Pest Control Advice - California - All Year

Argentine Ant

The Argentine ant can be nearly impossible to control, especially during midsummer in areas such as Southern California. At best, regular treatments keep as few ants as possible from entering the home or business. General tips for limiting ant infestations include:

Eliminating piles of lumber, bricks or other debris that could serve as a nesting site for ants.
Keeping landscape mulch less than 2 inches thick and at least 12 inches away from foundations.
Ensuring the sprinkler system does not spray directly onto the foundation.
Sealing as many cracks in the building's exterior as possible.
Keeping tree and shrub branches trimmed to prevent touching the home.
Considering re-landscaping to avoid using plants that are prone to aphids and similar insects. At the very least, treat such plants for aphids regularly. A tree/shrub company, such as TruGreen, can be helpful with this task.

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Odorous House Ant

This ant can be difficult to control because it establishes multiple subcolonies and may nest in such a wide variety of sites. The keys to control are to find the colonies and subcolonies and treat them directly. Where the colonies cannot be found, baits may be attempted; however, several baits may be required before positive results are seen. Regular inspections and service are necessary to find and treat new colonies as they move in from neighboring properties. The services of a professional, such as Terminix, are very helpful when encountering these ants. General tips for limiting ant infestations include:

Eliminate piles of lumber, bricks, or other debris that could serve as a nesting site for ants.
Keep landscape mulch less than 2 inches thick and at least 12 inches away from foundations.
Ensure the sprinkler system does not spray directly onto the foundation.
Seal as many cracks in the home's exterior as possible.
Keep tree and shrub branches trimmed to prevent them from touching the building.

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American Cockroach

The key to control is to find and treat these sources directly. In many cases, the services of a professional company, such as Terminix, are required to achieve long-term relief. In southern states where this cockroach lives outdoors, successful control involves treating the attic, crawl space, and exterior cracks in the home and finding and treating likely cockroach harborages over the entire property.

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Oriental Cockroach

Eliminating or minimizing potential harborages outside is the best way to limit infestations of these cockroaches.
Sealing cracks in the building's exterior helps prevent these pests from entering.
Installing screening in all vents is important.

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Silverfish

Silverfish can be very difficult to control, especially in those homes which have wood shake (shingle) roofs. Shakes hold moisture and permit surface molds to grow which serve as food for silverfish. Shake roofs are also very difficult to treat completely -- to reach all the areas where silverfish can possibly live. In addition, silverfish often live in the soffits and behind the fascia board behind gutters. Individual silverfish then invade the interior of the home from this "reservoir" site. Compounding the problem in attics is blown-in insulation that prevents a professional from safely venturing into the attic to look for silverfish harborages. A professional should be consulted when silverfish are a regular problem. Areas that may require treatment include:

Voids where plumbing is located.
Voids behind electrical outlets.
Molding around windows and doorways.
The attic, crawl space and basement.
The soffits.

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House Mouse

The best way to avoid invasions of mice is to (1) provide as little harborage as possible that might attract rodents, and (2) seal as many holes and cracks in the outside of the home through which mice might enter. Follow these recommendations to help prevent rodents from seeking the shelter provided by your home:

Keep firewood stored as far from the home as possible and store it off the ground. During the winter, store only enough wood next to the house to burn every couple of days.
If possible, remove any piles of debris, stones, bricks, etc. If these are near the foundation of the home they serve as harborages to attract rodents. Once there, it is any easy step for rodents to enter the building itself.
Do not allow piles of leaves to accumulate next to the home's foundation. This also serves as attractive harborage for rodents - mice in particular.
Seal any hole or crack larger than 1/4 of an inch. A good rule of thumb is that if a pencil can fit into it, a mouse could too. Large holes or cracks should be stuffed with steel wool or wire mesh before sealing with caulk or foam, otherwise rodents could chew through to enter.
Install good, thick weather-stripping on the bottom of all doors to prevent rodents from entering. The garage door may prove difficult to seal completely, so the door from the garage to the house must be sealed tightly.
The installation of one or two wind-up mousetraps in the garage can catch many mice as they enter. These traps can catch up to 15 mice with one setting. Ask your Terminix service professional for more information.
Remember, your Terminix service includes coverage of commensal rats and mice, and much of the service provided during the colder months is to inspect for signs of rodents and to maintain preventive control measures.

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Norway Rat

The best way to avoid invasions of rats is to (1) provide as little harborage as possible that might attract rodents, and (2) seal as many holes and cracks in the outside of the home as possible through which rats might enter. The following recommendations should be followed to help prevent rats from seeking the food and shelter provided by your home:

Keep firewood stored as far from the home as possible and store it off the ground. During the winter, store only enough wood next to the house to burn every couple of days.
If possible, remove any piles of debris, stones, bricks, etc. If these are near the foundation of the home they serve as harborages to attract rodents. Once there, it is any easy step for rodents to enter the building itself.
Seal any hole or crack larger than 1/4 of an inch. Large holes or cracks should be stuffed with steel wool or wire mesh before sealing with caulk or foam, otherwise rodents could chew through to enter.
Install a good, thick weatherstrip on the bottom of all doors to prevent rodents from entering. The garage door may prove difficult to seal completely, so the door from the garage to the house must be sealed tightly.
Remember, your Terminix service includes coverage of commensal rats and mice, and much of the service provided during the colder months is to inspect for signs of rodents and to maintain preventive control measures.

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Roof Rat

Keep firewood stored as far from the home as possible and store it off the ground. During the winter, store only enough wood next to the house to burn every couple of days.
If possible, remove any piles of debris, stones, bricks, etc. If these are near the foundation of the home they serve as harborages to attract rodents. Once there, it is any easy step for rodents to enter the building itself.
Seal any hole or crack larger than 1/4 of an inch. Large holes or cracks should be stuffed with steel wool or wire mesh before sealing with caulk or foam, otherwise rodents could chew through to enter.
Install a good, thick weatherstrip on the bottom of all doors to prevent rodents from entering. The garage door may prove difficult to seal completely, so the door from the garage to the house must be sealed tightly.
Remember, your Terminix service includes coverage of commensal rats and mice, and much of the service provided during the colder months is to inspect for signs of rodents and to maintain preventive control measures.

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Cellar Spider

Regular removal of cellar spiders with a vacuum, brush or broom helps limit the numbers of spiders. Other steps may be helpful, including:

Sealing cracks and holes in the building's exterior.
Installing tight-fitting screens in foundation and attic vents.
Using yellow bug light bulbs in exterior light fixtures to attract fewer of the flying insects on which the spiders feed.
Keeping garage doors and commercial overhead doors closed to exclude flying insects that serve as spiders food.

In cases involving considerable numbers of spiders or when control efforts are needed in crawl spaces, a professional company such as Terminix should be consulted.

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Domestic House Spider

The key for controlling the domestic house spider is to look for webs and remove them, making sure a treatment is applied into any crack associated with a web to be sure the spider has been killed. Steps that should be taken to prevent new spiders from entering include:

Removing or limiting heavy, ground-covering vegetation near the building.
Sealing cracks and holes in the building s exterior.
Installing tight-fitting screens on all attic and foundation vents.
Sealing holes around pipes indoors to prevent spiders from entering the living spaces of the home by following plumbing lines in basements and crawl spaces.

Where numerous spiders are seen, a professional should be consulted to conduct a thorough inspection and recommend possible treatments.

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House Spider

Regular removal of spider webs is the best way to limit these spiders.
Sealing up cracks around windows and doors helps prevent their entry.
Switch exterior lights to the yellow "bug" light bulbs which attract fewer flying insects on which spiders feed.
Treatments to exterior spider nesting sites can help reduce the numbers of spiders when combined with an overall pest management program.

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Yellow Jacket

The following precautions should be taken to prevent accidental stings:

When working in a garden or flowerbed, be aware of numerous wasps flying into and away from a single point in the garden or to a hole in the side of the house. This will usually indicate where a colony might be located.
Be careful when using powered lawn equipment, such as edgers, trimmers and mowers. Loud, vibrating noises disturb yellow jackets and may send them into an attacking frenzy.
Stay away from yellow jacket nests once you know where they are located.
If yellow jackets are seen entering and exiting a wall, DO NOT plug the hole. You will only force the wasps to find another way out. Sometimes they might actually eat through an interior wall and enter the house.

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Cat Flea

Controlling a flea infestation successfully requires four steps:

Preparation for treatment.
Treatment of pets.
Treatment of the inside premises.
Treatment of flea activity sites outside.

Obviously, the pet is critical to minimizing flea infestations and regular grooming helps to limit fleas on the pet. For this reason, customers need to keep the pet groomed and treated with on-animal flea control products. Step One. Any flea treatment will be less effective if the home is not prepared properly by completing the following steps:

Remove all items, such as toys, clothes, and pet food from all floors.
Remove all items from under beds and in the bottom of closets.
Wash or replace pet bedding.
Vacuum all carpets and rugs thoroughly, including beneath beds and upholstered furniture.
Clean all wood, tile, and linoleum floors by sweeping and mopping.
Clean concrete floors with soap and water in the garage,basement, or enclosed patio where pets rest or stay.
Remove all pets including birds and reptiles. Cover fish tanks with a damp towel and turn off the air pump.
Replace any pet bedding outdoors and make all shaded areas, crawl spaces, etc. available for treatment.
Arrange to be out of the home for several hours until the treatment has thoroughly dried.

Step Two. The homeowner needs to arrange for treating the pet. A number of on-animal treatment products are now available. Treatment of pets should be done under the direction of a veterinarian. Step Three. In homes that have an active flea infestation, a residual treatment combined with an insect growth regulator should be applied. A professional, like Terminix, can best accomplish this treatment by using specialized equipment. Efforts should be focused on the areas where pets rest or sleep. These are the sites where the most fleas will be located. Step Four. Outside, treatment should be applied to shaded areas and beneath shrubs and decks where pets rest or sleep. Again, a professional has the right equipment to provide this treatment effectively.

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Pest Control Advice - California - All Year