Every autumn as the temperature drops and the leaves fall, we prepare for the ghosts, ghouls, mummies and clowns of Halloween. All this happens while some real frightening pests can go unnoticed. In the dead of the night, rats, spiders, bed bugs, and more could be creeping their way into your home to find shelter. We’ll walk you through what critters to look out for this spooky season, as well as some steps you can take to prevent any extra scares.
our halloween handbook
spiders
When Halloween comes around spider decorations are a dime a dozen, but nothing is more frightening than the real thing. Spiders will seek warm, dry, shelter for the winter months. That means you may see these unwelcome visitors a bit more often than you’d like. Although the majority of spiders are harmless, there are a few species here in Connecticut to look out for that are capable of more than just a fright.
The female Black Widow and Brown Recluse spiders are two notorious spiders whose painful bite can cause a multitude of unpleasant symptoms. However, the Wolf Spider may be the most frightening of them all. The large hairy wolf spider does its hunting at night and can move extremely fast. Unlike other spiders who spin webs to catch their prey, this spider uses its long legs to hunt and catch its prey. Not only is their incredible speed impressive, but they also have exceptional night vision. If you shine a flashlight at them during the night you can see eight eyes in three rows eerily glowing back at you like a cat. You can also glimpse this spider transporting her babies draped across her back which can be a rather unsettling sight. Although these spiders are not poisonous, their bite can be painful due to their size.
Centipedes
There’s nothing more unsettling than seeing a many-legged, long-bodied insect scurrying through your home. When it comes to centipedes, although they may be frightening, they are helping to clear out many of the other undesirable pests in your home. Of their 30 legs, the front two legs of a house centipede double as venom-filled fangs they use to inject their prey. Luckily for us, these fangs aren’t able to break human skin, which leaves nothing to fear beyond their unnerving appearance.
Bed Bugs
Vampires aren’t the only thing after your blood this Halloween. One pest that gives more than enough reasons to fear them, are bed bugs. If undetected, these bugs can swiftly spread through the entire building leaving you with an infestation that could be especially difficult to get rid of. Commonly harboring in beds, chairs, or curtains, these bugs hunker down in places they are most likely to get access to the blood meal they require. In order to survive, they will look to feed on sleeping humans to find it. After feeding, bed bugs will then mate and lay eggs, which can be done at an alarmingly fast rate. Females will lay 1-5 eggs per day reaching about 500 in their lifetime. These eggs take as little as 21 days to grow into adult bed bugs which are ready to repeat the process.
When determining if you have bed bugs, we recommend searching for any brown or red spots and stains on and around all bedding and upholstery. Another sign of a bed bug infestation is small bites on the arms and legs. These small bites can take a few days to become swollen and itchy, leaving time for the population to continue to grow. To avoid the nightmare of a bed bug infestation, it is important to act quickly before the population has time to grow and settle in your home.
Cockroaches
Yet another pest that can give quite a scare this Halloween are cockroaches. Known as one of the most resilient and filthy pests, the presence of cockroaches can pose a significant threat to one’s health. Reported to spread many diseases and bacteria, finding your home infested with cockroaches is certainly disturbing. Cockroaches can find a hiding spot in nearly any part of your home, making them especially difficult to locate and eliminate. Similar to bed bugs, cockroaches can reproduce at an alarmingly fast rate. Just one female and her offspring can produce more than 30,000 cockroaches over the course of a single year. Exterminating them early is vital, so as soon as you notice them, contact a professional for treatment.
Mice and Rats
Synonymous with witchcraft this time of year, rats and mice are something we prefer to see only as decoration. As creatures of the night, these rodents can infest your home or business without you even knowing. Rodents are attracted to your home as the temperature gets colder because they are looking for a warm, safe place to build nests and give birth to their pups. They are also constantly on the lookout for food sources that can be readily available inside your home. Whether you’ve detected a mouse or rat infestation or simply want to take preventative measures, you can count on our professional services to effectively eradicate any rodent concerns.
Who You Gonna Call?
Whatever spooky pests you may encounter this Halloween, know that professional help is just one call away. Here at Richland Pest & Bee Control our trained and licensed pest management technicians can help assess the situation and recommend a plan of action to get your problem under control. We have been serving the state of Connecticut for over 45 years helping to control the scary pests that no one wants to deal with. We offer multiple solutions and can customize treatment plans to suit your needs and your budget. Call us today at 1-800-308-9126, or contact us online for a free estimate.