A variety of bugs and pests are likely making their way into your home as the temperatures drop. While most of these critters aren’t much more than a nuisance, others can be incredibly dangerous—particularly brown recluse spiders. These shy but deadly critters are as eager as you are to stay warm and dry all winter. It’s important that you know the signs that this venomous spider has moved in to your space. Oftentimes this spider will move into a home in search of a place to hide until the weather improves. Usually, they’ll stay in a cluttered closet or a dark corner of the garage. But this houseguest could lead to a deadly outcome if it were to bite when discovered or threatened.
To help you better understand exactly what you’re dealing with, here’s a brief overview of the brown recluse, and a look at why spider removal in Bartlesville, OK is so important.
Detecting a brown recluse problem
Much like its name suggests, the brown recluse is actually a very shy animal. Typically, they prefer to hide in attics, basements or other spaces where things can stay completely undisturbed for long periods of time. They love old boxes full of paper files or forgotten clothing. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize they have a brown recluse infestation until they encounter them firsthand while slipping on an old jacket or moving a box that has a spider hiding inside of it! The spider will then likely bite in self-defense.
Is this spider dangerous?
A brown recluse bite can be incredibly dangerous. It’s crucial that you take a moment to check your shoes, bedding and any clothing items where a spider could be hiding each time they’re used to avoid a bite. When it bites, the spider injects a substance called hemotoxin, which produces a black blister that will fall off within 24 hours. You’ll then be left with an open wound that can take up to eight weeks to heal. The site of the bite will then be covered in a permanent scar.
If you or a loved one is bitten, it’s important that you wash the site of the spider bite immediately before applying a cold compress and a general antibiotic to minimize the risk of infection. Visit your doctor as soon as possible to prevent any additional side effects, which can include rash, vomiting, fever, coma or even death.
How can they safely be removed?
Brown recluses aren’t as easy to remove from your home as ants or rats, because they are immune to most traditional bug sprays. Luckily, an expert in spider removal in Bartlesville, OK will know the proper steps to get the spiders out of your home. Once the initial problem is eliminated, it’s easy to prevent future infestations by scheduling preventative services with your exterminator. You’ll no longer have to worry about accidentally stumbling upon a brown recluse in the safety of your own home.
Call Excellence Pest Control today to learn more about how we can keep brown recluses out of your home this winter.
When the weather is cold and the ground is covered in snow, there’s no better way to warm up than to stay indoors. Unfortunately, rodents have the same thought process as people do when the cold weather rolls in. If you’re not careful, rodents can settle down into your warm house and have easy access to your food. Not only can these rodents feast upon your snacks, but they might also damage your home and even spread serious diseases. Knowing what attracts them and whether your home is infested is the first step to effective rodent removal in Bartlesville, OK.
How rodents enter your home
A rat or mouse can fit through the smallest openings on their quest to get out of the cold. A full-size rat can fit through an opening the size of a quarter, while a mouse is able to easily slip through a hole smaller than a dime! Those cracks and crevices in the walls or foundation are the perfect entryway. Not to mention they can also enter through an open window, a poorly sealed chimney or even underneath your front door!
How to tell if your home is infested
Most homeowners never realize they have a problem until they actually see droppings, teeth marks on furniture or damaged food packaging—and some don’t notice anything until they actually catch sight of a rat or mouse. The best way to tell if you have any unwanted critters is to watch out for any signs of nesting in dark and warm areas, such as in kitchen cabinets. Pay special attention to any squeaks or other sounds coming from the walls in the middle of the night, as well.
Preventative steps to keep pests out
Follow these steps before the weather drops below freezing to prevent rodents from entering your home this winter:
Trim any branches that hang over the roof of your home
Never plant trees or bushes within a foot of the house
Keep the inside of your home free of any debris and remove any potential hiding places
Store all food, especially pet food and garbage, in airtight containers
Never leave dirty dishes out in the sink overnight
Seal any cracks between the windows and their frame
Replace the weather stripping on the bottom of your front and back door annually
Removing rodents from your home
Unfortunately, these steps won’t be much help if the mice and rats have already found a warm bed in your home. If that seems to be the case, then it’s best to call a professional for rodent removal in Bartlesville, OK to eliminate the problem quickly and efficiently. An experienced exterminator will know the best ways to remove the rodents before examining your home to find any vulnerable points where they may have entered.
After the initial service, it’s best to schedule a regular appointment to ensure your home is continuously safe from any rodent intruders. Call Excellence Pest Control today to learn more about rodent removal in Bartlesville, OK, and to schedule a visit.
The new year is the perfect time for making a major life change. For many people, the new year brings a wonderful opportunity to purchase a new home. Unfortunately, whether it’s your first home or an upgrade to a larger abode, house hunting can be incredibly stressful. It can be an overwhelming process as you try to find your dream house while also watching out for problems like a leaky roof, electrical problems or a pest infestation.
It can be easy to miss the warning signs of a pest infestation while focusing on everything else, though. These bugs and rodents are experts at hiding—oftentimes they’re so good that the current owner might not have had any clue when they put their home on the market!
To help you out, the professionals at Excellence Pest Control have assembled a list of the most common signs of pests to watch out for when shopping for your new home:
Droppings: Pest droppings, whether it’s one or many, is one of the most telltale signs of a rodent problem. While you can identify that there are droppings, a professional exterminator can give you a better insight into the different types of droppings and what each one might belong to.
Active pests: There’s no bigger indicator of a major infestation than actually seeing a rat scurrying across the kitchen floor or uncovering cockroaches in the basement. That doesn’t mean it has to be the end of the run for that house, though. Contact an exterminator in Bartlesville, OK if your heart is set on a seemingly infested home. A professional can visit the home and determine how easily the problem can be dealt with.
Presence of pest control products: While it may seem wrong, doing a bit of snooping while touring a prospective new home could give you a better insight as to whether there’s a cockroach or mouse problem. Check under the sinks for large quantities of pesticides or mousetraps. A large amount of half-used or nearly empty packages of pest control products is a major warning sign that there’s already an infestation, and that the homeowners are aware of it.
Nesting: Rodents will create small nests with whatever materials they can find in small nooks and crannies throughout the home. Common places include behind the refrigerator or behind small openings within the walls. Don’t be afraid to pull out a flashlight to see if there are any signs of nests, such as shredded paper or pieces of trash. While these items might not look like much to you, they’re the perfect bed for a family of mice or rats.
A pest problem doesn’t mean you have to rule out a house entirely. The pests can be completely eliminated with the help of a professional exterminator in Bartlesville, OK. At Excellence Pest Control, we specialize in providing high quality and affordable pest control services to help you rid any home of ants, termites, cockroaches, fleas, spiders, rats and more! Call us today to begin reclaiming your dream home.
If you’re like most people, the cold winter temperatures make your warm home the perfect place to be. There’s nothing better than spending a chilly afternoon curled up in a blanket in front of the fire. Unfortunately, pests like rodents and Asian beetles have the same thought process. These pests are also eager to head indoors in search of both food and warmth. These pesky creatures can easily invade your home by squeezing through tiny holes in the wall or sliding in through small open spaces between the door and the frame. An Asian beetle or mouse will do practically anything to escape the cold!
Luckily, you don’t have to deal with these unexpected houseguests. You can easily determine whether your home has been infested and put a stop to the problem with the help of a professional exterminator in Bartlesville, OK.
Recognizing the signs of a problem
Without actually seeing a rat or Asian beetle in your home, it’s difficult to know whether you have a problem until you see some physical evidence. For rodents, this might include droppings, signs of nesting, damage to packaged foods, gnaw marks on doors or damage to furniture. In addition, you might also see greasy spots on the floor or small rodent footprints in dusty areas. These animals are nocturnal, so pay special attention for sounds within the walls or throughout the house while you lay in bed at night if you suspect you have a problem.
Asian beetles, more commonly known as ladybugs, tend to be a bit more difficult to spot. Much like rodents, they just want to find a warm, comfortable place during the winter months. Oftentimes, the only way to notice their presence within your home is when there’s suddenly a large number of adult ladybugs gathered in one area. Luckily, they’re not harmful to you or any of the items in your home. Plus, they tend not to lay eggs within the home, as they characteristically only reproduce during the warmer months when they move back outside.
Preventing an infestation
Controlling the problem is easy with a bit of foresight. Take a few minutes to ensure that any gaps and cracks are sealed before the temperatures dip below freezing. Pay special attention to any especially vulnerable areas, which can include doors, windows, chimneys, vents and tiny openings near pipes or utility wires.
Unfortunately, these measures won’t help much if rodents or beetles have already found their way inside of your home. If that’s the case, it’s best to call an exterminator in Bartlesville, OK with Excellence Pest Control to eliminate the problem. Our team of certified professionals is equipped to help you eradicate everything from mice and rats to Asian beetles and any other type of insect that wants to take up residence in your warm home this winter.
You don’t have to live with an infestation—call us today to get started on reclaiming your home and ridding your house of unwanted guests. We look forward to helping your family!
Rat and mouse infestations are more common in homes and businesses than they ought to be. These rodents like to get inside to eat food scraps and find what they assume is a safe place to stay (unless you have a cat). Once you have a rodent problem, it’ll probably only get worse. Rats and mice can breed quickly, rapidly multiplying your rodent infestation problem. There are several steps you can take to prevent a rodent infestation, but once you’re dealing with an infestation, you’ll have to contact us for rodent removal in Bartlesville, OK. Here are some answers to questions you may have regarding rodent infestations and removal.
How do I know I have a rodent problem?
There are other ways to know you have a rodent infestation besides actually seeing a rat or mouse scurrying across the floor of your home. An easy way to tell you’ve got a problem is if you see their droppings around your house. If you see anything that you think may be rodent droppings, contact the pros ASAP for rodent removal in Bartlesville, OK. Droppings are not only unsightly—the bacteria in droppings can also be harmful to your health.
Because rodents have to gnaw on things to keep their teeth from growing too long, you may also notice little bite marks on furniture around your house. If the infestation is bad enough, you may hear them running around in your walls or air ducts at night when you’re trying to fall asleep.
I have a rodent problem—now what?
After you’ve noticed any of the above signs, it’s pertinent to call a rodent removal service as soon as you can. It’s not a bad idea to set up some rat and mouse traps around your home to try to catch a few of the critters before the exterminator can get there to fix the problem once and for all.
What will the exterminator do?
To put it simply, the rodent removal service you hire will take care of your rodent infestation. The professional will determine where the rodents are getting in and make sure that the area is sealed completely. The professional will then set traps throughout the house to catch as many rodents as possible. He or she will then spray a chemical around the perimeter of your house that should keep the rodents out for good.
Is there any way to prevent a rodent infestation?
Yes! It’s pretty easy to mitigate the chance of your home becoming infested. The first thing you should do is take care to keep your home clutter- and trash-free. There’s nothing rodents love more than messy and trash-filled areas. Next, keep food crumbs off the floor. Mice and rats are motivated by food, and if they find food all around your home, they’re going to want to stay for a while to eat all the tasty morsels. Finally, it can’t hurt to keep a cat around your house to scare off and/or eat any rodents.
If you think you have a rodent infestation, call D & Q Pest Control, Inc. today to get rid of the problem quickly and affordably.
