Seasonal advice

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. Top of the page 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. 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 Hathorn's, are very helpful when encountering these ants. 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 Hathorn's, to provide fire ant services. 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 Hathorn's, 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 building's exterior as possible. Keep tree and shrub branches trimmed to prevent them from touching the building. 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. 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 Hathorn's, 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. 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. Smoky Brown Cockroach The best way to control smoky brown cockroaches is to determine the source and treat it directly, usually with a cockroach bait product. To keep these cockroaches from invading, the following steps are helpful: Ensure the attic and/or crawl space has sufficient ventilation. Research has shown that proper ventilation creates an environment unsuitable for cockroaches and other pests. It also improves the heating and cooling efficiency of the home. Make sure that all foundation and attic vents are equipped with tight-fitting screens. Seal as many exterior cracks and holes as possible on the outside of the home. Do not allow pet food to sit out overnight. Pick it up after outdoor pets are finished eating. Store firewood as far from the house as possible, locating it off the ground and covering it with a tarp or plastic. Eliminate piles of lumber and debris where cockroaches could harbor. Carpet Beetle Your Hathorn service professional can rid your home of these pests, but there are a few steps you can take to protect your clothing until your fabric pest problem can be controlled: Do not store boxes of clothes in the attic, garage or basement, if possible. If clothing must be stored in boxes, thoroughly clean the boxes before storage and seal all corners and openings with tape. Prior to storage, clean woolen and natural fiber clothing according to the manufacturer's instructions. In closets, store natural fiber clothing items by covering them with individual plastic covers. Consider storing clothing in large zippered plastic units. Use mothballs to help deter fabric pests, but be aware that they may leave an odor that could require dry cleaning. Webbing Clothes Moth Your Terminix service professional can rid your home of these pests, but there are a few steps you can take to protect your clothing until your fabric pest problem can be controlled: Do not store boxes of clothes in the attic, garage or basement, if possible. If clothing must be stored in boxes, thoroughly clean the boxes before storage and seal all corners and openings with tape. Prior to storage, clean woolen and natural fiber clothing according to the manufacturer's instructions. In closets, store natural fiber clothing items by covering them with individual plastic covers. Consider storing clothing in large zippered plastic units. Use mothballs to help deter fabric pests, but be aware that they may leave an odor that could require dry cleaning. 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 building. 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. 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 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. The installation of one or two wind-up mouse traps 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 rodents, and much of the service provided during the colder months is to inspect for signs of rodents and to maintain preventive control measures. Norway 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 rodents, and much of the service provided during the colder months is to inspect for signs of rodents and to maintain preventive control measures. 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. 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. 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. 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 Hathorn's, 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. 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.