Pest Control Advice - Washington - Summer

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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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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Box Elder Bug

The best way to control such pests is by prevention as described below. If it's too late and they are already inside, it takes a professional to find and treat the right areas to minimize the numbers of pests seen inside. If your home has experienced a problem with overwintering pests, take the following steps next summer to prevent a recurrence:

Seal as many cracks and holes on the outside of the home as possible, especially on the south and west walls where the sun heats the home during the late summer and fall.
Be sure that all foundation and attic vents have tight-fitting screens.
Check the soffit vents and any gable vents or turbine vents on the roof.
Have your Terminix professional treat the outside west and south walls of the home near the eaves. This treatment should be completed in mid- to late August.

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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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Pest Control Advice - Washington - Summer