April 17th, 2023 by Shauna Hammond

Spring is a beautiful time of year it is the season of renewal and growth when flowers and plants begin to bloom, but unfortunately, it's also a time when pests become more active. The warm weather and longer days provide ideal conditions for insects, rodents, and other pests to multiply and invade your home or garden. In this blog, we'll discuss some of the most common pests that are active in spring and provide tips on how to spot the signs of their presence but also how to get rid of them.

Ants

Ants are one of the most common pests that become more active in spring. These tiny insects live in colonies that can have up to 15,000 worker Ants – so as you can imagine getting an infestation of these little critters is less than desirable. What’s more, Ants are incredibly resilient and while they prefer to make their nests in fields and wooded areas they’re just as capable of setting up their home in any big city – so there is nowhere safe from possible infestation.

Ants are social insects, meaning they work together as a colony to survive and reproduce. An ant colony has three types of members: queens, workers and males. The queen lays eggs which hatch into larvae that grow into pupae before emerging as adults ready to start their own colonies by reproducing with other ants in the area or stealing them from other colonies!

There are four main species of ant found in the UK and these consist of the Black Garden ant, Pharaoh ant, Roger's ant and Ghost ant - with the most common being Black Garden ants, luckily prevention against infestation is mostly the same for all these species so you do not need to worry too much about knowing which ant you are dealing with.

How to Spot the Signs

Luckily Ants are very easy to spot so you should be able to catch an infestation pretty quickly this is owing to the fact that, unlike many other pests, they don’t tend to hide from humans so you will be able to spot them usually in quite large numbers and frequently, after all, spotting only one or two of these doesn’t necessarily mean infestation.

How to Prevent Infestation

As is the case with most pest prevention is much easier than treatment which is why it is important to act when you spot the signs or even take precautions if you live in an area that has quite a large number of insects and pests in general.

One of the main reasons ants leave their nest is in search of food. They are attracted to sweet and greasy foods, and in the case of Pharaoh ants, once they find a food source they will leave a pheromone trail to lead their colony to it. To prevent ants from making themselves at home in your home it is important to clean up spills and crumbs immediately and seal food in airtight containers. Try not to leave bowls of pet food out in open for too long either as this will also attract them. Also, regularly sweep and mop floors to remove the pheromone trail and stop others from finding their way into your home.

How to Treat an Ant Infestation

If you find ants are becoming frequent visitors to your home or garden, be sure to follow the above steps in order to make your home less desirable, you can also try laying down ant traps or using a dusting powder along door lines and skirting boards where ants may enter. Should the number continue to increase this may suggest that there is an ant nest somewhere near the home and in this case, the best course of action is to contact a specialist. 

Fleas

As the warmer weather arrives, so does possibly one of the trickiest pests to deal with – fleas! Fleas are small, wingless insects that live on the blood of mammals and will hide in the fur of your beloved pets – in some cases, fleas will also bite humans too but this is less likely unless the infestation is severe. While they don't fly but jump very well so they may appear suddenly in your home or you may even notice them on your pet’s fur, they are most likely to be active when there is an increase in temperature or humidity levels that make it easier for them to move.

Fleas are a nuisance to deal with because they can be contracted easily while your pets are outdoors, and they lay a great deal of eggs a day – often between 20-40 which means even if you are able to get rid of the adult fleas their eggs will then hatch and the process will repeat.

How to Spot the Signs

Fleas are a little bit more difficult to spot due to their small size and the fact that they are very good at hiding themselves within your pet’s fur, however, there are a few signs you can watch out for. These include an increase in your pet scratching, biting or chewing at fur and skin, scabs or patches of red irritated skin. You may also notice that you have bites on yourself too and these tend to be around the ankle area.

How to Treat Fleas

Treating fleas can be a lengthy process depending on the severity of the case. We highly recommend increasing the number of baths you give your dog and grooming them more frequently during spring and summer and most importantly be sure to keep up with regular flea treatments.

If in the unfortunate case, you have a severe infestation then multiple treatments may be required, including flea baths. It is also important that you wash any fabrics such as duvet covers and also treat these areas with a flea treatment that is safe to use on surfaces. This may require repeat treatment until the situation is under control.

Bedbugs

Bedbugs are very similar to fleas in many ways – an infestation is difficult to spot, they are difficult to treat and you will find similar symptoms except on yourself rather than your pet. Bedbugs are small, flat, brownish insects that live in the cracks and crevices of beds, wardrobes, walls and pretty much anywhere that’s out of sight and feed on human blood.

Similar to fleas bedbugs reproduce at an alarming rate, after filling up on one meal will keep the bed bug sated for up to 10 days and they will lay up to 7 eggs and day during this 10-day period – before coming out of hiding and repeating the process again. Since they are such fantastic hides and only tend to come out during the night spotting the signs before it’s too late can be tricky.

How to Spot the Signs

The most obvious sign of a bedbug problem will be the presence of itchy bite marks that are usually located on exposed areas of skin such as arms and legs. So, it’s definitely worth beginning to take measures even if you only notice one or two bites. You can use bed bug traps to confirm the presence of bed bugs before continuing on to further treatments. These are usually sticky pads that you place around the bed, bedbugs will be attracted to their scent and become stuck after walking on them. Some other symptoms include blood stains on sheets or mattresses from crushed bugs or their droppings which appear as small dark patches – you will usually see these on the mattress.

How to Treat Bed Bugs

Similar to fleas, taking care of bedbugs will require multiple treatments, since penetrating the eggs to kill the larvae is incredibly difficult. The best way to treat bed bugs is a 3-step treatment of smoke bombs to kill the large percentage of the bed bug present, a surface spray to create a barrier that will then kill any bed bugs that survived the smoke bomb, and dusting powder also crevices where they are likely to hide to stop them from crossing. This procedure will then need to be repeated again after around 10 days in order to kill any new bed bugs that have hatched during this period. Frequently wash bedding during this period and deep clean mattress too in order to remove any that are in hiding.

Clothes Moths

Clothes moths are small insects that feed on natural fibres such as wool, silk and cashmere. They can be hard to spot because they're so small, but they leave behind telltale signs of their presence in your home. Clothes moths will lay eggs on materials including furniture upholstery and carpets. The larvae hatch from these eggs and begin eating through the material as they grow into adult moths -Clothes moths are most active during May - October- so it is important to check regularly!

How to Spot the Signs

The most common sign of a clothes moth problem will be irregular holes in garments, you may also notice small maggot-like larvae on fabric or on carpets. Silken tubes or 'cases' in which the moth larvae live and Pupae from which larvae eventually emerge as adult moths may also be found in locations where there is plenty of fabric so carpets, wardrobes and drawers etc. You may also notice adult moths that are often crawling rather than flying around the room.

How to Treat Clothes Moths

Fortunately, unlike the other pests on this list carpet moths are fairly easy to treat. The best way to deal with all stages of clothes moths is to wash clothing and fabrics at high temperatures so you can steam clean carpets and sofas. You can also use a knock-down pray to kill the adult moths easily too.

We hope this blog has helped you understand the different types of pests you can expect in spring and how to keep them under control. As always, if you have any questions or concerns about your home, please don't hesitate to contact a specialist.

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