Although most ant invasions will occur in the summer months, you may be eerily surprised to find a swarm in your home in late winter.  More than an occasional home owner has had this unpleasant experience.

Trying to discourage ants from invading your home can be frustrating. Proper food storage and waste management will reduce the food that often attracts workers indoors.

Clean all kitchen surfaces, vacuum daily, and rinse recyclable containers before throwing them in the recycle bin.

Ants are social insects and are divided up into three castes: workers, males, and queens.  Get the workers and the food source is greatly stopped.

To find products that kill ants, we have grouped them on this page:  http://www.backyardstyle.com/shop/pest-control-ants.php

One of our favorite ant-killing brands is Grant’s.  Grant’s Kills Ants was one of the first ant bait products used to control invading ants and is still one of the most effective. Using a unique bait stake, the bait is contained in the stake and the product is effective in killing ants while protecting the environment.

Use either of these Ant Killing Products from Grants

Ant Stakes

• Active Ingredient: 1.0% Hydramethylnon
• Ants carry bait back to the colony to kill the Queen and destroy the colony.
• Use Outdoors around the house and for effective control replace every 6 weeks.
• Can also be used Indoors for up to 3 months.
• Helps keep ants from coming back.

Liquid Ant Bait

• Kills the ants you see and the ants you dont.
• For use in or around homes.
• Easy to remove plug, no drips, spills or mess.

In gardens, the BMSB can damage plants such as roses, vegetables, ornamental plants and trees, but the most concern that homeowners have about this insect comes when it invades their home in the late summer and fall.

Typically, the insects fly onto the exterior of homes and businesses when the weather starts to cool around mid- to late-September or early October. Once active, these dime-sized pests begin to seek cracks and crevices to enter buildings to overwinter. Common entry points for these smelly pests include small cracks and crevices around air conditioning units, chimneys, attic vents, door and window frames, and gaps or holes in the foundation. Replacing screens, installing weather stripping and door sweeps, and using caulk to seal any cracks around the building can help keep these pests out.

While exclusion is the best preventive step that homeowners can take, careful application of insecticides containing Pyrethroid chemistry can help control large populations outside windows and doors before the insects enter the home.

Currently there are no insecticides registered for stink bug control indoors, and consumers should not apply products formulated for outdoor control to indoor spaces.

Indoor invaders can be vacuumed up in a shop vacuum and immediately disposed of, to prevent the development of the strong odor for which these insects are known.

Products to KILL Stink bugs

• Beetle Killer
• Caterpillar Killer
• Dragoon Dust
• Garden Dust
• Borer Miner Killer

Bedbugs are not a result of poor sanitation or distressed housing.  Even the cleanest home or hotel can suffer with an infestation of these insects.  While a house or hotel wide infestation may require some professional help, there are some very effective insect controls available to consumers who are facing a localized infestation.

Bedbugs are susceptible products containing pyrethroid insecticides such as Permethrin.  Permethrin mimics natural Pyrethrin insecticide, and offers quick control and a moderate residual activity which kills emerging insects as they hatch. In areas where bedbugs harbor, around bedding and bedroom furniture, in carpets, behind molding and in closets, a Permethrin based insecticide such as Bonide Bedbug Killer gives homeowners a quick and effective way to treat suspected bedbug hangouts. 

Safe and labeled for indoor use, Bonide Bedbug Killer is available in both a handy Qt. size and economical gallon size Ready to Use product. Use along with Bonide Total Release Flea Fogger for 2-Step Bedbug eradication.

So if its college dorms, summer cottages, thrift shop furniture finds or camping equipment, if you find bedbugs, look for Bonide Bedbug Killer products to get them before they get you!

Fall is arriving across the United States and pests that have been outdoors are making their way indoors in search of conditions that are ideal for overwintering. In preparation for fall BackyardStyle.com has compiled a list of common insects and rodents that homeowners in the US should be on the lookout for.

Common Fall Pests with DIY Solutions

• Ants
• Earwigs
• Black Widow
• Box Elder Bugs
• Lady Bugs
• Rats
• Spiders
• Bed bugs

Bed bugs are tiny, nocturnal parasites that feed mainly on the blood of humans and sometimes warm-blooded animals. They have the ability to heavily infest lodgings, apartment buildings and homes before they are detected. Usually a bed bug problem is identified when their tiny, red bites are discovered on people or when their feces and blood droppings are noticed on bed sheets and linens.

Bed bugs infestations are not signs of filthy conditions or sanitation issues and are just as likely to occur in five star hotels in Denver as they are to show up in other lodgings or residences. That’s because bed bugs are accomplished hitchhikers and are commonly found where there is a high rate of occupancy turnover. They are also found on used furniture, luggage and clothing and may enter multi-unit housing complexes or homes on the backs of travelers or house guests.

• Use a home barrier pesticide like Amdro Ant Block around the exterior of your home to prevent ants from trying to get in.   This ant barrier is highly effective and acts as a bait for the worker ants to take back to the colony.   It is formulated to kill the entire the ant colony and is effective at killing 15 different types of ants.
• Another effective ant barrier treatment for your home is the Ant Killer Granules by Bonide.  This ant barrier consists of granules that may be sprinkled around the exterior of your home.  It not only kills ants, but also fleas, crickets, ticks, and chinch bugs.
• For the turf around your home, use the Ant, Flea, & Tick Killer Granules by Bonide to keep them away from your home.  This pesticide is in granule form and may be used in a garden spreader for easy application.  It may also be applied to your home’s foundation to help prevent ants from trying to get into the cracks and also is effective at killing ants in ant hills.  After application, lightly water the granules to activate the pesticide and help it to spread.

Bonide Household Insect Control is intended to be used in and around residences and their immediate surroundings such as (but not limited to): apartments, atriums, attics, automobiles, basements, bathrooms, boats, cabins, campers, carports, cat sleeping quarters, clothes storage, condominiums, decks, dens, driveways, garages, gazebos, homes, kitchens, lanais, living rooms, parlors, patios, pet sleeping areas, play rooms, porches, recreational vehicles, rooms, solariums, storage areas, sun rooms, utility rooms and verandahs. This product is not to be used in commercial food handling areas.

We think that she was bit by a brown recluse spider that was brought back in luggage from a vacation in the southwest – but since the insect was not found, we cannot be sure what it was.

It is a good time of the year to be aware of insects in the home, because many are trying to find shelter from the cold. Bonide’s established product can be used for the following:

• Ants: Spray around ant trails, doors and windows and other places where ants enter the house.
• Carpenter Ants: For control, locate and treat nests and surrounding areas. Apply around doors, windows and other places where ants enter premises and where they crawl and hide. Spray into infested wood through existing openings.
• Fleas on Surfaces: Remove pet bedding and destroy or clean thoroughly. Spray pet resting quarters. Adult fleas and larvae contacted by spray will be killed. Put fresh bedding down once spray has dried. Do not spray animals directly. For best results, pet should be treated with an appropriate flea control product registered for use on pets before allowing them to return to the treated area. Spray rugs and carpets where infestations are bad. Delicate fabrics should be tested for staining in an inconspicuous area prior to use.
• Spiders: Apply along and behind baseboards, to window and doorframes, corners, pipes, storage localities, attics, crawl spaces and other areas over which these pests may crawl.
• Centipedes, Ground Beetles, Pillbugs, Sowbugs, and Scorpions: Apply around doors and windows and other places where these pests may enter premises. Treat baseboards, storage areas and other locations where these pests are found.

Storage: Store in a cool, dry area. Disposal: Do not reuse empty container. Wrap container with several layers of newspaper and discard in trash.