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.
Learn More
Pavement Ant
Individual pavement colonies can often be controlled using ant baits, but perimeter inspection and treatment are commonly necessary for long-term relief. Pavement ant colonies are controlled by direct treatment of nests in the soil. Where colonies are located under slabs, ant baits may be successful in controlling an infestation. If baits are unsuccessful, the slab may need to be drilled and treated underneath.
These tips will help prevent a pavement ant infestation:
- Seal cracks and holes in the exterior of the home to prevent ants and other pests from entering.
- Keep vegetation cut away from the foundation of the home.
- Avoid using items such as stones and landscape timbers next to the home's foundation. Pavement ants nesting under these items are likely to infest the home.
- Keep layers of mulch in landscape beds less than two inches thick and at least 12 inches away from the foundation.
Learn More
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.
Learn More
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.
Learn More
Brown Recluse Spider
If a home has experienced brown recluse spiders, the occupants can reduce the chances of bites by following the recommendations below:
- Clothing can be stored in sealed plastic bags inside drawers or inside plastic storage compartments hanging in closets.
- Shoes should be stored inside plastic shoeboxes.
- Clothes that have been left on the floor, in a clothing basket, or are otherwise exposed should always be shaken well and inspected before being put on.
- Avoid keeping clothing on floors.
- Beds should be moved out so they do not touch walls or curtains.
- Bed skirts around the box springs should be removed from beds, and bedspreads that come near or touch the floor should not be used. These items allow spiders easy access to climb onto the bed.
- Persons living in infested homes should get into the habit of inspecting bedding prior to climbing in.
Learn More
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.
Learn More
Wolf Spider
The best approach for controlling wolf spiders is through placement of sticky traps to capture the few spiders that may have entered. Maintaining sticky traps behind furniture, to either side of exterior doors, and in the garage is an excellent way to intercept most spiders as they enter. 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 by following plumbing lines in basements and crawl spaces.
Where wolf spider invasions are persistent, a professional should be consulted to conduct a thorough inspection and recommend possible treatments.
Learn More
Yellow Sac Spider
The best approach with this spider is to find, destroy and remove the sacs and the spiders hiding within. Steps to be taken to prevent new spiders from entering include:
- Removing or limiting heavy, ground-covering vegetation near the home.
- 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 from basements and crawl spaces by following plumbing lines.
Where numerous spiders and bites have occurred, a professional should be consulted to conduct a thorough inspection and recommend possible treatments.
Learn More
Bald-faced Hornet
Hornets and yellow jackets should only be controlled by an experienced professional. The danger of stings is considerable, especially when proper protective clothing and equipment are not worn.
Learn More
European Hornet
Hornets and yellow jackets should only be controlled by an experienced professional. The danger of stings is considerable. Proper protective clothing and equipment are required.
Learn More
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.
Learn More
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.
Learn More