When you live in the Okanagan, you want to know how to keep your home free of the most common pests in the area. But, if you don't know what those pests are, how can you keep them away?
In this guide, we're going to let you know about five pests that frequent the area. Let's crawl into this list so you can call the exterminator to fix all your pest problems.
Ants These crawling insects can make you think twice about treading through an ant pile. Depending on the type of ant, they can grow up to one inch in length, which is about the size of a paper clip. In the Okanagan region, odiferous house ants (sugar ants) and carpenter ants are some of the most common ant species causing a nuisance. Odiferous house ants normally colonize in trees and, if ignored, are famous for becoming long-term residents, colonizing in ceilings or walls of your home. Typically signs of colonization can vary from seeing many queens to visibly noticing a material called frass which they can generate as they excavate or tunnel their way into the building material in your walls or ceilings. The average size of a colony can be up to 100,000 ants. Carpenter ants are another type of ant that can be a nuisance and flock towards any kind of water source. Therefore, the best way to ensure that they don't infest your home is to remove all areas of moisture and stagnant water sources. It's also beneficial to ensure any areas where there are openings in your home are sealed to keep the ants out.
Rats Rats can infiltrate your home without knowing until you find piles of rat droppings or holes in the walls that weren't there before. Rats can chew through wood and drywall, leaving behind visible holes. Once rats are in your home, they begin to reproduce quicker than you can blink. A litter of rats can yield up to 20 rats every 3 weeks. If you begin to hear scratching on your ceiling and suspect that you've got a rat problem, call the professionals as soon as possible because once they're in the structure, it can be challenging to get them out.
Mice Small rodents like mice are can enter homes in a variety of ways. Providing long term structural maintenance will help with ongoing prevention. It’s best to locate and seal entry points during the summer prior to waiting until mice find their way into your home. Having served the Okanagan for decades, we do notice that trend in the fall where small rodents press their way into structures. Surprisingly, this summer we have had a significant increase in calls for mice infestations in peoples’ homes. If ignored, they can multiply. One helpful tip is to setup monitoring locations in areas you may store pet food or bird seed. (monitoring may be done in a variety of methods, so feel free to call and talk to us so we can help walk you through how to best monitor your home for these unwelcomed guests.
Spiders The creepy crawlies can give anyone the shivers when you think about them being inside of your home. And in the Okanagan, the Black Widow and Hobo spiders are a couple of types to look out for. The black widow spider is commonly spotted by the red hourglass shape on its belly and can deliver a venomous bite to its victim. One bite from this spider can leave the victim in great agony, causing serious pain in the chest and abdomen. Hobo Spiders don’t display any noticeable markings and can be easily mistaken for a harmless house spider. These aggressive spiders possess a nasty bite though. Typically, Hobo spiders are anywhere from 1 centimeter to 1.5 centimeters in diameter and have solid colors with brown legs. If you spot black widows or hobo spiders around your home call an exterminator immediately to eradicate the problem.
Wasp Nests Have you ever walked outside of your home and seen a wasps nest beginning to form? This can be cause to worry because wasps have stingers that can deliver a painful sting to their victim. Only the female wasps have stingers, and it takes about 30-40 wasps stings to incapacitate a human, but much less for those who have an allergy to bee stings. When you notice the beginnings of a wasps nest, it's best to have it eliminated quickly.
Common Pests Remedy
If you're looking for an exterminator to solve all of your common pest problems, you need to call our team at The Bugman Pest Control. We take care of everything from rodents to ants and spiders.
If you're not sure if you've got pests, we can take care of that with a home inspection and quote you a reasonable price. Contact us today for pest control services in the Okanagan region including Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon.