Pest Control Technician Tips

One or two ants in the house during the spring or summer could actually be the sign of a major structural infestation. If you could see them on regular basis during the spring than it’s time to take action!. Many clients leave the problem overgrow because they can see the ants during the spring but they “disappear” during the summer. The truth is the carpenter ants don’t just “disappear”. Because of the warmer weather, the ants begin foraging outside rather than inside the house but the nest is still active in the exterior walls! So where to look for the traces of carpenter ants?

• Along the perimeter of the house where siding meets foundation
• Any kind of house penetration
• Any kind of structure attached to the house (fence,…)
• Door and window frames
• Gutter lines
• Vegetation touching the house
• Power lines

In order to eradicate the colony, the primary nest has to be detected and treated. Most common mistake is disturbing the nest by insecticides or repellants without reaching the queen. Result of it is colony moving to the different part of the structure and you have to start with searching again.

Also when the colony is in danger the queen goes into egg-laying overdrive to repopulate the colony, which could well make the original problem even worse. Another procedure is open up the wall and vacuum the entire nest and also replacing damage wood.

Because of those difficulties the easiest way is to call professionals and they should apply non-repellent borates into the wall cavities. It works best for simple reason – it’s not detectable by carpenter ants.

It’s good idea to take a walk around your house to look for signs of pavement ants. What to look for? Based on the name you can likely guess where pavement might be located. Generally below sidewalks, driveways, slab-on-grade foundations are perfect places for nesting.
An obvious sign of pavement ants during the summer is piles of sand – sand in between pavement cracks, patio stones, against foundation etc. The pavement ant diet is various: insects, seeds, honeydew, honey, bread, meats, nuts, ice cream, cheese or any sugary substance. Pavement ants love sugar!

Seal up cracks and crevices around window and door frames with Purchase an insecticide with Boron or Borax solution at your local hardware store. Liquid based preferably.

Tip: Never combine treatments in one area –  baits attract, sprays repel etc. The spray will make them stop eating the bait.

They cause millions of dollars in damage to urban areas of Vancouver annually. Those birds are able to cause a damage because of:

• Pigeon droppings are highly acidic and can cause extensive erosion and damage the roof
• Nests can cause fire hazards  (blocking air vents)
• Debris can blocked gutters and drains resulting in floods
• Nest material and other debris is dangerous to the machines (air conditioning units etc.)
• They carry diseases as salmonella, meningitis, histoplasmosis and others

Which options do we have for solving the pigeons issue? Except trapping and shooting the most effective way is exclusion. Best equipments for exclusion:

• Bird spikes
• Bird net
• Bird wire

Fake hawk or electronic devices have not been proved as 100% efficient. They are good way how to increase your chance to prevent the pigeons roosting.

Let’s add that the easiest way how to determine mice from rats is based on the their droppings. For rats we could say that their droppings are bigger than a grain of rice. Mouse droppings are smaller than a grain of rice.  Rats prefer not to share their living space with humans so mostly only two indicators are possible – droppings in the attic/crawl space/furnace room or noise in the walls/ceiling/floor. On the other side mice don’t mind to enter the kitchen, living room or other places of the house/apartment.

There are several good reasons for to try to prevent rats from in/around the house:

• Rats will happily chew electrical wires to sharpen their teeth
• Gnawing, compressing and contaminating thermal insulation
• Carrying diseases
• Damaging plumbing and roofing systems
• Presenting potential threat for pets

Every treatment should start with pest identification. Lower Mainland deals with two kinds of rats – Roof Rat and Norway Rat. However commonly are mice determined as a rats by mistake. What kind of indicators to look for? 

Traps or rodenticides? The basic rule here is till the house is 100% excluded you should avoid to using poison (you don’t want a dead rat in your wall). The right exclusion is essential for solving rat issues.

Recommended Exclusion materials:

• Galvanized wire mesh
• Metal flashing
• Copper wool (don’t use steel wool it will rust and deteriorate)
• Metal snips
• Staple Gun
• Power drill
• 1 – 1 ½ “ screws
• Step ladder
• Extension ladder
• Good flashlight
• Good headlamp
• Work gloves

Snap traps on their own are a great monitoring tool but keep in mind that the bait could be eaten by mice without being set off. On the flip side, rats can trigger a mouse trap without being caught but they will become wary after the shocking experience.

They cause millions of dollars in damage to urban areas of Vancouver annually. Those birds are able to cause a damage because of:

• Pigeon droppings are highly acidic and can cause extensive erosion and damage the roof
• Nests can cause fire hazards  (blocking air vents)
• Debris can blocked gutters and drains resulting in floods
• Nest material and other debris is dangerous to the machines (air conditioning units etc.)
• They carry diseases as salmonella, meningitis, histoplasmosis and others

• Don’t feed them in any kind of way (be aware that feeding could be illegal in some municipalities)
• Prevent the nesting by exclusion
  • Netting
  • Spikes
  • Grid wire system
• Change habitat:
  • Plant barriers (min 6m wide and 75cm high)
  • Reflective tape, balloons, flags, noise devices etc

Why would you be concerned for their presence? For couple reasons:

• Will damage almost anything to gain access to a potential den or  food source (tearing roofs is not rare behaviour)
• Damaging lawns and gardens in search for grubs and earthworms
• Can carry a roundworm parasite (or other diseases)

Essential for raccoon treatment is exclusion. Eliminate potential shelters is the best way how to make them go somewhere else. Always make sure the space is raccoon free before excluded. There are few other approaches which you could try to repel them according to BCSPCA:

• Install light in the den site
• Let on the radio near by den site (talk station preferable)
• You could also try make the repellant by apple cider vinegar

There are several things what you could do as a prevention:

• Inspect the structure along the foundation (since mice are not very good climbers) for any kind of cracks, openings or penetrations
• Inspect the door and garage door for any lack of sealing (door sweep,…)
• Make sure you have bug screen installed in all doors and windows along ground lvl
• Maintain building and yard
• Trim bushes and greenery away from foundation

Let’s add that the easiest way how to determine mice from rats is based on the their droppings. For rats we could say that their droppings are bigger than a grain of rice. Mouse droppings are smaller than a grain of rice.  Rats prefer not to share their living space with humans so mostly only two indicators are possible – droppings in the attic/crawl space/furnace room or noise in the walls/ceiling/floor. On the other side mice don’t mind to enter the kitchen, living room or other places of the house/apartment.

There are several good reasons for to try to prevent rats from in/around the house:

• Rats will happily chew electrical wires to sharpen their teeth
• Gnawing, compressing and contaminating thermal insulation
• Carrying diseases
• Damaging plumbing and roofing systems
• Presenting potential threat for pets

Traps or rodenticides? Unlike rats with mice you could use rodenticides even you are not sure if the house is excluded. There are of course strict rules how to use the bait (keep it away from children, pets etc.). Using both appeared to be an effective procedure. The right exclusion is essential for solving mice issues in long term perspective.

Recommended Exclusion materials:

• Galvanized wire mesh
• Metal flashing
• Copper wool (don’t use steel wool it will rust and deteriorate)
• Metal snips
• Staple Gun
• Power drill
• 1 – 1 ½ “ screws
• Step ladder
• Extension ladder
• Good flashlight
• Good headlamp
• Work gloves

There are much more which needs to be done by owner/tenants.

• Cleaning especially but not only the kitchen on regular basis
• Putting away all the accessible food
• Storing the food in containers (with sealable lids)
• Removing all leftovers right away
• Not leaving any food on counter or anywhere else overnight
• Removing pet food overnight
• Inspecting all the storages for any kind of food source (and putting away)

There are several things what you could do as a prevention:

• Inspect the building along the foundation (since mice are not very good climbers) for any kind of cracks, openings or penetrations
• Inspect the doors for any lack of sealing (door sweep,…)
• Make sure you have bug screen installed in all doors and windows along ground lvl
• Maintain building
• Trim bushes and greenery away from foundation

Traps or rodenticides? You are not allow to use the bait in the places where food is manipulated (restaurants, food factories…) Otherwise unlike rats with mice you could use rodenticides even you are not sure if the house is excluded. There are of course strict rules how to use the bait (keep it away from children, pets etc.). Using both appeared to be an effective procedure. The right exclusion is essential for solving mice issues in long term perspective.

Recommended Exclusion materials:

• Galvanized wire mesh
• Metal flashing
• Copper wool (don’t use steel wool it will rust and deteriorate)
• Metal snips
• Staple Gun
• Power drill
• 1 – 1 ½ “ screws
• Step ladder
• Extension ladder
• Good flashlight
• Good headlamp
• Work gloves

But exclusion, trapping and baiting is usually not enough to solve the mice infestation. There are much more which needs to be done by owner/staff.

• Cleaning especially but not only the kitchen on regular basis
• Putting away all the accessible food
• Storing the food in containers (with sealable lids)
• Removing all leftovers right away
• Cleaning under the appliances daily
• Not leaving any food on counter or anywhere else overnight
• Inspecting all the storages for any kind of food source (and putting away)

There are several things what you could do as a prevention:

• Don’t feed them in any way
• Your garbage bins and bags should be always secured
• Don’t overfill the bird feeders (even though they are not good climbers)
• Your pets should be fed inside
• Pick up all the fruits on regular basis
• Maintain your house regularly

One of the most common areas where they build up the shelter is under the sheds or patios. It’s good to exclude all those kind of places before the issue occur. In case you have a suspicion that skunk is present better leave it to professionals who would use one way door or other way how to make sure there is no skunk stunk underneath. If no skunk present you could use next list of stuff to do the proper exclusion:

• Galvanized wire mesh
• Screws and washers
• Gloves
• Shovel

• Keep in mind that removing the nest early in the season is much easier
• Setting the wasp traps might help for few days but will not solve the problem
• If you use (chemical) spray, wear glasses and gloves, think about where the spray will lend
• It’s always easier to call professionals to deal with the nest but if you decide to make it yourself make sure you wearing protective clothing from head to foot (and not just one layer)
• Best way is put the nest into the bag during the early morning and close it immediately, spray insecticide into the bag or place the bag into the freezer for 24h
• Be aware that wasp can chew through wood so don’t block the hole in the siding (where the wasps flying in and out)

Excellent sanitation is crucial. Sealing cracks, pipe openings  and crevices is also good Idea. They could get into the house also hiding in:

• Old furniture
• Food items
• Shipping cartons
• Soft drink bottles
• Under old clothes

The best method is a combination of thorough cleaning and pesticide use. Using just pesticides will most likely won’t have any effect. What to be focus on during the cleaning:

• Do not leave pet’s food exposed overnight
• Clean all spills, leftovers, dishes right away
• Clean dark/damp places on regular basis (even behind the fridge, washing machine, etc.)
• Keep the food in glass/plastic containers
• Dispose the garbage daily
• Vacuum often (not just because of food particles but also because of the eggs)
• Inform the staff ~ cooperation is necessary