Springtime can bring with it a sudden influx of pests that are more active, such as birds, squirrels, rodents, and insects. These pests thrive in warmer weather and the new vegetation, which results from spring. Spring is also when many plants come into bloom or blooming season. Unfortunately, these plants can draw insects in as well.
Keeping the home clean is especially critical in the spring since the winter months can attract pests from their homes and hideouts to human dwellings. Springtime pests are not always dangerous, but they can spread diseases or carry parasites within their body to other animals and humans, resulting in illness.
- Insects
Insects are mobile and can travel quickly to a new location. They will seek shelter or nesting places wherever they can find them. So, it is no wonder that insects often choose homes like attics, moths, basements, and walls of attics. Here are some common pests that will be seen around your spring home.
- Rodents
Rodents are attracted to homes in the late winter and early spring. This is because they use the warm temperatures to start moving around and looking for food. Some rodents will find their way inside a home from outside, such as voles and other small mammals. Other rodents will find their way inside through holes in fences or walls, attic openings, eaves, or generally any place where they can reach an opening in the exterior of your home.
- Birds
Birds will be seen in the spring leaving their winter homes in the South and traveling north to places like Canada and the United States, attracted to their warmer temperatures. They can be both good and bad for your home. Many birds will make nests inside attics or eaves of homes, while others will come into the home looking for food or water.
- Dogs and Cats
Dogs and cats are both able to gain access to your home in the spring. Cats can be in the heat this time of year, which will cause them to be more aggressive than usual and make them want to find a way into your home. They will dig or chew their way through openings in the exterior of the building, or they will enter through an open door or window. Dogs can be carried over fencing by rodents that have dug holes underneath a property line fence between properties.
- Bees
Bees can be seen this time of year in many areas, wildly where flowers bloom. They will gather nectar from flowers and other food sources to survive the summer ahead. Bees can be beneficial or problematic and are generally not found inside homes as a pest. However, they can pose a hazard to humans and should be removed from yards or flower-filled areas that do not belong to the homeowner by an experienced beekeeper.
It is essential to know your home and recognize and control common pests, especially in the spring. These pests are often brought in through gaps around exterior walls or openings that are not appropriately sealed.
