Pest Control: I’m Not Seeing Any Bugs

If I do not see any bugs why do I need to have my property treated? This is a question I frequently get this time of year. It is true that during the winter months many insects are not near as active as they are in the summer months, therefore, they often go unnoticed for days, even weeks at a time. The last thing The Bug Master wants to do is give the impression that just because a customer has signed up for one of our reoccurring pest maintenance services they HAVE to take service, or that they are locked into a contract to do so. That being said, when the question does come up I do try to explain the reasoning behind a four-season approach to pest control Maintenance. Although the insects that are so obvious on those dog days of summer are not as visible during the fall and winter months, it is very safe to say they are still around only far less active or they may even be hidden from plain sight. Most insects will seek some type of shelter from the elements when the temperatures start to fall. These same pests will emerge on warm days to move about and look for food and water sources. Often the wall voids, attics, and even tiny cracks and crevices of our structures provide the perfect atmosphere the pest are looking for. If you have ever turned on the lights in a room to find lady bugs covering a wall or bunched up in the corner of the ceiling, then you have witnessed this phenomenon. Lady bugs love to find cozy warm wall voids to over winter in and will emerge in very large numbers when you get a nice sunny day after a cold spell. Ants are another pest that loves to use your structure as a place of warmth and security. Carpenter ants may not be as visible on cold winter days, but you can lay odds that if they have found your attic or wall voids, they are busy as ever excavating new galleries in your wood and making baby ants.

All sorts of pests can be found if you know the right places to look.

• Spiders
• American roaches
• Pharaoh ants
• Argentine ants
• Scorpions

These are just a few examples of common pests found in the Central Texas area. It’s not just your structures that provide harborage either. Another place around the structure that insects seek winter shelter in include all kinds of common landscape materials. Gravel beds and landscape mulch provide the three essential things insects must have to survive, moisture at the ground level and insulation from the cold and food. Other areas of concern include rain gutters, landscape edging and even sidewalk cracks all provide shelter and will harbor pests. These pests are hold up on the cold days and active on the warmer days, all the while multiplying and eventually seeking more places for shelter. All of these plus many more reasons are why Bug Master has developed a four-season approach to managing pests. Each service serves a purpose, and each is just as important in the ever evolving world of protecting your structure from pest infestation as ever. Keep in mind also that today’s chemicals are designed to last no longer than thirty days in most cases and some cases much less than that. At The Bug Master, we do not require you to sign up for a maintenance program but it is highly recommended and in the long run, will save you money by preventing the buildup of heavy infestations and the damage that could result. For home owners our quarterly four season pest control service is by far our most popular option.