Bugs, if you are not prepared, may bring unexpected challenges to your home. While some insects, such as mosquitoes, primarily target humans and pets, others are more focused on human homes. Whether as a source of food, shelter, moisture, or something else, a house can be an ideal location for bugs to visit and, eventually, proliferate.
This arrangement is problematic for more reasons than just the inconvenience of a big population in your house. In numbers, many insects can damage a home’s exterior, leading to expensive repair bills and even safety hazards. Here are the main insects to watch out for and address as soon as you see them.
Spiders
A spider or two might not seem like a serious issue (unless you have arachnophobia!), but these creepy crawlies can do more than simply look intimidating. The webs they spin are useful for catching bugs, including pests such as mosquitoes, but large groups that spin vast swaths of webs around your home could cause harm.
Spider webs can trap moisture against your home’s exterior. Over time, this may contribute to the development of mold, mildew, and other types of fungi. This buildup is far from visually appealing, and it can also seep into the wooden structures of the house and rot them from the inside out. Rotten wood is not structurally sound, which means these spiders could be rendering portions of your home unsafe over time.
Wasps
No one wants to be stung by a wasp, and they may still attack, even if you completely leave them alone. Wasps make a variety of nests or hives (depending on the species), and some can be incredibly damaging to structures.
Paper wasps, bald-faced hornets, and yellowjackets, for instance, create oblong, hanging nests. While the term “paper” might make these nests seem light, they can weigh several pounds. In fact, the largest wasp nest in the world (belonging to the species Vespa mandarinia) was recorded outside the front door of a home and weighed in at a whopping 88 pounds! While record-setting nests are not the norm, many species, such as bald-faced hornets, are capable of building massive nests quickly. These aggressive insects inflict their painful sting on anyone who encroaches on their territory.
A Falling nest can seriously injure people or pets, whether through the initial impact or the stings of its angry inhabitants. Beyond that, nests suspended on windowsills, gutters, or soffits can easily pull them down, resulting in hundreds or thousands of dollars in damage.
Ants
Ants are an annoyance because they tend to steal food and create long lines of debris wherever they go. Carpenter ants, in particular, are disastrous for homeowners. Your exterior is never safe if carpenter ants live on your property, as they will eagerly chew through any wooden elements of the home to create tunnels.
These tunnels are essential for the ants’ lifecycle, forming secure locations for nesting and reproduction. Wood that carpenter ants have attacked may look like Swiss cheese, with many long tubes running throughout. This can compromise the structural integrity of the home and can cause wood siding to disintegrate. Losing all or part of the siding exposes the home to damage from rain, causing even more severe harm over time.
Termites
Like carpenter ants, termites can also cause significant damage to the wooden structures of a home in a short amount of time. However, termites are typically considered an even bigger threat because they are more difficult to get rid of, and they target the foundation of the home itself. While carpenter ants might diversify their paths a little, termites go hard and fast right at the core structural components. From there, they will gradually follow wooden paths to the most viable sources of moisture and nesting.
Homes that are not structurally sound at the base have a significant risk of large-scale failure. For instance, a home in North Carolina made the news when its entire balcony crumbled due to termite damage, dropping three people to the ground.
Keep Your Massachusetts House Safe From Pests
Warm weather and bright sunshine bring butterflies, dragonflies, and many other beautiful insects to populate your garden with their lively colors. However, be sure to stay vigilant against the pests that can damage your home. The team at Spartan Animal & Pest Control can help you identify problem areas before they worsen and create a plan to stop invaders in their tracks. Contact Spartan to get started!
