Other Insects

Our pest control programs not only eliminate any immediate pest problems but also prevent future problems from arising.  All treatments are safe for use inside and outside restaurants, hospitals, hotel rooms, houses, etc.  Treatments are safe for kids and pets.

Call today to get your home sprayed for spiders, ants, earwigs, bed bugs, wasps, flies, roaches, etc.

We also treat homes and businesses for termites.  If you would like to know if you have termite damage call us for a termite inspection.

435 -283-6002

435-896-9229

HOBO SPIDERS

The Hobo Spider is a moderately large spider which is indigenous to Western Europe.  It was introduced into the northwestern United States sometime before the 1930’s.  It began to appear in northern and central Utah in the late 1980’s.

The Hobo is characterized by their ability to move rapidly, and by their layered, flat web, which has a funnel-like lair at the rear in which the spider resides and waits for prey.

It is assumed that the Hobo has a two year life cycle.  Females build webs and remain stationary, but the males begin nocturnal wanderings in search of mates.  This is when the males enter houses (often in large numbers) from outside habitat and from garages and crawl spaces.  Most bites occur during this time period.  Hobo spiders are not good climbers, and are usually found at ground or basement level.  They also inhabit the undersides of objects, beneath rocks, wood, lawn ornaments and debris.

The bite of a Hobo spider will cause a necrotic area on the skin.  This is identical to the local effects produced by the brown recluse spider.  A scar will be left in the bitten area within 45 days of the original bite.  Other long-term physical effects, such as intractable burning pain, damage to blood vessel valves, and cyst formation occasionally occur.  The most common reported symptom is severe headache which does not respond to over the counter analgesics.

BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS

Widow Spiders build strong, sloppy webs, in which the females usually remain, hanging upside down most of the time.  Female widow spiders are bulbous and shiny in appearance.  Males are much smaller than the females, with longer legs.  Males are not considered a threat to humans, although they do possess venom and can bite.  Widow spiders are recognized by a red “hourglass” spot. 

Most widow spiders prefer dark, cook places to build its web, such as outhouses, window wells, under well covers, and beneath trash.

Bites by widow spiders often are initially painful, but sometimes are not felt.  It will cause an area of redness around the bite site, which is gone within several hours.  A potent venom induces severe muscle cramping and spasms in the large muscle masses of the legs or the abdomen.  Other symptoms include anxiety, profuse sweating, nausea, increased blood pressure, paralysis, stupor and convulsions.  Death can occur in a small percentage of cases, particularly when the victim is a small child or elderly person.  The intense pain usually forces people to emergency rooms voluntarily.

BED BUGS

There are no absolute methods for the prevention of bed bug infestations.  Bed Bugs are essentially “hitchhikers” and can be found anywhere, from in and around beds and furniture, to on-board airplanes and in movie theaters.  They can even be found in computer keyboards.  There are however, some prevention tips that may help you avoid future infestations.

Check the mattress for dark, speckled or stained areas whenever sleeping in a new or unknown bed.

Don’t forget to check the headboard and night stands, as well as closets, dresser drawers and carpets within approximately five feet of each bed for an infestation.

When returning from a trip, place luggage in a large garbage bag and leave it in the garage or outside the home’s living area, keeping it shielded from the elements.  Remove all clothing and items from the bag and wash them with soap and hot water.  If they cannot be washed, place them in a clothes-dryer on high heat.  Once this treatment is complete, bring the clothes inside, but leave the luggage outside and check for signs of bed bugs before bringing it back into the home.

If having visitors, especially from out of the country, make sure to thoroughly check and clean the area in which they slept after the leave, just to be sure they didn’t unknowingly bring in bed bugs.

Be cautious when acquiring used furniture that arrived from a moving company or storage.  It’s a good idea to have it inspected before bringing it inside the house.

MOSQUITOE FACTS

All mosquitoes need water in which to pass their early life stages.  Adult flying mosquitoes frequently rest in grass, shrubbery, or other vegetation, but they never develop there.  Mosquitoes lay their eggs in four types of water environments:  Containers such as old tires, bird baths, clogged gutters, flower pots and buckets; Flood Waters; Permanent Waters such as ponds and lakes; and Temporary Water Pools such as roadside ditches, canals, ground pools, tire ruts, clogged streams, irrigated lands, etc… 

Only female mosquitoes bite.  She needs a blood meal to produce eggs.  Male mosquitoes feed on plant juices.  Mosquitoes are attracted to humans by the carbon dioxide we breathe out, by sweat components, by odors such as perfume, hair spray, deodorant, etc… and by the color of clothing.

What can you do to protect yourself from mosquito bites?

1.  If possible, schedule your activities to avoid the times when mosquitoes are most active–usually dawn and dusk.

2.  Dress in light, loose-fitting clothing.

3.  If you have  deck, light it using General Electric yellow “Bug Lights”.  These lights are not repellent, per se, but do not attract mosquitoes like other incandescent lights.

4.  Use repellent with DEET.  Use according to directions based on adults vs. children.

5.  Mosquitoes are relatively weak fliers, so placing a large fan on your deck can provide a low-tech solution.

6.  Eliminating standing water around your homes can prevent mosquitoes from breeding.

EARWIGS

The most common type of earwig found in home yards in Utah is an exotic species called the European earwig.  Earwigs are pests outside the home because of the damage they can cause to ornamental and garden plants and a nuisance when they enter homes seeking shelter and food.  When this happens control measures should be considered.

Earwigs usually hide in cracks, crevices, under bark or in similar places during the day, but are active foragers at night.  They are usually scavengers in their feeding habits, but feed on plants.  Because of their nighttime activity, they remain in the soil or under debris during the day.  Heavily thatched lawns or mulched flower beds are among their preferred daytime habitat.  At night they collect in large numbers around street lights, neon lights, lighted windows or similar locations where they search for food.

Garden plants commonly injured by earwigs include annual flowers, herbs, roses, raspberries, strawberries, apricots, peaches, sweet corn tassels and silks.  Because earwigs are beneficial due to their predaceous and decomposer feeding habits, they should only be controlled when causing  harm.

To control earwigs it is best to hire a professional to appy a safe insecticide around our yard and home.

Termite True and False

Myth:  Termites are only found in the South.

Fact:  With more than 41 species of termites in North America, termites are found in every state with the exception of Alaska.

Myth:  Termites only exist to destroy.

Fact:  Termites help the environment recycle dead forest wood by breaking it down and turning it into soil.

Myth:  Once trees are removed to allow for new structural development, termites are removed along with them.

Fact:  Subterranean termites nest in soil and are not removed with the trees.  They quickly look for new sources because their food was taken away, which includes wood from the new structures being built.  This is one reason why the pretreatment of new structures is important.

Myth:  A brick house build on concrete slab is termite-proof.

Fact:  Termites will find a way to get to the wood, not matter what separated it from the soil.  Also, a concrete slab does not always prevent wood-to-earth contact, and termites can tunnel through tiny cracks in the concrete.

Myth:  A pretreated, new home can’t get termites.

Fact:  Barriers applied during pretreatment of new constructions can break down quickly.  New homes are just as susceptible to termite infestations as older ones and require annual inspections and treatments.

Utah Ants

 Carpenter ants are generally about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in size but can grow as large as one inch.  They can be black or reddish brown in color and they prefer to build nests in dead, damp wood.  They can tunnel into sound lumber also.  They often extablish themselves initally in window sills, door casing, thresholds, and other areas frequently subjected to moisture.  If some are of your house is known to have a moisture problem, inspect such areas thoroughly.  Although carpenter ants can damage wood by chewing it, they do not actually eat it.  Unlike termites, carpenter ants can leave a sawdust like material behind that can provide clues to a nesting location.  The most likely species to be infesting a house in Utah is the black carpenter ant.                                               

 Pavement Ants/Sugar Ants  are a slow0moving dark brown to black ish in color and about 1/8 inch long.  Their name comes from the fact that they usually travel trough the seams and cracks in pavement.  Pavement ants will eat almost anything, including insects, seeds, honeydew, honey bread, meats, nuts, ice cream and cheese.  Pavement ants do not pose a public health risk, but can contaminate food and should be avoided.  Note:  The term “sugar ant” is often used interchangeably with “pavement ant”  however, true sugar ants are large black and orange ants exclusive to Australia.

Little Black Ants  are extremely small and shiny black in color.  Workers are about 1/16 inch in length and the queens are about 1/8 inch in length. Indoors, they are usually first seen in the kitchen, bathroom or laundry roon but can spread to other areas very  rapidly.  Little black ants form multiple colonies with multiple queens and eggs laid by a queen can take only 10 days to hatch.  This makes little black ants more difficult to get rid of than other species.  This ant is the most common ant we deal with inside homes.  The ant baits you buy at the store do not kill these ants because the bait is for ants that are attracted to protein (pavement ants) and little black ants are attracted to sugars.  They invade homes in search of a wide variety of goods including sweets, meats, grease, and bread.  Outdoors, this ant feeds on insects, honey dew, pollen and sweet plant secretions.  They travel along defined foraging trails and are slow-moving.  Therefore, workers can easily be followed back to the nest.  If nests cannot be found it is best to apply baits both indoors and out.

Trees

We spray trees for insects. If it is a fruit tree, we can spray them until the fruit is about the size of a small plum. This helps from worms getting in the fruit.