Control for the insects that overwinter in homes, with a focus on screens, vents and the warm exterior walls where they gather.
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Fall invader control in Bismarck, ND targets the insects that move indoors as temperatures cool: picture-winged flies, boxelder bugs and multicolored Asian lady beetles. They are a nuisance rather than a danger, and the most useful work is sealing and screening. Bismarck Pest Control sends a local technician to inspect and seal the entry points.
Every autumn, a particular group of insects starts to look for a warm place to spend the winter, and a house is an obvious choice. North Dakota State University Extension names three of them as the main fall home invaders: the picture-winged fly, which is often called the attic fly, boxelder bugs, and multicolored Asian lady beetles. They do not sting, they do not destroy furniture or clothing, and they do not carry disease, but a house full of them is still hard to live with.
Fall invader control is mostly a sealing job. The insects are not drawn to a particular food in the house; they are drawn to the warm walls and the small openings that let them in. A technician looks for those openings, marks the ones that matter, and explains which can be closed with a screen, a sweep or a sealant and which need a repair from a carpenter or a window specialist.
You can call (855) 974-4733 at any hour if you have seen a build-up on a wall or a window. A same-day visit is offered when a technician is free, and the price is explained and approved on site before any work starts.
North Dakota State University Extension names the picture-winged fly, boxelder bugs and multicolored Asian lady beetles as the main fall home invaders. They overwinter in homes and favour older buildings, and they gather on warm south and west walls before moving inside.
The picture-winged fly is often found in attics and near upper windows. Boxelder bugs collect on warm exterior surfaces and can work their way through small openings. Multicolored Asian lady beetles are also found in the same places, and they can be confused with other lady beetles, which is why the technician confirms the species before the plan is written.
None of the three is a danger to a household, and none of them feeds on or destroys furniture or clothing. They do not sting and do not carry disease, according to the same extension guidance. The problem is the number of insects in the living areas and the sheer mess they can make, which is why the work is about keeping them out rather than about any hazard they pose.
The sun heats the south and west walls in the afternoon, and NDSU reports that these insects gather on warm walls as temperatures start to cool. Openings on those walls, around windows, vents and siding joints, are where the insects find their way in.
Insects that are looking for winter shelter are drawn to surfaces that hold heat. A wall that catches the afternoon sun becomes a meeting point, and the insects that gather there look for any small gap nearby. That is why a technician spends so much time on the exterior, and why the list of openings is often longest on the side of the house that faces the sun.
The same logic applies to the attic. Vents and eaves on the warm side of the building are the most likely routes into the roof space. Once inside the attic, insects can move down into wall voids and then into living space, so the attic openings are treated as part of the same job.
Use tight-fitting screens on upstairs and attic windows, and check the vent covers for gaps or damage. NDSU advises tight-fitting screens, especially on upstairs and attic windows and vents, because those openings are the ones insects most often use.
A screen that sits loose in its frame is the most common reason an upstairs window lets insects in. Check that the screen fits the frame all the way round, that the frame has no gap at the corners, and that the screen has no tears. A new screen is a cheap repair and it is often the first thing the technician recommends.
Attic vents need the same check. A vent cover with a broken louvre or a damaged mesh lets insects through, and the vent may sit in the warm part of the roof where they gather. The technician notes the vent type and the repair it needs, and the report says whether a screen, a cover or a professional roof repair is the right fix.
The number of openings to seal, the height of the windows and vents, how many rooms are affected, and whether a tradesperson is needed for a repair. The price is confirmed on site and approved before any work starts, and this page names no figure.
A small single-storey house with a few obvious gaps is a short job. A two-storey house with many upstairs windows, a high attic vent and siding joints on every wall takes more time to walk and more time to seal. Access to the eaves, a ladder requirement or a need for a lift all add to the work, and the technician explains each of those on site.
If a repair must be made by someone other than the technician, such as a window frame or a soffit, the report says so. The cost of that repair is separate and quoted by the person who does it. The technician will not fold it into the fall invader visit without showing you the figure first.
Walk the outside of the house on a sunny afternoon and note any gap you can see at a window, a vent or a siding joint. Check the screens from inside, and bag any dead insects so the technician can identify them.
Start with the warm side of the house. Look for insects collecting at the window frames, the siding joints and the corners of the eaves. Note where you see the most activity, because that is where the technician will start. A photo on your phone is useful if the insects are hard to catch.
Remove any clutter from the sills and the attic access if you can do so safely. Do not use a spray on the insects in the living areas before the visit, since it makes identification harder and does not close the openings they use.
Do not try to reach a roof edge, a soffit or a second-storey window on a ladder without a helper and proper footing. Do not cover an attic vent with an improvised screen that blocks airflow. Insects are a nuisance and not a hazard, so there is no reason to use a strong spray in the living space. A technician can handle the exterior and attic openings safely and will say when a repair needs a licensed roofer or a window contractor.
The technician confirms which species is present, because the three main fall invaders gather in similar places but respond to sealing in slightly different ways. A quick identification keeps the plan on target and stops unnecessary treatment of the wrong insect.
The outside of the house is checked first, with extra attention to the south and west walls. The technician looks at window and door frames, siding joints, soffit vents, the attic vent and any gap where a pipe or cable enters the wall, because these are the openings that matter most in the autumn.
Upstairs windows and attic access points are checked from inside. Screens that do not fit tightly are noted, and the attic is examined where it is safe to enter, since insects often collect there before moving into living space.
Each opening is listed in the report with a note on the repair it needs: a new screen, a door sweep, a sealant around a penetration, or a vent cover. The price for any sealing work is explained before it is approved, and a repair that needs a tradesperson is named as such.
Where a treatment is part of the plan, it is applied by label in the places the inspection found, not across the whole building. The written report lists what was sealed, what was treated and what is left for you to watch over the next few weeks.
The picture-winged fly, sometimes called the attic fly, is one of the three species North Dakota State University Extension names as a fall home invader. The work focuses on the upper openings, the attic vents and any gap in the roof-to-wall joint, since those are the routes into the roof space.
Boxelder bugs gather on the warm sides of a house in the autumn and can enter through small openings in siding, window frames and vents. The control approach is mostly exclusion: finding the openings they use and closing them. The technician also looks at any boxelder trees near the house, because those are where the insects start.
The multicolored Asian lady beetle is also named by NDSU as a fall invader that overwinters in homes. It can be mistaken for other lady beetles, so the identification step matters. Sealing around windows, doors and vents is the main method, and the report notes where the beetles were found so that the right openings are closed first.
Some homes have more than one fall invader at once. In that case, the technician treats the sealing as the common plan and adds notes on each species. The report keeps the sealing list separate from any treatment, so you can see which step solves which problem and which steps you can do yourself.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent fall invader control, send the form and we'll call you back.
In Bismarck the fall invaders matter because the autumn is when these insects begin looking for shelter. The technician's first questions are about the upstairs windows and the attic vent, since those are the openings NDSU's guidance points to.
Across the Missouri River in Mandan, and in the smaller towns around them, the same approach applies: check the sunny side first, then the attic, then the inside rooms, and write down each opening that needs a fix.
No local count of fall invaders in Bismarck or Burleigh County has been sourced, and this page does not claim one. What NDSU has published applies to the state as a whole, and the report from your own inspection is the local evidence that matters for your house.
An inspection-first general visit for insects and small pests that get into homes and businesses across Bismarck and Mandan.
Finding and closing the gaps mice use to enter a home or building, with storage advice and a written list of repairs.
Identification and safe removal of wasp and hornet nests on eaves, sheds, yards and inside wall voids, with the price approved first.
A written look at a home before purchase for signs of pest activity, entry points and moisture, with findings the buyer keeps.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
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North Dakota State University Extension names the picture-winged fly, boxelder bugs and multicolored Asian lady beetles as the main fall home invaders.
According to North Dakota State University Extension, the main fall home invaders do not sting, do not destroy furniture or clothing, and do not carry disease. They are a nuisance rather than a danger. They can still leave a mess on windows and walls, which is why keeping them out is the practical goal.
As temperatures start to cool, these insects slow down and look for winter shelter, which is when they gather on warm walls and find their way into buildings. NDSU describes this as the seasonal pattern for overwintering insects, and it is why most calls come in the cooler months.
Usually not. A fogger does not close the openings the insects use, and it can scatter them into other rooms. The durable fix is sealing and screening, with any treatment placed where the inspection found activity and applied by its label.
North Dakota State University Extension says these insects favour older homes, mainly because older buildings tend to have more gaps and worn screens. A newer house can still have openings at a vent or a window, so an inspection is the only way to know which one applies to yours.
Many small sealing jobs, such as a new window screen or a door sweep, are simple enough to do yourself. Repairs to siding, soffits, window frames or the roof are better handled by a tradesperson, and the report tells you which kind of repair each opening needs.
It depends on the size of the house, the number of openings and whether the attic can be entered. A small house with a few gaps is a short visit. A larger house with many upstairs windows takes longer, and the technician will tell you the likely length on the phone before booking.
Calling earlier is better, because sealing works best before the insects have found the way in. A visit before the cold weather sets in gives the best chance of closing the openings before they are used. If you have seen insects on the warm walls, that is a good time to call.