Pest Control FAQ

The products we use do not always kill instantly, and may take several hours to kill once contact is made. Many products that kill quickly have little or no residual ability. We use the highest quality products with residual properties for best results.

Carpenter ants are more than a nuisance – they are a serious structural pest that needs to be addressed quickly. If the weather is mild and you happen to see one every few days, further inspection may be necessary. Try to locate the source. Seeing several daily is cause for concern, and treatment may be necessary.

The most common way to distinguish carpenter ants from other species of ants in and around your structure is by size (1/2″ and larger) and color (black). Carpenter ants are polymorphic, meaning that they have many sizes within the colony. However, these ants are typically much larger than other species of ants in our area (which typically max out at 3/8″). Carpenter ants, unlike most others, have a smooth back (thorax).

Carpenter Ants bore into the soft portions of wood to better regulate the temperature of their colony. Therefore, carpenter ants are considered a structural pest which can damage the wood materials used to build our homes. For more information please see our carpenter ants page.

Typically, flea bites are much smaller than most spider bites or mosquito bites. While everyone reacts differently to bites or stings, the flea bite normally is about the size of a pencil lead (or 1/16″) in diameter. Most other bites are much larger (around 1/4″ in diameter).

Cockroaches are known to be vectors for transmitting various health threats as they move from location to location (most typically in kitchen and bathroom areas). Cockroaches have also been known to cause asthmatic conditions in some individuals.

Bed bugs, like any other sucking/piercing type of pest, can be a vector for transmitting various diseases as they feed off of other hosts and then off of us.

Depending on a person’s reaction to a bed bug bite, a person could have bed bugs for months before seeing any signs of bites. An adult bed bug is oval in shape, reddish-brown in color, and most commonly found in and around bed framing and mattress seams. These are not the only areas of concern, but it is a good place to start inspecting.

Honey bees, unlike other species of hymenoptera (Wasps, Yellow Jackets and Hornets) are considered a beneficial insect.  There are a number of beekeepers tending honey bees in our area, and occasionally a queen will leave her nest and set up somewhere else (like our homes).   It is best to call a beekeeper to remove these bees by hand.

Even though moisture ants are considered a structural insect, their damage is only secondary to a rot condition already in the affected wood material. A moisture condition is what causes the rotting process of the affected piece of wood. The moisture ants come in after the rot has advanced and they eat the fungus and mold found in this rotted area.