An ant infestation is the most commonly reported pest problem. Ants enter your home or business in search of food and water. If you have an ant problem, it is important for you to identify what type of ant that you have and then to use an appropriate method to eliminate the issue. The experts at Smitty's Pest Control can help to identify the ant species that is wreaking havoc on your property. Just because you keep a clean house doesn’t mean that these pests still won’t come in. Most infestations inside are the result of workers searching for food. These pests are persistent and will find an entry point, find out how they are entering and eliminate their entry point.

These are the types of ant infestations you will most likely encounter: Acrobat ant, Argentine ant, Carpenter ant, Crazy ant, Field ant, Red Imported Fire ant, Harvester ant, Little Black ant, Odorous House ant, Pharaoh ant, and the Thief ant.

Ants can range from as small as 1/16” to as large as1/2” in length, depending on the species. Ant colors can vary from golden yellow, light brown, dark brown, red, and black.

Ants can be very difficult to control, so most homeowners must employ the services of a professional pest control company if the proper methods and inspection to find the colonies aren’t taken. Here are some general tips and guidelines to prevent and mitigate your ant problem.

1. To eliminating piles of lumber, bricks or other debris that could serve as a nesting site for ants.
2. Keeping landscape mulch less than 2 inches thick and at least 12 inches away from foundations.
3. Ensure the sprinkler system does not directly hit the foundation.
4. Sealing as many cracks in the building’s exterior as possible.
5. Keeping tree and shrub branches trimmed to prevent them from touching the building.
6. Treat the mounds if the ants are in their nest during the hot part of the day.
7. There are baits containing insect growth regulator (IGR) that are effective within a few days.
8. Injection of an appropriate pesticide dust into mound entrances.
9. Using products registered for this pest. When using any pesticide, be sure it is registered for the targeted pest and/or location, Read the entire label thoroughly, following all label directions, restrictions and precautions remember- not following the label can be dangerous and against the law.

For more information on ant control services contact us.

Cockroaches multiply very quickly, and they also adapt quickly, too. It is important to contact a pest control agency quickly if you see them in your home or business.

These are the types of cockroach infestations you will most likely encounter: American cockroach, Brown Banded cockroach, German cockroach, Oriental cockroach, Smoky and the Brown cockroach.

Cockroaches range from as small as 1/2” to as large as 2” in length, depending on the species. Cockroach colors can vary from yellow, light brown, chestnut brown, reddish brown, and dark mahogany brown.

In many instances there is no way of keeping roaches out of your home even if you are very clean and maintain a house hold free of crumbs and food. Here are some general tips and guidelines to prevent and mitigate your cockroach problem.

1. Inspect all incoming food goods, boxes, and used furniture and appliances for the presence of cockroaches or their egg capsules. 2.
2. Remove any cockroaches or egg capsules using a vacuum or otherwise killing the insects.
3. In commercial facilities, avoid storing food items in cardboard boxes on shelves. Cardboard is a preferred harborage site for cockroaches.
4. In homes, do not store paper bags under the sink or elsewhere in the kitchen if possible don’t bring them in the house rid them outside
5. If you need to keep the bags and utilize them try and keep them in the garage or rooms other than the kitchen, utility room, or bathrooms.
6. Makes sure you seal any holes or cracks around plumbing pipes under sinks, behind toilets and baseboards.
7. Make sure a regular vacuum treatment is done on a consistent basis and clean floors under kitchen appliances.
8. Using baits that will work with low toxic will help and eliminate a small infestation if the infestation is large hire a licensed Pest Control Company

For more information on cockroach control services contact us.

There are over 35,000 described species of spiders worldwide, with about 3,000 occurring in North America. Some species of spiders have a poisonous bite.

These are the types of fly infestations you will most likely encounter: Black Widow spider, Brown Recluse spider, Domestic House spider, Funnel Web spider, Garden spider, Common Hose spider, Jumping spider, Orb Weaver spider, Tarantula spider, Wolf spider, and the Yellow Sac spider.

Spiders range from as small as 1/4” to as large as 2 1/2” on their bodies, and legs as long as 4”, depending on the species. Spider colors can vary from hues of green, brown, gray, and black with various markings or stripes, depending on the species.

Here are some general tips and guidelines to prevent and mitigate your fly problem.

1. Removing or limiting heavy, ground-covering vegetation near the building.
2. Installing tight-fitting screens on all attic and foundation vents.
3. Sealing holes around pipes indoors to prevent spiders from entering the living spaces of the home by following plumbing lines in basements and crawl spaces. Sealing holes around pipes indoors to prevent spiders from entering the living spaces of the home by following plumbing lines in basements and crawl spaces.
4. Regular removal of spider webs is the best way to limit these spiders.
5. Sealing up cracks around windows and doors helps prevent their entry.
6. Switch exterior lights to the yellow “bug” light bulbs which attract fewer flying insects on which spiders feed.
7. Treatments to exterior spider nesting sites can help reduce the numbers of spiders when combined with an overall pest management program.

Although there are many harmless spiders, there are also dangerous ones. If numerous spiders and bites have occurred, it is important to identify the species of the spider. If further problems or questions arise, a professional should be consulted to conduct a thorough inspection and recommend possible treatments

For more information on spider control services contact us.

Bed bugs have largely been thought of as being a problem of the past. Unfortunately, we are now experiencing a widespread recurrence. The experts at Signature Pest Control can help to identify the bed bugs that are wreaking havoc on your property.

The common bed bug is a bloodsucking nocturnal parasite of man. They do attack others if man is not available for example chickens, bats, and some domestic animals. The bed bug feeds by piercing the host with hollow tubes coming from the maxilla (upper jaw). Saliva is injected when feeding and is associated with local and sometimes widespread hives (skin rash). This pest has become less important over the last half century with general improvements in household and personal cleanliness.

Bed bugs are typically 1/4” in length. Bed bug colors can vary from a reddish brown to rust-like hue.

These parasites are known for feeding on blood and crawling into beds during the night while their victims or host are fast sleeping. Bed bug bites are painless and many bed bugs can feed for quite a long time on many areas of the exposed skin. Result of the wound may show minor swelling into a small red bump followed by itching and irritation.

Good news is that bed bugs have not been known to carry or transmit any human disease, but just the presence of blood-feeding pest and especially in your personal space as your bed. Bed bug eggs are deposited in small cracks and crevices in the mattresses, bed frames, drawers, headboards, trim, baseboards, and in furniture near the bed. The nymphs and adults live near one another hiding in such areas of cracks and crevices waiting night when they might venture out to feed.

Bed bugs commonly have not been seen in single-family dwellings, but have become common in motels, hotels, and apartment buildings. Usually, an infestation begins in motel/hotel rooms or apartments and then continues to spread to surrounding structures, neighboring units or transported from location to location. Bed bugs spend the day times resting in cracks or voids of furniture, beddings, box springs and/or walls.

Identification of bed bugs is very important and in the fact the close relatives and resemblance of bat bugs and swallow bugs are easily confused with the bed bug. Improper identification will lead to improper, unsafe and unsuccessful control efforts. They can be very difficult to eliminate and/or control, therefore an inspection with an experienced pest control professional is recommended.

Successful control depends on finding every crack or void the insect is harboring, removal of the bugs by vacuuming or treatment of the harborage areas with an appropriate registered product. Overlooking even the smallest crack in furniture may lead to a persistent infestation, therefore beds, nightstands, headboards; box springs and related furniture often require disassembly and careful inspection.

Carpets may need to be gently lifted along the edge of the baseboard and the space beneath treated. Baseboards, door and window frames, and any visible crack will require treatment in infested rooms. You should not move furniture from one room to another; it should be inspected and cleaned or treated as necessary to prevent the spread or re-infestation of bed bugs to the new room

For more information on bed bugs control services contact us.

Scorpions usually become an indoor problem when they choose to leave their outdoor habitats in search of a better place to live where more food sources are found. If a scorpion’s better choice includes your home’s interior, take action to implement exclusion techniques that include sealing their common entry points with sealant or mortar.

Scorpions commonly use gaps under doors; ground-level windows; gaps surrounding plumbing pipes and utility lines that enter the home; and cracks and gaps in the foundation to get inside a home or business. 

Scorpions also gain access by hitchhiking inside in boxes, firewood, potted plants and outdoor furniture. 

Once inside, scorpions typically seek out basements, crawl spaces, hidden places under kitchen cabinets or in garages and bathrooms.

While scorpion stings are generally nonlethal, they are venomous nevertheless. Common side effects include numbness, pain, and localized swelling. In serious cases, vomiting and breathing trouble can occur. Children and the elderly are more likely to have severe reactions from a scorpion sting. Of the numerous scorpion species found in North America, the most medially important species is the bark scorpion.

When scorpions become a problem, the property owner should contact their pest management professional for advice and assistance. Your pest management professional will inspect your property, plus provide services and recommendations that will address what is needed to minimize scorpion problems. Some of the things your treatment plan may include are:

• Inspections: Inspecting items to ensure scorpions are not accidentally being moved inside the home. Some common recommendations include checking to ensure scorpions are not in firewood or boxes brought inside from outside storage areas.
• Services & Recommendations: Providing services or making recommendations for how to reduce the scorpions on your property based on your pest management professional’s inspection findings. This normally includes efforts to reduce the environmental conditions that support scorpion populations, and if needed, an insecticide application to areas where scorpions are found or where they could enter the home.
• Sanitation: Removing debris from around the house where scorpions like to live. Typical scorpion habitat includes areas that provide protection such as under rocks, fallen trees, debris, stacks of firewood, potted plants, outdoor furniture and inside attics, crawl spaces and outdoor storage sheds or barns.
• Lawns: Keeping the lawn mowed close to the ground and keeping landscaping plants at least 2 feet away from the house foundation.
• Exclusion: Recommending exclusion measures that prevent scorpions from getting inside the home. For example, your treatment plan may identify areas under doorways and openings, torn screens and areas that surround pipes and utility lines entering the house that need to be sealed.
• Chemicals: Using chemical products for scorpion treatment. Scorpions prefer to hide in well-protected places, so unless the chemical applications are targeted to their harborage sites, chemical use may not always be effective. However, your pest management professional has the knowledge and experience to know which products and where they need to be applied to treat the problem

Scorpion Bites
Scorpion concerns usually stem from the sting, which can contain venom, and not from an actual bite. No scorpion venom in the U.S., with one exception, is viewed as a significant medical threat to the average person. In a human victim, a scorpion’s venom may cause symptoms like swelling at the site of the sting. However, some people experience numbness and convulsions. In extreme cases, some people may experience difficulty in breathing. People who are allergic are more likely to die from a dangerous scorpion’s venom. Their chance of survival improves if they receive an injection of antivenom in time to counteract the sting’s effects.

Scorpion Habitat
Scorpions live in very dry climates. Despite this, they are very sensitive to the loss of moisture from their body and hide during the day in shady locations. They obtain most of their water from their prey. 

For more information on scorpion control services contact us.

If you are currently dealing with a rat infestation, you are probably wondering what you can do to get the situation under control as soon as possible. Once rats are inside of your home, they will chew through wood and wires, and this behavior can create a fire hazard that you won’t want to overlook.

Since they prefer to avoid contact with humans, the sight of a rat in your home could point to an infestation that has already grown out of hand. If you have not spotted them and are wondering if they are around, learning the signs for which to look can help. You are going to discover how to keep yourself safe and when to contact a professional. 

People often take steps to prevent rats from getting into their homes, but they are not always successful. The most common step that people take is checking the sides of their homes for holes, sealing the ones that they find. It’s vital you remember that rats are crafty and will do what it takes to find shelter and a source of food. They can climb onto your roof and enter through a ventilation system if they have enough room. When they get desperate, they will even hold their breath and climb your plumbing system. 

In addition to sealing the holes in your walls and on your roof, you can also buy traps in advance and place them in areas that rats are likely to target, such as attics, basements and sheds. The type of trap that you get will depend on your situation, and those who have pets will need to opt for a solution that won’t harm their furry friends. Preventing an infestation is much easier than removing one, so getting to work now can put your mind at ease, reducing the odds of future problems. 

In spite of your best effort, you won’t always be able to keep rats out of your home and away from your family. Even though you can go a long way to reduce the odds of an infestation, you can only do so much on your own. If you want to enjoy the best possible results, turn to the team at Smitty's Pest Control. Our training, experience and equipment combine and allow us to solve any pest problem that we encounter. The moment we start, you will know that you are in good hands, and we will keep your needs at the front of our minds from the beginning to the end.

Rats are dangerous pests that can cause many problems if you don’t take steps to prevent the threat. Since protecting yourself is the most important step, sealing holes and placing traps before you notice the warning signs is a great idea that will take you far. If you are already facing an infestation, you can’t afford to take risks, but the help of an expert can offer the protection for which you have been looking. A pest control professional knows where rats like to hide and what to do to manage them as efficiently as possible. If you would like to learn more about rats or to enlist our help, we encourage you to pick up the phone and give us a call.

For more information on rat control services contact us.