If it isn’t one season, it’s another. After spending all winter trying to keep insects and rodents from invading your house, along comes summer with its own set of invasive and stinging troublemakers.

Summertime Pests: Ants

You just can’t catch a break with ants. During the winter, they try to get into the house in search of moisture, food and heat. But summer is no better, as they’re once again looking to get in for food and even scarcer moisture, but now they want a little air conditioning as well.

Mainly, however, it’s mostly the moisture that ants are after, which means it’s fairly common to find them congregating near moisture sources in the home such as kitchen sinks (the proximity to food here is a bonus), damp areas behind bathroom tiles or under sinks, or near water heaters and air conditioning units (especially leaky ones).

But ants are pervasive little pests; once they come in looking for moisture, they have a tendency to spread to plenty of other areas as well, including living rooms, bedrooms, basements and the insides of walls. To keep them from getting in and making themselves at home, take care to:

• Stay on top of food waste
• Wipe down your well-sealed containers of sweet staples like sugar and honey
• Keep an eye out for leaks around all faucets and pipes

Summertime Pests: Stinging Insects

Ants are certainly annoying, but nothing breaks up a picnic faster than an uninvited stinging pest. Hives have been building all spring and into the summer, often in well-protected areas around the house such as soffits, eaves, porches and trees, and now they’re brimming with:

• Paper wasps
• Hornets
• Bees/yellowjackets

Stinging Insects 101

Because the warm summer months are a busy period of gathering and storing food, you’re likely to see an uptick in these pests, many of whom carry a sting that’s not only painful, but can be serious for those with allergies. To avoid an unpleasant encounter, take a few basic steps:

• Keep food covered while outdoors, and dispose of trash immediately
• Try to avoid aggravating a wasp or hornet – panicky flailing is more likely to incite a sting
• Steer clear of hives and nests

Most importantly, if you do find a hive or nest, do not try to deal with it on your own. Not only will you expose yourself to multiple potential stings, treating a hive or nest without properly removing and sealing up the entrance is just an invitation to other bees and insects to simply move in.

Instead, if you have a problem with ants, wasps, bees or any other summertime pests, contact Erdye’s Pest Control today for a FREE comprehensive inspection. You’ve waited long enough for summer to arrive – let us help you enjoy it pest-free!