What You Need to Know About Nocturnal Pest Control in Austin
Unless you’re a night owl, you might not spot many of the insects that infest your home and damage your garden. That’s because some of Central Texas’s worst insect pests are nocturnal critters that emerge from daytime hiding spaces to feed and cause havoc. Learn more about some nocturnal pests and their day-walking counterparts.
Common Nocturnal Pests and Their Daytime Activities
Several species of cockroach bedevil Central Texas homeowners. At night, they forage through indoor living areas and eat just about any organic matter that they can find. Their favorite foods include starchy foods, meat and sugary substances as well as “inedible” items like leather, wallpaper paste and certain types of glue. During the day, they may hide in natural habitats like garden beds and wood piles or artificial spaces like cracks and crevices within basement foundations. In general, their daytime hiding areas must be moist and dark.
You might be less familiar with the cottonwood borer, a nocturnal beetle that feeds on the bark and trunks of poplar, willow and cottonwood trees. During the day, these beasts rest in the tunnels that they bore through trunks near the rootline. At night, they continue their burrowing through the trunks or leave the trees to forage for other material. Over time, their activities can weaken or kill young trees.
Common Diurnal Pests and Their Nighttime Activities
Small but voracious blister beetles are primarily active during the day. When the sun is out, these critters feed on cash crops like alfalfa, potatoes, soybeans, tomatoes and other garden vegetables. They also have a taste for flowers like goldenrod and laurel. At night, they hide in dense undergrowth or leaf piles. Since blister beetles are toxic to humans and animals, avoid handling infested leaf piles or underbrush at night.
Aphids live on a wide variety of crops and garden plants. During the day, you can see their little green bodies working furiously to consume leaves, stems and other organic matter. On warm nights, they hide along the undersides of leaves. On chilly winter evenings, they tend to take shelter in warmer leaf piles and other protected spaces. Sunlight is very important to aphids, so they tend to become less active as the days shorten.
Protecting Your Home from All Kinds of Critters
At ABC Home and Commercial of Austin, we’re committed to giving Central Texas homeowners the best pest control service that money can buy. This often requires us to seek out nocturnal pests in their daytime hiding places. If you’re tired of things going “bump”—or “chew”—in the night, visit us online or call (512) 837-9500 to schedule a consultation at your convenience.