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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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.
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Pharaoh Ant
Pharaoh ants can only be controlled by effective placement of ant baits. The type of bait that is ultimately successful is one on which the colony or colonies involved will feed for an extended period of time. The foraging workers return the bait to the colony, feeding it to other workers, larvae and queens.
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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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Cricket
The best way to limit crickets is to eliminate as much potential harborage as possible outside the building. The following tips should prove helpful:
- Store firewood away from the home and off the ground.
- Dispose of piles of lumber or store such items off the ground.
- Clean up piles of leaf litter and clean up any debris that could provide shelter.
- Remove any heavy ground cover in landscaping within 10 feet of the home.
- Install yellow "bug" light bulbs in outdoor fixtures to attract as few crickets as possible.
- Seal as many exterior cracks and holes as possible in the outside walls.
- Improve crawl space ventilation to make the subspace less attractive to camel crickets.
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Black Widow Spider
- Bites can be avoided by wearing heavy gloves when moving items stored for long periods outside, in garages, in basements or in warehouses.
- Shoes should be stored inside shoeboxes or shaken vigorously prior to wearing.
- When webs are visible, inspect carefully before putting your hand down under an object.
- Control is best left to a professional company such as Terminix. If numerous spiders are encountered, they can be removed using a shop vacuum, but care must be taken when opening the vacuum to kill the spiders.
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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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