There’s lots of reasons to like this time of year, including rising temperatures. Unfortunately, the warm weather, and the fact that your windows and doors are open more often, also means there are more opportunities for pests to invade your home. While all insects play a role in the eco-system, there are some you just don’t want to have as house guests. While the small black ants that seem to invite themselves into homes this time of year are more inconvenient than anything else, it’s really Carpenter ants — large and reddish-black to brown in colour — that you need to worry about. They can tunnel through wood and can cause serious structural damage.

Dan Dawson, manager of marketing for Orkin Canada, who spoke to the BiY team earlier this month, said he’d actually seen a four by four that was totally excavated — enough so that it could have been broken over a knee. Dawson says mice can also be a big problem this time of year, especially for rural homes and cottages. He points out that wherever you see mouse dropping, they’ve also urinated in the same area. Not a pleasant thought. 

Naturally enough, Dawson recommends having professionals deal with problem pests, but he does point out a few things homeowners can do to prevent them, such as:

• Keeping woodpiles away from the home
• Plugging leaks around windows and doors
• Dealing quickly with water damage, especially around entry points – as many pests are attracted to water
• Keeping grass and bird seed tightly sealed in containers