Armed Against Crawling And Flying Foes

At any given moment, there are 200 million insects to every one human, planet-wide, experts say

As the East End crosses into bug season, owners of three local extermination companies—Hampton Pest Control in Quogue, Nardy Pest Control in Southampton and Mosquito Squad in Sag Harbor—dished out advice on coexisting with, and preventing, backyard crawlers and fliers.

“What we do is try to control the situation, there’s no way to eradicate it,” said Joseph Cardaci, who owns Hampton Pest Control with his wife, Lynne.

“They outnumber us, and they’re going to outlive all of us,” Ms. Cardaci added. “There’s a reason that insects were the first out of evolution and they’ll be the last.”

When it comes to attracting insects, water is any homeowner’s enemy, the couple explained.

“All of the rain we’re having is going to create even bigger ant and mosquito problems,” Ms. Cardaci said. “The ground gets flooded and the moisture forces them out of their hiding places. That’s why you might see a huge influx of ants after we’ve had a ton of rain.”

While there are an estimated 20,000 different ant species in the world, East Enders may be most familiar with common household ants and carpenter ants, which are infamously known for their 1/4-inch- to 1/2-inch-long black bodies.

The trick to keeping household ants at bay is cleanliness, the Cardacis said. Don’t leave unwashed plates or food in the kitchen sink. Be careful not to spill sugar when adding it to a cup of coffee. And shut the dishwasher door.

“When people don’t close it, the ants just walk inside,” Mr. Cardaci said. “People say, ‘Oh no, they’re living in my dishwasher.’ Unless they have scuba equipment, they’re not living in it. They’re getting in there because the door isn’t sealed and there’s food particles left in there.”

The same rules apply for carpenter ants, except they have an even keener nose for moisture.

“They don’t eat wood, they tunnel through it so the females can lay their eggs,” Mr. Cardaci said. “So wherever you have wet wood in your house, the carpenter ants will find it. Trust me.”

Now is the time to check for risky wet areas and leaks, said Ms. Cardaci, who also warned against landscaping dirt or mulch flush to a house.

Once the ants are inside, treatment is a must, she said.

There are many different methods—sprays, gels, grain bait and traps, to name a few—that will repel or exterminate any pest. When it comes to ants, Mr. Cardaci recommends a pesticide to kill them off. Depending on the size of the house, a treatment can cost anywhere from $95 to $300, he said.

“What we try to do is make a chemical moat around your house,” he said of the treatment, which covers the interior and exterior of the property.

Botanical sprays—some of them made with rosemary, peppermint and wintergreen—can be a green option, but are often not as effective as the standardized products, said Bob Nardy, owner of Nardy Pest Control.

“You need to try to locate the nest, which for carpenter ants, may be a tree stump or under a deck,” he said. “If you can locate the nest, you can get a direct hit upon them, chemically. If not, treat any area they travel. They’re looking for food and moisture, so they’ll travel toward the house, away from the house, through the bathroom and kitchen. Treat with a residual product. They’ll absorb the chemical and die.”

After a treatment, which can cost from $150 to $200, Mr. Nardy said, he recommends steering clear of the home until the product dries. Depending on rainfall and sunlight, an exterior treatment can last up to four weeks and an interior pesticide will break down in about three months.

The chemical product affects crawling insects like ants, crickets, spiders, earwigs and ground beetles, he said. Ticks, mosquitoes and bees are an entirely different game.

Ticks and mosquitoes are attracted to any warm-blooded host, Mr. Nardy explained, and they do not jump. They latch on.

“They will climb up on a stalk of grass, reach out their little legs and attach to a passing animal or person,” Mr. Nardy said. “Then they’ll feed, have a blood meal and drop off.”

Mosquito Squad owner Barbara Frerichs said that she has noticed a significant uptick in the bloodsuckers’ numbers. She said there are three approaches to fight against them: be diligent and pick them off; spray an all-natural product on the lawn, trees and shrubs; or spray a synthetic product.

“Personally at my house, I do all three,” said Ms. Frerichs, who started up her company last year after recovering from a serious bout of Lyme disease. “I’d rather spray my shrubs than spray my kids.”

To fend off ticks, which can pass on a whole host of illnesses, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia, wear bright-colored clothing and insect repellent. Try to stay out of wooded areas and keep lawns cut short, she added.

Mosquitoes, on the other hand, flock to water to lay their eggs, said Ms. Frerichs, who recommended tipping and turning over any container with standing water. And get rid of old tires—they are mosquito breeding grounds. Store tarps in a dry location and treat property accordingly.

Mr. Cardaci shared some of his inside knowledge on the wiliness of mosquitoes.

“It’s the female mosquito that bites you. It’s the male that’s in your ear, distracting you,” said Mr. Cardaci, adding, “The little bastards.”

Mosquito and tick treatments—both natural and synthetic—are usually outdoor repellents sprayed on lawns and brush, the experts said, and costs vary depending on the size of the property.

“If you go online, you can read about home remedies, like baking soda,” Mr. Cardaci said. “But what happens when the baking soda flies away? Some home remedies and store products might work, I don’t know. But when people try them and tell me about it, I ask them, ‘Then why are you calling us?’”

One home remedy is effective when it comes to bees, wasps and hornets, Mr. Cardaci said. If a nest is hanging from a tree branch, attack during dusk or dawn and scoop it up with a plastic bag, tie it off and cut down the limb.

“If you do it during the day, they’re going to call in reenforcements and they’ll be coming for you,” Mr. Cardaci warned.

Bug season tends to drop off in October around Columbus Day, the experts agreed. They recommended treatments right on through the autumn months.

As for the type of treatment approach, Ms. Frerichs is an advocate for green solutions, though she did add a caveat.

“If you can use all-natural in your area and it works, then I would go with that,” Ms. Frerichs said. “But even all-natural is something that you’re bringing into the environment that doesn’t normally belong there. You have to be as conservative as you possibly can while still being effective.”