Are worries about pests creeping into your mind? Do you want to be able to enjoy time at home with your family without having to worry about ants, spiders, mosquitoes, or other pests?
Whether you already have a pest problem or you’re just worried about the possibility of one, you want to be able to put those pestering thoughts to rest by choosing the right provider for your concerns.
After all, the last thing you want to do is throw money away by hiring the wrong pest control service for the job. You also don’t want to get locked in with an expensive pest control company when lawn care providers offer similar pest services that are just as effective.
It can be confusing to know what pest control services may be needed. That’s why we’ll help explore some of the most common pests and how to get rid of them.
For each of the 13 common pests we’ll explore your best option depending upon certain variables.
1. Ants
Ants are a common insect found worldwide. In fact, you may be surprised to know there are actually more than 10,000 known ant species around the world.
For the most part, ants don’t bother people unless they make their way into your home or you have an infestation in your yard or around the foundation of your home. When this happens, you’ll need professional ant control services.
The most common ants found indoors are odorous house ants (also referred to as “sugar ants”) which emit a rotten smell when crushed. The largest and most destructive ant is the carpenter ant, which can ultimately cause damage to homes and structures if not eradicated. Another type of outdoor ant you may likely see are pavement ants (also referred to as “slab ants”) which can quickly turn a fun family picnic into an annoyance if they’re crawling all over.
Getting Rid of Ants
Getting rid of ants outdoors and preventing them from getting indoors can be achieved with a combination of ant control applied to the lawn and perimeter pest control, applied at the foundation of your house.
These two services are less intrusive and less expensive than working with an exterminator to treat the interior.
However, if you already have a serious infestation inside with a destructive ant such as the carpenter ant, then you may also require an exterminator. Going forward, perimeter pest control treatments should really help to reduce future problems.
2. Termites
Termite colonies eat 24 hours a day, non-stop, for seven days a week, making them one of the most destructive pests you can find in your household. Termites have been nicknamed “silent destroyers” due to the fact that they can chew through wood, flooring, or even wallpaper undetected until the damage is severe enough to notice.
Approximately 2,000 species of termites exist in the world. Signs of termite damage include swollen floors and ceilings, visible tunnels within walls, floors, or furniture, and buckling wood.
Getting Rid of Termites
Termites require immediate action. For termite control, you should contact an exterminator.
3. Millipedes and Centipedes
Of the various forms of pests, these creepy crawling varieties are often quite unsettling to homeowners. Other than being creepy, millipedes pose no real threat. They do not bite, sting, or cause damage. However, they can be annoying when they show up in damp spots around the house, such as the basement.
Centipedes are another nuisance insect you might find around the house. Also referred to as “thousand leggers,” they can show up around the house, even getting upstairs.
These two pests commonly make their way indoors when there is either excessive moisture or drought conditions.
Getting Rid of Millipedes and Centipedes
Getting rid of millipedes and centipedes may be as simple as implementing perimeter pest control treatments, which will prevent these creepy creatures from making their way into your home.
4. Stinging Insects
Stinging insects include various types of bees, wasps, and hornets, which are common backyard pests. Unfortunately, these creatures buzzing around your property are more than just a nuisance, they are also a legitimate risk to friends and family, sending more than a half a million people to the emergency room each year.
Getting Rid of Stinging Insects
If you locate a nest on your property, never attempt to remove it on your own as the insect colony may go into defense mode and attack. Getting rid of stinging insects and their nests should be left to an exterminator. If you locate a honeybee hive on your property, there are services available to relocate the colony in order to keep these important pollinators alive.
5. Ticks
Ticks in our region are a big concern. That’s because ticks are known to carry diseases such as Lyme Disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which they can transmit to humans or pets.
Among the many facts about ticks, you should know that they are active year round, can be found in many areas, and that tick control is essential when it comes to preventing bites.
Getting Rid of Ticks
A lawn care company can be a valuable ally in your defense against these dangerous pests. Even if you aren’t already using lawn care services (or you don’t plan to), you could still work with a lawn care company for stand-alone tick treatments that may be more cost effective than working with another pest control service.
Tick control applications will address the exterior areas of the property in which ticks are commonly found. By taking care of the problem outside, you’ll prevent ticks from being tracked inside as well (since they are carried in on the body of a person or pet).
Of course, it’s also important to note that topical treatments for your pets, as recommended by a veterinarian, can also go a long way in keeping ticks at bay. You must remember that even if pets aren’t picking up ticks from your yard, they may pick them up somewhere else and bring them home.
6. Bed Bugs
Characterized by their roundish or oval, reddish-brown, and flat bodies, adult bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed. These blood-feeding pests can cause itchy bites. Unfortunately, a minor bed bug problem can be difficult to to control. When they are not feeding, they hide for months around the bed and may be found in the seams or tags of the mattress, hidden in the box spring, or even hiding out in the cracks of a headboard.
If the room is heavily infested, bed bugs may move beyond the bed and be found in the folds of curtains, under loose wallpaper, at the junction where the wall and ceiling meet, and other sneaky locales. They are notoriously good at hiding and an infestation is often first discovered due to finding the bites rather than the pest itself.
Getting Rid of Bed Bugs
This is a job for the exterminator and should be taken care of immediately as these pests can spread rapidly.
7. Mosquitoes
They may be tiny, but mosquitoes are a big threat when it comes to your family’s enjoyment as well as their safety. That’s because mosquitoes can carry and transmit dangerous diseases such as West Nile Virus and Zika Virus. The constant worry about whether or not you’re safe from getting bit can have a negative impact on your time spent outside.
Getting Rid of Mosquitoes
A lawn care company that performs mosquito control is an excellent solution to getting rid of mosquitoes and may be more cost-effective than working with a mosquito control company. Mosquito control treatments are very effective at diminishing the mosquito population around your property by as much as 90 percent. It works by targeting the area in which mosquitoes are going to stop and rest during flight.
It’s a lesser-known fact that mosquitoes are weak flyers and do not fly for long periods of time at once. When they land to rest, a mosquito control product will take care of most of them before they ever reach you.
8. Stink Bugs
Nicknamed for the unpleasant odor they omit when threatened or crushed, stink bugs are an annoyance, but not a serious threat. Brown marmorated stink bugs, the ones that you may have seen crawling on your curtains or lounging on a window sill, do not actually bite or sting. They do not cause structural damage or spread disease either.
Getting Rid of Stink Bugs
Most of the time, stink bugs can be prevented simply by ensuring all cracks in your home more than a ⅛ inch wide are sealed. Stink bugs are attracted by the warmth of the indoors and are crafty enough to slip through a crack to find a warm resting place.
If you have a major infestation, getting rid of stink bugs may require an exterminator, who can reduce the population by spraying the exterior of your home. However, once they get inside, there’s little that can be done aside from catching them and disposing of them.
9. Spiders
Spiders are not insects but are arachnids that unfortunately tend to enjoy the comforts of indoor life almost as much as we do. Most of the 8-legged crawlies you’ll find in your home are not poisonous and pose no real threat. However, spiders remain one of the most feared and unwelcome pests out there.
Getting Rid of Spiders
What most people don’t realize is that some TLC to your exterior can actually prevent spiders from making their way inside. Cleaning out debris, overhanging tree branches, and overgrowth around the foundation of your home will make it much less welcoming for spiders to take up residence and ultimately find their way into your home.
Since spiders feed on other insects, half the battle is just keeping their food source out of your home in the first place. This can be achieved by adding perimeter pest control services which will set up a sort of “shield” that surrounds your home and keep spiders (and other insects they feed on) from making their way in.
A lawn care company that offers perimeter pest control can handle these services without ever having to go inside your home. Perimeter pest control can also be bundled with other services for cost savings.
10. Rodents
Nobody wants to find that they have a rodent problem in or around their home. Mice, rats, and other rodents can potentially cause damage while also posing a risk due to carrying disease. Tell-tale signs that you have a rodent problem include droppings, gnawed holes, scampering noises, or even unusual pet behavior.
Getting Rid of Rodents
If you suspect that a rodent is to blame, a prompt call to the exterminator should be your next step.
11. Fleas
Fleas are tiny, wingless insects that live by consuming the blood of their host. Though they are flightless, they can jump long distances. While not as dangerous as other pests in terms of their bites, fleas are a nuisance pest that can affect your pets and even cause bites on humans should they make it inside the home.
Getting Rid of Fleas
Flea control products that are applied directly to the lawn will target fleas that already exist on your property. This will help prevent them from making their way into your home via a free ride from your pet.
However, it’s important that you continue to keep treating your pet for the prevention of fleas, as well. After all, the more safeguards you have against these pests, the better.
Getting rid of fleas in the home, assuming you already have an infestation at hand, may require treating the carpets, bedding, or any other area where they’ve been found. Should it turn out that your home is already infested, an exterminator may be required.
Going forward, Ant, Flea & Tick Control provided by a lawn care company will reduce the population of fleas around your property. When coupled with topical pet treatments, you can feel confident about your pet’s safety.
12. Cockroaches
The cockroaches you may find in your home can be up to an inch long. German cockroaches are one of the more common household pests and are typically transported in boxes or other shipping containers. Unfortunately, once they’ve entered your home, they tend to multiply quickly. These pests are not only unpleasant to look at but can carry bacteria so you’ll want to get rid of them as soon as possible.
Getting Rid of Cockroaches
Containers should be thoroughly inspected when they come into the house and should be disposed of outside. Cardboard is not a preferred storage medium for this reason.
Getting rid of cockroaches that have made their way inside and multiplied, is a job for a professional exterminator.
13. Earwigs
These black or brown insects have a flat body and can range in size from one-fourth-inch to one-and-a-fourth inches long. They feed on decaying material such as mulch or leaves and sometimes attempt to make their way indoors, particularly when it is too wet or too dry outside. This often makes them an issue in damper parts of the home, such as a garage or basement.
Getting Rid of Earwigs
For the most part, earwigs tend to remain outside and they are very commonly found in mulch. Perimeter pest control provided by a lawn care company can be effective in preventing the earwigs around your property and in your mulch from making their way inside your home.
Getting Rid of Pests—and Your Worries
You shouldn’t have to be bothered by pests every time that you’re outside. You also shouldn’t have to worry that you’re not doing enough to prevent them from coming into your home.
With the various options for pest control services, you’ll find there are solutions to your pest problems which will eave you feeling confident that you and your family are safe from these concerns.
The bottom line? You don’t have to be an expert in pest control in order to receive the best possible service. We are available to guide you through any questions or concerns that you may have while aiming to prevent, or to get rid of, a pest problem.
Oasis Turf & Tree offers Perimeter Pest Control, Mosquito Control, and Ant, Flea & Tick Control to take care of the majority of these pests at a fraction of the cost of what an exterminator will charge and with greater convenience and safety to your pets and family.
Whether it’s a service we offer or not, we want you to choose the best possible solution so that you can spend less time worrying and more time enjoying your property.
If you’d like to learn more about our pest control services for your Cincinnati, Dayton, OH, or Northern Kentucky home, call us at 513-697-9090 or get your quote online, and help us find the program that is best for you, then sit back and relax.
Image Sources: carpenter ant, odorous house ant, termite, centipede, wasp, deer tick, bed bug, mosquito, stink bug, house spider, field mouse, flea, cockroach, earwig
