Removing visible foragers doesn’t treat the underlying problem. The colony is probably outside, and the ants will keep going back until entry points are sealed.
Mosquito bites itch within a few minutes and you may see a soft welt. Tick bites are painless at the time and appear alone, often with the tick still attached.
Stink bugs mass on warm exterior walls and then look for openings that will allow them to overwinter in the home. These openings often include cracks along window trim, siding seams and corner junctions, soffit and roofline gaps, vents, and utility penetrations.
Usually not continuously. Most overwintering stink bugs remain relatively inactive, but warmth can wake them temporarily.
Yes, occasionally, though it is more of a pinch than a true bite. Asian lady beetles are not generally aggressive insects seeking people to attack.
Mosquitoes need standing water to breed and shaded areas to rest. Remove water sources, thin overgrown vegetation, and consider scheduling a professional treatment before the population has a chance to build.
Yards with standing water, dense vegetation, poor drainage, and heavy shade tend to have a lot more mosquitoes than open, well-maintained properties.
Not in any meaningful way. Bug zappers attract insects using UV light, but mosquitoes aren't strongly drawn to it.
The most effective approach is a professional barrier treatment applied 24–48 hours before your event. Beyond that, reducing standing water, choosing the right time of day, and using fans can all help keep mosquitoes and other pests from overwhelming your guests.
Yes, and brick is one of the easiest surfaces for them to climb. It has a rough face and a lot of recessed joints that allow them to easily grip so they can get to the roofline and climb in through vents and seams.
Most spiders found in Northwest Indiana homes are not dangerous to pets or people. The only species that you need to watch out for is the black widow, which tends to stay in undisturbed low spots.
They can, but it’s not very common. If you were stung repeatedly after stepping near a hole in the lawn, you are most likely dealing with yellowjackets, which are a type of wasp.
Yes, deer ticks can not only survive in snow, but the snow itself can help them survive. Ticks tend to take shelter in leaf litter, which keeps them warm, and then snow cover helps further insulate them from cold air.
Yes, dogs and cats are among the most common ways ticks get inside a home. Pets rub up against brush or grass, and the ticks latch on. They can then shed them indoors where they can latch onto a person.
Dunes give ticks everything they need, including humidity and shelter. Being close to the edges between grassland and woodland also puts them right where host animals travel, so ticks are carried all over the area.
In Northwest Indiana you're most likely to run into three species: the blacklegged tick (also called the deer tick), the American dog tick, and the lone star tick. Each looks a little different, prefers a slightly different habitat, and carries its own set of risks.
In Northwest Indiana, peak tick season comes twice. The first is in late spring to early summer, when tiny nymphal ticks are out in full force. The second comes in the fall as the adult ticks become active.
Homes in and around the dunes do tend to deal with more ticks. Dune grass and brush, as well as the abundant wildlife, give ticks everything they need for a comfortable habitat. With more ticks comes a higher risk of tickborne disease.
Dunes have a lot of vegetation that ticks like, such as dune grass and brush. Ticks need the humidity and cover provided by this vegetation, as well as easy access to the hosts (human and non-human) that pass through.
You don't need to venture into deep woods to pick up a tick. Grassy fields, meadows, and especially their brushy edges are tick habitat too, so walking through tall grass can absolutely expose you to the blacklegged ticks that carry Lyme disease.
Ticks hide in the shaded, humid parts of a yard: leaf litter, tall grass, ground cover, and the edges where your lawn meets the woods or brush. You can check for them with a simple "tick drag" where you pull a light-colored cloth over these areas and inspect it for ticks that grab on.
Yes, you can be infected with Lyme disease in Northwest Indiana. The blacklegged ticks that carry the bacterium that causes the disease have a presence here.
Tick-borne disease transmission time varies based on the pathogen. Lyme disease takes about 36–48 hours, anaplasmosis is more like 12–24 hours, and Powassan virus can pass in as little as 15 minutes (though it is rare).
