Fall Invaders in Wichita: The Bugs That Move In When Nights Get Cool

The first cool night in Wichita feels great to us.

It feels great to bugs too.

Late August into September is when common fall invaders Wichita homeowners deal with—like crickets, spiders, boxelder bugs, and mice—start looking for a warm place to spend winter. Here is what shows up, why it happens, and what you can do about it this weekend.

What are fall invaders?

Fall invaders are bugs that live outside all summer and try to move inside when the weather turns.

They are not looking for you. They are looking for heat and shelter.

Think of your home like a restaurant on a cold night. The door opens, warm air rolls out, and everybody outside notices.

Most fall invaders are a nuisance, not a danger. They do not chew your house. They do not breed in your walls. They just want to be warm until spring.

Which fall invaders show up in Wichita homes?

Here is what our techs pull out of Wichita garages, basements and window tracks every September.

Crickets. Field crickets and house crickets both head for foundations. Field crickets usually die off in a few weeks. House crickets can settle in and stick around.

Boxelder bugs. Black with orange lines. They pile up on the sunny south side of the house, then slip in around windows.

Asian lady beetles. They look like ladybugs. They gather in big groups and give off a smell that calls in more of them.

Spiders. Cooler nights push wolf spiders, cellar spiders and brown recluse deeper into homes. Garages, closets and storage boxes are the usual spots.

Stink bugs. Fewer here than back east, but we see them in older neighborhoods and near tree lines.

Mice. A mouse needs a gap the size of a dime. Once the nights drop into the 50s, they start testing every gap around your foundation.

Clover mites. Tiny red specks near sunny windows. Do not squish them. They leave a red stain.

Why do bugs come inside in September and not July?

Two reasons.

First, temperature. Once nights cool off, insects that survive on outside heat go looking for a heat source. Your foundation soaks up sun all day and stays warm after dark.

Second, life cycle. A lot of these bugs spend winter as adults, not eggs. They have to find shelter or they do not make it. Fall is their deadline.

That is why a house can look totally bug free in July and feel busy the first week of September. Nothing went wrong. The calendar just flipped.

Where do they actually get in?

Nine times out of ten it is one of these spots.

1. Gaps under garage doors and worn weather stripping

2. Cracks in the foundation, especially on the south and west sides

3. Gaps around pipes, hose bibs and dryer vents

4. Torn window screens and old window seals

5. Doors with daylight showing at the bottom

6. Weep holes in brick with no screens

7. Mulch, leaves and firewood stacked against the house

Walk your foundation at dusk with a flashlight. If light gets out, bugs get in.

What can I do this weekend?

You do not need special tools. You need an hour and a caulk gun.

1. Caulk cracks around the foundation. Start on the south side. That side gets the most sun and the most traffic.

2. Fix the garage door seal. This is the number one entry point we find in Wichita homes.

3. Pull mulch and leaves back about a foot from the foundation.

4. Move firewood away from the house and up off the ground.

5. Swap outdoor bulbs for warm or yellow LEDs. White light pulls in bugs all night.

6. Check screens and door sweeps. A dollar bill should not slide under a closed door.

7. Clear gutters. Standing water and wet leaves are a bug hotel.

K-State Research and Extension gives the same first step we do. Their horticultural entomologist points people to sealing cracks on the sunny side of the foundation first, and notes that these overwintering pests are more of a nuisance than a real danger. You can read more from the folks at K-State Extension Entomology, which is a solid free resource for Kansas homeowners.

One more tip from their research. Bugs like the Asian lady beetle are drawn to light colored buildings that hold heat. If your house is light and faces south, expect more traffic in the fall. That is not a flaw. It just means sealing matters more.

When should I call a pest control company?

Call when you see any of these.

• The same bug shows up daily for more than a week

• You find droppings, chewed food packaging or scratching in walls

• Spiders keep showing up in bedrooms or closets

• You have sealed the obvious gaps and it is still happening

• You would just rather not crawl around your foundation in September

A fall perimeter service is timed to hit bugs before they reach the door. Done in late August or September, it does more work than the same service done in November.

Frequently asked questions

When does fall pest season start in Wichita? It starts with the first stretch of cool nights, usually late August into mid September. Activity peaks in October.

Are fall invaders dangerous? Most are not. Crickets, boxelder bugs, lady beetles and clover mites are nuisance pests. Spiders and mice are the two worth taking seriously.

Why are there so many bugs on the south side of my house? That wall gets the most sun and stays warmest longest. Bugs gather there before they look for a way in.

Will one treatment stop fall invaders? One well timed exterior treatment helps a lot. Sealing gaps is what makes it last. The two work together.

Do I need a contract for fall pest control? Not with us. Bug Shockers is no contract, always has been. You stay because it works, not because you signed something.

Can I do this myself? Yes, and a lot of folks do fine with caulk, screens and a good door sweep. Call a pro when the problem repeats or when mice or spiders are involved.

The bottom line

Fall invaders are predictable. That is good news.

They come in the same weeks, through the same gaps, on the same side of the house. Seal those gaps before the weather turns and you skip most of the problem.

If you would rather have someone else handle it, we are local, family owned, no contracts, and we have been doing this in Wichita for four generations.

Bug Shockers Pest Control. The Shockingly Smart Choice.