Oct 31, 2023 | Florida Pest Control
Punta Gorda Rodents
Rodents are a common pest Floridians will deal with. Rodents, like rats and mice, invade homes in search of water, shelter, and food to survive. Once rodents have infested your Punta Gorda home, it can be difficult to remove them as they will often reproduce quickly! It’s important for Punta Gorda homeowners to understand what attracts rodents to their homes and how to prevent them from infesting.
What Attracts Rodents
- Food: The most common reasons rodents will invade your property is if they find food. Both rats and mice will eat anything you leave laying around inside and outside of your home, including pet food.
- Warmth: Rodents like a warm, comfortable place to inhabit, which is why they often look to our homes to find it. Common places these creatures will inhabit include attics, sheds, basements, and other structures that are dry and warm enough to make a nest.
- Water: Like any pest, rodents need water to survive. Mice and rats are in constant search for water, which our homes have plenty of supply of. These rodents will take advantage of leaky pipes, bowls of water for our pets, leaking sprinklers, fountains, and birdbaths.
How to Prevent Rodents
Dealing with rodents in your home is less than ideal. Luckily, there are do-it-yourself preventative measures you can place throughout your home to keep these pests from invading. Consider the following rodent control tips:
- Empty your garbage regularly, utilizing a tight lid or lock
- Utilize screens on vents, chimneys, windows, and doors
- Keep your home free of clutter from paper, fabric, and other materials used for nesting
- Seal any entry points leading inside your home with metal mesh
- Rinse food and drink containers before throwing them away
- Avoid leaving pet food and water out overnight
- After each meal, wipe down your countertops and clean up any spills or crumbs
- Repair any leaky pipes found in your home
- Keep firewood elevated and stored at least 20 feet away from your home.
In summary, what attracts rodents to your Punta Gorda home is food, water, and shelter. If you suspect a rodent infestation, contact your local pest control company for help. These professionals will thoroughly inspect your home and safely remove any rodents that are found on your property.
Oct 27, 2023 | Termite Control
Georgia is known for its beautiful landscapes, warm weather, and vibrant communities. Unfortunately, it’s also known for its thriving termite populations. Termites can be a homeowner’s worst nightmare, causing extensive and costly damage to your property. In this blog post, we’ll explore why termite treatment is a necessity for your Georgia home, discussing the types of termites found in the state, signs of termites, how to spot termite damage, and crucial tips to prevent and eliminate these destructive pests from your yard.
Termites Found in Georgia:
Georgia is home to several termite species, but the most common ones that homeowners encounter include Eastern Subterranean Termites and Formosan Termites. These voracious pests feed on wood, paper, and cellulose materials, posing a significant threat to your home’s structural integrity.
Signs of Termites:
- Swarmers: One of the most obvious signs of termites is the emergence of termite swarmers. These winged insects are reproductive termites, and their presence in or around your home is a clear indication of a termite infestation.
- Mud Tubes: Subterranean termites build mud tubes to protect themselves from light and open air. You may spot these pencil-sized tubes along your foundation, walls, or in your crawl space.
- Wood Damage: Termite-infested wood often appears hollow or papery, and you may find small, pin-sized holes on its surface. Termites consume wood from the inside, making it difficult to detect their presence until extensive damage has occurred.
- Tight-Fitting Doors and Windows: If your doors and windows suddenly become difficult to open or close, it could be due to termite damage, which warps the wood.
- Pellet-Like Droppings: Drywood termites leave behind small, pellet-like droppings called frass. If you see these near infested wood or in your home, it’s a clear sign of termite activity.
How to Spot Termite Damage:
Termite damage can be difficult to detect until it’s severe. To identify termite damage, look for the following:
- Hollow or damaged wood.
- Cracked or bubbling paint on wooden surfaces.
- Buckling or sagging floors.
- Mud tubes along your home’s foundation.
- Presence of swarmers or discarded wings.
Tips to Prevent and Eliminate Termites:
- Regular Inspections: Schedule annual termite inspections with a professional pest control company in Georgia. They can identify termites early and recommend appropriate termite treatment if needed.
- Reduce Moisture: Termites are drawn to moisture. Fix any leaks and ensure good drainage around your home. Use dehumidifiers in damp areas like basements and crawl spaces.
- Remove Wood-to-Soil Contact: Termites thrive in direct contact with soil. Keep wooden structures, like fences and firewood, off the ground or at least 18 inches away from it.
- Termite-Resistant Materials: When building or renovating your home, consider using termite-resistant materials like treated wood or concrete.
- Regular Yard Maintenance: Keep your yard well-maintained by removing dead trees, stumps, and wood debris. Termites often start infestations outdoors before moving indoors.
Request a Free Termite Control Quote:
Protecting your Georgia home from termite damage is essential, and timely termite treatment is crucial in this battle. If you suspect or have confirmed termite activity in your home, don’t hesitate to seek professional assistance. Request a free termite control quote from our experienced team. We have the expertise and local knowledge to help you safeguard your home from these destructive pests.
Don’t wait until termites cause extensive damage to your property. Contact your local pest control company today for a free termite control quote and take the first step in defending your Georgia home against these silent invaders. Your peace of mind is just a call away!
Oct 27, 2023 | Florida Termite Control
Subterranean termites eat wood from the inside out, often hiding and going undetected until severe damage is done. These termites will often infest homes by entering through stucco, slab foundation, and other hidden areas with access to the structure. The best way to prevent these termites is to understand their signs of infestation so you can begin to eliminate them early before the infestation gets out of hand.
Termite Signs in Homes
Here are 5 signs of subterranean termites in homes:
- Swarms: An early sign that subterraneans are in your home is spotting termite swarms in your neighborhood. These swarms can sometimes be confused with flying ants. Swarms will typically emerge in the spring or early summer to reproduce and establish a new colony. If you see these swarms, it’s a good indicator that a colony is looking for a new place to build their nest.
- Mud Tubes: Subterranean termites build mud tubes to travel back and forth between your home and their nest. You’ll find these on walls, ceilings, floors, exterior surfaces, on the sides of slabs, and are usually the size of a pencil. These tubes help protect them from damage and predators, also allowing them to accumulate moisture to survive.
- Noises: While it can be difficult to hear termite noises, it is possible! If a colony is large and established, you could hear a faint clicking or knocking sound behind your wall or in other voids. This noise is the sounds soldier termites make when they are banging their heads against wood or vibrating their bodies to indicate to the rest of their colony that there is danger.
- Hollow Wood: If you tap on wooden surfaces of your home and hear a hollow or paper sound instead of a solid thud, this is a sign that a termite colony could be established. Additionally, if you spot blistering or bubbling paint, especially near the window and door trim, could be another indication termites are inside.
- Wood Damage: Floor, door, and window damage can indicate that termites have infested. Typical termite wood damage includes floors that buckle or sag and difficulty closing doors or windows.
Consider Termite Treatments
If you notice any of the above signs in your Florida home, it’s best to contact your local termite control company as soon as possible. These professionals will thoroughly inspect your home, provide you with a termite treatment plan for the existing termite colony, and recommend the best prevention plan moving forward to avoid another infestation.
Oct 26, 2023 | Pest Control
With the holidays nearing, now is the perfect time to ensure you don’t have pantry pests in your Tennessee home. Pantry pests are insects that like to invade your stored food products, often laying their eggs to reproduce and causing a full blow infestation. Let’s go over common pantry pests you can find in your home and how you can further prevent them.
Common Pantry Pests in Tennessee
Indian Meal Moth
The Indian meal moth is known for feeding on several types of food found in our pantry, including dried fruits and vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts, candies, and pet food. You can identify these pests by their two-toned wing pattern with a tan to copper oval-shaped body. These pests are highly attracted to light and anywhere they can find food.
Merchant Grain Beetles
This pantry pest has a dark brown body, six legs, and six saw-like teeth on each side of their bodies. Their narrow oval body shape allows them to crawl inside of packaging to eat, live, and reproduce. They prefer to feed on cereals, cake mixes, macaroni, and cookies, even though their names suggest they like grain!
How to Prevent Pantry Pests:
- Invest in proper storage. Utilize food storage containers with airtight locking. The best types of foods to keep in these containers are cereals, pasta, cookies, grains, and seeds.
- Inspect your groceries. The most common way of getting pantry pests is from the store. Inspect the packaging of the items you buy and make sure there are no tears or openings.
- Keep a clean home. On a regular basis, clean out your old pantry items after their expiration date and clean up any leftover crumbs or spills after each meal.
If you suspect pantry pests have invaded your pantry, give your local Tennessee pest control company a call for a customized pest control plan and a free inspection!
Oct 24, 2023 | Florida Pest Control
Silverfish are a prominent pest found in most Florida neighborhoods, including Hialeah. They typically show up in homes that offer high humidity and moisture, which is the perfect environment for these pests. These creatures aren’t harmful to humans but can become a nuisance if they infest your home.
How to Identify Silverfish in Hialeah
These brown-gray to bluish-silver colored pest can get up to ½” in length and have six legs and an elongated body. They are known to rapidly move with fish-like movements and do not have wings.
You will typically find these pests in bathrooms, usually in the sink, bathtub, or crawling along the floor near a wall. They can survive a year without food but need humid temperatures and moisture to survive. Paper and photos make an ideal meal for these pests, but starchy substances like carpet glue, book bindings, wallpaper, plaster, and some paints will also attract these creatures.
How to Prevent Silverfish in Hialeah
Other than spotting silverfish themselves, there are various signs that these pests have infested your home. Pay attention to their feeding marks, these can look like holes, notches along an edge surface, or surface etchings. Here are some steps you can take to prevent these pests:
Control humidity in home
They prefer to live in areas that offer 75-95 percent relative humidity, which is not uncommon in South Florida. Air conditioners and dehumidifiers are vital for making your home environment less attractive to silverfish.
Store items in plastic bins with lids over cardboard boxes
Silverfish and other pests like to hang out in cardboard boxes, so utilizing plastic bins for storage is a good way to prevent silverfish and other pests.
If you’re having issues with silverfish in your Hialeah, FL home, call your local pest control company today to request a free inspection.
