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Twin Forks Pest Control® - Pest Control and Extermination

Serving East End and the Hamptons

What You Need To Know About Termite Swarming

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termite swarmsMost homeowners know that termites are tiny insects that eat wood and can cause irreparable damage to their homes, which is enough to cause concern all on its own. But many homeowners are unaware that termites swarm and what those swarms mean for their homes.

Which Species of Termites Swarm?

All termites species swarm, though the timing varies for each one – subterranean termites swarm in the spring, dampwood termites swarm during the summer, and drywood termites swarm in late summer/early fall. Effective swarms’ ideal weather conditions include damp ground, calm winds, and higher humidity.

The termites that swarm are from a specific group within the colony whose sole purpose is to swarm and reproduce. They are the only termites in the colony with wings; workers and soldiers lack wings. Males and females will swarm when the colony reaches a maximum capacity and needs to expand. A homeowner finds broken wings near swarms of termites because once the male and female become a mated pair, they break their wings off as a sign of their union. These newly coupled pairs now become the king and queen of a new colony.

Does a Swarm Mean You Have a Termite Infestation?

Unfortunately, a termite swarm means termites on the property in nearly all cases. Termites may use a dead tree or stump on the property to swarm. While the swarm may not have originated in your home itself, it is still a cause for concern. A termite swarm does not cause actual damage to your home. The colony’s worker termites accomplish this, so a swarm trapped indoors will die if it cannot get outside. It would be best if you still had a termite inspection done by a licensed professional because a swarm means an entire colony somewhere close by. Discarded wings may be difficult for an average homeowner to identify, and distinguishing between a termite’s discarded wings and an ant wing can be tricky.

What to Do If You Have a Swarm

If you have or see a termite swarm on your property or in your house, you must immediately call a qualified termite control company. Swarms are a sure sign of a full-sized colony somewhere nearby. The last thing you want is for these swarms to survive and create new colonies of termites on your property or in your house. Be sure to take samples of any wings that you find to show your pest control expert and get an identification.

Rapid identification is key to preventing more termites so if you see any, act quickly. Termites are not bugs to wait on and see if they go away, and their capacity for destruction is overwhelming.

Trust Twin Forks Pest Control® to Get Rid of Your Termites

At Twin Forks Pest Control®, we advise a yearly inspection to provide the peace of mind that your home is termite-free. Our termite experts will help with termite prevention, removal, and extermination if termites are spotted until your home is termite-free. For more information about our termite inspection service, Southampton residents, please call (631) 287-9020, East Hampton residents please call (631) 324-9020, or Southold residents, please call (631) 298-0500. You can also fill out our contact form and request a free inspection or schedule your first service appointment.

What Do Carpenter Ants Look Like?

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carpenter ants

How to Tell If That Ant Is a Carpenter Ant

Carpenter ants are often compared to other ants and also to termites. In the spring, winged males can take to the air in a mating swarm. Carpenter ants have two sets of wings like termites, but the front wings are longer than the hind set. Termites are typically lighter brown than the black and dark brown carpenter ants.

What Do Carpenter Ants Look Like?

Eight different species of carpenter ant can be found in the northeastern U.S. The most significant and common is the black carpenter ant, primarily black coloring. Other species can be red, black, dark brown, or a mix of the three. All carpenter ants have an identifiable arch-shaped thorax. Workers can range from ¼ to ⅝ inch long while the queen is slightly larger.

What Other Ants Look Like Carpenter Ants?

Acrobat ants are often confused with carpenter ants as they look similar, and both tend to make their homes in deadwood. Acrobats are typically smaller and have a heart-shaped abdomen. They’re named for their ability to raise their abdomens over their heads when agitated.

How Do You Find A Carpenter Ant Nest?

In the wild, carpenter ants can typically be found in decaying and dead trees. Though sometimes our homes can also be a place where they can find wood that has been weakened by moisture. A mature carpenter ant colony can have anywhere between 3,000 to 100,000 workers. As it grows, homeowners may likely start to hear the colony build its home inside theirs. As carpenter ants don’t eat wood like termites, you can often find piles of powdery refuse of wood called “frass” near baseboards and window sills.

How Can You Tell if You Have Carpenter Ants?

Carpenter ants and termites are both destructive, but they damage differently. Ant tunnels go across the wood’s grain, whereas termites always follow the grain. Termite tunnels are tracked with mud where the ant tunnels will be clean.

Then in the spring, finding one or two flying ants in your home can be a sign of a nest somewhere in the local area, but if you find your house full of flying swarms, then you’ve certainly got a problem.

Are Big Ants Always Carpenter Ants?

Nearly half an inch long, carpenter ants are one of the most significant ant species in North America. So while not always, it is at least likely. Some ant species are monomorphic, where all the workers are the same size. Carpenter ants are a polymorphic species meaning the size of their workers varies. Identifying the ant species correctly is essential as the removal process is unique to the individual colony.

Trust Twin Forks Pest Control® To Remove Ants from Your Home

The Twin Forks Pest Control® team is here to address your indoor pest control needs, including ant extermination. We have brought peace of mind to homeowners across the Eastern Long Island area for more than 20 years. Take the first step today and fill out our free estimate form or call (631) 287-9020 if you’re in the Southampton area, (631) 324-9020 if you’re in the East Hampton area, or (631) 298-0500 if you’re in the Southold area.

What Are Spotted Lanternflies?

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spotted lantern fliesSpotted lanternflies, sometimes also referred to as lanternflies, are an invasive species that arrived in the United States a few years ago. Since they have no natural predators on this continent, spotted lanternflies have swept across Pennsylvania, spread down to Maryland, and now are present in New York, including Long Island. This past fall, the spotted lanternfly report from the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County found the flying insects near MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma. It issued an alert for agricultural producers, mainly vineyards and fruit orchards.

Spotted lanternflies are native to China, India, and Vietnam. They’re known as planthoppers because they’re weak flyers, so they mostly jump or walk and only fly short distances.

Spotted lanternflies have five stages of life, so their looks change several times, starting with an appearance like shiny black jewels with white spots. In their final adult stage, they have a distinctive look, almost like a bumblebee body with large, multi-colored wings. The front wing segment is brown with darker brown spots. The back wing part starts as red with brown spots near the body before turning white and then dark brown or black on the outer edge.

Eight Questions about Lantern Flies

    1. How Did Lanternflies Get to the U.S.?

Spotted lanternflies were detected in America in 2014. The National Invasive Species Information Center believes they entered the country 2-3 years earlier in a shipment of wood items sent to Berks County, Pennsylvania.

Since then, spotted lanternflies have spread out from Pennsylvania and confirmed in New York. The Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (Cornell CALS) has maintained and updated a map of spotted lanternfly reporting.

    1. What Damage Does the Spotted Lanternfly Do?

Spotted lanternfly damage is worse than any other invasive species, in part due to their method of feeding. Instead of just eating leaves, fruit, or bark, lanternfly bites can penetrate the plant’s surface to suck its sweet sap, which significantly weakens the plant. Spotted lanternfly damage also includes giving off a sticky substance known as honeydew, which attracts other insects to the plant, and a sooty mold that damages the weakened plants.

If that’s not bad enough, because the plant’s essential sap is consumed, it can affect the development of any fruit on that plant before killing it. For example, infested grapes will lose their natural sweetness, making them inedible.

    1. What Do Lanternflies Eat?

Spotted lanternflies are an agricultural threat because of the wide range of plants they will attack. They’ve been found on more than 70 plant species, including grapevines, blueberries, hops, apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, plums, and more. They also lay eggs almost anywhere.

    1. What Trees Do Lanternflies Like?

Spotted lanternfly damage can occur to a wide range of trees, including oak, walnut, poplar, walnut, apple, peach, plum, and cherry trees. Their all-time favorite, though, is tree-of-heaven.

    1. Do Spotted Lanternflies Have Any Predators?

In the United States, spotted lanternflies do not have any natural predators, and that’s part of what makes them so dangerous to agriculture.

    1. Does the Spotted Lanternfly Bite?

Spotted lanternflies do not bite humans or animals, and their mouth is more like a beak that inserts a straw into a plant than a typical mouth that would chew skin.

    1. What Should You Do If You See a Spotted Lanternfly?

Spotted lanternfly reporting is essential so if you find one, first, contact the NY State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Second, check your car. The insects lay egg masses on almost any surface and are easily overlooked. Spotted lanternfly eggs on or in a vehicle can be transported to other areas, worsening the problem.

Next, squash them if you can. Spotted lanternflies tend to be fast, so it’s not easy to do, but a hard smack or stop will kill them. Mark or band any trees that are infested until action can be taken.

    1. How Do You Get Rid of Spotted Lanternflies?

While mechanical extermination, meaning squashing the bugs, is effective for a handful of spotted lanternflies – if you’re quick enough to make contact – it’s not practical for an entire infestation. Professional exterminators are the best solution to a spotted lanternfly infestation because of their severe environmental and agricultural threat and the difficulty in killing them.

Trust Twin Forks To Handle All Your Pest Control Needs

The Twin Forks Pest Control® has more than 20 years of experience handling every type of pest issue that can plague homeowners across the Eastern Long Island area. Take the first step today and fill out our free estimate form or call (631) 287-9020 if you’re in the Southampton area, call (631) 324-9020 if you’re in the East Hampton area, or call (631) 298-0500 if you’re in the Southold area.

What to Know About Carpet Beetles

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carpet beetlesScientists occasionally decide there is no need to get creative when naming a new species. When they named carpet beetles, it was one of those times. Carpet beetles are precisely that, beetles that feed on wool carpets. If the scientists had been specific, they might have been named “wool carpet, fur, animal product beetles that sometimes also feed on plant materials.” [Read more…]

Squirrels and Your Attic – How to Handle Unexpected Guests

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squirrelsMany people enjoy watching squirrels jumping and romping through trees or eating acorns while perched on a picnic table or back porch. Squirrels are undoubtedly cute little creatures… when they’re outside where they belong. But when the weather turns cold, and they are searching for a warm winter home, squirrels become a genuine threat to your home.

We strive to make our homes as safe and comfortable as possible for ourselves and our families. But are we unintentionally making them comfortable for uninvited bushy-tailed guests as well? Learn about the potentially costly and widespread damage that these furry creatures can cause and why you should call an expert pest control company at the first sign of them.

Squirrels 101

  1. Do Squirrels Make Nests in Houses?

    2. Squirrels like comfort and safety, often nesting in houses and outbuildings. They are determined and persistent and will enter through any small opening they find.

  2. Where Do Squirrels Nest in a Houses?

    3. Squirrels will nest almost anywhere they have access to a comfortable, dark spot in your house. Squirrel nests can be found in attics, walls, chimneys, and garages.

  3. Why Are Squirrels in My Attic?

    4. Squirrels gain attic access by climbing downspouts, trellises, vines, and nearby trees. If they don’t find a convenient opening, they may chew through roofs, siding, walls, and insulation to create an entry point.

  4. What Time of Year Do Squirrels Build Nests?

    5. Squirrels can find their way into your attic any time of year, but it is most common right before female squirrels birth a litter. Squirrels usually give birth around February and again in August. Climate is a factor as well. When your attic is too hot in the summer, they will leave, and when the weather is cooler, they return.

  5. How Long Can a Squirrel Live in an Attic?

    6. If a squirrel can come and go from your attic freely, they will stay until their young until they are old enough to fend for themselves, which is about two months. If you discover you have attic squirrels, don’t seal up entry points while the mother forages outside during the day. Her young will not survive without her, and you will create a new set of problems.

  6. Will Squirrels Damage My Attic?

    7. Squirrels can be very destructive in an attic. They chew on wiring, pipes, insulation, and your stored personal items. The longer they are there, the more damage they will do. They’ll even chew through walls to create new entry points.

  7. Why Do Squirrels Chew Electrical Wires?

    8. Like other rodents, squirrels constantly need to sharpen their teeth, and electrical wires are one of the primary materials they chew to accomplish this task.

  8. Can Squirrels Cause House Fires?

    9. It is estimated that around 12 percent of residential electrical fires begin in the attic. Many of these incidents are attributed to squirrels or other rodents chewing on wires.

    Fire isn’t the only problem squirrels can cause. They’re also responsible for service interruptions, as well as electrical shocks and electrocution when a human goes into the attic and touches a damaged line. Have an electrician inspect your wiring if you suspect a squirrel infestation in your attic or walls.

  9. How Can I Get Squirrels Out of My Attic?

    10. The best way to get rid of squirrels in your attic is to find and close up entry points while they’re out foraging during the day. If you’ve done all you can to prevent squirrels from nesting in your attic or walls, and it hasn’t worked, it’s time to seek the services of a qualified professional to trap and remove them, especially during the months when baby squirrels are present.

Call at the First Sign of Squirrels

Twin Forks Pest Control® has been eliminating pests, including squirrels, for more than 20 years. Our trained wildlife experts will rid your property of unwanted pests, and we offer year-round protection plans so that your home stays pest-free. At the first sign of problems, contact us for a free estimate by calling (631) 287-9020 if you’re in the Southampton region, (631) 324-9020 if you’re in or around Easthampton, or (631) 298-0500 if you’re in or around Southold. We look forward to hearing from you.

Twin Forks Pest Control®