Summer pests bugging you? With the change of the season from spring to summer, creepy crawlies like mosquitoes, wasps, and termites make their unwanted arrival into the homes and yards of North Carolinians. While these pests may just seem like a seasonal nuisance at first, pests wreak havoc and are known to cause structural damage or even serious illness. Don’t let pests ruin your summer. Here’s how you can stop summer pests in their tracks.

Ants

Ants need food and water to survive. During the hot summer months, many of their food sources have gone away. That’s when these pesky pests make their way into homes. North Carolina is home to many different species of ants, some of the most common problem-causing species include red imported fire ants and carpenter ants. Although carpenter ants don’t eat wood, they can do irreversible damage to your home by burrowing into the wood to make their nests. Red imported fire ants are more likely to swarm in your yard than in your home. But that doesn’t mean these pests should go untreated. This species of ant are prone to swarm and their bites and stings can cause not just pain but allergic reactions, too. It’s critical to enlist effective ant control and prevention tactics at the first sign of a potential infestation. If you have noticed ant mounds in your yard or have seen ants crawling around your home you likely have an ant infestation.

Wasps

Pests including wasps, bees, and hornets are abundant in the summer months. Wasps can ruin your summer outdoor activities. Although these pests don’t typically go out of their way to sting, wasps can become hostile if they are disturbed or threatened. Stings can be painful but are generally non-threatening to people who do not have allergies to wasp venom. These pests make their nests and hives in trees and areas under your home’s roof eaves. Keeping the areas around your home and property clean and free of potential food sources, like open garbage bins or sticky drink spills, is key to minimizing these pests. Thomas Pest Control experts are knowledgeable about where these pests are likely to build nests and know how to control wasps with the most effective products and equipment. So you can get back to enjoying your summer.

Mosquitoes

There are more than 200 different types of mosquitoes that live in the United States, 12 of which spread germs like parasites and viruses that make people sick. One of the most common mosquito-borne diseases is the West Nile Virus. After a bite, most people don’t know they have been infected with the virus as symptoms are rare. However, those who have been infected have reported symptoms including headache, fever, joint pain, muscle pain, and occasionally vomiting and nausea. West Nile cannot be transmitted from person to person and the only way to get the virus is from a mosquito bite. Luckily, there are ways to prevent mosquitoes from making a home of your property.

Coming from our neighbors to the South, The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control advises property owners to eliminate all sources of standing water, including old car tires, rain gutters, pet bowls, and flower pots, as standing water is a mosquito's breeding ground. In addition to wearing insect repellant, avoid going outside during the early mornings when mosquitoes are most active.

The warm and humid summer climate makes North Carolina a breeding ground for pest activity. Take back your summer, contact Thomas Pest Control for all of your pest control needs today.