Do You Have Home Invading Insects?

Seasonal changes in Michigan can bring seasonal migration of insects that need to survive over the winter, and some of these are considered home invading insects because they find ways inside your home in order to stay warm. Once inside, these home invaders are comfortable, and will end up staying year-round when the conditions are right.

While these bugs are not harmful, they can become annoying if many of them decide to live over the winter in your home, or if you’ve squished them – they can stink and stain things. Common home invaders include crickets, centipedes, Asian lady beetles, boxelder bugs, and stink bugs.

Watch the southern and western walls of your home or office building during late fall, and you’ll see these invasive bugs gathering there because of the warm sunshine on those walls. If your building has cracks and crevices that haven’t been sealed up, this will be their entry point into your home, in search of a comfy place to call their new home. They usually get comfortable enough in their new surroundings that they will remain and reproduce, making your home – their home.

Proper home maintenance is one of the best ways to prevent the home invaders from entering your home each fall. Repairing cracks in the chimney, around windows and doors, or loose siding will help reduce their chances of moving as the seasons change. A qualified pest control specialist will also offer other suggestions at reducing or eliminating the home invading bugs.