6 Home Remedies to Get Rid of Mice this Winter

Temperatures inevitably drop during the winter months, causing mice to seek refuge from the cold and cozy up inside your home. Even if you think all the openings to your home are sealed, mice know how to wiggle their way inside, especially when threatened by freezing temperatures. While they may look harmless, mice can cause damage, possibly carry diseases, and even become a fire hazard, which is why it’s imperative to take action immediately.

When Natural Remedies are Useful in Keeping Mice Away

We know how stressful and surprising it is to experience a mouse sighting inside your house. Even more daunting is the thought of getting rid of it! While more serious infestations warrant seeking professional help, there are a number of natural home remedies that can assist in keeping mice out of your home. Home remedies are often favored in pest control because they are non-toxic, effective, and, in many cases, the more humane option. Keep reading to learn about the six natural ways to get rid of mice this winter!

Top 6 Ways to Rid of Mice Naturally

The following list describes six popular methods of using things lying around your home to prevent mice infestations during the winter.

  1. Peppermint Oil: Mice are known to not be big fans of peppermint. Apply peppermint oil drops to cotton balls and place them in entryways, kitchen cabinets, and any other suspected entry points. You can even try planting mint along the exterior of your home.
  2. Apple Cider Vinegar & Water: Spray this mixture around the perimeter of your house as well as in any access points inside. Make sure to re-apply the solution once a month.
  3. Fabric Softener Sheets: Mice can’t stand the smell of fabric softener. Stuffing these sheets in suspected entry points will not only keep mice at bay, but keep your home smelling fresh and clean!
  4. Steel Wool: This is a great option that has proven to be effective in keeping mice away, because they are unable to chew through the the tough material. Simply stick steel wool in any crevices or holes in your home, using a bit of silicone to keep it in place.
  5. Used Kitty Litter: It is well-known that cats are natural predators of mice, and any mouse will scamper away when they suspect a cat lives in the home. Place tubs of used kitty litter near suspected access points in your home.
  6. Instant Mashed Potatoes: This is a frugal option of getting rid of the mice in your home. Sprinkled instant potatoes will likely be ingested by the mice, who will not be able to tolerate or survive the expanding flakes in their stomach.

Naturally Preventing Mice During the Winter

Along with the methods listed above, there are several easy steps every homeowner can take to keep on top of controlling mice infestation in their home.

  • Regularly inspect your home to look for signs of mice.
  • Scope out any possible entry points and seal or close them off.
  • Always keep food sealed and securely stored; never leave it out.
  • Keep inside and outside areas tidy and free of exposed garbage.
  • Make sure any foliage or tree branches are at least three feet away from the foundation of your home.
  • During the colder months, keep birdseed to a minimum.

As always, make sure to call a professional if these natural home remedies do not work or if you need assistance. At Rentokil, we are dedicated to helping our customers stay pest-free during the winter and year-round!

10 Natural Ways to Get Rid of Sugar Ants

Tiny, black, and seemingly endless: sugar ants can pop up anywhere in the house, and anytime! But where do these tiny black menaces come from, and what species of ant are they, exactly?

Most instances of “sugar ants” are actually referring to odorous house ants. When squished or crushed, these ants let off an odor that some people describe as smelling of coconut. They are a common species throughout the US, and are notorious scavengers of sugar.

We know how difficult it can be to get rid of sugar ants, and we’re here to help! While we recommend professional services if the sugar ant infestation is serious, we also know that home remedies can be helpful to keep a small number of sugar ants away from your home. Here are our 10 favorite ways to get rid of sugar ants naturally!

Home Remedy Barriers to Keep Ants Away

These are a great way to prevent ant infestations, but they have to be used in the right concentrations, and they must be applied regularly to entry points in order to work.

  • Herbs: There are several herbs that ants won’t go near, including pepper and bay leaves. Placing pepper in entry points or a bay leaf in a pantry can keep a lot of pests at bay.
  • Coffee Grounds: Sprinkle outside only, to avoid coffee stains on your flooring!
  • Cucumber Peels: Try placing cucumber peels or slices at entry points, but remember to change them when they dry out!
  • Essential Oils: Potent and pungent, essential oils can also help to keep pests away, especially cinnamon or peppermint oil. Placement and concentration of oils are crucial. We suggest adding 20 drops of essential oil per 8 ounces of water. Spray along doorways, windowsills, and any other place where ant activity is present!
  • Citrus: Used as fresh juice, dried peels, or oil, citrus is ant-repelling as well.

Get Rid of Sugar Ants with Home Remedy Cleaners

Odorous house ants communicate via complicated pathways of pheromones. They have a scent used for food resources, a scent for trails back to the nest, and a scent for danger. If you don’t remove these trails, their nest-mates will continue to come into your home!

Soapy Water: These easiest, foolproof way to clean ant trails. Soap can also deter ants from walking across walls and floors.

Vinegar: We swear by the power of vinegar to erase odors and make sure that ant trails are gone for good. Remember to dilute your vinegar in water! It’s easiest to apply in a spray bottle.

Home Remedies for Ant Extermination

If you can’t get rid of sugar ants with the above methods, it’s time to bring out the big guns. All three of these powders are known to kill ants via ingestion. Ants will also bring these powders back to the nest, effectively killing any other ants that ingest the same substance.

There are some points of caution when using the following products:

Cornstarch: While cornstarch is relatively safe, we always urge caution when using any substance around pets or children.

Diatomaceous Earth: Can cause irritation of mucus membranes and lungs, if inhaled. Can cause skin and eye irritation. If you’re not completely comfortable with this substance, we do not recommend using it.

Borax: Borax should never be used within reach of pets or children.

Why are Yellow Jackets So Aggressive in Late Summer?

Everyone in Las Vegas has had at least one picnic ruined by yellow jackets. Whether they’re defending a nest or swarming over your backyard barbeque, most people can recognize this species instantly. Yellow jackets are a type of wasp, and their stings can be deadly. By understanding the behavior of yellow jackets, and wasps in general, you can minimize the risk of getting stung. Protect your yard, yourself, and your family from harm!

Late Summer Wasp Behavior in Las Vegas

Both yellow jackets and wasps hatch in spring, and by mid and late summer, their populations are beginning to outgrow the nest, and winter is coming. Because they’re close to the end of their lifecycle, they are more aggressive than ever. Yellow jackets also look for both sugar substances and protein, looking for extra resources to support themselves and the nest itself. The yellow jackets are forced to look even further for food because of their high numbers.

Here are some basic sources of wasp attraction:

  • Your picnic or backyard barbecue: yellow jackets will eat anything they can land on, and your hamburgers, soda, and watermelon are ideal food sources for wasps.
  • Clothing: bright colors look like fruit, and perfume can mimic flowers.
  • Eaves and holes: if you see a yellow jacket nest early in spring, and it’s still small, have it professionally removed. Wasps aren’t going anywhere unless you kick them out!
  • Your swimming pool: believe it or not, wasps love swimming pools. All wasps and bees need water, and they will use your pool to get it! 
  • Hummingbird feeders: yellow jackets are desperate for food, and they will drink the sugar water in bird feeders.
  • Grubs in your lawn: this may be surprising, but because of their intense need for protein in late summer, wasps will also graze for grubs within your lawn.

Steps to Prevent Yellow Jackets

The following tips are excellent year-round, but they are especially important in late summer.

  1. Keep food (and garbage) covered.
    • If you’re having a cookout or backyard event, make sure food stays contained or covered. Any drinks should be covered at all times, because wasps will go inside a cup or can.
  2. Don’t wear perfume if you’re going to be outdoors for a considerable amount of time, and keep bright colors to a minimum.
  3. In spring, make sure you inspect any holes, burrows, eaves, and loose siding or stucco around your home.
    • Seal any holes, loose siding, stucco voids, or other potentially attractive spaces for nests.
  4. Hang a wasp-trap. Be sure to hang it away from any high-traffic areas, and away from the house.
    • Don’t hang it near your hummingbird feeder, or consider placing your hummingbird feeder away from your house.
    • If wasps are a serious problem, you may need to remove the hummingbird feeder entirely.
  5. Don’t walk barefoot through the grass. Wasps and yellow jackets love hunting for grubs and other insects.
  6. Eliminate sources of standing water, and cover your swimming pool. 

Prevention is really the key here. If wasps can’t find shelter or food around your home, they won’t want to be there!

Professional Removal for Wasps and Yellow Jackets

Sometimes it’s not enough to prevent yellow jackets, and by late summer, you may have a serious problem. Call a professional pest control company! The trained technicians with Western Exterminator Pest Control can inspect your property and remove wasp nests safely. Because we focus on prevention instead of just treatment, we’ll be able to give you specific recommendations on how to prevent wasps in the future, protecting your home, your family, and your backyard!

Why Fall Pest Control is Important

When the long days of summer draw to a close and the cooler weather of fall approaches, so do fall invading pests. At Western Exterminator we realize that we all have some kind of bug that plagues us, and to understand why fall pest control is so important, you first have to look at the problem. And it’s not pretty.

Mice and rats can get into your walls, chew on wires, and nibble on sheet rock. So, besides being disease carriers that can run through your garage, pantry and food drawers, they can also create problems with your electric, phone, internet, and television wiring. Rodent control discourages and eliminates mice and rats from your home.

Fall invaders also bring viruses and disease.  Cockroaches can passively transport microbes on their body surfaces including pathogens that are potentially dangerous to humans. Cockroaches have many negative consequences for human health because certain proteins (called allergens) found in cockroach feces, saliva and body parts can cause allergic reactions or trigger asthma symptoms, especially in children.

Cockroaches will eat almost any organic matter no matter how rancid. Once inside the home, they will seek out food scraps, unsealed food containers, sugar and grease deposits, pet food, rancid meat, glue and even bookbindings. If you see a clump of pepper-like specs in your kitchen cupboards, it is likely cockroach feces marking their courtship and nearby nesting territory.  Cockroach control can rid your home of these disease producing pests.

In fall, bugs and rodents are looking for a place to hibernate or overwinter and that’s why fall pest control is so important. A pest professional can treat your property and set up devices that watch for harmful insects, like cockroaches, scorpions and spiders. Monitoring insect activity can help to prevent many bugs from entering your home.

Fall Pest Prevention Tips:

  • Screen attic vents and openings to chimneys, and any other areas where homes may be open to the outdoors, like mail slots and animal doors.
  • Keep basements, attics and crawl spaces well ventilated and dry. Pests are attracted to areas of moisture, something they need to survive. Using dehumidifiers in basements and garages will help keep these areas dry.
  • Seal cracks and crevices on the outside of the home using caulk and steel wool. Pay close attention to where utility pipes enter the structure. Some rodents can fit through a hole the size of a dime.
  • Keep kitchen counters clean, store food in airtight containers and dispose of garbage regularly in sealed receptacles. Crumbs and a buildup of garbage are attractive to pests scrounging for food. It is recommended to clean up after each meal and to properly close garbage cans when they are stored in the home or garage.
  • Replace weather-stripping and repair loose mortar around the foundation and windows. These are easy ways to keep not only pests, but also cold air out of the house.
  • Store firewood at least 20 feet away from the house and keep shrubbery well trimmed. Removing areas where pests can hide near your home can reduce the chance of them finding a way inside.
  • Install door sweeps and repair damaged screens. Torn window screens and cracks under doors are an ideal entry point for household pests. When you open the window, you could be letting in more than just fresh air.
  • Inspect items such as boxes of decorations, package deliveries, and grocery bags before bringing them indoors. Pests can find creative ways to get inside a home. Shake out or inspect anything that has been left or stored outside.
  • Avoid leaving pets’ food dishes out for long periods of time. Pests don’t discriminate between people food and cat food. Pet dishes that have been left sitting out are enticing for all kinds of insects and rodents.
  • Have a proper outdoor drainage system. Installing gutters or repairing an existing system will help draw water and moisture away from your home, preventing any leaks or build up that might attract pests.

 

If you live in Las Vegas or Henderson, you don’t have to live in fear of bugs and rodents. Proper fall maintenance can keep your home and your family safe, and bug free. Don’t make the common mistake of stopping pest services during this time of year, a mistake that could easily lead to more serious pest problems. To learn more about protecting your home and family from pests year round, contact us today at 702-385-1269.

 

Where Do Black Widows Go In Winter?

Black widow spiders in Las Vegas NVThe black widow spider is perhaps the most feared spider in southern Nevada due to the potency of its venom, which is reported to be 15 times stronger than that of a rattlesnake. If its aggressiveness matched the potency of its venom, humans would be at far greater risk living in the Las Vegas and Henderson area. Fortunately, black widows are shy and will usually only bite humans when their web is disturbed. The black widow loves warmer climates and she’s right at home in our desert, but where does she go in winter?

Habitat

Black widow spiders stay outdoors, for the most part. Widows build irregular erratic looking webs and live in crevices or recesses within rock piles, block walls, sprinkler valve boxes, and undersides of patio furniture. Garages, outdoor sheds and playground equipment are also popular spots to find black widows.

Winter Survival

Black widow spiders go into a state known as overwintering in cold locations. As the weather gets cooler, widow spiders look for warmer locations to hunker down for the season. Once the black widow spider enters a storage shed, garage or home, she may find a suitable place where she can overwinter just like a hibernating bear. The spider’s metabolic rate slows to conserve energy.  Winters don’t harm black widows because they are adapted to live through cold months in a low-energy state. They tuck in their legs and become dormant.

Prevention Tips

Black widow spiders emerge in spring when mating occurs through early summer. Young spiderlings continue to grow into adults during the spring and summer and mature by mid to late summer. Adult widows are most prevalent during late summer and fall. Here are a few tips to prevent an infestation:

  1. Keep your home free of clutter and seal possible entry points.
  2. Install screens and weather stripping to keep spiders and other pests from entering your home.
  3. Always using gloves, remove old boxes and other unwanted items from dark corners of outdoor sheds and garages, reducing the number of places for the spiders to hide.

If you suspect a spider infestation, contact a black widow control specialist immediately. This is the safest way to get rid of black widow spiders in the home.

Where Do Scorpions Go In Winter?

Bark Scorpions in Las Vegas and Henderson NVBaby, it’s cold outside! As the temperatures drop below freezing in the Las Vegas valley, just like us, scorpions are looking for warmth and shelter. A common myth is that scorpions die off during the winter, but they actually just hibernate. Scorpions can survive freezing temperatures, but they often choose to hibernate in homes where they can stay warm all winter.

Habits

Most scorpions are solitary arachnids, but during the winter Bark scorpions will nest together in large groups. Scorpions nest, or hibernate, in or under block wall fences, retaining walls, lumber, rocks, wall voids, and structural cracks and crevices.

Scorpions are nocturnal pests, so they hide during the day and are most active at night. They feed primarily on insects, especially crickets, cockroaches, and spiders. Scorpions can survive for months without food if water is readily available. As the only species of scorpion in Nevada that can climb, the invasive Bark Scorpion can scale walls and ceilings, then drop into beds, cribs, toilets and kitchen tables.

Scorpion Prevention

Eliminating food sources and harborage sites around your home is key to preventing a scorpion infestation. Make your home less attractive to scorpions by following these prevention tips:

  1. Eliminate standing water. Scorpions have a preference and need to settle near water and in moisture laden areas.
  2. Inspect cabinets, closets, and other dark places on a regular basis
  3. Clear away brush, debris, and woodpiles from the perimeter of your home. Keep firewood above ground and 30 feet away from your home.
  4. Repair damaged and torn window screens and seal cracks and crevices in your foundation. Scorpions only need the width of a credit card to gain access.
  5. Seal entry doors and garage doors.  If light can be seen streaming from the exterior, the seal beneath the door should be repaired.
  6. Eliminate food sources utilizing a professional pest management program. Since scorpions feed on insects, managing pests on your property will help to eliminate their food supply.

Scorpions can survive temperatures well below the freezing point.  If you have tried to eliminate these pests yourself without success, the best approach to control scorpions is through professional help. At Western Exterminator, our pest control professionals resolve Bark Scorpion infestations using a variety of different treatment techniques.

How Do Bees Make Honey?

Bees are the only insect in the world that make food that people can eat – honey. We all have honey in our cupboards. Maybe we add it to our tea or drizzle it on our toast, but how do bees make honey?

Honey gets its start as flower nectar, which is collected by bees.

Bees gather nectar from flowers using their straw-like proboscis. Worker bees drink the liquid nectar and store it in a special stomach called the honey stomach. With a full belly, the worker bee heads back to the hive and regurgitates the nectar into a cell of the honeycomb, where it’s naturally broken down into simple sugars and stored. The unique design of the honeycomb, coupled with constant fanning by the bees’ wings, causes evaporation to take place, creating the thick, sweet liquid we know as honey.

Bees work hard to make honey.

A honeybee visits between 50 and 100 flowers during one collection flight from the hive. In order to produce one pound of honey, two million flowers must be visited and it takes about 12 bees their entire lifetime to produce one teaspoon of honey. 

Sources:

“How Honey Is Made” National Honey Board 

“How Do Bees Make Honey” About.com

Identifying a Brown Recluse Spider versus a Desert Brown Spider

The media hype surrounding the Brown Recluse Spider, along with the often mis-identification of spider bites has led to a large amount of unwarranted hysteria surrounding this particular spider. Here at Western Exterminator we often get asked questions regarding this infamous spider and how to identify it, and in particular how to tell it apart from its close relative, the Desert Brown Spider.

It is also notable that Brown Recluse Spiders are not nearly as prevalent in Southern Nevada, Las Vegas and Henderson as the Desert Brown Spider.

Identifying Characteristics of the Brown Recluse SpiderBrown recluse spiders in Las Vegas NV

The Brown Recluse – Violin Marking

Many people misidentify the Brown Recluse Spider just based upon the Violin, often referred to as Fiddle markings on the spider’s body, technically referred to as a cephalothorax. The spiders legs, eyes, and mouth fangs are attached to the cephalothorax.  The color of this Violin shape will be dark brown in color. Other identifying characterizes of the Brown Recluse Spider are listed below:

  • Color of spider will be uniform, light tan to dark brown
  • Long thin legs
  • Oval abdomen, with no markings
  • 3 sets of eyes
  • Spiders abdomen will be uniform in color, with fine hairs
  • The spiders legs are smooth, with no spines
  • Spiders legs will be uniformly colored
  • Spiders body will measure no more than 1/2 of an inch in length
  • And, of course there will be a dark brown Violin shape on the spiders cephalothorax

Identifying Characteristics of the Desert Brown Spider

Desert Brown spider in Las Vegas, NV

Closely related to the Brown Recluse Spider is the Desert Brown Spider, they’re from the same Genus: Loxosceles. Just like Brown Recluse Spiders, the Desert Brown Spider can (not always) have a Violin shaped marking on its cephalothorax, but often it is much lighter in color when compared to the dark brown markings on a Brown Recluse. As both are from the same family and genus of spiders, many of the characteristics are the same.
Desert Brown Spiders are typically yellowish-brown to tan in color, and measure the same size as a Brown Recluse at up to ½ an inch in length.

Bites from these spiders

Desert Brown Spiders are much more prevalent in the Las Vegas area, when compared to the Brown Recluse. In either event, both spiders are dangerous as their bites are necrotic. Bites from this family of spiders can cause severe tissue damage, which can result in a large open sore called a necrotic lesion.

Desert Brown Spider & Brown Recluse Extermination

The dangers associated with having these types of spiders in your home warrants asking for professional help for many home owners. Enlisting the help of a professional pest control company can help home owners identify areas of concern, and treatment options to keep these unwanted visitors out of your home.

Will You Be My Valentine? Weird and Wacky Mating Rituals of Bugs

Forget flowers and chocolates this Valentine’s Day. When it comes to wooing a mate many insect species have their own, unique ways of attracting the opposite sex. In honor of Valentine’s Day, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) explores some of these strange mating habits.

Bed Bugs

If you’ve ever had a bed bug infestation, you know how quickly a few bugs can turn into hundreds, but what you may not know is just how all those bed bugs came to be. Bed bugs practice a mating behavior known as “traumatic insemination” where the male pierces the abdomen of the female.

Kissing bugs

The name “kissing bug” might lead you to believe we’re talking about a disease you can pick up from smooching your Valentine, but kissing bugs are actually insects. Named for their tendency to bite the faces and lips of humans while they sleep, kissing bugs can cause welts and allergic reactions. This blood meal is necessary for male kissing bugs to mate and for the female kissing bug to lay eggs.

Termites

Female termites release ‘mating pheromones,’ much like perfume, to entice male termites. Once males locate the alluring females, they both break off their wings, symbolizing they are officially a couple.

Fire Ants

In fire ant colonies, the queen ant is in charge of egg laying, and can even control how many male and female eggs she lays. Her goal is to produce another queen, and males are needed to mate and produce a colony. Worker ants, however, have no use for males, which die after mating. When the queen needs males, she can overwhelm the colony with male eggs. The female workers kill many of the males, but they can’t kill them all.

If you live or work in Las Vegas or Henderson and suspect a pest infestation in your home or office, contact Western Exterminator to cut the courtship short. Visit lvpest.com or call us at 702-385-1269 today!