Spring Season for Pests

Warm, sunny days, especially after rainfall, will bring out swarms of insects from their winter nests. These spring pests in Baton Rouge could be termites, wasps, bees, or ants – all of which can easily make theirA swarm of mosquitoes outside in the day way into your home and yard. These swarms are unwelcome guests to an otherwise pleasant season. There are, how ever, ways to protect your home and yard from infestations 

Common Spring Insects in Baton Rouge

Insects that come out in spring are foraging for food and seeking to mate. While this usually is taking place outdoors, keep in mind that they also could be seeking shelter and someplace to nest inside your home. Be on the lookout for: 

  • WASPS – Wasps come in a variety of colors which include yellow, brown, red and metallic bluem and have a narrow waist and pointed abdomen. They nest in wood fibers that they have chewed into a pulp and formed a honeycombed umbrella shape. 
  • BEES – Bees that aren’t your friendly honey making variety come yellow with black stripes. They tend to nest in piles of wood or other yard debris. 
  • ANTS- One of the most common ants is the odorous house ant. This type of ant is ⅛ to 3/16 inch in length, known for the odor they make when crushed. 
  • TERMITES – Termites come in shades of brown, white and black and range in sizes ⅛ of an inch to 1 inch. They have antennae and wings and can be mistaken for ants. 

There are 3 types of termites known to the area: 

Drywood termites. As their name implies they make their home in dry wood and need no contact with soil to live. They don’t go for moist, soft wood, instead they eat across the grain of dry, hard wood. This is very damaging and dangerous to structures. They are common to warmer, tropical climates with mild winters. Evidence of infestation includes discarded wings, feces or frass (piles of sawdust from feeding). 

Eastern subterranean termites. These termites cause homeowners the most damage and also are the most common termite in North America. They are prone to swarm in late February or early March. They make mud tubes that are used as tunnels from the ground to their food source, 

Formosan termites. This termite is known to be the most destructive of termites, but only found in certain locations. They usually swarm later in spring, around mid May.

Protecting your home and yard from invading pests

Below are just a few tips to discourage pests from taking up residence in your space. 

Cleaning up after outdoor BBQ and other cooking as wasps and bees are looking for and are attracted to protein based foods. Leaking faucets or hoses provide a water source that attracts not only wasps and bees but termites and ants. 

Patching cracks or crevices in walls, repairing broken panels or siding to discourage wasps from nesting in your walls. Keep your yard clean of heavy debris. 

Ants such as odorous house ants, nest in walls and beneath carpeting. Keep organic debris such as leaves and piles of wood away from your foundation. Store leftovers in airtight containers and keep areas clean of food debris and dirty dishes. Ants are attracted to sweets as well as protein-based foods.

Springtime Pest Control with Dugas Pest Control

Even if you take all the proper preventative measures, you still may wind up with a pest infestation in your home or yard. When that happens, you can trust the team at Dugas Pest Control to give you the most reliable and comprehensive treatment in the Baton Rouge area. We’ve lived through [year] spring seasons, and in that period, we’ve mastered the art of eradicating the most common swarms and keeping more from taking their place. Want to know more? Contact us today to get started!

How Dangerous are Kissing Bugs?

A kissing bug rests on a red flower in Baton Rouge LA.Despite their name, kissing bugs are anything but romantic. These tiny pests are notorious for leaving tiny bites on people in the middle of the night – typically near the mouth, hence their nickname. While it’s unsettling enough to wake up covered in bites, are kissing bugs actually dangerous? The experts at Dugas Pest Control explain why the kissing bug is potentially dangerous and share tips that can help keep your home kissing bug-free.

What is a Kissing Bug?

Triatomine bugs – commonly called “kissing bugs”, “conenose bugs” or “vampire bugs” – are parasitic insects that feed on blood. They are oval-shaped, dark in color, and typically grow to around ½ to 1 inch in length. Though juveniles do not have wings, adults do and are capable of flying. Their most defining feature, however, is a long, prominent beak that they use for feeding. 

Since kissing bugs are nocturnal, they tend to hide near sleeping humans or animals. Most stay in small nooks or crannies such as cracks in floorboards, walls, or furniture. Adults are solitary and generally do not live in large groups, though females may leave eggs behind.

Are Kissing Bugs Dangerous?

As with any blood-feeding insect, kissing bugs are dangerous. While their bites are not particularly painful, they could lead to infections or serious diseases. Triatomine bugs are most known for spreading Chagas disease, which could have chronic effects lasting a decade or more after the initial transmission.

What’s Chagas Disease?

Chagas disease is the result of a parasite called Typanosoma cruzi, which is stored in the digestive tract of kissing bugs after they feed on an infected organism. The parasite doesn’t spread while the kissing bug is actively feeding; rather, it enters the wound of the bite through feces, which the insect typically leaves behind after feeding. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Chagas disease is potentially life-threatening. Early signs of the disease include:

  • Body aches
  • Fever and fatigue
  • Loss of appetite or nausea
  • Swelling of eyelids
  • Swelling around the bite
  • Recurring headaches
  • Swollen glands

If you suspect you’re suffering from Chagas disease or another illness, seek medical attention immediately. Other animals may also suffer from this disease, so contact your veterinarian if you believe your pet has been bitten. 

How Can You Prevent Kissing Bugs?

The last thing you want is to discover bite marks on your face first thing in the morning. Keeping triatomine bugs out of your home is the best way to protect yourself and your family from this pest. Here are some ways you can prevent kissing bugs (and other insects) from entering your home:

  • Seal any gaps, cracks or openings around doors, windows, or your foundation
  • Repair any ripped screens or broken weather stripping
  • Keep your landscaping tidy and remove any debris near your house or in your yard
  • Place landscape lights (if you have them) farther away from the base of your house
  • Let pets sleep indoors during the nighttime
  • Check sleeping areas in your home periodically for signs of bugs

What to Do if You Find One

It’s never pleasant to find a pest in your home – especially one as potentially dangerous as a kissing bug. While your initial instinct may be to squish the insect immediately, the CDC strongly recommends that you do not come into contact with the kissing bug. 

Rather than squishing it, place a clear container on top of it and then, contact a pest control professional.  They’ll be able to confirm the bug’s identity and inspect your home for signs of more insects.

Whether you’re worried you found a kissing bug in your home or just want to ensure your space is completely free from pests, Dugas Pest Control in Baton Rouge can help. We’ve been providing exceptional pest control services in Louisiana since 1957. Give us a call today for a free quote!

5 Signs It’s Time To Call a Professional Pest Control Company

Applying a pest control spray treatment in Baton Rouge LA - Dugas Pest ControlIf you find a few bugs in your home, it’s easy to assume that you can get rid of them and go on with your day. However, with many insects, the few that you find indicate that many more are going unnoticed. At Dugas Pest Control, we have been called out to assess many pest infestations that the homeowner thought could be quickly resolved. As it has turned out time and again, the problem was much deeper rooted than it would appear to the untrained eye.

If you’re worried about a pest problem developing in your home in Baton Rouge LA, the safest call is to reach out to your local pest control company as soon as you can. In some cases, this could save you from skyrocketing repair costs and uncontrollable pest outbreaks.

5 Signs That You Need Professional Pest Control

Licensed, certified pest control technicians can correct pest problems using safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible solutions. We have put together 5 major signs that you should reach out to your local pest control company:

  1. Termites: Termites cause billions of dollars of damage around the world annually! These prolific and powerful pests can hide in your walls unnoticed for years, gradually growing their numbers. Even finding one termite in your home warrants an immediate call for an inspection.
  2. Wood-boring insects: In addition to termites, carpenter ants and carpenter bees like to burrow through the wooden structures in our homes. So do powderpost beetles—if you allow generations of any of these insects to accumulate in your walls, you could be in for some serious structural damage.
  3. Bees, wasps, and hornets: All of these stinging insects are capable of building nests in our walls, hanging from our porches, or on outdoor structures. It is highly unsafe to remove them yourself, especially wasps and hornets’ nests. They are not scared of attacking in large numbers.
  4. Bed bugs: Because of their name, it’s easy to forget that bed bugs can actually infest your entire home. Professional heat treatments are the most effective method of eliminating growing bed bug populations. Some home treatments aren’t exhaustive and allow for the bed bugs to return.
  5. Recurring Problems: On that note, if you’ve noticed that you have a recurring pest issue, it likely means that you never dealt with the initial outbreak properly. The best way to prevent future pest problems is to identify the source of the first infestation.

Reliable Pest Control in Baton Rouge LA

If you’re worried that your pest problem could be spinning out of hand, wait no longer to take action. Your local pest control company in Baton Rouge LA will be able to conduct a comprehensive inspection of your home, discovering the source of your issue and the best way to go about solving it. Remember that the sooner you deal with your pest problem, the easier it will be to resolve. Whatever your needs, contact us today for a free estimate!

What Are The Flying Insects You’re Seeing All Over The Place?

What flying ants look like in Baton Rouge LA - Dugas Pest ControlEvery spring, we see a huge rise in calls from people in the Baton Rouge area whose homes have been overrun by flying insects. With the current weather conditions here in Louisiana, this year’s termite swarming season is expected to be widespread. Eastern subterranean termites and Formosan termites are both swarming now, but if you’re starting to find flying insects in your house, how can you be sure if they’re termites?

Can Termites Fly?

Certain termites can fly, although they’re not very good at it. They are very weak, and can only travel considerable distances in windy climates. There is only one class of termites that can fly – these are the reproductives, a type of termite specifically tasked with spreading the colony to new homes.

A termite colony will start producing reproductives once it has reached a certain level of maturity, usually about three years of development. The reproductives will fly to new locations to mate and find a new place to proliferate. After they mate, the male reproductive sheds its wings. Finding discarded termite wings or living winged termites in your home could be a sign that there is a termite colony thriving somewhere in the wooden structure of your house. If you think you might have a termite problem, let your local pest control company know.

Termites vs Flying Ants

It’s easy to mistake termites with their less destructive friends, flying ants. Here are three indicators that the flying insects that you’re seeing are termites, and not ants:

  1. Their appearance: Termite swarmers have longer wings, but shorter limbs and antennae. Flying ants will usually be larger – termite sizes vary by species, but some, like the Eastern subterranean termite, are as small as 10mm long.
  2. Signs in your house: If you’ve noticed damaged or hollow-sounding wood anywhere in your house, those flying insects in your house are most likely termites. Contact a local termite exterminator to assess the extent of the damage.
  3. Signs in your yard: If a subterranean termite colony is swarming near you, look out for tunnels on the surface of your yard. These are called mud tubes, and they are the paths that subterranean termites take from their nests to nearby food sources.

Other Flying Insects

The flying bugs around your house might not be termites or flying ants! Plenty of different winged insects reemerge around springtime, so you could be dealing with:

Visit our pest identification library for help narrowing down what kind of pests you’re dealing with.

Professional Pest Control in Baton Rouge LA

If you’re ready to get rid of the flying insects in your Louisiana home, it’s time to ask your local extermination experts at Dugas Pest Control for help. Our employees are trained to specialize on pests that commonly plague the Baton Rouge area. Over decades of service, we’ve helped loads of families rid their homes of pests with environmentally-friendly tactics. Reach out today for a free quote!