Yay! Fall is here again! Fall in North Texas, Dallas area is beautiful. It’s the perfect time to wrap yourself up in warm throws, sipping warm apple cider or pumpkin latte as you watch the beautiful fall of leaves through the windows.
And as you prepare yourself for the coming chilly weather, behind the scenes, many pests are working hard to invade your home in preparation for winter. Typically, as you retreat indoors to escape the chilly conditions outdoors, bugs are doing soo too.
In this article, we’ll discuss the common pesky bugs to watch out for in the fall and the ideal preventive measures. So, let’s get started.
If you live in North Texas, Dallas area, here are the common pests you’re likely to encounter in your home during fall.
1. Rodents
Although rodents are a common nuisance all year round, their infestation is at its peak in fall as they seek warmer conditions indoors.
Rodents can get into your house through cracks and openings and are exceptionally adept at squeezing themselves through very tiny gaps.
When inside your home, they can chew or damage your furniture and clothes. They also litter clean and neat surfaces with food particles and their droppings. In extreme cases, they can track bacteria around your house and cause fire accidents if they chew through electricity and power cables.
The most common types of rodents in the Dallas area of NorthTexas are Norway and roof rats.
The roof rat is a gray, squirrellike vegetarian rodent, while the Norway rat is a big, black, burrowing meat-eating rodent.
Rodents rapidly reproduce and can be hazardous to your family and costly to get rid of.
2. Cockroaches
Ew! This’s probably your first reaction after spotting a cockroach in your home. And just like other pests, roaches may invade your home during fall in search of warm living conditions with plenty of food and water.
These fall pests can contaminate your food, countertops and food pre areas with bacteria spreading a wide range of diseases such as typhoid fever and salmonellosis. They can also trigger asthma attacks in asthmatic individuals through their feces and molted shells.
The common types of house roaches in Dallas include:
- American cockroach: Reddish-brown or mahogany in color, measuring about 50mm long
- German cockroach: Can be about 11-16 mm and is often tan or almost black
- Brown-banded cockroach: Have a dark brown or brown coloration and is about 10-14mm long
Typically, if you spot a cockroach in your home, it might be a sign that you are hosting a whole intrusion of these bothersome fall pests..
Spiders
They have elongated bodies that are yellowish-brown with unique dark chevron markings. They are harmless but notorious at building webs in every corner of your home.
Brown Recluse Spiders
Brown recluse spiders are venomous arachnids with distinct violin-shaped markings on their body. They are mainly brown in color and not aggressive but may bite to defend themselves.
Black Widow Spider
These are venomous spiders with a red hourglass figure on their back. They are shiny black and may have red or white spots on their abdomen and back. They aren’t overly aggressive but may bite out of fear.
Crickets
The chirping of crickets outdoors is a sure sign of fall. However, these bugs can be a real nuisance when they invade your home.
Besides disturbing your peace with their chirping, they also feed on your clothing, fruits, vegetables, and grains. Crickets also stain your belongings through their fecal matter and breed rapidly!
The common types of crickets during fall in Dallas are camel, ground, and house crickets.
Stink Bugs
Stink bugs or brown marmorated stink bugs are another common fall pest in Dallas. Just as their name suggests, they stink!
They produce a foul-smelling chemical when threatened or squished.
Typically, these pests are harmless, and you’ll find them feeding on grass and weed. However, their stinky excrement often damages furniture and belongings.
You’ll mostly find these bugs in quiet places within your home, such as attics, crevices, and wall cracks. When stink bugs find a comfortable place to hide during fall, they release pheromones to signal their fellows that they have found conducive shelter and that they should come too.
And as a result, you end up with many stink bugs at different corners of your home.
Crane Flies
Crane flies are another group of fall pests often confused with mosquitoes. However, unlike mosquitoes, crane flies don’t bite or suck blood.
They mostly live in wooded areas around your home, and the primary damage they cause is after they hatch, whereby the larvae eat roots and grass crowns, leaving ugly large brown patches on your lawn.
These flies also cause a nuisance by bumping into your ceiling and lights. And because they have a short life span, 10-15 days, you’re likely to bump into piles of foul-smelling dead flies on the sidewalks within your home.
Box-Elder Bugs
You’re also likely to find box-elder bugs in your home during fall. These pests are harmless but produce a pungent odor when disturbed.
They are distinctive because of their colorful patterns, black or dark brown with red markings. They can invade both the interiors and exteriors of your home.
Fall Pest Preventive Measures
Fall pests can be a nuisance, but learning how to deal with them can go a long way in helping you handle their infestation. Here’s how you can keep these pesky pests out of your home in the fall season:
- Declutter your home to reduce hiding spots
- Reduce their entry paths by sealing cracks, gaps, holes, and openings in your foundation and walls
- Keep your home clean by maintaining a clean kitchen, lounge and emptying all garbage
- Drain stagnant water and fix any leaking seals
- Be cautious of your fall decorations; live pumpkin, wood, and straws attract pests
Fall in Dallas is a beautiful season, don’t let pesky fall pests ruin your moments. Contact us today for professional pest control services at affordable rates.