Pest control questions from Stanton, MI

The technician walks the building and looks for droppings, gnaw marks, entry gaps and damp areas. They explain what they found and what work they propose before anything is treated.

Work usually combines feed storage in rodent-proof bins, prompt cleanup of spills, and repair of holes and gaps. A clear 3-foot perimeter free of weeds, debris and standing water helps too. Monitored stations are checked against a map, typically monthly. See mouse and rat control and the farm mice guide.

Carpenter ants seen indoors in winter, when it is too cold for them outdoors, strongly suggest a colony inside the building. Nests favor damp enclosed spaces such as around windows, doors, bathtubs and leaky pipes. Winged ants indoors in summer do not by themselves mean a nest.

Boxelder bugs do not bite, do not lay eggs indoors and do not get into stored food. Cluster flies enter through cracks about the thickness of a credit card. Sealing exterior gaps matters more than spraying indoors, because hidden harbourage cannot all be treated.

Bats can fit through holes as small as half an inch, so exclusion means sealing eaves, soffits, vents and chimneys. Bat work is timing-sensitive, and the operator follows state rules. Ask the technician what applies to your building before any work.

Cold, snowy winters push mice, rats and overwintering insects indoors, while outdoor pests slow down. Indoor pressure in heated buildings continues through the season. See the Stanton pest calendar.

September and October are the big months for boxelder bugs and other fall invaders. Repairs should be finished before then. Cluster flies are usually noticed in winter, on sunny south and west walls.

Blacklegged ticks are active from March to November in Michigan. Risk varies within a county, and the state risk maps show neither tick numbers nor illness rates, so check the current map before walking woodlots.

Late summer, when the last brood is raised and workers become very defensive. Nests can be in the ground, in trees, under eaves or inside wall voids, and a bald-faced hornet nest can be larger than a basketball.

West Nile activity in Michigan tends to run from late summer into fall, carried by Culex mosquitoes. Empty standing water, repair screens, and wear long sleeves and use an EPA-registered repellent at dusk and dawn.