Virginia Beach is close to heaven on Earth. This coastal city in Virginia, United States, is vibrant and has a lot of attractions, including its booming culinary scene. Anyone who lives there is fortunate. However, even such a beautiful place suffers from some pests all year, especially in summer. Let’s see what are the most common pests in Virginia Beach and how you can deal with them.
Mosquitoes
The annoying mosquitoes are very active during the shiny and hot summer in Virginia Beach. Many people think that all damage they can do is make you feel itchy and give you bumps, but the truth is far worse. Several terrible diseases are spread by mosquitoes, including the Zika virus, West Nile virus, and even encephalitis. Therefore, it is essential to keep an open eye and do what you can to avoid them in your backyard.
Of course, there’s no way you can run from mosquitoes during summer, and you’ll see them eventually. Yet, there are some things you can do to keep most of them out of your house.
The first thing you should do is close your windows during sunset since this is the time when mosquitoes usually get into homes the most. They need to find food and somewhere hot to stay during the night, so your house looks like the perfect home for them. Besides, ensure you don’t have stagnant water lying around.
Still water is the perfect place for mosquitoes to breed, so clean the area around your house and make sure that everything drains properly. If you use buckets, keep them dry when they are not being used, just like you do with kitchen utensils. Don’t keep a vessel under the air-conditioner to collect water. Instead, try to use some alternative, such as using a pipe to carry the water once it gets out from the A/C. Anyway, do what you can to ensure no stagnant water in your house and backyard.
Biting Flies
For many people, mosquitoes and flies are the same animals, but they are pretty different. Yet, both are annoying, and both can spread diseases, so it is best to keep them out of your home. The yellow flies, also known as biting flies, leave big, itchy, and painful bumps that can last some weeks on your skin.
They are very active during cloudy days, the period of late afternoon, and they enjoy warm and humid weather, so you can see how Virginia Beach is the perfect place for them. Just like most flies, they are commonly found near large bodies of water. They enjoy shade just like we do, and they actually do bite domestic animals like cats and dogs.
Therefore, they can spread diseases to us and our pets. That’s why it is necessary to be careful not to attract these insects. Like the mosquitoes, they breed on standing water, so eliminate all still water from your house and backyard. You can add outdoor fans to your patio or deck to keep them away. Some products help to keep them far as well, such as citronella candles and torches.
Fire Ants
Being bitten by a common ant hurts, but being bitten by a fire ant hurts more. If you’ve ever stepped on a pile of fire ants, you’ve known true pain. These tiny red ants are known for getting inside shoes and causing much damage.
Before finding the very small ants that can be hard to see because of the sun, you see the piles of dirt they build. Once you find it, keep your distance. Some people are very allergic to them, so be careful.
If you are on the outside, there’s not much you can do to avoid them. However, there are some tricks you can use to prevent their presence in your backyard. Yet, be aware that you’ll probably still find them since their colonies have large tunnel systems. Therefore, if you destroy their mound, they’ll build a new one easily somewhere safe. The best you can do in this case is to call a professional ant exterminator.
Termites
Termites are a problem in most seasons, but they can be incredibly annoying during winter since they need to be in a warm place to live, and your house is probably the warmest of places for them. These little animals are white, wingless, and very small, and usually have ¼ of an inch in length.
You’ll probably never see a termite since they spend most of their life under the ground building their tunnels. They eat wood and feed on the cellulose of soil, decaying leaves, and even thrash like old papers.
To avoid them, make sure to keep your wood elevated from the ground and don’t let moisture accumulate near the foundation of your house. Besides, it is a good idea to call a professional termite control firm on this cause. Termites are tough to deal with alone and can hide like no one.
Powder Post Beetles
Powder post beetles are not as known as termites and carpenter ants but are equally dangerous for property investments since they are little destroyers. Just like the others, they eat wood and can quickly infest your entire home.
They put their eggs into a hole they bore in wood. Once those eggs hatch, you have various powder-post beetles in your house eating your wood. As you can imagine, this process destroys the structure of your home.
Call a professional pest control company to protect your home from them and remove infested wood if you see any.
Although there are many tricks you can use to avoid pests from entering your house, there’s not much you can do once they are already in. The best you can do is call Universal Pest & Termite, a professional pest control company available in Virginia Beach and more.
This company uses a safe product for your domestic animals, but that is dangerous to every pest. They offer several services, including termite control. Request pest control services right now.