The Most Common Pests You’ll See in Spring 

January has been a long month, but believe it or not, in a matter of weeks, temperatures will be rising and flowers will be starting to bloom. This also means pests will become more active. Here are the most common pests you’ll see in Spring. 

Ants

As the weather warms up, ants will come out of their nests on the lookout for food. Spring rain will also drive them to higher ground and into your home where they’ll feast on foods like sugary treats, meats, and pet foods. 

Signs of Ant Infestation

Spotting ants early this spring is the key to getting an infestation treated fast. Look out for these signs:

• Trails: Ants leave chemical trails that other ants will follow to find food. If you see a lot of ants scurrying in the same direction, they’re following a trail. 
• Ant nests: These can be hard to spot, but if you see piles of soil or dirt in your garden or yard, this could be a nest. 
• Piles of dirt: Ants will often leave piles of dirt around their nests too. Look for these and you might just find a nest. 

Cockroaches

These hardy pests can be active all year round. They can survive in low temperatures, but they do prefer higher temperatures. That’s why they are the one of the most common pests you’ll see in spring.

Signs of a Cockroach Infestation

If you see any of these signs, you probably have a cockroach infestation in your house:

• You see live cockroaches: Cockroaches are nocturnal so if you are seeing them through the day, it’s a strong sign that there’s an active infestation in your house. 
• You notice an unpleasant odour: When there is a large cockroach infestation present, you’ll notice a strange unpleasant smell. This is caused by pheromones, chemicals they use to communicate with each other. 
• There are droppings: These are brown/black, cylindrical in shape, and about 2mm long.
• You’ll see smear marks on floors and walls: Cockroaches leave these marks wherever they have travelled. They could be the key to finding where they are hiding out or getting in.
• You’ll see shed skins: Cockroaches shed their skins up to 8 times as they move through their life cycle. You’ll usually find these where the pests are hiding out. 

Flies

Flies love the warmer weather. They reach maturity at the start of spring and will be on the lookout for tasty morsels in your bins and around your home. Anyone who has tried to enjoy a picnic or a sweet treat while swatting away flies know that they are one of the common pests you’ll find in spring. 

Signs of a fly infestation

Flies breed fast and they carry and transmit some nasty germs so be on the lookout for these signs of infestation this spring:

• You see small dark clusters of spots in some areas of your house.
• You see more flies than usual in your home or swarming around your bins.
• You notice maggots. Maggots are fly larvae and seeing them could be a sign of where flies are breeding in your home. 

Clothes moths

The spring is also wake up time for clothes moths. It’s the time of year when moth larvae become adults moths. It’s actually the larvae that do the damage to your clothing. 

Signs of a moth infestation

Clothes moths can do a lot of damage which you’ll know if they’ve eaten their way through several of your favourite jumpers. Knowing the signs of infestation means you can nip the problem in the bud before they munch their way through your entire wardrobe. Look out for:

• Small maggots: These are moth larvae.
• Silken tubes or ‘cases’: This is where the larvae live while they are maturing.
• Adult moths: Clothes moths will often crawl rather than fly. 

So there you have it, our guide to the most common pests you’ll see in spring. As the temperatures warm up, be vigilant about pests that could be invading your home. If they do manage to get in (and they will), call Contego for fast effective eradication and treatment.