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Welcome to another episode of Peskies Pest Control podcast here in Birmingham Alabama with Michael and Travis. We do this podcast as a community service for Birmingham, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Helena, Alabaster, Pelham and all other surrounding areas!
Michael Wienecke
Hey, so today on the podcast, we want to talk about something we’ve been seeing a lot of and that is just creepy crawlies in the attic, anywhere from Asian lady beetles stinkbugs pretty much your too generic that they were getting a lot of calls on. And I think the best thing to talk about what this problem is just that, you know, homeowners always can we seal up the attic, can we still have the attic? No, you cannot seal up the attic. The attic has to live and breathe. You know, as your house is getting hot getting cold, it’s venting. So there’s really no way to completely seal up an attic. So those bugs are still going to be able to get into your attic. So Travis, talk about some treatment plans.
Travis McGowin
Well, unfortunately, like you said, we’re getting those calls and and tis the season I had a very long conversation with someone about two or three days ago in reference to the Asian lady beetles specifically, but you can kind of bundle the stink bugs into that same conversation because they’re, they’re about seeking the exact same thing. So they’re both seeking out a place to overwinter. They’re seeking out a place to just basically make home until it’s time to go and get back out, you know, in the springtime and whatnot. So, but yes, you’re exactly right. Houses need to breathe. And, and I’ll take that even one step further. Even if you have spray foam insulation in your attic, these insects will find a way to get in. I don’t care how good of a spray foam job that you have had. If you go up into your attic, you know in the late or early fall and going on into winter, you’re gonna find some form of either stink bug or Asian lady beetle, it just there’s no way to either a completely seal up your attic. And like you said, nor should you really necessarily want to because that air exchange has to happen. Or else you’re going to end up with more problems than just insects, you’re going to end up with moisture problems and everything up in that attic spaces which you definitely don’t want.
Michael Wienecke
100% And another thing I’ll say to what we’re getting a lot of calls is ladybugs, ladybugs in the attic. They’re not ladybugs, they’re Asian lady beetles, super aggressive. They bite ladybugs, or just cute little, you know, red bugs with dots on them. They don’t
Travis McGowin
Well, and I’ll say this too. While we’re on the topic of that. Ladybugs are beneficial. Yes, Asian lady beetles are not
Michael Wienecke
they don’t. They sorted they serve no purpose,
Travis McGowin
Other than being a nuisance. But the unfortunate thing is, is that if they if you’re seeing them if you’re seeing them in your house, if you’re seeing them in your attic, surprise they’re already there.
Michael Wienecke
Oh yeah, definitely. Well, it’s funny I saw a video the other day of somebody letting an Asian lady beetle crawl on their finger and a bit them
Travis McGowin
You know, people can actually be allergic to their bites, I do have a customer that is allergic to their bites and and so you know, they, they definitely are more concerned about the Asian lady beetles than the average homeowner, and rightfully so. But like I said that they’re so small, and adapted to getting into these little tight places, and they want to go live in your wall voids and in your attic. And and if you start seeing them in your house, they’re already there. The the thing that I recommend most to my customers is being proactive, especially in that late summer, going towards fall to try to be proactive and treatment. And what little bit exclusive that you might can do around doors and windows and cracks and crevices that don’t involve completely just sealing out something that needs to ventilate. But being proactive and treatment and exclusion early on to try to keep them from getting in in the first place.
Michael Wienecke
Oh, yeah, definitely. I mean, I know my house was built in the 70s. And we had the old style windows a couple of years ago. And every every time and this time of year, we just got stinkbugs galore. And we got new windows put in and that you know it was cut down to I mean, almost almost none coming to the windows now we still get some of the attic. And we still have to treat but that just door seals something something as simple as just replacing your door seals if your door seals are wore out, or your windows or anything like that is going to help tremendously.
Travis McGowin
Yeah, and we do have some other options too. In terms of treatment and products, I did have another customer that actually swapped over from a larger company to us under the I guess under the agreement that I would be able to take care of his stinkbugs and that was a big thing for him. That was really the only problem that they were having was stinkbugs consistently being an issue. And I went and inspected located the fact that they were coming in through around the eaves of the house and getting up into the attic and then coming down to the living space in the attic. We were able to treat that addict with a dust. And they were pleasantly surprised because they didn’t have any more stinkbug issues after that.
Michael Wienecke
Oh, yeah, it’s huge. And I mean, standing behind our work, that’s just what we do. But yeah, I love how you brought that in. So I mean, when you’re, when you’re getting getting in the attic, you have to the dust is going to be the best way because you’re going to be able to get all those cracks, crevices, those voids where those bugs are going to try to enter, and that dust is going to linger. Another great thing about the dust is that there’s no sunlight in the attic. So it’s not going to break down, it’s going to stay there. Most of the time, when we do a treatment in an attic like that for stinkbugs or Asian lady beetles, or ladybugs you know, it, they don’t have a problem the next year, the next year, the next year until that product starts to break down, which takes a very, very long time and the attic or a wall void or anything like that.
Travis McGowin
Yeah, that product is definitely there for the long haul. And definitely, like you said, undisturbed by sunlight undisturbed by large amounts of moisture, it will be there and it will be effective there for quite a while.
Michael Wienecke
Yeah, and another deciding factor that I’ve kind of found just from from homes with these issues. It’s always light colored homes white, light gray. So I just recommend everybody paint their house black and they probably wouldn’t have this.
Travis McGowin
Well, maybe so maybe not. I do know that especially stinkbugs to you know, if you go out on a warmer day on the side of the house that’s facing the sun that you get a decent amount of sunlight you may even catch some of these inbuilt insects sunbathing and and there’s a higher likelihood to that that’s the side of the house that they’re going to be more of an issue on you’re going to see them more often. Because of that, that heat from the sun they’re searching that warm place actively so you know they’re going to be in those wall voids they’re going to be in that portion of the attic more so than others. That’s not to say that you’re not going to see them in any other portions of the house because you will but they’re going to be on the sunny side because they like the warm
Michael Wienecke
Yeah. And like said for this for this podcast I’d say the takeaway is just you know, you just if you have this issue going on, just know that don’t go up there and just try to follow them every every void in your in your attic and like, like Travis said, You’re gonna cause a lot more issues than good.
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