Home Pest Control: How To Keep The Asian Lady Beetle Out

As the first days of fall are upon us, we start thinking about getting our homes and properties ready for cooler weather. But we are not the only ones: squirrels and other forest creatures have been collecting nuts and other foodstuffs for the winter, bears are getting ready for hibernation, and insects are looking for a warm and comfortable place to sleep away the winter months. Lucky for us, the bears and squirrels tend to remain out in the wild, but not so lucky for us: insects find their way into our warm and comfortable homes. One insect that a lot of people in the Wisconsin area will find in their homes this fall are Asian Lady Beetles, also known as lady bugs. These are oval bugs, usually about A� inch in length and dome-shaped. You’ll see them with red, orange and yellow backs, usually dotted with little black spots, which has earned them the nickname Halloween beetles. These are primarily a nuisance pest, but can still crowd into your home in great numbers, so it is good to be proactive against these pests to keep them off your property.
Asian lady beetles prefer walls that are light-colored and face the warm southwest side of your property. In late fall when the temperatures drop, these lady bugs will find a way inside your home or business, entering through the tiny cracks and crevices that are around the structure. They will hang out near windows and along base-boards, and during the wintertime, enter a period of hibernation called diapause. This causes them to remain in a sleeping state for the winter months. In the spring, they will wake Pesticide Chemical Database up, and head towards the windows and towards the light- looking for ways out of your home. In order to keep these beetles outside, where they belong, you need to think like them. Are there ways into your house that are small enough for these pests to get through? Cracks in the foundation? Gaps in the siding? Are they getting in through soffits, dryer vents or bathroom vents? Closing these points of entry and making sure that they remain sealed will keep these pests from entering your home in the first place.
If you have done what you can in closing up gaps in the structure on your property, but are still seeing new Asian lady beetles entering your home, then it’s time to call in a professional. Do it yourself pest control chemicals can be found at your local grocery store or even online, but these are not usually effective and if used incorrectly, can be dangerous Organic Home Pest Control to your family and your pets. To keep Asian lady beetles and other annoying insects out of your home, contact a pest control professional today. They have the experience and know-how to target and destroy insect and rodent infestations in your home or business and they can assist you in making sure that your home or business is …

The Powder Post Beetle

The Powderpost Beetle gains its name from the finely chewed particles it produces while burrowing through wood. The remains will be so fine they will resemble a white powder similar to flour, and this is normally the only indication that the homeowner will receive to identify the species since the majority Tiny Bugs On Walls And Ceiling of its lifespan is spent within hardwoods and digging its way towards the surface. Not long after emerging from its one to four year journey from within your home the Powderpost Beetle will die of natural causes, leaving only a small pinhole and some fine dust to announce that it had ever existed at all.
This species is unlikely to receive sympathy from humans though, because from birth their only goal in life is to destroy wood. Their lifecycle begins as a small larva that was abandoned before birth. There was no food left for them and no sibling to show them the ropes, but luckily for the Powderpost Beetle they were born within a wooden structure of some type and that is all they truly need to survive. The larvae will begin to burrow into the wood digging through tiny bits at a time, and all the while the rest of the world has absolutely no idea that it even exists at all. As they progress through their painstaking dig the beetle will continue to grow and eventually reach adulthood, and shortly thereafter it will emerge from its wooden home and face the environment for the first time. It will then lay eggs either on top of the wooden structure or deep within it; and not too long after a new generation will begin the entire pattern.
An interesting note is that Powderpost Beetles will only burrow into untreated wood, and any type of paint, stain, varnish, or sealant will effectively be left untouched. However, if that piece of lumber was not properly stored while drying out it could possibly already have the species inside of it. Once the adult beetle emerges it will not lay eggs on a treated surface but it will instead place eggs back inside the wood before departing. The most common Powderpost Beetle infestations occur when purchasing furniture that contains the species inside of it or within lumber purchased to construct the home itself. The only reliable way to detect their presence is to inspect the wood and notice the burrowed circular holes, then to inspect the powdery remains to see if the species is active inside it.
A number of pesticides are available to control the Powderpost Beetle, but the best prevention is to thoroughly inspect any wood materials before introducing them to your home. It is also interesting to know that this species vastly prefers hardwoods so softer cuts wood such as Pine and Douglas-Fir are normally not colonized. This species often dies off due to natural causes so before investing money replacing What Insect Leaves Black Dots On Skin boards or spraying dangerous chemicals …