Hot air outside brings pests inside

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The hot air outside is bringing pests inside. Why? Because many insects need water to survive, and since they’re not getting it outside due to the drought, they’re coming in.

“What they’re doing is they’re trying to find the things that they need: food, shelter and moisture," Kenneth Marcum, owner of Relief Pest Control in Montgomery, said.

Marcum said he’s received an increase in phone calls over the past month. “I’ve had probably three times more calls," he explained.

According to Marcum, openings around your windows and doors where the cold air inside meets with the hot air outside causes condensation, and that moisture is what’s giving those bugs the welcome mat to come on in.

“What you’ll find is they’re (pests) nesting around the doors and windows where the houses are losing their air conditioning, and they’re standing there getting that coolness from the house, and when you open the door it’s a natural reaction for them to dart inside looking for a place to hide," Marcum said. “What they’re doing, the smaller insects that are normally under that canopy of vegetation, they’re coming inside, and the larger insects, the spiders and the cockroaches, they’re coming in to feed on the smaller insects.”

Marcum recommends using an insecticide or calling an exterminator to battle the bugs.

“The best thing to do is to go ahead and lightly sprinkle around the outside foundation of your house to give the insects what they need, which is moisture. You don’t want to put too much moisture down, because then you’re going to force them to go inside," Marcum said.

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