Baltimore is home to some of the most challenging pests to manage. These include rodents, birds, and stinging insects.
Here, you’ll learn:
- Which pests are the hardest to get rid of in Baltimore
- How to identify rodents, pest birds, and crawling bugs
- The differences between certain pest types
- Which ones pose a health threat to you and your family
#5. Rats
There are two types of rats you’ll find in Baltimore, the roof rat and the Norway rat.
Roof Rats
The roof rat climbs trees and buildings to escape predators, and during the winter months, it squeezes into openings to access attics and roof spaces. That’s why it’s such a troublesome pest.
In addition, it leaves waste products such as feces and urine trails that are a challenge to eliminate from wood and other surface materials.
Norway Rats
Unlike roof rats, Norway rats nest underground in burrows and surfaces to find food and water. They also enter buildings but prefer to stay in basements and first-floor locations.
#4. Spiders
Brown Recluse
The brown recluse spider is also called the violin spider due to the distinctive shape on the back of its neck that resembles a violin.
It’s also notorious for being a solitary creature containing a highly toxic venom that may cause necrosis of the skin when biting humans. However, that rarely happens in most cases, and the effects of the toxin are easily treated with antibiotics.
Black Widow
In certain studies, black widow females were observed attacking and eating the male after mating. However, scientists have since proven that this rarely happens outside of captivity.
What’s not in dispute is the potency of the black widow’s neurotoxin. It can cause severe pain, vomiting, difficulty breathing, and sometimes death, in rare cases.
Wolf Spider
Although the wolf spider is one of the ugliest arachnids you will find in Baltimore, it’s completely harmless to humans. But it’s still a creepy thing to have crawling on you during the night, so it’s nice to know that it’s one of the common pests most exterminators guarantee in their contracts.
#3. Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are tiny insects that feed on the blood of humans and some animals. They’re mostly active at night and bite people while they’re sleeping.
Bed bugs are a huge menace for hospitality businesses such as hotels. Not only that, they can invade almost any space, including hospital rooms and schools. That’s because they are carried from one infested location to another via luggage, clothing bags, and used furniture items.
#2. Ants
Ants are one of the hardest pests to eliminate in Baltimore, and there are three major kinds: carpenter ants, Argentine ants, and pavement ants.
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are second only to termites in the destruction they cause to homes and other wood structures. That’s because they construct large galleries in wooden posts, joists, and foundation beams.
Scientists consider ants both predators and scavengers. While they are beneficial to the environment by eliminating decaying wood in forests, they are also responsible for millions of dollars worth of damage each year in the U.S.
Argentine Ants
Argentine ants are an invasive species from South America. They are one of the few types of ants that display cooperation between rival colonies.
This interspecies goodwill is probably why Argentine ants are so prolific and extremely challenging to control for both homeowners and businesses.
Pavement Ants
Pavement ants come from a subfamily of over 520 species. You can find them emerging from their underground colonies through cracks in driveways, sidewalks, and paved roads.
The best way to eliminate them from your home is with granular insecticides. However, it still can be a challenge since the pavement ant can split its colonies several times during just one season.
#1. Honey Bees
The number one most challenging pest to get rid of in Baltimore is the honey bee. That’s because the climate conditions in the spring and summer are ideal for this stinging insect.
Although honey bees are beneficial for the environment by being essential pollinators, they become pests when they construct huge hives at inconvenient locations around human-made structures.