracks or spaces around windows and doors to make their way into your home.
Securing your house from fall insect intrusion
The first step is inspecting your windows to make sure screens have a snug fit and that there are no holes in the screen itself. You can use weather stripping to create a physical barrier for both insects and drafts. An insecticide spray can be used to create a chemical barrier. These sprays can be used along foundations, base boards, door trim, or the underside of furniture. Look for active ingredients such as
- cypermethrin,
- bifenthrin,
- lamda-cyhalothrin,
- cyfluthrin and
- permethrin.
A contact kill can be achieved with sprays containing active ingredients pyrethrins plus piperonyl butoxide.
Always be sure to read the label on insecticides prior to use.
Check the outdoors for insect habitat
Also inspect the areas around your home. As we move into autumn piles of brush or leaves will be perfect habitats for insects looking for winter cover. The closer these piles are to our homes, the easier it is for insects to make the transition from living outside to living inside with us.
Putting in a good word about spiders
However, as much as I dislike sharing living space with spiders, I will be letting the one that just moved into my window area stay for a while. I got close enough to make sure that it is not a brown recluse and as long as it does not adventure outside of my window, I’ll let it stay. Many spiders serve as beneficial insects meaning that they help to control other pest insects. The spider I have in my window will help to keep other insects from making their way into my apartment.
For more information on bugs wanting to make a home out of yours and how to keep them out, check out these previous Agent Articles:
Contact Us
Amy Keigher
Natural Resources Agent
amy.keigher@jocogov.org
913-715-7000