Pests Found In Maryland
You can expect to see these pests in or around your Maryland property
Learn More About The Common Pests Found In Maryland
No matter what the species, all pests have several things in common. Pests all have the potential to cause destruction to yards and gardens as well as damage the structural integrity of our homes. They can destroy personal items like clothing and furniture, contaminate food sources, and introduce harmful bacteria, diseases, and parasites into our homes that can cause serious health problems for our families and us.
To protect your Maryland home and property from pests and the problems they cause, it is important to have an understanding of the most common pests found living in our area. Listed below is a reference to some of our area’s most common home-invading pests:
Ants
If you had to name an insect you have found crawling around your home at some point, your answer would probably be an ant. Ants are social insects that love to move in and out of our homes, searching for food. They have large colony sizes, three distinct body segments, six legs, and short antennae. Some other unique features of the ant are their chewing mouthparts, strength (they can lift 20 times their body weight), and two stomachs.
Pavement ants, odorous house ants, and carpenter ants primarily live and nest outside, but as they move to and from their nest to forage for food, they often wind up in our homes. If ants discover that your house will constantly provide food, they will stay and build a satellite nest. While ants are mainly nuisance pests, having them in your home is not ideal. They spread diseases and contaminate food. Some ants, like odorous house ants, create foul odors, and others, like carpenter ants, cause structural damage.
Ants are highly food motivated. One of the best ways to keep ants at bay is to take away as much of their access to food as possible. Keep lids on trash cans and recycling bins, pick up uneaten pet food, maintain outdoor eating areas, and regularly harvest gardens. Inside your home, wash dirty dishes each day, store food in the fridge or containers with airtight lids, and regularly vacuum. For help maintaining a home free of ants, reach out today.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are small insects known for hitchhiking their way into our homes unnoticed, where they hide during the day and emerge at night to feed. Unfortunately for us, the bed bug's sole source of nutrition is blood, and human blood is their preference. These apple seed-shaped, reddish-brown bugs live successfully indoors wherever people are.
Though bed bugs are one of the most dreaded pests to discover in our homes, the good news is that they aren't currently known to transmit diseases, unlike most other blood-feeding pests. However, we should never be okay with sharing our homes with bed bugs; they bite us, interrupt our sleep, and knowing we are sharing our house with them causes stress. Bed bugs live with people, moving from place to place on our clothing or belongings. Finding bed bugs in your home can happen to anyone at any time.
Bed bugs are challenging to prevent because they want to live with us. Doing things like keeping your belongings up off the ground, inspecting your hotel room before bringing your things inside, and regularly washing outerwear can go a long way in preventing problems with bed bugs. In your home, encase your family's mattresses in bed bug-proof covers, vacuum, and periodically inspect popular hiding spots (seams of mattresses, electrical outlets, and wooden and upholstered furniture for bed bugs. For professional bed bug control solutions, call us today!
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are common household pests that spread diseases, produce foul odors, contaminate food, and once they find a way into a structure, are extremely difficult to control and remove. These insects have oval-shaped bodies, long antennae, and six legs. Most have wings, but only a few fly efficiently, and even then, only short distances. Cockroaches are nocturnal and pros at hiding in a home's dark cracks and crevices.
If you have discovered cockroaches in your home, they are likely American, German, or Oriental cockroaches. Each species has developed a close relationship with people and learned that our homes provide them with food and suitable shelter. German cockroaches primarily live indoors and move from structure to structure by hitchhiking in appliances, boxes, and furniture. American and Oriental cockroaches can survive outside in our region but regularly find their way indoors.
In order to control cockroaches, it is important to take away the two things — food and water. Eliminate excess moisture by repairing leaky pipes, ensuring gutters are clear of debris, fixing dripping faucets, and using dehumidifiers. Take away their easy access to food by maintaining a clean kitchen, practicing proper food storage, and regular vacuuming and wiping down surfaces to remove crumbs and spills. For professional help with cockroaches or to learn more about our preventative pest service plans, call today.
Rodents
Rodents, such as mice and rats, are mammals that have developed a close relationship with people. They have learned that our yards and the inside of our homes offer them easy access to reliable food and water sources and safe shelter. Like other pests, rodents are highly opportunistic; they will take full advantage of any indoor or outdoor space that meets their needs.
Rodents belong to an order of animals known for their gnawing abilities. They have a powerful jaw and sharp front incisors on their top and bottom jaws that grow throughout their lives. The damage mice, rats, and other rodents cause with their teeth is extensive and expensive to repair and a big reason why these pests are so unwanted on our properties. Rodents cause many other problems, too, including spreading parasites, disease-causing pathogens, and contaminating food.
Rats and mice are difficult to control and keep out of our homes. Sealing defects in your home's exterior walls and foundation, placing caps on chimneys and appropriate covers over vents, and installing door sweeps are great ways to keep rodents out of your house. In addition, removing their easy access to food is essential. Always keep lids on trash cans, pick up uneaten pet food, and maintain garden areas. For professional help with rodents, call today.
Spiders
Spiders are predatory arachnids. These hunters play a vital role in the ecosystem by helping to control garden pests and many other populations of insects. Without spiders and other predators that feed on insects, our world would be overrun by problematic and destructive insects. Many spiders call our region home, and most, like the common wolf spider, are harmless to people.
Spiders are common household pests, being lured inside from our yards by the ants, flies, beetles, cockroaches, and other insects that have moved indoors to forage for food. Spiders also like to move inside to find a dark, quiet place to lay their eggs. In most cases, once inside, spiders are happy and will stay to enjoy the benefits of the food and shelter your home provides them.
Spiders and the insects they hunt are best controlled with the help of an experienced professional and regular pest control services. In addition, doing things like maintaining gardens, cutting back shrubbery from your home, and removing yard debris can make your yard less attractive to spiders. To help keep them from easily finding a way into your house, make sure screens are intact, install door sweeps, and repair damage to your home's exterior. For help controlling spiders, contact us today.
Stinging Insects
Many stinging insects live throughout the U.S. They all have a stinger extending from their back end. In our region, wasps, hornets, and bees are the most common species of stinging insects to find their way into our yards. Bees have oval bodies covered in hair which helps them collect pollen. Hornets and wasps look very similar to each other but different from bees. Hornets and wasps both have long, hairless bodies and noticeably narrow waists. The most accurate way to identify what type of stinging insect is buzzing around your property is to consult a professional.
Bees, hornets, and wasps are eco-important. They help pollinate the crops, trees, and plants that provide people with food. Predatory species help control populations of insects that can damage plants and cause people harm. When these insects nest in a high-traffic area of our yards or in our homes, it puts us in danger. The more contact people have with stinging insects, the more chance a painful sting will occur. Their venom is strong enough to trigger allergic reactions, which in some people can be life-threatening.
Removing a stinging insect nest should always be handled by an experienced and trained professional. Preventing problems with these pests is difficult because they primarily live outside, and our yards offer many nesting sites and food sources. Regular stinging insect control services and routine lawn and landscaping maintenance are the best ways to avoid issues with stinging insects. For help removing a stinging insect's nest from your property, reach out to us today!
Trust Warrior Pest with all your home pest control needs. We are dedicated to the families we serve and are proud to offer effective eco-friendly home and commercial pest control solutions! Reach out now.
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