Heavy rains cause bug problems across Wichita area

Job after job, it's a busy time of year for pest-control professionals like Jordan Randall with Patton Termite and Pest Control.

"It's crazy right now," she says. "We are booked up from about seven in the morning doing mosquito work to about five, six at night. It's full blown."

With more rain comes more pests indoors as they kind of get flooded out of their natural environment and look for shelter, Randall explains.

Recent heavy rains caused thousands of ants to invade Mike Carpenter's shed in Newton. He says the situation was even worse in-person than on the video he captured, showing the insects covering much of the structure's interior.

Randall says one of the most important things you can do to keep bugs out of your home is to avoid having any moisture around your house. She says even the mulch in the garden around your home can trap a lot of moisture, and attract insects.

"Trying to seal up holes in the house, maybe where pipes are coming in. If there's a big hole around the piping, you want to seal that up so insects can't get in there, even rodents," she says. "And just trying to keep any type of food source away. If they don't have an available food source, they're going to keep moving on and scavenging somewhere else."

Randall says those food sources could include leaves or any organic decaying matter, sweets, grease, or protein-based foods that attract bugs.

Whether it's ants, spiders or mosquitoes, she says the best way to keep insects out is prevention and maintenance.

"It's a lot easier for us to come out and control them instead of waiting until you have thousands of ants in your kitchen, and we're trying to cut back the population," Randall says.

If you notice an insect problem in your home from the recent rain, Randall says you should try to remove any moisture or food source on you own, then call in a specialist.