As warmer weather begins to rise in Dallas, down below ground and tucked away in thickets, little populations of insects are awakening from winter dormancy.
It’s important that anyone should pay attention to pest prevention year-round, and that means starting well before the warmer and humid months hit Texas. Taking just a few minutes now can relieve household stress for weeks down the road.
Springtime Pests
It’s not always easy to identify what pests you should be looking for come spring. Researching common pests that invade Dallas properties each season is the first step toward seasonal pest control. Here is a quick guide on some of the most common insects and arachnids.
Mosquitos | Flying Pests
Mosquitos will become a primary nuisance as soon as the humidity starts to rise in Texas. They are most active after thunderstorms when standing water pools around your property. Not only are mosquitoes annoying and relentless once they find you, but they also spread diseases prevalent in North Texas.
Treatment and prevention of mosquitos focuses on limiting their ability to reproduce. Ensure that bird baths, kiddie pools, pet bowls, and drain areas are cleared of excess water frequently.
Flea & Ticks | Prevention For Pets & Family
Animals like squirrels, raccoons, and stray cats often carry fleas and ticks into yards when they look for food or nesting materials. Once they drop their hitched passengers into your yard, these pests jump on the closest mammal they can find. The best way to prevent ticks from reaching your family is to mow your grass frequently. Ticks wait in tall patches of grass or weeds until something brushes up against them.
Cutting your grass short will leave these parasites out in the sun, which can dehydrate and kill them. If you have pets, create a wide buffer between your yard and any brush or wooded areas.
Ants | Crawling Insects
As soil temperatures rise ants will begin searching for food outside of their colonies. Aggressive species like carpenter ants or fire ants will expand outside of their mound in spring and seek out food sources to sustain their growing queen. Although ants are a normal presence in your yard, they will try to enter your home en masse if they establish a significant nest nearby.
Contact your local pest control company for effective ant control. They can discover what type of ants are taking over your lawn and observe ground-nesting behavior.
Termites | Swarming Insects
Termite season in the South begins in spring. After a warm rain, ancestral termites swarm looking to create new nests. If you find wings clustered together on a windowsill or your front porch, call pest control immediately. Termites can eat through wood given enough time, so don’t wait to assess the problem. They are attracted to water-damaged wood or soil with high levels of moisture.
Ensure your property is free of old tree stumps and wood piles.
Spiders | Eight-Legged Yard Guests
Like ants, spiders are usually harmless if left undisturbed. In fact, most spiders help control the population of other insects in your yard. That being said, no one likes waking up to large cobwebs across their porch or patio. Spiders appear where the insects they eat congregate.
Reducing outside lighting can limit the insects around your front door or windowsills.
Tips for Preventing Pests in Your Yard
To keep your yard from becoming inundated with pests, trim back overgrowth from your home and frequently patrol your lawn for new hazards.
Standing water is perhaps the easiest target for would-be exterminators to eliminate: A bottle cap full of water can sustain hundreds of mosquito larvae.
Try walking the perimeter of your property line after it rains, and look for any dips or divots where water may collect. Cleaning out your gutters of decomposed leaves and other organic material will also prevent moisture-rich habitats from forming near your home.
Branches or bushes that make contact with the siding of your home are another way pests find their way inside. Insects can crawl along these natural bridges and access your home’s exterior without ever crossing your foundation or lawn. Maintain at least one foot of clearance and allow sunlight to hit the ground near your foundation — this discourages pests from nesting where they might otherwise find dark and damp hiding spots.
Cutting your grass frequently will also prevent ticks and fleas from congregating near your home. This rule also applies to mulch around the home: while a few inches is beneficial for your landscaping, thick layers of mulch attract pests right against your foundation.
Spraying Your Yard For Pest Control
Do-It-Yourself Yard Treatment
Homeowners can perform DIY yard pest control by identifying pests and buying store-bought treatments like botanical oils, sprays, and granules. Many DIY methods focus on creating a protective barrier around the home’s foundation by spraying the ground and exterior walls. While these solutions can reduce pests, they also provide temporary control and will need to be reapplied.
Seeking Professional Pest Control Services
By partnering with a pest control company, they can treat yards to eliminate pests and help prevent them from returning. Pest control technicians will inspect the property to identify the pest species and any pest infestations. Depending on the pest, they will use liquid sprays, granules, or bait around the property. The yard treatment options provided by a local pest control company have the experience and expertise to deal with common pests like mosquitoes, ants, fleas, ticks, and other insects. When hiring a pest control company, they can also provide ongoing maintenance year-round.
Reap the Benefits of Professional Pest Control with Pest GOATs
Remember that professionals are able to get more powerful products that have longer residual life. In addition, most pest control companies have technology that can detect invasive insects that you may have never noticed. While there is no shame in DIY pest control prevention, there comes a point when you simply need to call a professional pest control company.
If you live in Dallas or the surrounding areas, call Pest G.O.A.T.S. Pest Control for your Spring pest control needs. We provide yard treatment services that fit your family’s specific needs. So stop sharing your living space with unwanted pests and reach out to Pest G.O.A.T.S. Pest Control today!