Common Pests (Pest Control Tips)

Termites

If termites would just stay in the wild, helping fallen trees decompose, they would be a great help -- not the great destroyer that they have become. Unfortunately, humans build their homes of wood, and termites can't distinguish between a fallen log and your home.

Termites are a pest you definitely want to discourage. However, many homes seem to welcome termites. Take some steps to make your home less likely to be attacked. Here are a few suggestions:

• Get rid of wood around your home that's not serving a purpose. Remove old form boards, old tree stumps, and wood debris.
• If you must store firewood near your home, stack it off the ground and don't allow it to lean against the building.
• Correct moisture problems. Make sure gutters and downspouts are unclogged. Water should be channeled from downspouts away from your foundation. Repair leaking pipes and don't aim sprinklers against your house.
• Slope soil away from your home. Trim shrubbery blocking any vents.
• Never allow wood to contact soil.

Have Wesley Johnson Exterminating inspect your home occasionally for wood destroying organisms, and situations which make your home more likely to be attacked.

Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are usually slow to cause damage, so it's not uncommon for a homeowner to have seen them wandering around for years before they actually notice damage.

But don't wait until you notice carpenter ant damage to control these pests. If you see ants wandering about, you should control them right away, BEFORE they start causing major damage.

Carpenter ants are most active searching for food from midnight to 4 a.m., so if you see these pests during the day, you are seeing only a small fraction of what is happening at night. They love leaks or other moisture problems, blocked or leaking gutters, or a poorly ventilated attic or crawl space. Tree stumps, dead tree limbs, and firewood also can stimulate problems with carpenter ants, as can trees and shrubs that touch a home and keep walls more moist.

Call Wesley Johnson Exterminating, if you see carpenter ants wandering in or outside your home. We're experts at controlling these difficult pests. We start by inspecting your home to find where they're coming from. If their nests are all outside your home, we'll take steps to ensure they stay out. If ants are starting to nest inside, they need to be stopped before they have time to do more damage, or set up other colonies.

Cockroaches

The American cockroach is the largest cockroach that infests buildings in the United States. There are several kinds of roaches in the US, and some cockroaches can even fly.

Like all cockroaches, it is omnivorous and will eat virtually anything people will and many things we won't. It thrives in warm, damp environments, such as sewers, steam tunnels, basements, crawlspaces, and boiler rooms. In southern states, it will also be found living and breeding outdoors.

The key to control is to find and treat these sources directly. In many cases, the services of a professional company, such as Wesley Johnson Exterminating, are required. In southern states where this cockroach lives outdoors, successful control involves treating the attic, crawlspace, and exterior cracks in the home and finding and treating likely cockroach areas over the entire property.

Good basic prevention tips include:

• Ensure the attic and/or crawlspace has sufficient ventilation. Research has shown that proper ventilation creates an environment unsuitable for cockroaches and other pests.
• Make sure that all foundation and attic vents are equipped with tight-fitting screens.
• Seal as many exterior cracks and holes as possible on the outside of the home.
• Do not allow pet food to sit out overnight. Pick it up after outdoor pets are finished eating.
• Store firewood as far from the house as possible, locating it off the ground, and covering it with a tarp or plastic.
• Eliminate piles of lumber and debris where cockroaches could harbor.