Overwintering Pests

How To Spot Overwintering Pests

In Indianapolis, there is a good chance that you’re going to experience an overwintering pest problem. When a pest overwinters, it decides to hide in or around your home to protect itself during the winter snow, frost, and cold temperatures. Unfortunately, your house offers many excellent hiding places for overwintering pests. Overwintering pests will use attic spaces and wall voids to hide away from the cold winter months.

What Pests Overwinter?

Unfortunately, Indianapolis is home to many overwintering pests. Some of the most common will be explored in greater depth below.

Box Elder Bugs

The Box Elder Bug is known as a minor garden pest. However, its behavior will change significantly depending on the season. During the summer, it stays outside and eats seeds belonging to boxelder trees and maple trees. When winter arrives, the box elder bug is going to become a serious problem for Indianapolis residents. Around this time, they’ll try to sneak into your home to stay away from the cold.

Boxelder bugs tend to reach 1//2 an inch in length. They’re black with a few red markings. Thanks to their size, they’ll be able to slip through small cracks and enter your attic. While they don’t bite, they can eliminate a bad odor and leave a stain when they’re smashed.

Asian Lady Beetles

Ladybugs or Asian Lady Beetles are common overwintering pests. You need to be prepared for winter because ladybugs are going to try to sneak into your home. While most people have fond opinions of ladybugs, some create problems for homeowners. Some will bite. In addition to this, they will release a terrible odor when they’re crushed.

Cluster Flies

Cluster flies like being outside during the warm months, but they’ll try to enter homes, stores, and other buildings when it gets cold outside. If they can’t hide behind loose barks or wood planks, they’ll enter buildings. They tend to cluster together, so a cluster fly infestation can be startling. They’ll leave behind a big mess, so you’ll need to be ready to clean it up when spring arrives.

Leaf-Footed Pine Seed Bugs

The leaf-footed pine seed bug can produce a new generation annually. They’re roughly 3/4” in length so they’re going to frighten you. When the cold winter months arrive, pine seed bugs will try to find shelter. They’ll attempt to take shelter behind the bark of conifer and pine trees. Alternatively, they’ll attempt to enter buildings through small holes, gaps, and cracks. Don’t be surprised when you see a large group of leaf-footed pine seed bugs outside of your home. You’ve survived an overwintering pest problem and now need to clean up the mess.

Stink Bugs

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs are one of the latest overwintering pests to target Americans. Stink bugs tend to grow 1/2” in length. You can spot them easily since they have a shape similar to a shield. When it warm outside, stink bugs will stay outside and feed off of fruit trees, ornamental plants, and vegetable crops. If you’re not careful, they’ll destroy your entire crop. When it gets cold, they’ll attempt to enter your home. Don’t crush stink bugs because they’ll release a bad odor.

You can get rid of them by sucking them up in your vacuum cleaner. Then, dispose of them in a sealed plastic bag.

How Can I Tell If I Have An Overwintering Pest Infestation?

Are you worried that you might have an overwintering pest problem? You’ll want to find out as quickly as possible. To determine, wait until the weather gets warmer. Once the temperatures increase, the bugs will emerge and go back outside. Most will leave on their own, and you’ll need to clean up the mess left behind. If you encounter overwintering pests in spring, you’ve likely had a problem. You can’t stop it now, but you can prevent a future overwintering pest problem.

Can I Prevent Future Overwintering Pest Problems?

Prevent overwintering pests from turning your life upside down by keeping them out. Start by sealing all cracks, gaps, and holes around your home. Sealing the holes will make it harder for overwintering pests from entering, but it won’t completely stop them. Contact our local office to learn more about our overwintering pest solutions.

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