While insects are often associated with summer, many Brits have been shocked to discover swarms taking over their homes well into autumn.
Last week, several Brits reported infestations of fruit flies in their kitchens.
‘I’ve got three fruit fly traps in my kitchen, and they’re all full with fruit flies. Where are they all coming from?’ one user asked.
And earlier this month, homeowners were left ‘petrified’ after discovering hundreds of harlequin ladybirds ‘crawling’ on their homes.
‘They covered my whole living room, bedroom, all on the windows – I was petrified,’ one user vented on TikTok, while another said: ‘My house is literally crawling with them.’
If your home has been infested with insects, it might feel like you’ve been hit by a miniature plague.
Thankfully, there are several easy, chemical–free ways to manage bugs in your home.
Here’s what your insect infestation says about your home – and what you can do to stop it.
Your browser does not support iframes.
Ants
When there’s just a few dozen, it can be easy to overlook ants in the home.
But without action, a whole colony of the little insects can take over areas of your kitchen, lounge, bathroom or basement.
Ants enter homes in search of a nesting habitat or food remains – especially sugary substances like bread, pasties, fruit, honey and syrups.
And they occasionally come inside in search of water, particularly during dry periods such as the summer, meaning you may see them in the bathroom.
Of course, because of their minute size, they do not need much of a gap to get through crevices between windows and doors.
The first step to dealing with ants in your house is ensuring they don’t have access to food, according to Professor Tanya Latty, expert in insect behaviour at the University of Sydney.
‘Seal all food in airtight containers, clean behind the fridge and in the toaster, do not leave pet food out longer than necessary, ensure your bins are tightly sealed, and generally make sure there is no food around to entice ants,’ she said.

You can buy many different ant killer sprays from supermarkets. You can also purchase ant traps. These will attract the ants and then trap them where they will then die. But killing the ants will not prevent them from returning (File image)
Despite having brains the size of a grain of sand, ants aren’t stupid.
When one has discovered food, it leaves a chemical trail on the way back to the nest to help guide the rest of their colony towards it.
So if you’ve seen ants marching in a line, try wiping down the surface with white vinegar or bleach to disrupt the chemical trail – and eventually they’ll go elsewhere.
Like other insects, ants may feel pain, so try not to lose your temper and go on a killing spree.
Moths
Surely one of the most infuriating insects of all is the common clothes moth, known for ravaging fabrics and upholsteries around the country.
The main reason they enter your home is they’re seeking warmth, which provides the required conditions for laying their eggs.
Once inside, they are especially attracted to carpets and clothes made of wool and natural fibres such as cashmere, tweed, sheepskin and fur.

The common clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella, pictured) feeds on wool and natural fibres such as cashmere, tweed, sheepskin and fur
As well as clothes, they can cause irreparable and costly damage to carpets, upholstered furniture such as sofas, blankets and other soft furnishings.
Short of ripping out your carpets, there are a few tactics to keep them at bay.
Because clothes moths like a warm and humid room to lay eggs, turn down your thermostat, keep rooms well–ventilated by opening windows, and use a dehumidifier in strategic locations such as outside your wardrobe.
Putting lavender bags, fresh conkers and eucalyptus and bay leaves inside wardrobe drawers is also said to help, by producing gases that work as a mild insecticide, killing both moths and larvae.
Another method of controlling the pests include purchasing moth balls, which release fumes that are toxic to moth larvae.
Other ways to limit the damage they have in the home are vacuum–packing clothes, storing high–risk items in the freezer and switching to moth–proof carpets.
Washing clothes at a high temperatures – with water heated above 55°C (131°F) during the cycle – is also effective to kill any eggs.
Also, frequently vacuum and clean your carpets or rugs, particularly in the corners and crevices, to remove eggs – and dispose of the vacuum contents regularly.

Moth–eaten carpets may be a frequent sight from summers past. It’s actually the moth’s larvae that eats natural materials in carpets and clothes
Slugs
There’s nothing worse than stepping on a squishy slug with your bare feet not long after you’ve gotten out of bed.
Even when they’re gone, the slimy little gastropods leave an unsightly trail of goo all over your carpets.
Much like moths, slugs are looking for warmth and moisture when they enter your home, as well as sustenance – such as crumbs of food leftover on the floor.
Because slugs are invertebrates, their boneless bodies can contort to fit through tiny gaps – something large snails would be able to do too if it weren’t for their shells.
So a good tactic is sealing up holes in the walls, windows and behind furniture, either with caulk or even just scrunched–up kitchen paper.
Another method is lining the threshold of your front and back doors with copper tape, which is said to give them a small static shock upon contact.
Slugs also like the dark – which is why you may have noticed they vanish once the sun rises – so it might be worth keeping a faint light on.

Slugs and snails seek moist, shaded areas during sunny days and hibernate in topsoil during cold weather. They venture inside our homes seeking warmth, shade and protection
If you’re trying to get rid of slugs in your garden, meanwhile, experts recommend placing a pint of beer into a hollowed–out hole in the lawn for a ‘happy death’.
Be warned that slug pellets containing metaldehyde have been outlawed in the UK since 2022 because the toxic chemical can enter the food chain.
Spiders
For many of us, finding a spider in the home is a moment of abject horror, whether they’re massive or tiny.
Other people who see a spider, meanwhile, will greet it like a long–lost friend and give it a cuddly–sounding name.
These divisive creatures, which are arachnids not insects, seek indoor spaces when it gets too chilly or too rainy outside.
They want a prime space to build their web to catch flies – which is why some people don’t mind them about – but they also might be looking for love.
During mating season, which runs usually from September to October, male spiders come out of hiding to look for a mate.

Most of the spiders we see in our homes in autumn are house spiders, which prefer to live indoors where it’s warm, according to Pest UK
According to experts at the Natural History Museum, few spiders are actually able to comfortably live in modern centrally–heated homes because they can get too hot.
‘The majority would prefer to be helped back outside where they live in garages and sheds or among the general clutter around the outsides of homes and in gardens,’ they say.
‘If you pick up a spider, as with any living creature, you should remember that it is delicate and handle it with care and respect.’
Ladybirds
This year has seen another influx of ladybirds swarming British houses – but experts insist this behaviour is normal.
Ladybirds tend to enter houses in their hundreds around the autumn, due to temperature changes as winter approaches.
When the weather becomes colder, the insects usually race inside in a bid to find somewhere cosy to hibernate until the spring.
The best way to react to ladybirds is to just leave them alone, but if you just can’t deal with a massive swarm crawling along the walls, the key is to be humane.

‘Like nothing I’d seen before’: Daily Mail columnist Sarah Rainey found clusters of ladybirds over the walls, in the lampshade and crawling across her pillow

More people are reportedly spotting the red and black insects inside their homes during the warmer October months
Don’t squish them, because they release a yellow fluid that not only can stain furnishings but consists of chemicals that attract more of the bugs.
‘The gentlest way to move them along is with a vacuum fitted with a soft brush head,’ said Stephen Wales, expert at Bespoke Pest Control.
‘Gently suck them up, then empty the bag somewhere green and away from the building so they can find a proper spot outdoors.
‘If you prefer a natural deterrent, a spritz of citrus or clove oil around entry points works well without resorting to harsh chemicals.’
Remember that ladybirds are not at all dangerous to humans or our pets (it’s a myth that they’re poisonous, whatever colour they are).
Fruit flies
They’re commonly seen buzzing round in circles near the fruit bowl – but fruit flies are cleverer than their reputation suggests.
The cunning little flies zoom in through and open door or window in the search for warmth, humidity and organic material.

Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) can be spotted all year round, but really flourish in warm weather which shortens their life cycle – meaning they breed more quickly
They lay their eggs on ripe and rotting food – which is why compost caddies and fruit bowls are common hotspots – but sometimes even faeces.
‘Fruit flies are attracted to warm, humid conditions, particularly around drains, sinks and kitchens,’ said Dr Luke Tilley, entomologist at the Royal Entomological Society.
‘They help break down rotting fruit, contribute to nutrient cycling, support pollination and provide food for other animals.’
To keep your house free of fruit flies, a good tip is to eat up the contents of your fruit bowl before it gets too ripe, or at least cut it up and freeze it to have later.
Fruit flies also enjoy munching on bread, vegetables, fermented products like beer and wine, yoghurts and other cultured foods – so make sure these are stored away.
Other good tactics include hiding away pet food, wiping sticky surfaces, and rinsing bottles and jars that might carry traces of sugars.
And remember the old saying: ‘Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana.’
Funnily enough, the species has built up a tolerance for alcohol through living in and feeding on rotting and fermented fruit.

Fruit flies are not only attracted to fruit and vegetables, but can also breed in drains, garbage disposals, trash containers, and even cleaning rags. Pictured, a lug–in LED fly trap covered in a swarm of small, dead fruit flies
Surprisingly, they’re also extreme ultramarathon flies, capable of travelling up to nine miles in a single journey.
Bed bugs
Bed bugs have hit the headlines in recent years for skin–crawling infestations across mainland Europe, leaving people with nasty red bite marks.
But if you’ve found the parasitic blood–sucking insects in your mattress, it’s not necessarily because you’ve done anything wrong.
According to experts at Fantastic Pest Control, it’s a misconception that filth or poor hygiene attracts these wingless insects, which are about the size of an apple seed and reddish brown in colour.
In fact, they are opportunistic hitchhikers that latch onto luggage and clothing before settling themselves close to their preferred food source – human blood.
Fortunately they’re not known to transmit diseases, but their bites are itchy and can trigger allergic reactions.
In terms of preventions, wash your clothes thoroughly soon after coming back from a trip abroad and consider purchasing a bed bug–proof mattress cover.
If and when you’ve found an infestation of bed bugs, you’ll want professional services such as insecticide chemicals and heat treatment.

Don’t assume that because you’ve booked into a swanky five–star resort that you’re safe from bedbugs, which may be hiding inside the mattress
Why are insect infestations so common?
Ultimately, houses are built on nature’s territory, so the incursion by creepy-crawlies at some point is an inevitability.
According to Michelle Trautwein, entomologist at the California Academy of Sciences, bugs ‘don’t respect’ the ‘borders we’ve created’.
‘Our lives are completely mixed up with the bugs that share our homes,’ Dr Trautwein said.
‘Every home you’ve ever lived in, from a rural Peruvian farmhouse to studio apartment in Paris, is teeming with tiny life.
‘They just view our houses as extensions of their habitat.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .