Seattle Pest Control Blog

Pest Control Advice & Tips for Seattle

Jun
6

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Pest Control in Seattle

Category: Pest Control in Seattle Tags: Leave a Comment

If you live in Seattle, you’ve probably dealt with one type of pest or another.  And I don’t mean the person that  was tailgating you on the way to work this morning.  I mean those creepy crawly, and sometimes furry creatures.  With it’s abundant flora and fauna, it’s no surprise that Seattle has a variety of insects and critters – Critters that can quickly become a pest control issue for a homeowner.  The Puget Sound area is home to all types of insects and animals that can become pests: rats, mice, bed bugs, carpenter ants, sugar ants, raccoons, cockroaches, silverfish, and even squirrels.  All of these can cause big problems for business owners and homeowners.  And while there are many pest control products available for the general public to buy, it’s often hard to know which is the best product and which is the best method.  Most pest control issues involve many different factors, and all factors need to be examined in order to effectively solve the problem.

 

In many cases, simply treating an area with insecticides is not enough.  The conditions leading to the infestation should be examined and eliminated if possible.  This is the concept behind integrated pest management or IPM.  IPM is an more environmentally responsible approach to pest control as it minimizes the use of insecticides.  Instead conducive conditions are examined and eliminated where possible.  Seattle prides itself on being a environmentally conscious city and this type of pest control is embraced.

Trying to solve a pest control issue usually results in one of two things.  Doing it yourself or hiring a professional to get rid of pests for you.

If you’re trying to find a company to do pest control in Seattle, it can be a daunting task.  There are many pest control companies in Seattle and knowing which one to pick can be overwhelming.  A few things to consider are as follows:

  • How long has the company been in business?
  • Are they licensed, bonded, and insured?
  • Does their work come with a warrantee?
  • Do they have good reviews online?
  • And last, but not least, are they competitively priced?

In many cases hiring a professional pest control company is necessary as they have access to certain products that are just not available to the public.  Depending on the pest and the extremity of the situation, hiring a pro may be your best bet.  For example, Seattle is heavily populated with carpenter ants.  There is a very effective product for getting rid of carpenter ants, but state law requires that only licensed pest control operators can administer this product.  If you have a carpenter ant colony inside your home or building, hiring a professional may be necessary to solve the problem.

If you do choose to go the “do it yourself” route, there are a few stores where you can purchase professional grade pest control supplies.  When looking for a place to buy products for pest control in Seattle, it is sometimes more effective to go to a store that specializes in pest control products.  These stores tend to carry much better products than the ones that you would find in a hardware store.  Not all pest control products are created equal.

 

 

Apr
29

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Carpenter Ants – When to call a Pest Control Company

Category: Ant Control, Carpenter Ants, Pest Control in Seattle Leave a Comment

If you live in the greater Seattle area there’s a good chance you’ve seen carpenter ants around your home or office.  Carpenter ants are big black ants and are a wood destroying organism.  This means that they can do considerable damage to the structural integrity of your home.  While seeing them outside your home isn’t necessarily a need to panic, if they establish a satellite colony inside your house it could mean trouble.  Keeping your house or building safe from carpenter ants can be as easy as treating the exterior of the structure every 2-3 months with a perimeter spray.  There are several products available to the public which work wonderfully for this.  Talstar is one of these products.  Applied with a sprayer to the outside of your home or building it can keep your home safe from carpenter ants as well as many other insects.  However, if a carpenter ant colony has been established within your home it can be much more difficult to get rid of them.  Carpenter ants can establish satellite colonies in wall voids, crawl spaces and other hard places to find within a building.  If an ant colony has been established in your home,  spraying the areas where they are seen will have limited results.  In this situation, it is most effective to hire a professional exterminator, and here’s why.  Treating areas inside your home with insecticides will kill some of the ants but will not eliminate the colony.  In the past, exterminators would use a drill and inject treatment to make contact with an ant colony.  Today, this invasive type of treatment is not necessary.  There is a product available to professional exterminators that is not available to the general public.  This is because this product is so effective and there are many restrictions on how this product can be used.  Only licensed pest control operators can legally administer this treatment.  The product they use is a transferable dust which uses the activity of the ants to infect the nest or colony.  This makes it unnecessary to drill and inject insecticides to reach the colony. Locating an ant colony within a structure can be very difficult and using a transfer insecticide makes this task much easier.  It is also much more effective because it uses the activity of the ants to do the work.  If you need a qualified pest control company in Seattle call Eastside Exterminators for a free ant estimate.  Call today! (206) 364-1731

Feb
7

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How Rodents Damage Homes

Category: Rodent Control Leave a Comment

If you have ever had a rat problem, you know that rats and mice can cause all kinds of damage to your house or building.  They nest in your insulation, chew through your wires, and chew holes in all sorts of places.  Deanna Townsend, co owner of Eastside Exterminators and head rodent guru, put together this gallery of pictures she photographed.  All are of common places rodents use to gain entry to a house and the damage they can do.

 

Oct
4

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Are bed bug dogs an unnecessary gimmick?

Category: Bed Bugs, Pest Control in Seattle Tags: , , Leave a Comment

Yes. At least according to an experienced local pest control technician who specializes in bed bug treatment.

There has been a lot of hype about bed bugs in the media this past year. Bed bugs in movie theaters, bed bugs in Victoria’s Secret stores, bed bugs taking over the country. While it’s true that the number of bed bug infested residences has gone up in the U.S. there are still some questionable arguments on effectively treating them.

Bed bug sniffing dogs are all the rage lately and many pest control companies are advertising their bug smelling hounds. But according to one seasoned pest control technician I spoke with recently, Bed bug sniffing dogs are just an unnecessary gimmick. “What people need to realize,” says Rob MacGinnitie,” is that by the time a dog can detect bed bugs, the infestation is pretty extreme. And once a dog does detect bed bugs it needs to be verified by the technician with physical evidence.” This type of evidence is exactly what Rob looks for on his initial visit for a bed bug inspection. Tiny blood spots on the sheets or matress, and small cream colored eggs are signs of an infestation. “These dogs are unnecessary and just a gimmick,” he says.

For more information about bed bugs or to see what bed bug bites look like visit Eastside Exterminators Bed bugs inform

ation page.

Sep
23

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Not all rodents are bad

Category: Rodent Control Tags: , , Leave a Comment

If your seeing rodents around your house and they’re not as cute as these guys, give us a call. (425) 820-1137

Sep
22

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5 tips for traveling & staying bed bug free

Category: Bed Bugs Leave a Comment

1. Choose a bed bug free Hotel

You can go online and see if the hotel you want to stay at has had any bed bug complaints or history of bed bug activity. Two of the best sites for this is trip advisor and the bedbug registry.

2. Examine Your Mattress

Inspect the mattress by removing the sheets and carefully examining the seams. You’re not only looking for live bed bugs but also evidence of bedbugs which includes blood spots, fecal matter, and eggs. (See our bed bug pictures). You should also examine the headboard and bed frame as well as any nearby furniture.

3. Don’t store your luggage close to the bed

Bed bugs stay close to the location of their sleeping hosts; more specifically, the bed. Store your bags in the closet or even the bathroom. This will help prevent any unwanted stowaways when you travel home.

4. Keep laundry Separate

Store dirty laundry and any clothes you wear in your hotel room in plastic bags. If the clothes you wore did happen to come in contact with bed bugs, they will be separate from everything else, and they can be washed in hot water when you return.

5. Do the Laundry

When you return home, wash and dry all of your dirty laundry. If you can use, the hottest setting . Clean clothes can be run through the dryer on the hottest setting. One final precaution you can take when you return is treating your suitcase with a pesticide. We recommend JT Eaton bed bug luggage spray.

If you think you have bed bugs, this local Seattle pest control company provides free estimates, and effective bed bug treatments.

 

Sep
21

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Carpenter Ants – Do it yourself or hire a professional?

Category: Ant Control Leave a Comment

Carpenter ants are some of Seattle’s most problematic pests.  They are prolific in this region and pose a serious threat to home owners because they are a wood destroying organism.   Left unattended a carpenter ant infestation can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage to a home or business.  In this day and age of “do it yourself”resources and  internet information, a carpenter ant problem may be something to consider solving yourself.  Let’s examine when you should do it yourself and when you might want to call in the pros.

Are you sure they’re carpenter ants?

Depending on the type of ant, the treatment may vary.  Products used to get rid of carpenter ants can actually make a sugar ant problem worse!  If your not sure what type of ant your dealing with, look into getting a free estimate.  Then, even if you don’t choose to have the pest control company treat your home, you at least know what your dealing with.

Is there a carpenter ant colony in your house?
Carpenter ants may have established a satellite colony somewhere in your home or business.  A satellite colony is established when a parent colony, which exists outside in nature, grows large and needs to expand.  If this is the case getting rid of them may require a professional.  Even if you locate the colony it may be difficult to apply an insecticide effectively.  The colony may be in a wall void, the crawlspace, or underneath insulation in your attic.  A professional pest control technician has access to whats called a transfer insecticide.  A transfer insecticide is undetected by the ants.  Once an ant comes in contact with this product, it then infects all other ants it comes in contact with.  This type of insecticide is very effective for satellite colonies, but by law can only be applied by a licensed pest control professional.

Even if you see a few carpenter ants in your home or building, it does not mean a satellite colony has been established.  Here are some signs that there is a satellite colony inside:

  • Rustling sounds in the walls or ceiling.
  • Small piles of material that looks like sawdust.
  • Consistent and frequent ants found inside.
  • Ants trailing into house.  Trails are most active at night.

Doing it Yourself
If you have determined that you do not have a colony inside your house then doing yourself may be an option.  Keeping carpenter ants away  requires applying a barrier around the outside perimeter of your home or business.  This will also prevent ants from establishing a satellite colony.  You will need a sprayer and an effective insecticide.   Many professional grade insecticides can be purchased online or locally here in Seattle at Do It Yourself Pest Control.com

 

Sep
16

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Rats at Large – Rodent Control in Seattle

Category: Pest Control in Seattle, Rodent Control Leave a Comment

In the past month, Eastside Exterminators Pest Control has been getting an alarming number of calls about rats and mice.  It is not unusual for the company to get several calls for these pests but the number of calls has been extraordinary.

In a recent survey conducted by a popular rodent control product, Seattle ranked in the top 25 cities in the U.S. for estimated rodent population growth.  Some of the factors used to determine this were weather cycles, urban congestion,  projected development, and the local environment.

Seattle has already been experiencing this growth.   Growing numbers of complaints have been filed for rats in toilets and rodents invading homes.

If rodents have invaded your home or business here is the process for effectively getting rid of them:

Inspect:
One of the most crucial steps is finding all of their entry points.  Rodents must leave to forage for food, and the only way to keep them out is to identify where they’re getting in.

Protect:
Protect your home by sealing up all of their entry points.  Rodents can chew through all kinds of materials so use metal and concrete.

Trap:
Set traps inside.  Most rodent infestations are limited to the crawlspace and attic so this is where you’ll want to set the traps.  With their entry points sealed up, they will be forced into the only food source available…in the traps.

Disinfect:
Now that the structure is sealed up, and the remaining rats or mice are dead, the area must be cleaned and sanitized.  Read this article by the Center for Disease Control for information about safety and health while cleaning up rodent waste.

Sep
15

By

How to Choose a Pest Control Company

Category: Pest Control in Seattle Leave a Comment

If you live in Seattle, you know that we have our fair share of pest problems. Rats, mice, carpenter ants, spiders, bed bugs, and cockroaches can become a problem for your home or business quickly. If you have a pest problem, here are some important guidelines to use when  trying to decide on a pest control company.

Are they Licensed, bonded, and insured?
Any legitimate pest control company should be, but this is especially important if they are going to be doing any type of exclusion work to your home or business.  Also, are all of their technicians licensed?

Do they offer a gaurantee on their work?
If you’re not getting results you should not be paying for the service.

Experience.
How long have they been in business?  How many years of experience do their technicians have?

Free Estimates?
Do they offer free estimates.  Each pest problem is unique, and a good pest control company will send out a technician to evaluate the situation and then give you a quote.

Customer Service.
When you call do you get a real person on the phone or do you get an automated service?  If you get to talk to a real person, do they seem knowledgeable about pests?

Does the technician explain what he’s doing?
A good pest control technician understands that their are several factors involved in treating a pest problems.  A technician that sprays and then leaves without discussing control options may be using more insecticides than needed.

Sep
14

By

5 Tips for Keeping Mosquitoes Away

Category: Pest Control in Seattle 1 Comment

6764_loresNothing is more annoying than being bitten by mosquitoes when your trying to enjoy a warm summer evening.  With the weather FINALLY warming up around Seattle, we thought we’d take the opportunity to let you in on a few really useful tips on keeping those pesky mosquitoes away.

1.  Eliminate their breeding ground. Mosquitoes need standing water to breed.  Look for anything around your yard that may be collecting water and cover it or turn it over. Buckets, pool, old tires, tarps; These can all be breeding grounds for mosquitoes.  Keep rain gutters unclogged by cleaning them on a regular basis.  Keep water in bird baths fresh by changing it once a week.

2. Mosquito Repellant. This one is probably not news to you.  But what you might not know is the most effective type of repellant, which is any repellant that contains DEET.

3. Use Catnip Oil. Catnip oil has been tested to be dramatically more effective that most mosquito repellants.  It is not, however, safe to be applied directly to your skin.  But, it can be applied to clothes and patio furniture.  Just be careful if you have cats!

4.  Keep a Fan on. Keeping a fan blowing nearby will reduce the number of mosquitoes in your general vicinity.

5. Plant a garden. Like to relax in your yard? Plant these natural mosquito repellants around your home:  Rosemary, Basil, Lemongrass, Citronella, Catnip, Marigolds, Tansies, & Garlic.