Seasonal Pests

Pests in the Massachusetts, Cape Cod, New Hampshire, Maine and Rhode Island area vary per season. Check out which pests are active throughout each season below.

Summer Pests

Protecting Your Massachusetts Home from Ants, Termites and other Summer Pests

Here are the summer bugs in MA and NH areas that could be bugging you this season. Ants and termites are very active in the summer. Ants seen inside have been successful in finding moisture to sustain themselves. This moisture may have come from condensation from water pipes or from leaks around plumbing — leaks you may not even be aware of or have since repaired, such as leaky dishwashers, sinks or toilets.

Automatic lawn sprinklers are working overtime and are providing watering holes for ants.

With outdoor bird feeders in use, mice may have discovered a tasty food source.

Insects and rodents may be burrowing in your thick garden mulch, which also provides ground up tree food and moisture for termites and ants.

Mulch placed against the foundation provides an entrance way for ants and other insects to get into the house.

Damp mulch that isn’t treated and raked over twice per year develops white fungus underneath, where termites are often found.

Flying insects like yellow jackets, hornets and wasp look for and find nesting locations around the house and will often find their way inside your home.

Winter Pests

Rodents Are Most Active in Winter in Massachusetts

Winter is a busy season for pests. Rodents are most active and insects come come in the house to find warmth for the cold months.

Rodents are still coming in and are active. Listen for noise in the walls and look out for droppings or chewed food wrappers found in rooms where you didn’t leave food.

Areas most likely to have mice are the kitchen, basement near the furnace or the garage, where they can stay warm.

A mouse only weighs about one ounce so it loses its body heat fast. Because the furnace and the kitchen are often only a few feet apart, it’s easy for a mouse, with it’s short range of about 10 feet, to grab food in the kitchen and go scurry back near the furnace.

Insects that were coming into your home will have already found their way in and wait out the winter season inside your home (over winter).

Spring Pests

Insects Active in Spring in Massachusetts

Many insects that have over wintered become active and swarm. Two primary examples are ants and termites, but they’re not the only pests.

Moisture is a main component of the spring. Heavy rains, water from snow runoff and rising ground water levels can lead to damp basements.

Roof leaks, leaky skylights and water leaking around windows are all common places where carpenter ants go to nest in search of water.

Ground water provides moisture for termites and other crawling insects. As mentioned earlier, termites swarm in spring.

Carpenter bees are active, taking pollen from shrubs and plants and transporting it back to their nests – drilled, half-inch holes often found on garages and other areas around the home with an accumulation of sawdust and pollen around the hole.

Fall Pests

Insects & Rodents Get Ready for Winter in Fall

Fall can be a very busy season for insects, rodents, and other pests but many homeowners don’t realize it.

Overwintering insects try to get into homes this time of year via loose screens, cracks around the foundation and through attic vents.
Cluster flies and bees may still be active in the attic.
Ladybugs and western conifer seed bugs (stink bugs) — which are members of a class of pests known as “occasional invaders” – may also become a problem this time of year.
Rodents start entering homes and garages to nest for the upcoming colder months and they may be thriving on bagged bird seed and grass seed in the garage, on food they find in the kitchen, or on crumbs from snacks taken to other rooms.
Mice can survive quite nicely on crumbs and have even been found living in furniture where spilled crumbs accumulate under the cushions. Mice and other rodents create health concerns for you and your family.