Best practices for staying bug free in high heat

SCHENECTADY, N.Y (NEWS10) -- Consistently high temperatures this week in Upstate New York are bringing out more bugs. Whether it's ticks, bees, ants or mosquitoes, insects are more likely to come out during hot days.

Experts say knowing how to prevent them from getting into your house and how not to get bitten by them is important for long stretches of warm weather. Tim Larkin, an inspector at USX Pest Control in Albany County, has seen an uptick in the need for pest control due to the high heat. Larkin says it is peak season for insect activity.

"The warmth really drives insect pressure, especially things like wasps, hornets, your carpenter bees, and carpenter ants," he said.

Larkin was at a house on Tuesday with a carpenter bee and ant infestation on both the roof and along the bottom of the home. He says there are some indicators of an insect issue, and they can be identified by looking around the outside of your home.

"You can look along the lower portion of the home to see if there's just insect activity prevalent," he said. "It is something with warmer temperatures. They are more active. So you can visible see them crawling around on the outside of your home."

There are temporary solutions, like bug spray, that help to treat bugs that get into or around your home during warm weather. However, he says it's important to have your home inspected if you suspect you have any insect issues inside or outside of your house.

"You don't want it to become worse," he said. "So normally the first reaction is to go get bug spray and treat it with that, which can help. Again, it's a band aid approach, but being able to actually contact a professional to come out, assess the situation, and treat it appropriately so that you're not just eliminating it but also preventing these problems from coming back."

Professionals also suggest protecting yourself and your children from bugs when outside. Larkin recommends wearing long sleeves and pants that are light colored, which allow for bugs to be easily identified. Larkin said cleaning up and raking your lawn will help remove any debris or vegetation on your property that may house ticks or insects that bite. This will aid in keeping your home less susceptible to bug infestations.

"We are going into peak tick season and also mosquito season," he said. "It has been a very moist season so far. We've had a lot of water, and with that, you're going to start seeing a very large increase in mosquito populations and also with ticks."