Mobile Pest Control

Most Common Pests in Mobile, AL 

Whether you have an active pest infestation or are looking to prevent pests in the future, your Terminix pest control team in Mobile has proven solutions that'll help keep your home and/or business protected year-round.

Take a moment to discover which insects, rodents, and wildlife are commonly found in Mobile, Alabama. Understanding the types of pests that are common in your area can help with your pest prevention efforts and in finding the right pest control provider.

Common pests in Mobile, Alabama include:

Termites

Subterranean termites are the most destructive type of termite in the U.S. Due to the rainfall in the Mobile area, the characteristically moist soil found on residential and commercial properties provides the perfect environment for subterranean termite colonies. This wood-destroying pest lives underground, builds mud tubes along the foundation and walls of buildings, and can have millions of members in a colony. Wood mulch and landscaping that come in contact with the outside foundations of structures offer the ideal environment for the termite colonies to thrive. Other areas of concern are exterior cracks or gaps that offer an easy access points. Once inside, termites can infest wood flooring, window frames, and even certain structural elements as the colony grows and feeds.

Termite swarming season in Mobile typically occurs from March through June. This is when reproductive termites fly away from their colony to start a new colony. Once they've located a suitable mate, they'll shed their wings. Shed wings often indicate that there is a termite issue in the immediate area or nearby.

Cockroaches

German, American, Oriental, and smoky brown cockroaches are the most abundant in Mobile homes and businesses. Regardless of the species, it can be a surprise when you find them crawling under your sink, in your bathroom, or dashing across your path when you turn on the lights. Cockroaches can thrive in homes with moisture problems, unsealed food containers, or fallen crumbs. Even clean homes can attract cockroaches if there are moisture issues such as bathrooms without proper ventilation, leaky faucets, and dripping air conditioner units.

Mice

As a homeowner, the last things you want to find in your home are mouse droppings. Unfortunately, house mice infestations can be a reality for Mobile residents. Connected units and standalone homes are prone to mouse infestations year-round. Whether your house has a crawlspace or is built on a slab, mice can easily sneak their way indoors through small gaps and openings around the exterior of your home. Once indoors, mice can chew through food packaging and even cause electrical issues if they chew through wiring. As mice move about your home at night, they may leave droppings or urine spots. Because mice are nocturnal and travel along walls, it's not very likely that you'll see one crossing your path, but the evidence they leave behind is a sure sign that you may have a rodent infestation.

Rats

There are two types of rats that are a common issue for home and business owners in Mobile – the roof rat and the Norway rat. Roof rats, as their name suggests, are skilled climbers, making their nests in higher areas like attics. You could have roof rats living in your attic and not even know it. The Norway rat lives in urban areas, essentially where people live, and prefers to nest in burrows underground, or in sewers. Both are omnivores and will eat just about anything, but prefer nuts, seeds, and berries. If you have bird feeders on your property, you may be attracting rats. Call a Terminix pest control professional for help with rodent issues.

Silverfish

Silverfish are small, silver-gray, fish-shaped pests that live in high humidity environments. Without the help of sufficient pest control in your home, silverfish may infest. Silverfish have long, flat bodies allowing them to easily slip through cracks on the exterior of your home and travel throughout your house unnoticed. Bathrooms, attics, garages, sunrooms, and entryways are especially vulnerable to silverfish activity. Silverfish feed on foods with carbohydrates and proteins including paper, small insects, and wall-paper paste in addition to other things commonly found around homes such as cereal and clothing.

House Ants

No matter where you live in the Mobile area, you have probably had to contend with ants at one point. House ants are attracted to food and water, both of which can be found in and around your residence. House ant colonies live outdoors, sending scout ants to find nourishment. Once a scout ant finds a leak under your bathroom sink or crumbs on the kitchen counter, they will signal the other workers of the colony to follow. That's when you may see hundreds of small ants in your kitchen or bathroom. Keeping food in airtight containers, repairing any leaking appliances and getting regularly scheduled pest control service can help keep ant problems at bay.

Clothes Moths

Clothes moths are small moths that damage wool, carpets, upholstered furniture, clothing, and rugs. If you open your closet one day only to find holes in your favorite sweater, you may have a clothes moth infestation. They are not a health threat, but they are still bothersome because of how destructive they can be to garments, rugs, or anything made of animal fibers such as wool, fur, silk, feathers, felt, and leather. If you suspect you have clothes moths in your home, contact your local Terminix branch in Mobile.

Spiders

There are several types of spiders that plague homeowners in Mobile. Wolf spiders, jumping spiders, and cellar spiders are among the nuisance group and are some of the more likely types of spiders you'll encounter in the Mobile area. Most spiders will hide in areas of your home with the least amount of foot traffic and air flow. This may include the corners of rooms, your garage, cabinets, closets, and attics. Can't stand the thought of creepy spiders in your home? Get year-round protection with Terminix's pest control plan.

Fleas

These incredibly small pests can plague Mobile pet owners. Even homes without pets can still experience flea activity, especially if flea-infested wildlife live nearby. Fleas thrive in temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In order to reproduce, they rely on blood meals and will feed on animals and humans to ensure their survival. When bitten, humans and animals can have an allergic reaction resulting in itchy welts. Additionally, fleas may carry disease-causing pathogens, potentially putting your health and the health of your pets at risk. Professional flea control will significantly reduce the chance of flea infestations in your home.

Ticks

Ticks can be found in all 50 states, Alabama included. However, different types of ticks live in different areas and may carry different disease-causing pathogens. The most common ticks in Mobile are the Lone star tick (water tick), deer tick (black-legged tick), and American dog tick (wood tick). Ticks require blood-meals to reproduce and grow and will readily feed on animals and humans. If a tick feeds on a person or animal with a blood-borne infection, they can pass on the bacteria or parasite to the next host. They typically live in areas with tall grass or dense vegetation, giving them an advantage when it comes to latching onto a passing-by host. Keeping the vegetation around your home trimmed back and implementing a preventative tick control program can keep ticks away from your home and help keep your family and pets safe from these blood-sucking, pathogen-carrying pests.

Mosquitoes

Due to year-round mild temperatures and high humidity, Mobile is a prime breeding ground for several species of mosquitoes, many of which have the potential to transmit disease-causing pathogens to humans and pets when they bite. Protect yourself, your family, and your pets from mosquitoes by hiring a mosquito control professional before the height of mosquito season. Regular preventative mosquito treatments will reduce overall mosquito populations in your yard and help keep them from coming back. And, treatments continue to work, deterring any new visitors that may drop by after it's been applied. You can also help reduce populations around your property by eliminating areas with standing water, removing dead/rotting trees, and keeping vegetation trimmed back.

Earwigs

Earwigs can typically be found living in garden soil, under rocks, in mulch, decaying organic matter, and within moisture-rich areas. The high humidity in the Mobile area creates a perfect environment for earwig activity. Earwigs typically use their pincers (forceps) for defense against various predators and sparingly with other earwigs. Depending on the species of the earwig, pincers can be used for catching prey or mating rituals. Even though the pincers on earwigs aren't dangerous to humans, if they happen to pinch your finger, it may be unpleasant.

Paper Wasps

Paper wasp nests may be spotted before you notice any activity. Paper wasps scrape wood shavings off decks, picnic tables, wooden patio tables and chairs, and other wood around your property, turning it into a paste when mixed with their saliva. This mixture is used to construct their nest. Most paper wasp nests are light gray, but they can be different hues based on the color of wood they've harvested. Although paper wasps are not aggressive in nature, they can sting if provoked. When treating stinging insect nests, it's best to call a pest control professional who can safely remove the nest.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are small parasitic pests that can be found in homes and businesses in Mobile, Alabama and throughout the country. Unlike most household pests, bed bugs do not live outside. They exclusively live indoors where there is climate control and a live host. Bed bugs prefer to hide in tight spaces such as mattress seams, bed frames, upholstered furniture, dresser drawers, and even behind light socket covers and artwork. If you find bites on your skin or notice small, dark, reddish-brown stains marks on your bed sheets, bed bugs could be the culprit. If you suspect that there are bed bugs in your home, call your Mobile Terminix branch for a free inspection right away. Bed bugs can multiply quickly and move to different areas of your home, making them more difficult to eradicate.

Wildlife

Raccoons, skunks, opossums, and squirrels can quickly take shelter in and around your home. In Mobile, wildlife pests such as these will commonly live under decks and porches, and in sheds, attics, wood piles, rotted out trees, and abandoned structures. When wildlife lives nearby, your home is at a higher risk for being invaded, which can create a number of problems. You may see signs of damage to the exterior of your home from where these pests gnawed or clawed their way into an area of your home. Call your local Mobile Terminix team to help deter wild animals from invading your home.