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Pest Library

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What You Need To Know About Pests In Norwalk, CT

The pest threats in the Norwalk area change with the seasons, but one thing that doesn't change is the need for consistent pest control. Knowing which pests you might deal with each season can help you prepare. Our Norwalk, CT pest professionals have designed our Pest Library to provide you with information about the most common pests in the Norwalk area throughout the year.

Ants

an ant on a piece of wood

Social insects, ants live together in large groups working closely together to maintain their nest. Their work ethic makes ants difficult to prevent and control; they are committed to the success of their colony by finding reliable sources of food and water and often maintaining multiple nesting sites.

Ants are common wherever people live and spend time because our trash cans, outdoor eating areas, gardens, and landscaping provide them with food. Ants are omnivores and have a wide diet, feeding on many of the same proteins and sweets as we do.

Connecticut is home to many species of ants:

  • Carpenter ants are large ants that nest inside of wood. Carpenter ants are destructive when they choose to nest in our homes.
  • Pavement ants prefer to nest in the soil next to sidewalks, in the cracks of pavement, next to the foundation of buildings, and within masonry walls.
  • Odorous house ants are identified by the rotten-coconut odor they produce when stepped on or otherwise squished. 
  • Citronella ants are named for the citronella-like odor they emit when threatened or squished.

In our area, most insects, like ants, are active during the spring, summer, and fall seasons, and this remains true for ants. Ants living indoors can remain active during the winter months due to our temperature-controlled homes. When in our homes, ants are more than just annoying; they spread bacteria to surfaces, contaminate your family's food, and can cause structural damage by nesting within structural wood or getting into electrical equipment like HVAC units and causing electrical shorts.

To help make your Norwalk property and home less attractive to ants, we want to provide you with a list of our most effective prevention tips.

  • If you notice ants wandering near your home's exterior, follow them and see where they are getting in. Seal that entry points and any other crack or crevice you discover.
  • Moisture attracts ants. Avoid attracting ants by fixing leaky pipes, clogged gutters, and roof damage.
  • Take away their easy access to food by regularly harvesting fruits and vegetables from gardens, keeping lids on trash cans, and maintaining a clean kitchen and your family's eating areas.
  • Get rid of debris from your yard that ants nest under like leaf piles, woodpiles, tree stumps, and fallen trees.

Rodents

a mouse by a cord

Rodents are pests that Connecticut homeowners deal with regularly. They know our yards provide them with a place to forage for food and shelter. In the late fall, when the weather cools, rodents know that our homes will give them a warm place to nest that affords them easy access to food. Rodents have learned how to benefit from people and learned that living close to us provides them with access to their basic needs. We view them as unwanted pests because of how destructive they can be, the diseases they spread, and the food they contaminate.

Rodents live all around us in our yards and the fields, parks, and wooded areas surrounding our yards. Rodents like house mice, Norway rats, white-footed mice, and deer mice are common visitors to our properties. Curious by nature, when they are in our yards, rodents will explore the outside of our homes and scamper inside through spaces they discover in the exterior. Once inside, if your home meets their needs, they will make quick work of creating a nest. Rodents prefer to nest in dark, quiet areas, so we often find them behind walls, under floors, and in storage spaces.

To help make your indoor and outdoor spaces less attractive to mice and rats, we want to provide you with a list of our most effective prevention tips.

  • Keep curious rodents out of your home by sealing off entry points. Seal cracks in the foundation, install door sweeps, place caps on chimneys, and use vent covers. 
  • Remove their easy access to food by keeping lids on trash cans and storing food properly.
  • Cut back shrubs and bushes where rodents can hide near your house.
  • Store woodpiles away from the exterior of your home. 
  • Rodents will feed on bird seed; remove bird feeders from your property or place them a distance from your house.
  • Eliminate as much clutter from both inside and outside your home as possible to limit their hiding spaces.

Stinging Insects

a hornet up close

Having stinging insects nesting in your yard can put a real damper on your day-to-day activities. Swarms of stinging insects make it difficult for you to care for your lawn, eat outdoors, garden, and truly enjoy your outdoor space with family and friends. Wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets are the most problematic stinging insects in our area and pose the most danger to people. The venom that stinging insects possess is strong enough to cause health problems. These insects use the stingers extending from the abdomen to deliver their potent venom. Their stings are quite painful and not something anyone wants to experience.

Hornets tend to be social insects meaning they live together in large groups and aggressively defend their nests. Wasps can be either social or solitary. Solitary wasps nest alone and tend to be less aggressive. Our yards often provide stinging insects with many places to nest and plenty of places to forage for food, including our trash cans, outdoor eating areas, grill areas, gardens, and flowerbeds. When stinging insects nest or start hanging around high traffic areas of your yard, it is important to seek help. Our professionals will identify the species, safely remove the nest, and provide the routine services necessary to help prevent future problems with these pests.

To help make your property less attractive to stinging insects, we want to provide you with a list of our most effective prevention tips.

  • Regularly check decks, stairs, attics, crawl spaces, and play areas for nests.
  • Remove standing water from your property that stinging insects can use as a water source.
  • Don't allow trees, shrubs, and bushes to overgrow near your home.
  • Stop stinging insects from foraging for food in trash cans and compost bins by keeping lids on both.
  • Keep outdoor eating areas free of leftover food and drinks that will attract hungry wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets.

Termites

termite on a mound of dirt

Though termites do best in warm, humid weather conditions, termites are active in Connecticut and have adapted to our hot summers and cooler winters. The most common species of termite in our area is the subterranean termite. These termites nest underground and travel through the soil back and forth from their nest to their found food source. During our area's cold months, they survive by tunneling deeper into the ground, and our homes provide them with warmth and access to food. To protect your Norwalk home from termites, we recommend being proactive with termite prevention rather than risking the costly damage that can occur with an infestation. 

Termites are unwanted pests because of the damage they can cause within our homes, which becomes extensive and quite costly to repair over time. These insects feed on cellulose found in wood and other materials. Subterranean termites have high moisture needs and are attracted to properties that provide plenty of decaying or water-damaged wood. Termites often wind up in our homes after accidentally finding their way inside while out foraging for food. Cracks in the foundation or pieces of wood making contact with the ground are their most common entry points. Once inside, they travel through floors and behind walls searching for a suitable food source. Structural wood located near windows, doors, leaking pipes, sinks, or tubs is commonly damaged by water and provides termites with the wood they like to eat.

To help make your Norwalk property and home less attractive to these destructive pests, we want to provide you with a list of our most effective prevention tips.

  • Make sure gutters and downspouts are working correctly to direct water away from the roof and walls of your house.
  • Repair leaky pipes and fixtures in your home. 
  • Replace water-damaged structural wood.
  • Fix any cracks you discover in your foundation.
  • Limit as much soil to wood contact on your property as possible. 
  • Use dehumidifiers in the basement to keep it from retaining moisture.
  • Make sure crawl spaces, kitchens, and bathrooms are well ventilated.
  • Reach out to Insecta X for help with eliminating wood-destroying pests from your home

Ticks

a dog tick on someones skin

Ticks are unwanted pests that travel from place to place on the backs of their animal hosts and can end up in any of our Connecticut yards. Ticks are blood-feeding arachnids that use their specialized mouthparts to feed on the blood of many different animals and people. When ticks are in your backyard, the probability of you, your kids, or your pets one day coming into contact with them is quite high. Staying away from ticks is important because they are a serious player in spreading many diseases, including Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and tularemia.

Connecticut is home to many species of ticks, including deer ticks, dog ticks, Asian longhorn ticks, and lone star ticks. Ticks do not fly or jump, so they have to wait for a host to come to them. These arachnids are most prevalent in wooded areas or dense vegetation offering them lots of grass, weeds, and other plants to climb. They climb to the tops of vegetation and wait for a host to bush past them that they can crawl onto and feed on until they become engorge and drop off. Their feeding process can take several days to complete.

If your yard has a lot of shade, vegetation, and animal activity, you will likely experience tick problems. Since ticks are regularly introduced onto our property by wild animals and pets, routine pest control services are the best way to continuously control their numbers and protect your family from their bites.

To help make your property less attractive to ticks and the animals introducing them, we want to provide you with a list of our most effective prevention tips.

  • Reduce leaf piles and other yard debris from your property that could attract rodents and other tick-covered pests to your yard.
  • Keep lids on trash cans and compost bins to avoid attracting wild animals to your property.
  • Remove bird feeders from your yard.
  • Keep your grass cut short.
  • Maintain landscaping and keep it from overgrowing.
  • Cut back wooded areas from the perimeter of your yard.
  • Contact us for effective tick control and prevention services.

Wildlife

a raccoon eating trash

Seeing wild animals around your home and yard is a regular occurrence. As our residential and commercial properties have taken up more of their habitat, they have had to adapt. Wild animals have discovered how beneficial it is for them to live near or with people. Flying squirrels, raccoons, bats, birds, and skunks regularly forage for food, find water sources, and live in our yards. Sometimes, these pests find their way into our homes, using them as a cozy, safe place to nest or rest.

There are many reasons why we need to encourage wildlife to stay outside and away from our properties. First and foremost, wild animals are unpredictable, and having them living near your family and pets can be a recipe for disaster. If they feel threatened, they may retaliate by biting or scratching. Wild animals don't have regular check-ups like your pets and typically carry and spread many diseases, bacteria, and parasites that make us ill. Wild animals are also damaging; they dig up lawns, gardens, and landscaping, tear through trash cans, and cause structural damage either inside or outside the home.

To help you avoid problems with wildlife, we want to provide you with a list of our most effective prevention tips.

  • Make sure trash cans and compost bins have locking lids on them.
  • Remove food sources from your yard by picking up your pet's uneaten food, removing bird feeders, and maintaining gardens.
  • Repair leaking faucets and hoses that may draw thirsty wild animals to your property.
  • Repair any damage to your roof, siding, or foundation.
  • Place appropriate covers on chimneys and vents leading into your home.
  • Don't place woodpiles near your house.
  • Remove clutter from your yard where wild animals can hide.
  • Schedule a wildlife removal service for ongoing issues with wild animals.

Norwalk, CT Pest Prevention You Can Count On!

Turn to the local professionals with over 33 years of experience to help protect your Norwalk area property from unwanted pests. At Insecta X Total Pest Solutions, our licensed professionals will provide you with pest control services that include inspections, treatments, preventative services, and animal relocation. We are passionate about providing our customers with the best pest control possible! To learn more about working together and our residential or commercial pest control services, please give us a call today!

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Customer Reviews

We have used this company for many years and couldn't be happier. We had a problem with field mice in the winter that could never get solved until we hired Insecta. The people are great - this company is well-run. They respond when you call. I highly recommend!

Brenda S 
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★★★★★
Happy Family of Three

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