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In this issue…
1. Rodents
2. Crickets
3. Ants in General
4. Fire Ants
5. Odorous House Ants
6. Quick Facts
Now is the time of the year the weather starts to change. As the temperature drops, you may notice signs of mice. They enter your home to escape the cooler weather and enjoy the warmth of the indoor and the abundance of food. Even though one mouse doesn't eat much, as their population grows, they can eat a surprising amount of food. But their droppings and urine droplets contaminate a lot more than the food they eat. Mice can spread more than 20 different kinds of organisms that can cause diseases to humans and pets. These include a variety of food poisoning bacteria such as Salmonella and E Coli.
Once inside, they will make themselves a comfortable nest where they plan on staying the winter. Mice aren't long-distance travelers. They tend to stay very close to their nests where there is food and water. House mice can breed 35 days after it was born and can have its own first litter of up to eight by the time it is 60 days old. This explains why seeing one mouse (or a sign of a mouse) suggests that several are hiding behind the scenes. Mice are good at climbing and jumping. They can jump about a foot straight up, and can jump down more than six feet without getting hurt. They can squeeze through a crack or hole as small as 3/8-inch across.
To prevent mice from entering your home, you can take several precautions. Be sure all screen and doors fit tightly and that there are no gaps. Eliminate any grain materials from your storage area or house. This includes fall door decorations containing wheat or corn that you have stored. Keep shrubbery and vegetation trimmed away from the house to remove natural pathways into your home. Plants serve as shelter and food for these culprits. Seal up any holes on the outside of the building that may allow mice to enter. This includes points where utility lines enter the structure such as conduits for water, electricity, air conditioning, drain pipes and vents.
Crickets become very noticeable in the autumn. As the days shorten and the temperature drops, they focus on laying eggs for next year because all the adults will perish come winter. Crickets use sound to find a mate and so the loud choruses of chirping males being. Because they typically inhabit cracks and crevices, they often find their way inside our houses by exploring around the foundations and exterior doorways of our homes. The warmth within is agreeable to them, and as far as a male cricket is concerned, our houses are good echo chambers to make themselves louder!
After mating the female will look for a place to lay her eggs. The female uses her long egg-laying tube to place her eggs one at a time in soil, decaying wood or other suitable medium. The baby crickets hatch the following spring.
To avoid having a female cricket lay her eggs in your house, make sure you fill cracks in walls and your foundation. If you have tall grasses near or around your house, it is best to keep them trimmed low. Crickets are attracted to moist, shaded debris, so keep the clippings away from the house. It is also best to keep garbage receptacles sealed and placed several yards from your home.
There are many types of ants in the United States. People refer to them as “sugar ants”, “little tiny ants that you can barely see” or, most popular, “piss ants”. Some common species include Argentine Ants, Odorous House Ants, Pharaoh Ants, Fire Ants. They invade homes, apartments and any structure that has food or available nest sites.
It is important to understand three very important facts when dealing with ants: 1) They will invade any structure with a good supply or nest site has been found. Do not believe an area must be “dirty” for ants to infest it. 2) Once they have chosen a structure for nesting or food, simply spraying will not provide control. In fact, using surface applications on ant trails actually can make the colonies divide and make the infestation worse! 3) Once you obtain control, it is suggested you continue outside treatments from time to time to insure they do not re-infest the home.
It is very common to label an ant as a "sugar ant” because they were observed eating some type of food that was either full of sugar or sweet. Since most ants will vary their diet from carbohydrate to protein to fat, it is not uncommon to find any one species in just about any type of food depending on food supplies, temperature and other factors.
In fact, most ants have specific names. Below are two of the more common ants in our area.
Both Native and Imported fire ants can sting. The Imported Fire ants are very aggressive and their sting can cause reactions anywhere from an irritation and nausea. The red imported fire ants is particularly aggressive. They are known to attack people, plants and animals, as well as cause damage to homes, buildings and telephone wires. Fire ants are reddish to black in color and are about 1/8 inch long. Fire ants build their mounds in almost any type of soil, but prefers open, sunny areas such as parks, lawns and meadows. Mounds of loose soil are found above ground.
This native species, found throughout the United States, produces a foul odor when crushed. It smells like a "rotten coconut". They forage day and night. The nests can occur in a great variety of situations. Inside, these ants usually construct their nests in wall voids especially around hot water pipes and heaters, in crevices in sinks, cupboards, etc. Outside, they are found in exposed soil, usually shallow, often located beneath a board, brick or a stone walkway. They are most likely to enter buildings when their sweet supply of food is reduced such as during rainy weather or with leaf fall in the autumn.
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