Pests to know in Springfield
Termites in Springfield
MDAR advises keeping vegetable gardens at least five feet from a foundation treated with liquid termiticide.[9]
Invasive species reported here
Outside Barnstable County, UMass Extension asks Massachusetts residents to report suspected box tree moth or boxwood damage to MDAR.[8]
Pests local experts flag
Springfield tenants with bed bugs, roaches or rodents should call (413) 736-3111, which logs the complaint and notifies the city's Code Enforcement Department.[1]
Climate
Central Springfield (ZIP 01103) is in USDA plant hardiness zone 6b, where the average coldest winter night is -5 to 0°F.[11]
Public agencies that handle pests
- Springfield's Department of Health and Human Services Environmental Division runs a larval suppression program to control mosquitoes.[1]
- Springfield's health department asks anyone who has had contact with a bat in their home to call (413) 787-6740.[1]
- The Massachusetts Department of Public Health says most people infected with West Nile virus, about 80%, have no symptoms.[3]
- Massachusetts DPH lists Lyme disease, babesiosis and anaplasmosis as the most common tick-borne diseases in the state.[5]
Local rules and responsibilities
Under the Massachusetts State Sanitary Code, the owner of a building with two or more dwelling units must keep it free of infestation and is responsible for pest elimination.[2]
Hiring a licensed company
In Massachusetts, neonicotinoid insecticides can be applied to trees or shrubs only by someone with the proper MDAR license or certification.[10]
Free local help
UMass Extension says blacklegged (deer) ticks, American dog ticks, brown dog ticks and lone star ticks are all found throughout Massachusetts.[6]
Through the year
Sources
- City of Springfield Department of Health & Human Services, “Environmental Health Division.” www.springfield-ma.gov/hhs/environmental-health-division (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health, “105 CMR 410.000: Minimum Standards of Fitness for Human Habitation (State Sanitary Code, Chapter II).” www.mass.gov/doc/105-cmr-410-minimum-standards-of-fitness-for-human-habitation-state-sanitary-code-chapter-ii/download (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health, “West Nile Virus (WNV).” www.mass.gov/info-details/west-nile-virus-wnv (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health, “Mosquito-borne Diseases.” www.mass.gov/mosquito-borne-diseases (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health, “Tick-borne Diseases.” www.mass.gov/tick-borne-diseases (accessed 2026-10-06)
- UMass Extension (UMass Amherst Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment), “Information Regarding Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases.” www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/landscape/fact-sheets/information-regarding-ticks-tick-borne-diseases (accessed 2026-10-06)
- UMass Extension (UMass Amherst Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment), “Spongy Moth.” www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/landscape/fact-sheets/spongy-moth (accessed 2026-10-06)
- UMass Extension (UMass Amherst Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment), “Box Tree Moth.” www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/landscape/fact-sheets/box-tree-moth (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, “Consumer Information Bulletin: Termite Applications.” www.mass.gov/doc/cib-termite/download (accessed 2026-10-06)
- UMass Extension (UMass Amherst Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment), “Japanese Beetle.” www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/landscape/fact-sheets/japanese-beetle (accessed 2026-10-06)
- USDA ARS and PRISM, via phzmapi.org, “Plant hardiness zone for ZIP 01103 (2023 USDA map data).” phzmapi.org/01103.json (accessed 2026-10-06)
- National Pesticide Information Center, “State Pesticide Regulatory Agencies.” npic.orst.edu/reg/state_agencies.html (accessed 2026-10-06)