HOUSTON — If you feel like you've been sharing your home with creepy crawlers these days, know that you're not alone.
Experts said the drought and unbearable heat are driving bugs to find refuge inside our homes.
"The drought and the heat have definitely made these bugs want to come indoors, seek refuge from the heat, and look for a water source," said Elissa Thingpen, co-owner of It's Bugs or Us.
Thingpen said she's seen an uptick in calls for ants, roaches and even scorpions, which isn't common for the Houston area.
"The Houston climate has its threshold for what the bugs want to live in, and we've exceeded their threshold as well," she said. "They don't want to be outside any more than we do."
Experts say bugs usually find their way inside homes through any gaps or openings.
To keep the critters out, Thingpen recommends:
- Cleaning up the exterior of your home
- Keeping up with lawn maintenance, like trimming hedges and bushes
- Keeping trash cans away from the perimeter of your home
If you already have an infestation, it's time to call the experts.
"Treating correctly is important, and without expertise and knowledge, sometimes homeowners make the problem worse by trying to DIY the problem," Thingpen said.
Experts say the best solution is prevention. They recommend treating your home every 60 to 90 days.
"If you do preventive, regular maintenance, the pesticides are outside and they keep the pests outside, and then you don't have to worry about it," Thingpen said.
But a bit of good news, experts say one bug you don't have to worry too much about is the mosquito. The heat and dry weather are keeping that population off the map.