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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Carpenter Ant
Successfully controlling carpenter ants requires certain skills, knowledge and experience. Carpenter ant control involves tracking down and treating as many satellite colonies as possible inside and outside of the home as well as attempting to find and treat the parent colony. Accessing the parent colony may be difficult because it might be located high in a tree or on a neighboring property. In such cases, your service professional may use carpenter ant baits, but these may have varying results because of the carpenter ants’ finicky feeding habits. If conditions on your property (such as a large number of trees) create a high risk for reinfestation, your service professional may recommend regular pest management services to help prevent new infestations.
These tips will help you limit carpenter ant infestation:
- Store any firewood away from your home and remove any dead wood or wood scraps from around the foundation.
- Trim dead limbs from trees and remove stumps. Rid your yard of these potential nesting sites.
- Make sure that all plumbing or roof leaks are sealed, and check crawl spaces for excess moisture.
- Water from rain gutters should be directed away from your home and not be allowed to accumulate close to the foundation.
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Crazy Ant
This species may be difficult to control and does not feed much on ant baits. The keys to control are to find the colonies and subcolonies and treat them directly. Regular inspections and service are necessary to find and treat new colonies as they move 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:
- 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 home'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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Ghost Ant
This species may be difficult to control and ant baits may not be effective against it. 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 from touching the house.
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White-footed Ant
The white-footed ant may well be the most difficult to control of all structure-infesting ants. In many situations elimination of ant activity is nearly impossible, especially during mid-summer in areas where this ant occurs (Florida and Hawaii). At best, regular treatments hold the ants at bay, keeping as few ants as possible from entering the home or business. Without such efforts, however, the numbers of ants seen inside can rise into the thousands. Regular pest control services by an experienced Terminix professional can help minimize the numbers of ants seen inside. It is especially important to seal as many cracks in the homes exterior as possible to exclude ants and other pests.
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 a building's foundation.
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Fire Ant
Because of the health threat posed by fire ants, it is important to take steps to control the ants around the home and in the yard. Over-the-counter fire ant baits can be effective if properly used, but regular applications are necessary because the ants readily reinvade from neighboring properties. Many homeowners employ the services of a professional company, such as Terminix, to provide fire ant services.
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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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Australian Cockroach
- Eliminating or minimizing potential harborages outside is the best way to limit infestations of these cockroaches.
- Sealing cracks in the building's exterior is a prudent step to prevent pests from entering.
- Installing screening in all vents is important.
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German Cockroach
Control of German cockroaches takes persistence and experience. An infestation can be controlled using over-the-counter products, but homeowners often meet with frustration and call a professional company such as Terminix.
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Centipede
The following actions will help in controlling centipedes:
- Sealing cracks and holes in the home s exterior should help prevent centipedes from entering.
- Mulch and heavy vegetation, such as ivy, should be kept away from the foundation to reduce the number of centipedes and their food supply.
- House centipedes may require treatments that are best applied by a professional.
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Millipede
The following actions will help in controlling millipedes:
- Reduce potential breeding sites and harborages next to and near the building.
- Keep mulch and heavy vegetation, such as ivy, away from the foundation.
- Seal cracks and holes in the home s exterior to prevent millipedes from entering.
- Millipede migrations may require repeated treatments to the exterior and to cracks in the outside of the affected building.
- Determine the area where millipedes are originating and remove the material in which they are breeding (e.g., leaf litter, mulch), if possible.
- Remember that total elimination of millipedes indoors may be impossible - especially when huge numbers are involved.
Professional treatment, sealing cracks and holes, and removing breeding material should greatly reduce the numbers of millipedes.
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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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Roof 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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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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Carpenter Bee
Painting bare wood that is being attacked by carpenter bees can deter some bees; however, it does not offer the best solution.
- If the wood targeted by bees is treated with a residual pest control product, carpenter bees may be repelled or killed by the treatment.
- Once holes have been started, the nest galleries may be treated.
- The holes can be plugged several weeks later when it is positive that the bees have been killed.
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Paper Wasp
Paper wasp nests are usually easily controlled using a wasp treatment product, then knocking down the nest. Such treatments are best done at night, although professionals can safely treat them during the day. On buildings where continuous paper wasp nest building occurs, treatment of the affected areas with a residual pest control product applied by a professional can deter most of the activity.
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Scorpion
To reduce scorpions around a home, eliminate as many piles of items or debris on the ground and keep dense vegetation to a minimum. All scorpions glow green under black light, so a portable black light can be used outside at night to find where scorpions are harboring. When a home is chronically invaded by these arthropods, it is best to seek the services of a professional such as Terminix to achieve long-term relief.
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Brown Dog Tick
Ticks are notoriously difficult to control in and around homes. Repeated treatments are often required to finally eliminate the ticks. In some cases where wildlife may be continuing to reintroduce ticks to a yard, continued tick control services may be necessary. Several factors need to be considered when controlling ticks:
- Regular treatment of dogs (and possibly cats) for ticks (completed under the direction and care of a veterinarian).
- Regular inspection of cats and dogs and prompt removal of ticks (completed by pet owner using techniques supplied by a veterinarian).
- Removing or limiting the amount of thick vegetation on the property.
- Trapping and removing wildlife that is coming onto the property (completed by a qualified wildlife removal specialist).
- Treatment of vegetation where ticks are found outdoors (completed by a licensed pest control company, such as Terminix).
- Treatment of cracks and voids indoors where ticks are found to be active (completed by a licensed pest control company, like Terminix).
Patience may be necessary as repeat efforts are often required to produce satisfactory reduction of tick populations, especially outside.
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