What did Santa leave under your tree? Unless you were stuck with a lump of coal, you likely want to protect your new goodies from invading pests. As you finish up your holiday festivities, you probably have a lot of food in your garbage and stray fruitcake crumbs in your furniture. To keep pests at bay, use the following tips for pest control in Bartlesville, OK.
Protect Your Garbage from Pests
During the holidays, your trash cans may be extra appealing to animals. The scraps from your Christmas ham and the many New Year’s treats are very enticing to critters on the hunt for free garbage. Don’t start the new year off by getting animals in the habit of searching your driveway for goodies. Use these tips to keep them away from your trash cans:
Double up: This solution isn’t just for carrying heavy groceries. Double bag your garbage to prevent the scent from escaping. If they can’t smell it, they won’t search it out.
Spray it: Spray Windex or other ammonia products on your garbage bags. This scent deters animals and will keep them from tearing into your trash bags.
Mothball it: Spread mothballs around the exterior of your trashcan. Raccoons hate this scent.
Tie it: Tie down your garbage can lid with a bungee cord. If you make it too hard to access your garbage, animals will move on to easier options.
Light it: Where do you store your garbage cans? Are they near light? Consider setting up a motion sensor light to scare away night critters that try to approach.
Keep Your House Clean of Critters
All the extra food, guests and parties can leave your home set up as a smorgasbord for hungry critters. To avoid attracting pests, use the following tips for pest control in Bartlesville, OK:
Store it: Be sure all containers and bags are properly sealed. Open boxes of cookies or bags of chips send tempting aromas to insects. Use sealed containers and clips to keep food fresh and safe.
Clean it: No one wants to start their year with spring cleaning, but it might be a good idea. As you pack away all the decorations, undertake a thorough cleaning of your home. Ensure no crumbs are left behind from holiday parties. The scent of cleaner will be much less appealing to pests than the smell of sugar.
Clear it: As your gifts add to your collection of stuff, don’t let it pile up. Clutter is prime territory for pests. It might be a good time to take inventory of your home and donate, throw away or otherwise clear out any clutter that accumulated in the past year.
Call the Pros
Sometimes, even the best home remedies for pest control in Bartlesville, OK are not enough. For reliable results to rid your home of pests, contact the experts. The professional technicians at Excellence Pest Control are equipped with industry-leading tools and techniques to ensure your home is pest-free for the new year. Reach out to our team today!
There were swarms of them. Little black, orange and red spots creating a moving blanket in the light of the setting sun over the west side of the house. There appeared to be more beetles than there was house! “I’ve never seen anything like it,” said the homeowner unable to look away from the sight. And we had to tell him that, in all our years of pest control in Bartlesville, OK, neither had we!
Although the example above is one of our more severe cases of an Asian lady beetle infestation, it certainly wasn’t the first. These ladybug-looking creatures have made pests of themselves all over Oklahoma and across other parts of the U.S. as well. Unlike the actual ladybug, which is a beneficial creature, the Asian lady beetle is a pest and an invasive species.
How did they get here?
Unlike most invasive species that are introduced to a new environment by mistake, the Asian lady beetles were brought to the U.S. on purpose. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) thought that, like the traditional ladybug, Asian lady beetles would help control agricultural pests. So, in the early 1900s, the USDA introduced the Asian beetles to 10 of the 50 states. However, it didn’t take long for scientists to see their mistake. The Asian lady beetle was nothing like our friendly little ladybug.
How pesky are they really?
Since their original introduction nearly 100 years ago, Asian lady beetles have made themselves right at home in the U.S. Not only has the population of Asian lady beetles grown out of proportion and spread across the country, but the negatives of this cousin to the ladybug have become painfully evident:
They get into your home: Asian lady beetles are known for finding their way into people’s homes during the winter, seeking warmth. They collect around doors and windows, and fly around your home.
They stink: Asian lady beetles secrete a yellowish, smelly, sticky fluid when disturbed or crushed. Not only does this fluid smell terrible, but it can also stain carpet, clothing and even furniture.
They bite: Yes, that’s right. Unlike our friendly little ladybug, Asian lady beetles bite, and it hurts.
They can cause health problems: Some people have an allergic reaction to the Asian lady beetle’s bite or the yellow fluid it secretes. Reactions can include eye problems, such as conjunctivitis (aka pink eye), hay fever, cough, hives or even asthma and difficulty breathing.
What can you do?
If you’re experiencing an infestation of Asian lady beetles in your home, it’s best to look for professional pest control in Bartlesville, OK to help. Attempting to deal with the problem yourself is almost always unsuccessful and you may end up with the added problem of bites and the nasty effects of the yellow, stinky fluid the bugs secrete. At Excellence Pest Control, we have experience dealing with these pesky infiltrators and can help rid your home of the infestation with minimal disturbance to your home or your family.
Whether it’s a spider in the bathtub or a moth in a sack of flour, almost every homeowner has encountered an unwanted pest at some time or another. While these encounters are usually relatively mundane, there are some pests that may hide in your home that are far more concerning. Many types of insects possess the ability to harm humans with poison or venom, and other pests can carry harmful diseases. It’s important that you know what kinds of pests to look out for and where they might be hiding so that you can keep yourself safe from sneaky pests. Remember to call for pest control services in Bartlesville, OK in the event that you suspect an infestation has occurred.
Pests that might hide in and around your home
There are insects and pests almost everywhere, and even if you can’t see them, there are likely many pests hiding out in your home. Spiders, for example, often hide inside homes. They usually stay out of the way and they rarely make an appearance. In general, they will keep out of your way as long as they aren’t disturbed. Spiders don’t usually pose a threat; although there are certain dangerous species of spiders, the ones that are present in homes are mostly harmless. In many states, though, including Oklahoma, there is a much more dangerous pest to contend with: the scorpion. Scorpions are arachnids that pack a powerful kick and a venomous sting, and they can make themselves at home in and around your house.
Where scorpions hide
Scorpions are small enough to hide in a variety of places in and around your home. They can be found underneath rocks or piles of wood in your yard or garden, and some species are even capable of climbing and hiding in trees. Scorpions may also find hiding places in your garage, especially if you have a lot of clutter. They can even get into your home by getting through weather stripping. Even if you feel like your home is pretty well secured with weather stripping, scorpions can get through any space that’s big enough to slide a business card underneath.
Additionally, there are many stories of people slipping their shoes on to find that a scorpion has been using their footwear as a hiding spot. It’s a good idea to check your shoes before you put them on to make sure that no pests have been hiding out in them!
Call for pest control services in Bartlesville, OK
Don’t let creepy crawly intruders sneak up on you in your home or business. Make sure that they are taken care of before they can pose any risk by investing in professional pest control services in Bartlesville, OK from Excellence Pest Control. We have been in business for years, and our experience working with a variety of commercial and residential customers has given us the ability to tackle pest control jobs of almost any size and scope. Whether you are concerned that you might have a rodent problem or you have noticed ants or termites around your home, we are here to help with an exceptional selection of services and lasting pest control solutions. We would be happy to tell you more about what we do, so give us a call today to talk to a member of our team.
As winter approaches, people are beginning to look for ways to escape the cold. Whether you’re warming up in front of a fire or wearing additional layers, it is likely that you are doing a lot to stay warm as temperatures begin to dip. People aren’t the only ones who are trying to keep themselves warm. Birds migrate, bears hibernate and insects make their way inside where they can stay warm during the winter months—or at least that’s the popular belief. As a provider of pest control in Bartlesville, OK, we’ve actually seen a lot of different tactics employed by insects to ensure that they can weather the winter, and some of them might surprise you:
Migration: One of the most consistent tendencies among insects when it gets cold is to migrate. This migration can be across countries, in the case of some butterfly species, or simply from the outside into a building or home. Many insects enter homes to escape cold conditions, but they stick around because all of their basic needs can be met in the confines of a house. They have access to shelter and protection, and they will usually have a reliable source of food, too. During the winter, insects that are already in your home might even migrate to the west side of the house since they will have more exposure to warmth from the sun.
Hibernation: Unlike humans, insects are unable to regulate their own body temperatures and create body heat. Their temperature will match the temperature of their surroundings. Because of this, insects are often unable to withstand the cold temperatures of the winter. In order to conserve energy and avoid exposure to extreme temperatures, many types of insects, including ants, will retreat into their nests and hibernate during the winter and emerge once the weather begins to warm up again.
Hiding: Even if you don’t see any insects during the winter, you might still have insects hiding out in your home. During the winter, many insects hide in homes and remain out of sight. During this time, a homeowner might not realize that they still need pest control in Bartlesville, OK, but insects will continue to multiply and cause problems. Because of this, it’s important that you continue to take steps to minimize pests in your home.
No matter what time of year it is, pests and insects can find their way into your home or business and cause all sorts of problems. In order to safeguard your space from insects throughout the year, it’s important that you have a plan for pest control in Bartlesville, OK. The first thing you should do when you notice signs of unwanted visitors in your home is to call the professional team at Excellence Pest Control. We have been in business since 2003, and we continue to provide the residents and businesses in our community with fantastic pest control and extermination services. If you are concerned about pests invading your home this winter, or if you have noticed any indication that you could have a problem, give us a call today.
During the winter, there are a lot of things that you have to do to make sure that you are ready for the extreme weather and temperatures. You might be patching up leaks or tuning up your heating system so that you can stay comfortable in your home all season long. Another important thing to consider before the cold weather hits is the presence of pests in and around your home. As things cool off outside, insects and pests will begin to look for places where they can stay warm.
Unfortunately, sometimes the warmest place a pest can find is right in your own home or business building. When insects make their way inside, they can cause all sorts of problems that can lead to damage and health issues. It’s important that you know what to expect from pests during the winter so you can call for pest control in Bartlesville, OK as soon as possible:
Bed bugs: Most widely known for their nasty bites and their ability to spread rapidly, bed bugs are also incredibly resilient. They have been known to survive in temperatures ranging from near freezing up to 122° Fahrenheit. During the winter, bed bugs will search for a warm place to make themselves comfortable, and they often end up in homes.
Cockroaches: Everyone knows just how tough cockroaches can be, and they are just as hardy in the winter as they are during any other time of the year. When temperatures begin to dip, cockroaches will begin to search for a place that is warm and humid. Cockroaches can feel right at home in your kitchen or bathroom, and can feed on anything from flour to decaying building materials. Cockroaches have a tendency to move into buildings and homes in large numbers all at once during the winter months.
Ants: In preparation for the limited food supply that ants will have access to during the winter, they eat large amounts of food in the weeks leading up to colder temperatures. If you usually see a few ants in and around your home and they seem to disappear when it gets cold, they haven’t necessarily gone away. Ants will seal themselves into their colony and wait out the cold weather, only to emerge again in the spring as strong as ever.
Termites: While many termite species are less active during the winter, they can survive all year round if they are in a warm, dry, temperature-controlled environment like a home or business. If you spot termites, it’s important that you get professional pest control in Bartlesville, OK right away.
If you need help safeguarding your home from pests this winter, call Excellence Pest Control. Our team of trained and certified professionals has been providing exceptional pest control services to homes and businesses since 2003. We utilize the latest methods and technologies to provide you with effective pest control and extermination solutions that you can trust. No matter what your specific concerns may be or what kinds of pests you are contending with in your home or business, we would be more than happy to help. Give us a call today!
