Common Pests :
Ants
Before treating a home for ants, it is important to know if they are living inside or just entering in search of food. Should you purchase a store bought pesticide, it will only provide a temporary solution for ants that have colonies inside the home and will make it more challenging to remove them from the home.
Ants may be baited, and perimeter treatments can protect your home from new infestations.
Infestations of most concern to property owners , are colonies of Carpenter Ants. Carpenter ants are larger ants that like to dwell in moist conditions in structural wood, walls and insulation. Frequently ants nesting indoors are a satellite colony of a nearby outdoor colony of ants. Swarming in the spring (during mating season) may be the first sign of an infestation and small piles of wood shavings may be left close to nesting areas.
Bed Bugs
Mature bed bugs can lie can live anywhere from four months to a year and may reproduce 3 – 4 times per year, laying up to 200 eggs each time. Bed bugs are easily transmitted, and once these insects find a way in to your home, their bites cause itchy welts. Bed bugs are no known to spread disease and do not necessarily reflect poor housekeeping practices, but once they are present, their ability to hid and their sheer numbers can make eradication challenging.
Best practices for pest control management include high filtration vacumming, high temperature steaming or heat treatment to remove eggs, and the application of insecticide. A complete bed bug eradication program requires dedication from both the resident and a licensed pest control operator.
Clusterflies
Clusterflies often enter a house in the fall to overwinter for protection. In spring, they emerge to sun on outside walls or on the inside of windows. They can be differentiated from common houseflies, by their sluggish behaviour.
Preventing clusterflies from entering the structure is the best method of control. In addition to home maintenance activities like sealing cracks and crevices around windows and doors, a residual insecticide can deter flies from entering in the fall.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are commonly attracted by the availability of food and water. Their presence in a building is a concern because they may carry salmonella bacteria that causes food poisoning. Cockroaches are active at night and are often found in food storage areas or food preparation areas seeking damp places to hide or moving within the building along water and drain pipes.
Raccoons:
A highly intelligent carnivor, racoons are a relatively infrequent pest in the Thunder Bay area, but they can pose health risks to humans or pets as potential carriers of rabies, bacterial infections or parasites.
On occasion, raccoons have been known to gain access to a home through a chimney, or crawl space to take up residence in attics or basements.
To discourage raccoons from entering into a property, keep garage doors closed during breeding season, store garbage in closed metal containers in sheds, install wire caps on top of chimneys and use shields around drains and other utility pipes to prevent them from climbing up the house.
Rodents: mice, rats, squirrels
Mice and Rats are primarily nocturnal but can be seen during daylight hours if the population is disturbed, or very large. Evidence of an infestation might include the sound of scratching behind walls, damaged food packages, droppings or urine, tracks on dusty surfaces or small holes around foundation walls.
Mice and rats are prolific breeders. If you do not tackle the problem of these occasional invaders immediately, you could be at risk of a larger infestation and residential damage through chewing and tunneling activities.
Health risks associated with rodents include diseases that are spread by contact with the urine and droppings. Breathing dust raised during the cleanup of droppings can also cause illnesses, therefore it is important to practice safe cleanup procedures.
Norway Rats are on the rise in our area. With a capacity to breed anywhere from 3-6 times a year with as many as 12 rats per litter, it is best to address a rat problem early to avoid the potential for significant property damage. These rats can also be vicious, so removal by a licensed operator is recommended.
Squirrels (like norway rats) are also very destructive rodents once they are in your home.
Squirrels build their nests, gnaw electrical wiring and insulation, and may sometimes get trapped and die within the walls. Wild squirrels may carry ticks, fleas or ringworm. Not only does the squirrels' presence in your home increase the health risks to your family but If they raid your food storage, the food itself may become infected.
You should contact a pest control service provider if you find discover they are nesting in your premises.
Skunks
Although we often think of skunks as garden pests, they can pose potential health risk for you and your pets as well. Skunks can harbor internal or external parasites such as tapeworm, roundworm, lungworm, as well as fleas, ticks, and lice. These parasites can carry their own set of pathogens that can cause illnesses in people and pets.
Another aspect where skunks pose a danger is in disposing of their dead bodies. As their bodies decompose, harmful bacteria multiply and can cause infection when they come into contact with your skin or mucous membranes.
If all your do it yourself attempts and tricks have failed to get rid of skunks, then try calling us
Wasps
Inspect under the eaves, in woodpiles or composters early in the spring and summer to detect wasp activity as it is easier to watch for and remove small nests.
In addition to building external hives wasps occasionally enter holes to occupy and nest within walls. Under these circumstances it is best to call a licensed exterminator to determine the actual location of the nest and access it for treatment.