Bugs coming in through windows and doors

[gaskin1979]

Georgia

I have an issue with bugs coming into my apartment through the doors and the windows. The weather stripping on the doors and the siding of the windows are allowing love bugs to come in. I also have ants coming in through the crack in the bottom of the door.

I have tried to fix the problem with the ants on my own until I saw how they were entering in.

My lease says that all extermination is to be paid for by the tenants.

I called my landlord and she said that the community organization is to provide extermination around the property. I told her I needed it in inside now that they have come in.

She explained that she has the problem with the love bugs. She told me to put tape around the doors to keep them out until the season is up.

She said she would get back to me on the ant problem because she was not able to afford the extermination right now. She would call the community organization to see if they provided it.

I asked her to send someone to look at the doors also to replace the weather stripping.

What are my options? I have 6mths left in my lease.What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

 

[seniorjudge]

Q: What are my options?

A: Go to Wal-Mart and buy some bug killer.

 

[Gail in Georgia]

Yep.

Your lease says you (the tenant) are responsible for paying for the extermination. Contact a professional exterminator or do what most folks do; handle it yourself.

Bugs (especially those lovely Palmetto bugs which my midwest mother first thought were mice when she came down to visit) are pretty common in Georgia where the weather never gets cold enough to knock them down. Sometimes I swear they can squeeze through walls.

Gail

 

[BL]

Search the internet for pest control .

Lady bugs are harmless , better than you having roaches .

Ants , there are remidies you can do yourself .

 

[gaskin1979]

Q: What are my options?

A: Go to Wal-Mart and buy some bug killer.

Thank you so much smart butts but I did that weeks ago. An Amazing question I have for you...

If the ANTS are coming in from under the door, where the weather stripping is supposed to meet the ground, what is my Wal-Mart items going to do?
I can kill them but they will keep coming in.

They are not liable for the open area that allows them to come in?

 

[gaskin1979]

Yep.

Your lease says you (the tenant) are responsible for paying for the extermination. Contact a professional exterminator or do what most folks do; handle it yourself.

Bugs (especially those lovely Palmetto bugs which my midwest mother first thought were mice when she came down to visit) are pretty common in Georgia where the weather never gets cold enough to knock them down. Sometimes I swear they can squeeze through walls.

Gail

I had to tape up my back door and all the windows. Should I have to do that in a place I am renting for? I am no longer able to use my patio area or open my windows. I can't tape the bottom of the front door for obvious reasons.

My neighboors don't have this problem so my thought is it is something wrong with my apartment, right?

The answer is tape up everything, live with the ants, and pay rent while still being happy.
Thanks for the winning advice!

 

[gaskin1979]

Search the internet for pest control .

Lady bugs are harmless , better than you having roaches .

Ants , there are remidies you can do yourself .

I didn't say anything about LADY BUGS! I know about the remedies for ANTS. How can you stop them if they have open access to the house?

Spray and traps don't stand a chance if they can come in anytime they want in the multitudes they travel in.

 

[HomeGuru]

Thank you so much smart butts but I did that weeks ago. An Amazing question I have for you...

If the ANTS are coming in from under the door, where the weather stripping is supposed to meet the ground, what is my Wal-Mart items going to do?
I can kill them but they will keep coming in.

They are not liable for the open area that allows them to come in?

**A: you have to get to the colony. There are many products on the market. Search the internet, go to your nearest home and garden supply house, post your question at DIY Home Improvement Information | DoItYourself.com


signed,

Adam Ant

 

[Zigner]

Thank you so much smart butts but I did that weeks ago. An Amazing question I have for you...

If the ANTS are coming in from under the door, where the weather stripping is supposed to meet the ground, what is my Wal-Mart items going to do?
I can kill them but they will keep coming in.

They are not liable for the open area that allows them to come in?

Smart butt...I like that

Anyway - you DO realize that weatherstripping won't keep the ants out either, right? Perhaps your LL should just caulk up the door and ANY opening what-so-ever in the house...

 

[noisefrazzle]

The ladybugs are probably invasive Japanese lady beetles. I get them swarming my house every late summer/early fall. They are nearly impossible to get rid of en masse, and I've even had a number of extermination companies tell me they can't get rid of them. And yes, I know they are good, but not when I have hundreds covering my bedroom ceiling!! Couple of things you (or the LL) can try.

- caulk and tape windows and cracks in window trim. The buggers can get in small spaces so be diligent.

- get a product called Bug Stop. It won't eradicate the problem but you can spray it along the windows and doors and the ones that are there will be gone within minutes. You can also spray the whole room but you have to leave for awhile then.

- try a product called Garlic Barrier. Apparently garlic is a natural repellant. I am trying this this year, for the first time. We shall see. On the down side you'll have to put up with your place smelling like Papa Gino's for a few minutes.

This is not an uncommon problem. Google Japanese lady beetles for other ideas.

HTH!

NF

 

[Gail in Georgia]

Ants are fairly amazing critters. They're not visiting you because they find you good looking. They're hunting for food.

When one sees a bunch of ants, they'll often notice they're traveling in a long line. What's taken place is that the first group of ants are sent out to forage for a source of food (typically something sweet).

If they find this, they return to the nest leaving a scent trail (think of this as a highway to the nearest all you can eat joint) for the others to follow to get to the food. That's why a group of ants will sometime look like they're all traveling the I-20 Highway of Bugs; all marching in one long line.

Remove the food they are after or break the scent trail (often simply by washing this area down) and they'll be back to step zero.

Gail

 

[wesawitbleed]

too many posts to read through but heres a suggestion on the ants if its not been offered.

when i had moved into a rental house we had an ant problem right away. sprays were not doing anything and they just kept coming back where we sprayed. i had talked to my brother who was an exterminator at the time and he told us an easy to do solution.

get borax powder and powdered sugar and mix it together. sprinkle it where the ants come in and where they travel to. if you can, sprinkle it outside as well. they end up taking the stuff to their colony and it kills them due to the borax(soap).

once i did that i never saw an ant inside again.