Cooling Temperatures Send Some Bugs Indoors

Texans may not be strangers to bugs, but that doesn’t make creepy crawlies welcome guests in homes. The summer months brought mosquitoes, katydids, crickets, grasshoppers, and other assorted pests that invaded outdoor spaces, especially hill country yards like those near Lake Travis or in Steiner Ranch. Cooling temperatures bring a new round of bugs, and unfortunately, these kinds prefer human creature comforts to the great outdoors.

“The bugs of summer will subside, but a new slate is ready and willing to move right in with you,” said Wizzie Brown, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service integrated pest management specialist in Austin. “Usually during drought conditions or when the weather begins to get cooler, insects and other arthropods like spiders and scorpions will move indoors. In the case of drought, they are often searching for water, and with cooler temperatures, like us, they want a cozy place to stay.”

Brown is a strong advocate of integrated pest management, a series of practices that, when used together, manages pests in the most effective and environmentally sound ways available. Keeping pests out of the house in the first place is first line of defense for homeowners and the best and easiest way to stay safe from bites and stings. Brown offered the following tips to accomplish keeping bugs out:

– Prune trees and shrubs so they do not touch or overhang the house.

– Don’t stack firewood or anything else against the house.

– Weather strip doors and windows, especially if you see daylight around them.

– Block weep holes in homes with brick or stone facades using steel wool or copper mesh where rusting steel wool stains could be unsightly.

– Use caulk or expanding foam to fill cracks and crevices on the outside of the home and around pipe and wire penetrations.

– Keep window screens in good repair.

– Use stainless steel mesh to block attic access points.

If these precautions come too late, or unwanted visitors still find their way inside, an Austin pest control service like Robert’s Pest & Termite Control, Absolute Pest Management, or J&J Pest Control can help.