As temperatures drop, you may want to spend the wintertime curled up inside. The pests located around Illinois want to do the same. In Peoria, there are a couple of overwintering pests you’ll have to worry about invading your home:
- Ladybugs: While they can come in a variety of different colors, Asian beetles or ladybugs are often recognized with red coloring and dark spots.
- Stink bugs: With triangle-shaped “shields” on their backs, stink bugs emit a signature odor whenever they’re crushed.
- Cluster flies: While they may look similar to house flies, cluster flies are larger and have dark gray coloring.
Box elder bugs: The distinct black bodies and red markings on a box elder bug make these pests hard to miss.
Whether you’re dealing with ladybugs or cluster flies, overwintering pests are never a welcome guest in Peoria. Here’s what you should know about the problems these pests can cause, how to prevent them, and the most effective solution for overwintering pests.
What Problems Do Overwintering Pests Cause?
Regardless of which overwintering pest you’ve got, these bugs each come with their own problems, such as:
- Ladybugs: While ladybugs may be harmless to humans, they secrete blood from the joints in their legs, which emits an unpleasant odor and may stain furniture, floors, and walls in your home. A ladybug infestation can also be unpleasant if you’re allergic to these pests.
- Stink bugs: Stink bugs can damage gardens, fruit trees, or even ornamental plants, and the unpleasant odor they emit when they’re killed can linger in your home, especially if you’ve got an infestation.
- Cluster flies: Cluster flies aren’t known to spread diseases or bite, but they can stain your walls with their droppings or attract other pests, like spiders, into your home.
- Box elder bugs: Like cluster flies, box elder bugs are a nuisance and may stain light-colored surfaces of your home with their droppings.
Regardless of the type of pest, you're dealing with. Winter infestations are important to avoid.
How To Prevent Overwintering Pests
When temperatures drop, there are a couple of steps you can take to keep overwintering pests out of your home during the winter, including:
- Seal any holes and gaps in your foundation or around outdoor cables and wires with a sealant like caulk.
- Install door sweeps or weatherstripping on exterior doors.
- Replace torn or ripped window and door screens.
- Turn off outdoor lights during the night, which may attract pests.
Of course, the best way to prevent overwintering pests is with ongoing maintenance and assistance from a professional pest control service like Quik-Kill Pest Eliminators
The Most Effective Solution For Overwintering Pests In Peoria, IL
Along with the preventative measures you can take above, the most effective way to keep overwintering pests out of your home is with professional assistance. That means contacting Quik-Kill Pest Eliminators. Since 1929, we’ve been providing effective, reliable services for Peoria and its surrounding areas, and our reputable track record speaks for itself.
If you’re worried about overwintering pests this winter or you’ve already got an infestation, there’s no reason to wait any longer. Call us at Quik-Kill Pest Eliminators for more information about how we can help.