While the Outer Banks is the ideal attractive vacation destination, its warm and humid climate and bodies of water can also make for an attractive environment for pests. With water surrounding both sides of the island, pests such as palmetto bugs, spiders, flies, mosquitoes, midges, and ants can be prevalent around your vacation rental home, as they commonly seek out food, sources of water, and cooler temperatures.
While many of our homes participate in pest control plans, these pests can still make their way inside of your home. In order to reduce the presence of these pests, we offer the following suggestions:
- Turn off all unnecessary lights. Lights located under the carport, around the pool, decks, home exterior, etc. are the most common attractors to flying insects
- Make sure all windows, entry doors and sliding doors are closed
- Clear away all trash frequently and make sure no food is left out on countertops
- Empty any containers or buckets with standing water. These sources of water can be breeding grounds for these pesky flying insects.
Common Types of Pests
Midges. Aka “fuzzy bills”, aka “no see-ums.”
While midges resemble mosquitoes, they are not mosquitoes. They are quite common in coastal areas and they do not bite nor carry diseases. Midges tend to gather in very large, dense masses on the sides of homes, decks, vegetation and carports, and they are highly attracted to light. In order to reduce the presence of these annoyances, turn off all unnecessary lights (especially exterior lights) and make sure all doors and windows are closed. Pest control of midges has been deemed ineffective by local pest control companies due to the nature of a midge's habitat and life cycle.
Palmetto Bugs (aka “waterbugs”) vs. Cockroaches
Palmetto Bugs are a type of roach that naturally live outside, prefer warm, damp areas, and are often drawn to woodpiles and mulch. Often, humidity and rain can drive them indoors. Palmetto bugs are usually found in areas close in proximity to the exterior of the home rather than areas such as the kitchen. These pesky insects can even fly (sort of) and are drawn to light.
