10 Tips to Prevent Mice and Roof Rats Inside the Home

You might be thinking mice and rats aren’t really a problem in Southern Nevada. Unfortunately, rodents are a year-round pest problem here in Las Vegas and Henderson. Believe it or not, rodents are actually a very common problem in the fall and winter months. This is because as our temperatures drop, rodents and other pests will look to make their way indoors to wait out the colder months. To avoid dealing with rodents inside your property this time of year, keep reading to learn Western Exterminator’s tips to keep them away!

Rodents in the Winter

Rodents are sneaky critters and often only come out at night when the house is at rest. Once they make their way inside and establish nests, you will start to see activity or at least signs of mice (or possibly roof rats). These common pests are resourceful creatures that can enter a building or home through the smallest opening or crack, and require very little space to travel inside. Mice can easily fit through spaces as small as a nickel!

Rats are common winter pests in Las Vegas and Henderson NV - Western Exterminator of Las Vegas

Mice and roof rats seek shelter indoors, especially during winter months, and once inside can cause more than just an unpleasant infestation. Rodents put homes at risk for electrical fires by gnawing through wires. More frequently, though, rodents serve as vectors, carrying bacteria, such as salmonella, on their bodies and contaminating food sources, kitchen surfaces, and equipment. The common white-footed deer mouse is also known to transmit the potentially fatal Hantavirus.

Simple Rodent Prevention Tips

Fortunately, there are many ways you can proactively prevent and get rid of rodent infestations in your home. Our top ten tips to prevent rats and mice in the winter and all year long are as follows.

  1. Install door sweeps on exterior doors and repair damaged screens.
  2. Screen vents and openings to chimneys.
  3. Seal cracks and holes on the outside of the home, including areas where utilities and pipes enter the home, using caulk, steel wool, or a combination of both.
  4. Store food in airtight containers and dispose of garbage regularly.
  5. Keep attics, garages, and crawl spaces well ventilated and dry.
  6. Replace loose mortar and weather stripping around the foundation and windows.
  7. Eliminate all moisture sites, including leaking pipes and clogged drains that provide the perfect breeding site for pests.
  8. Inspect items such as boxes, grocery bags, and other packages brought into the home.
  9. Keep shrubbery trimmed and cut back from the house.
  10. If you suspect a pest infestation in your home, contact a licensed pest professional to inspect and treat the pest problem.

How to Get Rid of Rodents in Las Vegas

If you spot evidence of a rodent infestation, do not hesitate to act to handle the problem. Rodents are known to reproduce quickly, and a small problem can turn into a big issue overnight if left untreated. For this reason, it’s always best to enlist the help of a professional rodent control company. Contact the experts at Western Exterminator of Las Vegas to learn how we can protect you from rats and mice!

Where Do Black Widows Go In Winter?

Black widow spider with her egg sac.
Black widow spider with egg sac.

The 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 Scorpion Exterminators and Control Las Vegas Henderson Nevada
Although the bark scorpion is the most venomous scorpion in America, deaths from their sting are extremely rare.

Baby, 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.

7 Common Signs of Roof Rat Activity

The roof rat is the most common rodent to invade Las Vegas and Henderson homes and they can be very destructive. Roof rats, as their name indicates, like high places, building their nests outdoors in trees or block walls and indoors in attics or upper levels of the home. Roof rats are very good climbers and can get into the home by running along tree branches, cables or wires.

Roof Rat - Rattus Rattus
Roof Rat – Rattus Rattus

How Do I Know If I Have Roof Rats?

Rats are nocturnal — that is, they are most active at night — and they live in hidden areas, so you can have a major rat problem in your home even if you never see any. Because of this, you need to keep an eye – and an ear – out for signs of rodent presence. Inspect your yard and home thoroughly. If the answer to any of the following questions is yes, you may have a rat problem.

  • Do you see droppings, especially around dog or cat dishes or pet food containers?
  • Have you had visual sightings of roof rats on fences, block walls, trees or eaves?
  • Do you find hollowed citrus and other chewed fruit in your yard?
  • Do you hear scratching sounds from the attic after dusk?
  • Are your pets sometimes unsettled for no apparent reason?
  • Have you ever removed a drowned roof rat from your swimming pool?
  • Do you find dark smudge marks along block walls or outside patio areas?

Roof rat Control

Once rats have invaded your garden or landscaping, unless your house is truly rodent proof, it is only a matter of time before you find evidence of them indoors. Experience has shown it is less time consuming to control rodents before their numbers get too high, and fewer traps and less bait will be required if control is started early. Many home owners in the Las Vegas and Henderson area will often opt to hire a professional extermination company that is trained to deal with roof rats before the pesky rodents take over their home.

Resources ~ UC IPM/UCDavis: Rats

5 Tips for Avoiding Insect Stings

Stinging insects such as yellow jackets, wasps and hornets send more than 500,000 people to the emergency room each year. And, if that’s not bad enough, in Las Vegas and Henderson neighborhoods, they become extra feisty in late summer and early fall when their colonies forage for food to sustain their queens during the winter months.

While the thought of encountering a bee hive in a sprinkler valve box or a hornets nest under the patio is enough to make anyone want to stay indoors over the next few weeks, don’t fret. There are a handful of ways to ensure these pesky stingers won’t ruin your fun in the sun.

Seal cracks and crevices

One effective way to prevent an infestation of these insects and most other pests is to eliminate access and harborage sites around of the home. Stinging insects often build their nests inside block walls and valve boxes, behind patio lights and under decks or eaves. Homeowners should seal all visible cracks and crevices to keep these pests from moving indoors, and regularly inspect around the yard and along the perimeter of the house for nests.

Keep food covered

Have you ever been to an outdoor gathering where bees are swarming around the table of hamburgers, chips and fruit? Stinging insects are attracted to exposed food and open garbage cans. To avoid an unwanted encounter with a yellowjacket or bee during a picnic or cookout, cover all food when outside and be sure to keep tight fitting lids on trash bins.

Avoid excessive use of fragrances

Yellowjackets and other stinging insects are attracted to sweet-smelling fragrances. If spending long periods of time outdoors, avoid excessive use of perfume or cologne. When possible, also choose unscented shampoos, soaps, lotions and sunscreen.

Adjust your wardrobe

Avoid wearing dark colors and floral prints, since these patterns are known to attract stinging insects. It’s also important to wear closed-toe shoes, especially in grassy areas as bumblebees and some hornets often nest there.

Remain calm, cool and collected

If a stinging insect is flying nearby, many people’s first reaction is to either swat the insect away or flail their arms in panic. However, these movements may actually provoke an attack. Do not swat the pest, but rather remain calm, slowly walk from the area and it should fly away without causing any harm. If you do get stung, carefully remove the stinger and seek medical attention, as reactions can be severe in some cases.

Contact a pest professional

If a nest is found on the property, keep yourself and other members of the family away and do not attempt to remove it on your own. Depending on the species, a nest could contain hundreds (if not thousands) of stinging insects, which could swarm and sting en masse if they are disturbed or feel threatened. Instead, contact our pest professionals at Western Exterminator, and we will be able to identify the species and aid in stinging insect control by either removing the colony or destroying the nest.

How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies

Fruit flies only live for about 30 days, but they multiply quickly.
Fruit flies only live for about 30 days, but they multiply quickly.

Do fruit flies tend to beat you to the fruit bowl? Once they settle in, these uninvited guests know how to overstay their welcome. Learn what you can do to prevent a fruit fly infestation.

Fruit Fly Habits and Behavior

Fruit flies get their common name from their small size and fondness of some fruits. Fruit flies are found on moist, decaying matter that has been stationary for several days, and are especially attracted to rotting fruits and vegetables.

Fruit flies don’t sneak into your home through gaps and cracks in your exterior walls and foundation the way other insects do. They can be found on fruit in the form of eggs then hatch when the conditions are right. These tiny flies only live for about 30 days, however, they multiply quickly. Consider the fact that a single female fruit fly can lay hundreds of eggs in her brief lifetime, and each time she lays another batch, they only take about 24 hours to hatch. This means one fruit fly egg that hatches can produce a swarm, seemingly out of nowhere, in just a few days.

Fruit Fly Threats

Fruit flies are found in unsanitary conditions, so they are a potential heath concern, especially when present in health facilities.

Fruit Fly Prevention and Removal

Looking to get rid of fruit flies in the home? Fruit flies are best prevented through vigilant sanitation practices. The key to effective removal of fruit flies is to find their breeding ground. This might mean doing things like cleaning the kitchen counters and cleaning and sterilizing garbage cans and dumpsters.

Remove any over-ripe fruit that is in the house, too. Fruit flies prefer to breed beneath the skin of fruit that has started to go rotten. This also means picking up any rotten fruit lying on the ground around your home.

Fruit flies love to use drains for breeding purposes, too. If your drains have not been cleaned in a while, this could be why fruit flies are finding your home or building particularly attractive. Although they are called fruit flies, they will find almost anything food-related attractive. This includes soda and sugary substances.

Keep Fruit Refrigerated Until Ready for Use

To avoid a fruit fly infestation keep kitchen counters, sinks and floors clean and wipe up any sugary substances. Wash dishes after use and avoid leaving in your sink overnight. Keep fruits and vegetables refrigerated until ready for use and throw out any rotting produce in trash bin with a tight fitting lid. Follow these steps and you should be able to enjoy the fruits of summer free of these annoying pests!

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

Avoid Pests: 5 Spring Cleaning Tips

Spring in Las Vegas is short lived and as the weather heats up, many insects and pests wake up from a winter’s nap and are ready to get busy finding food. If your Las Vegas or Henderson home proves to be a good source of food for foraging insects and rodents, they will gladly come invade your living space.

In order to prevent pests from getting into your home this spring, here are some indoor spring cleaning tips to keep your home pest free from the Las Vegas pest control professionals at Western Exterminator:

1. Secure Window Screens

Before opening up windows to let the spring breeze flow in, make sure that all windows are secured with screens that fit properly and have no holes. Windows are an easy way for small flying insects to gain entry, so you want to avoid the small holes and loose fitting screens before the windows go up. Also, make sure that if you are going to keep a door open for some extra air flow, you have a screen door to keep the pests out. Open doors are an open invitation for all size pests.

2. De-clutter Your Home

Clean out storage spaces such as the garage, attic, and outdoor sheds. These are perfect homes for pests any time of the year as they are less frequented by humans. Also, any stacks of newspapers or other items provide a great home for pests such as spiders, so you want to be sure that the clutter is gone.

3. Deep Clean Your Kitchen

A deep clean of your kitchen is another good tip to keep the pests out. If there are spills or open food, cockroaches, ants and rodents are likely to find their way into your home. Spend extra time to get rid of any build-up on areas such as under the fridge or stove, the sides of the stove, and in cupboards. It’s easy to let these hidden places be forgotten, but with any food build-up, the pests will try to take advantage.

4. Sanitize Food Surfaces

Make sure to sanitize and clean your food surfaces regularly to keep pests away. If cockroaches or rodents do happen to get into your home, they will leave counters and other food surfaces contaminated, so it is important that you are on top of keeping these places sanitized to protect yours and your family’s health.

5. Spruce Up The Yard.

Branches, leaves, weeds, and dead plants can attract pests. These areas provide a place for the pest to build a nest, and they might eventually come inside your home since the nests are near the building. Also, make sure to get rid of standing water in the yard, because the water could attract mosquitoes since they lay eggs in standing water.

By following these spring cleaning tips, you will be able to enjoy not only a squeaky clean home, but one that is free of any bugs or critters. Due to the amount of time we spend outside in the spring and with open doors and windows, it becomes very important to stay on top of the spring pest prevention measures.

If you tackle these 5 tips and bugs are still trying to take over your home this spring, contact the experts at Western Exterminator for highly effective residential pest control services designed to fit your home.

Keeping Pantry Pests Out of Your Home

Baking is a tradition in many homes, more so as the holiday’s approach. Nothing can ruin a fun baking experience faster than discovery of pests in your storable foods. There are several types of pests that thrive in the storable foods, and these types of insects can quickly become a pain and expensive hassle for any homeowner.

Below we’ve outlined some steps homeowners can take to remove a pantry pest infestation, and keep these pests out in the future.

Understanding the pests that are in your storable foodsCockroach Exterminators Las Vegas Paradise Henderson NV Nevada

Storable foods pests, often referred to as pantry pests infest common baking ingredients such as: flour, dried fruits and nuts, cereals, pre-made mixes such as pancake and biscuit mixes, and much more. Pantry pests, such as: ants, beetles, earwigs, weevils, pillbugs, and even cockroaches thrive in pantries where food is plentiful, and natural predators are rare. Often homeowners are not aware that they have a pantry pest infestation until they open baking ingredients such as flour, cake mixes, and others.
Removing a pantry pest infestation, and preventing it from happening again in the future is not as hard as it may seem. Below we’ve outlined a few helpful steps to get control of your food storage area back, and keep it free from these pests in the future.

Removing pests and insects from your food storage area(s)

First, it’s important to understand that the reason the insects are there is because they have easy access to food. The goal when removing a pantry pest infestation is to remove easy access to the food they want, and not give them a reason to come back.
Conduct a thorough inspection of all food in your pantry. Pay particular attention to food stored in boxes, bags, and plastic packaging. These types of food containers make easy targets for pantry pests as they can easily chew their way into them.

  • Remove any contaminated food, making sure to dispose of it in an outside garbage can well away from your home. Once the contaminated food has been removed, conduct a thorough cleaning of your food storage area. Vacuum up any food particles and other debris, and clean all surfaces with a good cleaning agent/solution.
  • Invest in food storage containers. Reusable food storage containers are available at just about every supermarket. These containers will help keep pests out, and your food fresher. Reusable plastic or glass containers work well, just make sure the lids seal well.
  • Use these food storage containers for items like: flour, sugar, baking mixes, dried fruit, cereals, and other potential food sources for insects. For food items like chips and bread that don’t have a long shelf life, make sure to seal these bags between uses.
  • Check expiration dates regularly. Check expiration dates on your storable foods regularly. Make sure to discard anything past date. Getting into the habit of checking food storage can also help alert you to any problems in your food storage area before they get out of hand.
  • Clean your food storage area. Cleaning up spills will help to not invite pantry pests back into the area. Crumbs and spills in cupboards, floors, and food preparation areas can and will be easily detected by foraging insects such as ants and cockroaches.

With a little bit of work, and developing good habits when storing your family’s food, pantry pests can be a thing of the past. There are times when a pest infestation requires the expertise of an experienced pest control company, if you’re facing a pest issue that has you at wits end, consult with a licensed pest control professional to get expert advice and treatment options.

8 Tips for Pest Proofing Your Home For Winter

As the weather gets colder here in the Las Vegas and Henderson areas, people will want to spend more time indoors, and unfortunately, so will common pests and rodents. Insects such as cockroaches, spiders, and scorpions; and rodents like mice, and roof rats will seek shelter to survive the winter, and there’s nothing more inviting than a warm cozy home.

Keeping Pests Out Of Your Homecockroach exterminators las vegas nevada and henderson NV

Insects and rodents alike can introduce diseases and bacteria into your home, and can also cause a lot of damage. Understanding how to keep these pests out is the first step to ensuring a comfortable, pest free winter.

Below are 8 pest proofing tips to make sure that bugs and rodents stay out of your home this winter.

  1. Make sure needed ventilation points are screened off on the exterior of your home. Attic vents, foundation vents, roof soffits and other exterior entry points should be inspected to make sure they’re in good condition.
  2. Keep your garage and crawl space dry. Insects and rodents are attracted to places they know they can get water. Keeping these areas dry, and free from excessive humidity, will help to detract these unwanted pests.
  3. Seal up any cracks in siding, stucco, and piping. Using exterior grade silicon is a quick solution to stopping entry.
  4. Keep food preparation and storage areas clean and tidy. Leaving food and crumbs out is an invitation to pests like cockroaches, ants, and rodents. Keeping dry foods stored in airtight containers is also recommended.
  5. Inspect your windows and doors. Weather stripping, damaged window frames, and doors that don’t close correctly are all easy entry points to your home. Replace or repair window screens for an added level of protection.
  6. Keep landscaping materials and plants away from your house. Keeping trees, bushes and plants trimmed so they don’t touch your home is an easy and effective way to keep pests away. Trim tree branches back away from your roof. Don’t make it easy for rodents to access your roof.
  7. Don’t let pests hitch a ride into your home. Bringing in the holiday decorations from the garage or storage shed? Make sure pests don’t hitch a ride in storage containers, just one spider can spawn hundreds of babies.
  8. Don’t leave pet food outside, and keep bird feeders away from your house. Rodents love any food, so leaving these items outside is an open invitation to a never ending buffet.

Do It Yourself & Keep The Pests Out of Your Home

The above are a few ways you can protect your home from pests moving in this winter. A little work will help to keep the bugs and rodents out, and your family comfortable. However, if you do encounter a pest or rodent problem this winter, seeking the advice of an experienced pest control company can help you rid of these unwanted visitors.