These 6 pests may be destroying your Ohio home and yard this spring. Here’s how to fight them

Your home and yard may be the unwitting home to a handful of species of very destructive critters. Apex Pest Control, says these invasive pests could be destroying your home, inside and out.

Fire ants

• Build larges mounded colonies in yards
• Can make parts of the yard unusable
• Can inflict multiple, painful stings in seconds

Carpenter ants

• Excavate galleries inside wet or decaying wood around windows, decks, fascia and roofs
• Weakens structures over time
• Can signal hidden rot and future structural issues.

Prevention

• Store all food (including pet food) in sealed containers.
• Wipe up crumbs, grease and sugary spills promptly.
• Rinse recyclables and keep trash cans clean with tight‑fitting lids.
• Seal gaps around doors, windows and utility penetrations with caulk and weatherstripping.
• Trim shrubs and tree limbs so they don’t touch the house.
• Move firewood and debris away from the structure.

Treatment

• Indoors: Use ant baits (gel, liquid or stations) and let ants carry the bait back to the colony.
• Outdoors: Use granular baits and, for fire ants, targeted mound treatments.
• Avoid random contact sprays on trails; they kill foragers but can split the colony and make the problem worse.

Termites

• Chew through wood, drywall and other cellulose
• Can undermine floors, walls and support beams
• Cause painful bites
• Fleas activated with body heat during sleep.

Prevention

• Keep wood and mulch 12-18 inches away from the foundation.
• Fix leaks, poor drainage and standing water around the house.
• Dry out crawlspaces and basements.
• Seal foundation cracks and gaps around utility lines.
• Schedule regular termite inspections.

Treatment

• Use termite bait stations around the perimeter and check them on schedule; replace bait as directed.
• For entry points in soil, apply a labeled nonrepellent termiticide trench treatment if you’re comfortable following directions exactly.
• If you see widespread mud tubes, soft or hollow‑sounding wood or swarmers indoors, that’s a “call a pro now” situation rather than DIY.

Cockroaches

• Destroy household items like papers, fabrics and glue
• Affect electronics by nesting inside devices
• Fecal matter can stain and cause surface damage.

Prevention

• Deep‑clean kitchen and bathrooms, including under and behind appliances.
• Fix plumbing leaks and reduce humidity with exhaust fans or dehumidifiers.
• Reduce cardboard and clutter, especially in pantries, closets and garages.
• Seal gaps around pipes, baseboards and under exterior doors.

Treatment

• Start with roach gel baits or bait stations in cracks, corners, behind appliances and under sinks.
• Use insect growth regulators (IGRs) alongside baits to disrupt breeding.
• Apply dusts like boric acid or diatomaceous earth in wall voids and inaccessible cracks (light, even layer, not piles).
• Reserve sprays for targeted crack‑and‑crevice work; avoid broad “bombs” or foggers, which often drive roaches deeper into walls

Wood‑destroying beetles (e.g., powderpost beetles)

• Infest structural lumber, hardwood floors, furniture and trim
• Can steadily hollow out wood over years
• Generate a fine powder called frass and tiny exit holes.

Prevention

• Use properly kiln‑dried lumber and avoid bringing in damp, unfinished wood or reclaimed boards without inspection.
• Keep crawlspaces, basements and garages dry with good ventilation and dehumidifiers; fix leaks and condensation quickly.
• Seal and finish exposed wood (varnish, polyurethane, paint) so beetles can’t easily lay eggs in pores and cracks.
• Inspect antique or secondhand furniture, trim and beams for tiny round exit holes and fine, talc‑like frass before bringing them inside.

Treatment

• Remove and replace isolated, heavily infested boards or trim when possible.
• Apply a borate‑based wood treatment to raw or stripped wood so it can soak in.
• Reduce wood moisture with sustained drying.
• Fumigation or restricted‑use insecticides are typically needed, which means calling a licensed operator rather than DIY.

Rodents (rats and mice)

• Gnaw wiring, insulation and stored items
• Raise fire risk
• Can cause expensive repairs in attics, crawlspaces and garages.

Prevention

• Seal exterior openings larger than a pencil with steel wool plus caulk or metal flashing.
• Install door sweeps on exterior doors and be sure garage doors close tightly.
• Store food, bird seed and pet food in metal or thick plastic containers.
• Declutter garages, attics and sheds; keep vegetation trimmed back from the house.

Treatment

• Use snap traps or covered multi-catch traps along walls, behind appliances and in dark travel routes.
• Prebait with food (no set) for a night or two, then set the traps after they’re comfortable feeding.
• Avoid loose rodenticide baits indoors; if you use them in outbuildings or outside, keep them in tamper‑resistant stations and strictly follow the label.
• After control, clean droppings with gloves, mask and a disinfectant (no dry sweeping).

White grubs

• Feed on turf roots or blades
• Can turn large sections of lawn brown or bare in a matter of days to weeks
• Cause erosion, mud and higher costs to re-sod or re‑seed.

Prevention

• Keep turf healthy with proper mowing height, deep but infrequent watering and balanced fertilization.
• Dethatch and aerate periodically.
• Time preventive grub products (those labeled with active ingredients like imidacloprid or chlorantraniliprole) for early–mid summer.
• Irrigate with about a half‑inch to an inch of water right after applying a preventive product so it moves into the root zone.

Treatment

• Cut and peel back a square of turf and count them in the top few inches of soil; don’t treat on guesswork.
• For spongy turf that lifts like a carpet, use a curative grub product labeled for late‑stage larvae (often carbaryl or trichlorfon) and water it in thoroughly.
• Spot‑treat the worst areas rather than blanketing the whole lawn if damage is localized.
• Consider beneficial nematodes or grub‑targeting microbial products.

Have any tricks or tips for people battling pests in their home and yard? Email me at srose@ledger-enquirer.com or find me on social media.

This story was originally published March 25, 2026 at 6:00 AM with the headline "These 6 pests may be destroying your Ohio home and yard this spring. Here’s how to fight them."