Swarming Termites?
Every spring around April or May we experience the invasion of swarming Formosan Termites. There is nothing to fear from these pesky termites unless you are suffering from Entomophobia or Acarophobia. Here’s what you need to know…
The swarming season only lasts a few weeks and only a few days in most areas. Relax, they will be gone as quickly as they appeared. Most of them will die in 24 hours. They come out of the ground in the late evening when it turns dark and swarm for hours by the millions. They are attracted to light: streetlights, porch lights, security lights, and the windows of your apartment where the light shines through. They can squirm through a razor thin crack by the window and enter your apartment. If a few of them manage to get inside your home you can kill them instantly with hairspray or nearly any aerosol spray. You don’t need flying insect spray. I like hairspray because it disables them from flying and they fall to the floor and die. The best way to deal with them is simply turn off your lights and they will go away. Please watch the video.
Other Insects
New Orleans is a city abundant in cockroaches. There are most likely millions if not billions of roaches in our city. They live outdoors in nearly every oak tree and eat the bark. They love to nest in leaf piles, cardboard boxes, paper bags, and they don’t mind sharing a room with you in your home. They usually appear at night and can sneak in the smallest openings. When you open a door or window they are usually hiding on the door frame or window casing and will crawl in undetected. They usually head to the kitchen or bath where there is always water and something to eat.
As part of your leasing agreement, all residents are responsible for performing normal pest control in their apartment. This includes mosquitoes, fruit flies, spiders, gnats, fleas, bedbugs and other insects. Keeping a clean kitchen and bath is essential to an insect-free home. Household pest control supplies are available at your local markets and home supply stores. Please watch this video about homemade remedies for killing roaches:
