Owners of housing and apartment developments as well as property managers have to be on the lookout for any potential pests, not just because they may make tenants and residents uncomfortable, but because they can cause serious damage as well. An added difficulty is that, unlike a home, you don't have complete control of what people bring into the dwellings, which can lead to infestations.
When an infestation occurs, commercial pest management can come in and eliminate the issue because they're practiced at working on such properties. Pest control services can work to get rid of the current infestation as well as put measures in place to prevent future problems. Although flies, cockroaches and rodents can cause significant discomfort in owners and property managers, one of the scariest signs of a pest can be sawdust.
Luckily, sawdust doesn't always mean termites or structural weakness. It's important to look for the warning sign so you know what creatures you're dealing with.
To the naked eye, a carpenter bee may look like a bumble bee, but carpenters are thinner and have a black abdomen or rear. Male carpenter bees are unable to sting and females rarely do unless in danger.
If you spot sawdust on the exterior steps to a home or below the eaves, carpenter bees may be the culprits. They're particularly attracted to unpainted, untreated or weathered wood on the exterior or near the exterior of a home. They dig circular tunnels into wood, but don't eat the wood as termites do. In large enough numbers and over enough time, carpenter bees can cause structural weakness.
Like carpenter bees, carpenter ants don't eat the wood, but they do tunnel into it. Roughly 1/4 inch in size, these large black or red ants would likely look like a large ant to the untrained eye. When they tunnel, they create very smooth tracks and their sawdust frequently has bits of insect in it. Sometimes, spotting a carpenter ant on your property isn't a cause for concern, as it may be foraging from a nearby nest rather than building its own.
Potentially the most destructive of the three, termites cause significant amounts of damage across North America each year, costing billions of dollars according the Environmental Protection Agency. If you're afraid that the sawdust you've spotted is the result of termites, check for tubes with white insects in them, hollow damaged wood and swarms.
It can be hard to find the source of an infestation, so if you spot sawdust around your property, don't hesitate to call pest control services.
As the weather cools, you'll probably see fewer pests than you did during the warmer months, but that doesn't mean they're all gone just yet. Some insects can actually come out in full force during the autumn, while others might seek refuge in your warm home. Here are some key tips to keep in mind as fall gets underway:
Not every creature that visits your property is a dangerous nuisance. Many animals actually offer a number of benefits that keep your yard healthy. Predatory animals, in particular, actually offer natural pest control. Here are five common suburban creatures that can help keep more difficult or annoying animals at bay:
The customer is always right, and this is especially true if he or she is complaining about seeing a mouse or cockroach. Pests have no place in your organization, as bugs and rodents will turn away potential business or even lead to a possible lawsuit. Keeping your company protected requires a proactive approach. Work with a pest removal specialist to identify the best ways to stop creatures from infesting your business. Here are just a few ideas for successfully mitigating and preventing any issues:
You might see an influx of rodents at this time of year, because as the weather cools mice and rats seek warmth anywhere they can find it. Unfortunately, that often means inside residential homes. Many homes may experience rodent infestations at this time of year more than any other. Whether they're getting into your garage, basement or kitchen, it's important to put a stop to them before the problem becomes too serious and requires the intervention of a professional pest control agency.
Summer is almost here and before you head out on a family trip or even if you travel for work, consider doing a little research so you become familiar with bed bugs. This will help you identify them quickly and it could keep you from bringing them home unknowingly!
With the promise of summer also comes the promise of bugs. Homeowners have to stay vigilant, lest they find ants - or worse - rifling through their food.
You might've heard that cockroaches can survive a nuclear blast. If the worst should happen and the world succumbs to nuclear war, the cockroaches would reign supreme as the one and only organism left on earth. This hardly seems fair - consider how much time humans have spent trying to control cockroach populations. You might've chased one of them out of the bathroom this morning! So, if they really can withstand a nuclear blast, what chance do we have of managing cockroach infestations at home?
