SO this year we have been pretty inundated with May Flies here in NC. These are bugs that look like mosquitos, buzz like mosquitos but luckily don't bite like mosquitos. However leave a door open for a SECOND and they will be ON your ceiling, covering it to blackness, buzzing in a really horrifying way.

Soon - next day or two - we will have the 17 year hatching of the cicadas up and down several states here. Deafening noise. Cool looking bugs, but deafening noise.

Along with all the other normal summer bugs like sugar ants, regular mosquitos, water bugs and such. Oh and spiders.

When your tenants text you about these things, what do you say?

Wasps are pretty big around here. It's usually not too much of a problem-- people are pretty good about dealing with them themselves. Except for one charity case who couldn't afford a can of wasp spray and expected me to come kill them for them...

Ladybugs often have their season as well--- although it's actually not ladybugs, but Asian lady beetles. (Which don't attack, but do bite.) I'll usually find dozens of them on the ceilings near doors, and on windowsills.

Carpenter Boring Bees (Bumble bees) are going crazy here.

We have a 2x10 cat bridge from our deck to a tree outside and we've noticed the bees now eat only that instead of our stained T-111 sided house.

We do the tennis racket thing, too. It is an effective sport! At least when we are around to go after them... (Our DIL was very proud to finish off a few while visiting here from out of state.)

Too bad we don't have any bee-swatting enthusiasts to go after them 24/7, though.

Carpenter Bee traps are easy to make and very effective.

Harbor Freight has those yellow battery operated tennis racket type things as their give away (or else really cheap) every so often.

We have a pest form as part of the lease and they sign it stating the house is pest-free as noted during the walk-though. We give them 10 days to report any pests and we will deal with those, but otherwise we are not responsible.

We have a separate statement about "nuisance" pests. I don't have the exact wording handy, but basically those that do no significant lasting harm to persons or property and are common, such as mice, mole crickets, ants, etc. We further state that anything outside the house is part of nature and we will decide whether to deal with it or not to protect our property....can't have people calling us every time they see a squirrel for example.

One of my properties has an issue annually with something called a "box elder bug". I think they are attracted to a certain type of tree, which we have in the front yard. There is about 3 days each spring when these things come out by the thousands and swarm the exterior siding, then they disappear. They don't bite or harm anything...but we add a clause in the lease addendum for that specific house so the tenants are aware of them.

We have a big spray bottle with the oil and water mixed up. We use this: "Mighty Mint Insect & Pest Control Peppermint Concentrate - Makes 1 Gallon - Natural Formula Kills and Prevents Spiders, Ants, Flying Insects, and More." On Amazon. There are other brands as well.

We spray our screens from the inside to get out, then spray them from the outside too! Then just spray into the air all around us. We can get them to stay away long enough for a soak in the hot tub at least.

My pest control policy is very similar to Sids for the first month. Note - The not so clean tenants bring in bugs - just ask any pest control guy.

@ Hoosier [IN]

Would you be willing to share your statement regarding pest control?

I would appreciate any help.