Living in the South with its warm weather and friendly culture certainly has its benefits. You’ll be sure to enjoy outdoor activities all year long and stay on great terms with your neighbors. But as great as southern living can be, it does have one major drawback: outdoor pests.
From bugs to snakes, rodents to arachnids, there are all sorts of critters in the American South that can do damage to you and your property. You can control these pests and keep them at bay, but only if you inform yourself about the nature of the threat and do everything possible to stay on top of the problem.
Not every southern home deals with the same types of pests. The exact critters you’re forced to deal with depends on the local environment. With that being said, there are certain pests that tend to cause problems across the American South. Here are the top six to look out for so that you can call pest control.
Ants
These little insects are common in most parts of the world. While they’re hardly an issue out in the woods where they belong, they have a nasty way of taking up residence inside the home. This is a problem since they’ll get into your food and become difficult to eradicate. Some species of ants even bite, making them a serious danger. Fire ants, with their nasty pinch and swarming tendencies, are especially troublesome. If you have fire ant mounds out in your yard, you should eliminate them immediately before someone in your household is attacked.
Rats
Intelligent and social, these sizable rodents often get a bad rap. But while they might not be the devious villains we’ve long made them out to be, they’re certainly not welcome as guests in our homes. In addition to startling members of the household when darting across the floor, they can cause serious harm in the form of electrical damage and disease. They also leave unsightly and unhygienic feces throughout the house. Any animal that wreaks so much havoc is best removed from the home.
Spiders
While spiders are important components of most local ecosystems, they can become a problem when they start reproducing in the home. Spiders in the yard can help control the local instinct population, so you certainly don’t want to eliminate them altogether. But considering how many species of spiders will bite, you certainly shouldn’t welcome their presence in your bedroom.
Termites
These wood-eating insects can destroy your home in a matter of weeks. That’s why it’s so important to deal with a termite infestation as soon as you discover them doing their evil deeds. Left undisturbed, termites won’t hesitate to eat up every last bit of wood in the house. You need to destroy them before they literally eat you out of house and home.
Ticks
If they didn’t carry diseases, these blood-sucking insects would be nothing more than a gruesome nuisance. Unfortunately, they can infect you and your animals with lymes disease and other major disorders. They love wooded areas, but they’re not adverse to coming onto your property if that’s where they can find a host. Check yourself and your pets to make sure ticks are never brought unwittingly into the home.
Mosquitos
These flying insects are perhaps the most annoying of all the pests. Not only do they have an unquenchable thirst for human blood, but they can also carry a number of deadly diseases. Try to scare them off by wearing insect repellent outside, and remove any standing water to keep them from breeding on your property.
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