With warmer weather upon us, homeowners are readying their homes’ defenses against the multitude of infiltrating pests. Be it termites or ticks, spiders or squirrels, the home can sometimes feel like a castle under siege.

To prep your home for the fight against pests, read up on our Pest Prevention resources, including this piece on Eliminating Summertime Pests.

Here on the shore of Lake Champlain, we’re facing the constant aerial assaults from swarms of midges. A cross between a mosquito and black fly (in appearance, anyway), these fast-multiplying nuisances have inundated the homes on the lake, clinging to siding, sneaking through screening and seeking out light and CO2 sources.

Fortunately the little buggers don’t bite, but it’s a race from door to car everyday and a battle to keep the midges from flying into your eyes, ears and mouth. Somehow they are always waiting for me in my car, and I have to drive with all the windows down to flush them out.

Some research online found me on this helpful midge website that suggests spraying the siding and eaves of the home down to kill the insects, particularly on the leeward side of the house, where the midges alight to escape the wind. I think I’ll be staying away from insecticides for the time being.

As the image shows, many of the midges are falling victim to the spiders that spin their webs in the corners of the home’s exterior. Many of the webs have collapsed under the collective weight of the tiny trapped insects. I’ll tell you this: I won’t be killing any spiders I see anytime soon. In this battle the arachnid and I are clearly allies.

What pests are you battling around the home?

Renovate Your World Pest Prevention Resources