A new year may not mean new pests, but the pests that infest homes the most do change every few years. While these insects were prevalent last year, you may find them earlier in the spring and lasting later into fall this time around. Keep the number to your Ankeny pest control specialists at Pro-Staff close at hand throughout 2023.

Asian ladybird beetles

The multicolored Asian ladybird beetle is often mistaken for native ladybird beetles. With distinct black and white shield features (native ladybird beetles have solid black shields) and a slightly larger size, Asian ladybird beetles are often found overwintering in the corners of homes. These small insects serve the same aphid-eating tendency as their native counterparts, but they often take meals over the limit when they also sup on native ladybird beetles, butterflies, and moths. If you spot these insects in your home, use a vacuum attachment to suck them up, then dispose of or dump the bag outside immediately. 

Bed bugs

These tiny, flat, oval, brown insects can be transported from another location – a hotel, the gym, a friend’s home – to yours by hitching a ride on a suitcase or soft-sided carry bag. Search mattresses, box springs, headboards and frames, wall crevices, and nearby furniture. While you may not find the actual bed bugs or minuscule eggs themselves, you may note their aftermath: small, red, raised areas on any skin coming into contact with bedding. Eradicating bed bugs takes a trained exterminator.

Marmorated stink bugs

The brown marmorated stink bug is invasive to Iowa, but it’s made its presence known in recent years. You can find this bug in the yard, especially if you like to garden, in the kitchen, and near windows, doors and vents. Its diamond-shaped appearance and patterned brown color scheme gives it a distinctive look you can’t miss. To get rid of this insect, you’ll want to grab the vacuum. Once they’re scooped up, freeze them or down them in chlorinated water. Otherwise, you’ll fall victim to their notorious “stink.”

Fleas

Flat and light tan to black in color, fleas appear bristled on close inspection. While they travel to your home’s interior on your pets, they are more frequently found once they leave pets since they drop off once they are fed. Look for fleas in pet bedding or areas where floors and walls meet. Flea bites are tiny and red, and they often cause a few days of itching. Fleas are difficult to exterminate without professional assistance.

Cockroaches

Flat and reddish to brown, cockroaches are big bugs with the ability to fly. In Iowa, you’ll want to look out for the German, Oriental and American variants. Their food sources are notably quite unsanitary, and roaches tend to spread disease. Mostly nocturnal, you will see roaches scatter when you turn on a kitchen light at night. They tend to form nests inside walls. Keep food in tight lidded containers and remove all water supplies to deter cockroach invasions.

Protect your home this year and every year with a pest control contract with Pro-Staff. Give us a call today at 515 279-PEST (7378) to speak with the leaders in Ankeny pest control.