Pest Control Archives - Page 2 of 18

Utah’s Newest Pest—How to Get Rid of Elm Seed Bugs

What elm seed bugs look like in Northern Utah - Rentokil The elm seed bug is one of the latest invasive bugs on American soil. Coming from central and southern Europe, it is suspected that the bugs snuck their way into packages that were shipped internationally. Although they are foreign visitors, they are closely related to the boxelder bugs that we are all familiar with here in Northern Utah, and just like boxelder bugs, elm seed bugs let off an unpleasant odor. If you’ve been dealing with an influx of little brown bugs in your home this summer, they might be elm seed bugs. Rentokil has the scoop on what they are and what they’re doing in your house!

All About Elm Seed Bugs

Elm seed bugs get their name the same way that boxelder bugs do. They come out of hibernation in the spring to feast on elm trees until the temperatures drop again. During the summer, elm seed bugs are out and about in growing numbers. You can identify them by these features:

They are just a bit smaller on average than boxelder bugs, usually between 1/4” and 1/2” in length.
Their colors are more muted than boxelder bugs’, with a mixture of brown, maroon, and white.
Their backs and legs are lined with patterns of shapes and stripes, like the boxelder bug.

During the hottest temperatures of the summer, elm seed bugs swarm to find cooler places to rest, often seeking refuge in man-made structures.

How to Get Rid of Elm Bugs

It might seem like the right call to get rid of or trim down elm trees on your property, but when elm seed bugs swarm in the summer, they will spread out far away from their food source. This means that if someone in your neighborhood has an elm tree, everyone around could be subject to elm beetle problems in the house.

If you want to take steps to prevent an elm seed bug problem, you can do the following:

Seal any openings, cracks, or crevices around your property.
Place screens on doors and windows or repair torn screens that you already have.
Clear out your yard to remove any piles of excess lawn debris.
Keep your trees and bushes neatly trimmed to avoid elm seed bug resting spots.

Professional Elm Seed Bug Control in Northern Utah

Once they’ve already entered your home, elm seed bugs can be tricky to eradicate and unpleasant to have around. To ensure that your property stays free of elm seed bugs all year, reach out to your local pest control company. Our technicians at Rentokil can apply outdoor lawn treatments to your yard and family-safe indoor pest control products to your living spaces seeing elm seed bug activity. For a free quote or more information on our services, contact us today!

boxelder bugs elm seed bugs

How Do Ants Keep Getting Inside the House?

An ant infestation starting in Northern Utah - Rentokil Ants are one of the most relentless pests in Northern Utah. Even if you think you’ve exhausted your available measures of ant control, they can still sneak their way into your home through tiny gaps that you’ve never noticed before.

Don’t be ashamed if you can’t seem to get ants out of the house! It happens to almost everyone, even those that keep clean homes. So, if everyone is liable for an ant infestation, what causes ant infestations to start? Keep reading for experienced insight from our ant control specialists at Rentokil.

What Causes Ant Infestations to Start?

When an ant infestation starts to grow in your house, it usually means that the ants have found a food source that they can access. When an ant finds a source of food, it will let out a pheromone signal that tells the rest of its colony that there are resources nearby. The ants will follow each other to and from the source until they are wiped out or the source is depleted. Ants will eat just about anything, but these foods are their favorites:

Sugar and sweet foods
Fruit
Bread
Meat

Even if you seal your food properly and store it out of sight, ant infestations can still break out in your home. Mostly during the winter months, ants will try to find warmth and shelter inside your house. They are able to make use of even the smallest cracks to pass a whole trail through. Some of their usual points of entry include:

Ventilation systems
Gaps in wood paneling and brickwork
Holes in foundation
Cracked plumbing fixtures, and more

What Can You Do to Keep Ants Out of the House?

Having a tidy kitchen and bathroom are two of the most important steps in DIY ant prevention. Make sure that all of your opened food is stored in airtight containers and not left out. You should be cleaning your dishes right after eating and wiping up spills as soon as they happen. Vinegar-based or lemon-scented cleaning products work wonders to prevent ants. As for the bathroom, keep excess moisture to a minimum by keeping the room ventilated and wiping up excess water when necessary.

The outside of your house needs attention, too. To keep ants from getting inside, you should:

Install screen doors and windows or patch holes in screens that you already have
Check around your siding and foundation for holes to fill up
Seal cracks in your plumbing fixtures
Keep your trash bins further away from your house

Reliable Ant Control Services in Northern Utah

Are you still dealing with ant problems after following all of these ant prevention steps? It can often be more difficult than you expect to find the source of an ant trail. If you need to get rid of ants in your Northern Utah home today, tell your local pest control experts about your issues. The ant extermination specialists at Rentokil offer a holistic approach to ant control using efficient and eco-conscious methods and products. For a free quote or to learn more about our protocol, contact us today!

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How Do Bed Bugs Travel Around?

Many people are shocked to find out that they have a bed bug problem. It’s easy to think, “I keep my house so clean and neat, how could this have happened to me?” The truth is, even the tidiest homes are liable for bed bug issues if you don’t take proper precautions when going about your business in public. It seems like bed bugs can always find a way in—it leads us to ask, how are these stealthy pests so good at spreading?

What Allows Bed Bugs to Travel So Far?

Bed bugs make great use of their small size to find new homes. Reaching about 1/4” in length at most, bed bugs can easily hide in a wide variety of materials. They are often discovered in these places:

Furniture: Bed bugs are famous for infesting mattresses, but they will also make homes out of chairs, couches, carpets, rugs, and other household items made with dense fabrics.
Luggage: Setting down your suitcase, backpack, or purse on an inconspicuous surface could easily attract bed bugs. We have seen many reports of bed bug outbreaks that developed after a recent vacation.
Clothing: Bed bugs thrive in second-hand stores, where they can easily spread from one article of clothing to another. When you bring home thrifted clothes, be sure to watch them right away.

Steps to Prevent a Bed Bug Problem

It’s hard to avoid an infestation once bed bugs have made their way into your home, but it is possible to make your home harder for them to thrive in. To prevent a bed bug problem, you can:

Shield your mattress and box spring with protective covers.
Vacuum your home on a regular basis and organize your belongings to avoid clutter.
Hang up your bags and clothes when staying in a hotel.
When washing clothes at the laundromat, transport your clothes in sealable containers.

Keeping order in your house and in your habits will reduce your chances of experiencing a bed bug infestation. However, some people just get unlucky, so don’t feel that you’ve failed if you still end up with bed bugs after taking all of these steps.

How to Prevent Bed Bug Infestations in Northern Utah

Waking up in the morning with little red bumps in zig-zag patterns is a telling sign of bed bugs in your home. Wait up before deciding to toss out everything that you think is infested, though! When you look to a professional bed bug exterminator for help, they can use specialized heat treatments and other techniques to remove every bed bug and their eggs from your home. To learn more about our strategies or for a free estimate on bed bug control, reach out to our team today!

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How to Get Rid of Woodlouse Spider Infestations in Northern Utah

If you think you’ve found a brown recluse in your house, you might actually be dealing with a woodlouse spider. The woodlouse spider is named after the woodlouse, which is its usual prey. Woodlice are also known as roly-polies, pill bugs, or sow bugs.

So, how do you know if you have woodlouse spiders or brown recluses in your home in Northern Utah? And are woodlouse spiders dangerous? Read on to learn more from our spider control experts about the woodlouse spider and what it means when you find them indoors.

What Do Woodlouse Spiders Look Like?

Woodlouse spiders are often confused with brown recluses because of their shape. However, they have a few distinguishing features that will help you tell them apart:

Woodlouse spiders have a distinct cream-colored abdomen.
Brown recluses have longer legs, and woodlouse spiders’ legs are orange instead of brown.
Woodlouse spiders’ heads are more of a deep red than the recluse’s brown head.

Given their similar shapes and the similar places they inhabit, it can be easy to mistake the two for each other. Make sure to watch for these differences to tell them apart.

Are Woodlouse Spiders Dangerous?

It is easy to assume from their menacing appearance that woodlouse spiders are dangerous like the brown recluse. However, they deliver a much milder blow than their look-alikes. Even with their large pinching jaws, woodlouse spider bites are rare, and in the worst cases can only cause itchiness, slight pain, or a mild allergic reaction.

If you find woodlouse spiders in your home, there is no cause for alarm. What this means is that you either have an excess of clutter in your home or yard, or there is an active woodlouse population on your property. To keep them outside, make sure that any cracks or crevices in the structure of your house are sealed, your ventilation systems are working properly, and there are no large gaps around your doors and windows. In general, spiders are drawn to moisture, hiding spaces, and other insects, so keeping a tidy home and yard is the best over-arching spider control plan.

How to Get Rid of Woodlouse Spiders in Northern Utah

Whether you have a woodlouse spider problem or a bunch of brown recluses tucked away in your walls, you can count on your local pest control company to take care of them. The spider control experts at Rentokil are equipped with both the knowledge and techniques to safely and effectively remove spiders in residential or commercial settings. For a free quote on spider control, reach out to our team today!

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Identification of Carpenter Ants in Northern Utah

Carpenter ants can easily be confused with termites or other kinds of ants. With their affinity for tunneling through wooden structures and their recognizable appearance, it’s no surprise that people have trouble identifying them. Here in Northern Utah, carpenter ants have been known to cause extensive and expensive damage before even being discovered. So, how do you identify carpenter ants?

What Do Carpenter Ants Look Like?

These wood-destroying ants can look similar to other ant species, but they have some distinctive characteristics. These include:

Their size: They are some of the largest ants that can be found in the United States, reaching around 1.5cm in length in some cases.
Their color: They share the familiar black coloration of many other ants, but some have a particular yellow-red tint that sets them apart.
Other features: Some distinctive features of these ants are their workers’ large mandibles and their swarmers’ long wings. Seeing swarming ants in your home is another sign that there is an active infestation.

Do I Have Carpenter Ants?

If you can’t tell which kind of ants you have in your home, there are still more indicators of carpenter ants beyond their appearance. These ants are known for carving out tunnels in wooden homes, but unlike termites, they don’t eat the wood that they chew through. This means that you’ll be able to find little trails of shavings and sawdust where they’ve been active.

Other signs of an infestation:

Discarded swarmer wings
Damaged wood
Ant activity in attics and crawl spaces

It’s safe to inspect your house regularly for any ant activity or nests in your wooden walls. When you do find ants in your house, check to see if they are carpenter ants, because the problem could be much more significant than a simple annoyance.

How to Eliminate Carpenter Ants in Park City UT

If you do find carpenter ants in your house, you should not fear them biting you or causing diseases, but there is plenty of cause for concern about the damage they might cause. The safest way to deal with an infestation is to let your local pest control company know. The ant extermination experts at Rentokil are trained to both eliminate active ant infestations and prevent future ones from occurring. Reach out today for a free estimate on carpenter ant control!

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How to Prevent Lawn Pests this Summer

We’ve talked to so many homeowners that have put weeks of hard work into improving their yards, only to have them overrun with pests come summertime. With the benefits of spring rain and the promise of summer warmth, all kinds of pests will soon become active in our yards. Fortunately for you, our team of residential exterminators has years of experience serving homes in Northern UT, and we have developed an exhaustive understanding of the kinds of pest problems that Utah homeowners deal with year after year.

Frequent Lawn Pests in Northern Utah

Many types of common lawn pests live right underneath the top layer of your soil, making it hard to be aware of an ongoing pest outbreak. Here are a few types of pests to keep watch for in your yard this summer:

Grubs: Grubs are actually beetle larvae – they are laid in the soil as summer comes to a close. After remaining dormant through the winter, they make their way toward the surface in spring to eat grass roots, developing into their adult stages and continuing the reproductive cycle. They are particularly harmful to lawns, so it is very important to exterminate them before they take over yours.
Chinch bugs: These insects love to infest lawns that are already below full health. They live at the surface of the lawn, draining sap from blades of grass. You notice that your lawn is turning a unique purple-tinged yellow, meaning that chinch bugs are present, draining the life from your lawn.
Armyworms: Coming in a variety of colors, armyworms will spread themselves all across your yard, feeding on sap from your grass and various other plants. They are the larval stage of moths, and feed through the early summer until they are ready to develop into their adult stage.

How to Better Defend Your Lawn Against Pests

Lawn pests can easily remain hidden until they’ve taken a serious toll on your lawn. Many common pests will eat up the roots of your lawn until spots of yellow-brown grass appear across your yard. Once your lawn has reached this stage, it can be hard to fix without hiring a professional lawn care company. However, there are a few ways that you can prevent lawn deterioration on your own:

Mow routinely. Try to mow your lawn once a week.
Irrigate properly. Both overwatering and underwatering your lawn can create suitable environments for various different pests.
Fertilize as needed. Nitrogen-based fertilizers are the most versatile and effective approach to fertilization in Utah.

Professional Lawn Pest Control in Northern Utah

To make sure your yard stays pest free all summer long, your best bet is to work with a professional pest control company. At Rentokil, our lawn pest experts can implement a variety of lawn care and pest prevention strategies as needed to eliminate any pest activity in your yard. For a free estimate on lawn pest control services, contact us today!

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How to Choose the Best Pest Control Company

Whether you’re a new homeowner looking to get pest control or want to switch companies, here are the top 4 questions to ask:

1. Are your pest control treatments safe for my family and pets?

When you work with a professional, pest control is completely safe for you and your family. In fact, trying to administer pest control products you picked up from your local store is actually more dangerous. Always choose a company that:

- Uses EPA-approved products
- Is committed to an eco-friendly approach
- Focuses on pest prevention and IPM practices

2. Are the pest control technicians trained and licensed?

A trustworthy pest control company will be able to show that they have comparable licenses and insurance to the most established and reputable exterminators. When you work with a company like Rentokil, you can trust that their accreditations are displayed for their customers.

In addition, look for companies that regularly train their technicians on the latest and greatest methods in the pest control industry. This will always put that company above the rest.

3. What is your pest control process?

Any pest control expert knows there is no one-size-fits-all solution for every pest infestation. Always look for a company that will work with you to customize a pest control plan suited to the unique needs of your home or business. This is best done with:

- Regular inspections of your property to pinpoint pest problems or issues that may contribute to future pest problems.
- Customized pest control plans that focus on targeted treatments around your home and exclusion efforts to keep pests away.
- Open communication. A good pest control company is transparent with you about the treatments needed on your property.

4. Does your company get good reviews?

Online reviews can make or break a company. When choosing the right exterminator, make sure to check out their ratings and reviews on Google or their website. If a pest control company is truly professional, they should have nothing to hide. If you can’t find a link to their reviews on their website, ask to see what customers have said about them.

Utah and Idaho’s Trusted Pest Control Experts

If you’re looking to work with a pest control company you can trust, look no further than Rentokil. We are proud to earn the trust of every business we work with by providing friendly, effective, reliable pest control. Reach out to us today to get started!

Tips to Control Pests that Come Out in Spring

As the weather warms up, people are starting to spend more and more time outside. As the world around us seems to come back to life, so do the throngs of pests that have been laying low all winter. All sorts of pests live around Northern UT and Southern ID, so it’s important to learn how to keep your home protected from all of them.

Why Do Bugs Come Out in Spring?

The combination of moisture from rainfall and rising temperatures that spring brings makes insect lives easier. Plants and prey are in newfound abundance, and they are hungry and thirsty after months of hibernation or low activity. These conditions also provide the right environment for many pests to start breeding. Mosquitoes, in particular, are notorious for taking over after rainy springs. This is because mosquitoes lay their eggs on standing water, which accumulates in our yards after rainfall. Some ways to prevent mosquitoes and other spring pests are:

Pour out standing water in your yard
Cover pools, birdbaths, and spas when not in use
Eliminate moisture in your house by keeping it properly ventilated
Keep your lawn mowed and your trees trimmed regularly

Common Spring Bugs

What other bugs can we expect here this spring? Our technicians at Rentokil have seen many different kinds of infestations year after year, including:

Ants. Many different kinds of ants come out in the spring, looking to start building their colonies. Depending on your species, they will construct their homes in the ground around your home or in your wooden walls. They’re on the hunt for food and moisture, so make sure to clean up your spills and keep your food sealed and concealed.
Bees and wasps. There might already be bees or wasps in your home that have been trying to keep warm through the winter. Once the weather gets warmer, they’ll go out in search of a new place to nest and lay eggs. This could mean your roofing, awnings, or backyard, so if you notice an uptick in bees buzzing around your house, let your local bee removal experts know so that they can be removed harmlessly.
Flies and fleas. As your pets decide to spend more and more time outside, the opportunity for a fly or flea outbreak will rise. Taking your trash out and minimizing the amount of time you leave your doors and windows open will improve your chances of keeping your home pest-free. Installing screens on windows and doors will also help!

Spring Pest Control Experts

As pest season sets in, you might find yourself with new unforeseen problems. No matter what kind of pests you find in your home, the pest control experts at Rentokil have the solution to remove them and ensure that they don’t come back. We have been serving our customers around Northern Utah and Southern Idaho since 1999, building up the experience to be the best in the business. Contact us today for a free quote!

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Carpenter Ants in the Spring

Springtime beckons the return of many pest problems. In our region, ants are one of the most troublesome springtime pests! We all are accustomed to dealing with the occasional house ant problem, but carpenter ants are one pest problem you don’t want to deal with. True to their name, carpenter ants nest in wood and can cause a bit of damage by excavating cavities in wood around your property. Often confused for termites, carpenter ants are a dangerous ant species that need to be prevented. The experts at Rentokil are here to share all you need to know about carpenter ants in the spring.

Signs of Carpenter Ant Activity

Carpenter ants are mostly black in color but can also have red or brown hints. Swarmer carpenter ants have wings that enable them to fly. However, the easiest way to identify carpenter ants is to look for the signs of their activity. Here’s what to keep an eye out for:

Piles of sawdust: Like other wood-destroying insects, carpenter ants will excavate holes and remove the sawdust, which often accumulates in piles near where they live.
Wet, decaying wood: Recent leaks or water damage are attractive to carpenter ants, who prefer rotting or decaying wood.
Noises in your walls: If you hear rustling noises in your walls or yard, there could be carpenter ants nearby. Their noise is often described as sounding similar to crinkling cellophane.

How to Prevent Carpenter Ants in the Spring

Preventing carpenter ants entails many of the same prevention techniques you’d use to prevent any type of ant. This includes:

Cleaning up spills and crumbs. Any tiny mess will entice hoards of ants inside or outside your home. Regularly sweep and clean your kitchen.
Fix any leaks or water damage. Ants need water to survive. Carpenter ants prefer wood that has been weakened with water damage to the point of decay.
Look for and seal entry points. Needless to say, ants are microscopic and can get indoors through the tiniest crevices. Seal up holes with caulk.

Get Rid of Carpenter Ants For Good

If you have noticed carpenter ant activity inside or outside your home, it’s important to contact your local ant control experts at Rentokil. Our ant exterminators know exactly how to get rid of these wood-destroying ants—and keep them away for good. Contact us today to get started!

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How to Get Rid of Cockroaches in Utah

On Earth, there are more than 4,500 cockroach species. Of these, only about 30 of them that are considered pests to people, and four of them are common to Utah’s borders. They include the German, American, Oriental, and brown-banded cockroach, all of which can be a nuisance to deal with in your home. Roaches are frequently found in homes, businesses, trash heaps, sewers, and nearly anywhere else they want to be. It’s important to always be on the lookout for signs of cockroaches in your house—seeing even one is often an indicator of many more nearby. The experts at Rentokil are here to share all you need to know about roaches in Utah and beyond.

Types of Cockroaches Found in Utah

American Cockroach
- Among the largest species of roaches in the country, American cockroaches can reach approximately 2” long.
- They have a distinctive yellowish band by the head, and varying degrees of reddish-brown or chestnut brown coloring on their bodies.
- Despite having wings, they rarely fly because their flight patterns look awkward and clumsy.
- Their incredible speed enables them to scuttle around or escape quickly.
- Eating nearly anything in sight, they are often caught devouring crumbs or exposed leftovers after human meals, paper products, glue, pet food, and whatever organic material they come across.
Brown-Banded Cockroach
- These are a brownish color and feature lighter brown stripes across their bodies.
- Brown-banded roaches are approximately 1 ¼” long.
- These roaches are like most roaches and are notably opportunistic eaters, favoring book bindings, wallpaper glue, and stamps.
German Cockroach
- German roaches are dark brown with stripes running the length of their bodies,
- When fully grown, they are about 1¼” long.
- German cockroaches also have wings but don’t fly.
- These cockroaches favor fermented foods but will eat many things.
- German cockroaches require warmer and humid areas to live in more so than other cockroach species.
- They will look for shelter during the winter months and most will venture back outside in the warmer months.
Oriental Cockroach
- These roaches look quite different, as they are shiny and black or reddish-brown in color.
- Oriental roaches grow to be about 1″ long.
- They are often found living in sewers and garbage heaps, as they prefer consuming organic matter.

How to Prevent All Cockroaches

Cockroaches are not only grotesque, but dangerous. With how much they come into contact with, they can spread a lot of germs and bacteria. In fact, they are responsible for spreading as many as 33 types of bacteria alone. Roaches are also linked to triggering allergy problems. If you are experiencing problems with any of these cockroaches, it’s time to call in the experts. The roach exterminators at Rentokil will keep you roach-free all year long.

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