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Be aware of secondary pest infestations and their unintended consequences

Dr. Michael Bentley, BCE explains why it’s important to understand the cause of an infestation before resolving the pest issue at hand.

By Dr. Michael Bentley, BCE
Published on
IMAGE: HENRIK5000/E+/GETTY IMAGES
IMAGE: HENRIK5000/E+/GETTY IMAGES

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IMAGE: HENRIK5000/E+/GETTY IMAGES
IMAGE: HENRIK5000/E+/GETTY IMAGES

Understanding the cause of an infestation is an important step in resolving the pest issue at hand, as well as knowing what preventive measures to take to avoid similar issues in the future. While we often look to structural defects, humans or environmental factors as potential sources of the infestation, sometimes the pests themselves create conducive conditions that invite a secondary infestation.

Here are three examples of secondary pest infestations:

  1. Vertebrate pests such as mice, rats and squirrels often will create food caches to survive the winter months when other resources are scarce. These seeds, nuts, pet food and other items can attract hungry insects and mammals looking for an easy meal.
  2. Abandoned bee and wasp nests can serve as an attractive food source for several different insects. If nests or hives aren’t properly removed, any brood and honey left behind will attract ants, flies, mites, beetles and other arthropods as the material starts to break down. Even the wax from honeybee comb is a food source for some moth species.
  3. In late fall, overwintering insects such as the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) or the harlequin beetle (Harmonia axyridis) invade attics and wall voids in large numbers, searching for protection from the harsh winter temperatures. The inevitable buildup of dead adult insects can attract numerous different species of dermestid beetles that may enter the living space of a structure in search of more food when they’ve depleted the original stores of insects.

In addition to the examples above, many vertebrate pests can introduce parasites such as ticks, mites, bat bugs and fleas that can represent a public health concern to you and your clients.

The commonality across these examples is the development of a food source after the initial problem was resolved. Completing each service with a thorough inspection to locate and address any possible food sources is a good way to avoid running into secondary pest infestations in the future

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