Tip 1:  Keep it Clean.  Ants don’t come into your home to lounge around and watch television, they are usually looking for food and/or water.  To help prevent ants from using your home as their dining room, you need to clean up after yourself.  Ants, particularly sugar ants, are attracted to sugary or fatty foods, as well as pet foods.  Washing your dishes immediately after meals will help and use combinations of lemon juice and water or vinegar and water to wipe down countertops or in your mop water.  It is thought that ants don’t like those scents and they cut through traces of sugar and grease.

Tip 2:  Seal it Off.  Ants will take advantage of cracks in your home’s foundation or gaps around pipes and wires that come into your home.  Since ants are small, they can squeeze into even the smallest opening, so you need to carefully inspect the outside of your house.  Use caulk to seal off any gaps you find or make repairs to cracks in your foundation to prevent ants from invading.  Carpenter ants like wood, so you will want to get rid of wet or rotting wood around your home and trim trees and shrubs that touch your siding or roof.

Tip 3:  Create Scent Barriers.  Some smells are off-putting to ants, so you will want to use them around your home, particularly around entry ways and baseboards and windowsills.  Mix these natural repellents with water to create a spray or you can sprinkle them near entry points of a house:

•   Citrus oil
• Ÿ  Cayenne pepper
• Ÿ  Cinnamon
• Ÿ  Garlic
• Ÿ  Sugar-less lemon juice

 You can also use plants to prevent ants as well.  Add these plants in flower beds around your home:

•   Lavender
• Ÿ  Mint
• Ÿ  Citronella
• Ÿ  Basil
• Ÿ  Clove

Tip 4:  Eliminate the Seekers.  If you spot an ant or two wandering around in your home, get rid of them.  These lone ants are scouting out food, and sometimes water if it is dry outside, and leave a chemical trail for the rest of their ant family to follow.  See if you can figure out where they came from and seal off the area.  It isn’t necessary to use chemicals to kill them, just squish them underfoot and wipe up after you do.

These tips should be able to help you prevent infestations of ants in your home.  In Northern Virginia, residents often see invasions of Carpenter and Odorous House ants and using these tips will help you win the battle against ants and, perhaps, other bugs, no matter which state you call home.

Pests are a natural part of life, it does not mean you have to like them or invite them in but it does mean that the line of when to just deal and when to call in a professional can be a bit blurred. There are some times when you absolutely have to call in a professional because your health is at risk and there are times when your comfort level in your own home may be compromised and calling a professional in just makes life easier.

Fairfax County homeowners have the unfortunate luck by geography being more at risk than other geographical locations of dealing with pests.

When To Call

Many pests can carry disease. Roaches can carry salmonella and a host of other diseases. Mice can carry tons of disease and carry other parasites as well. Fleas and mosquitos can also carry disease and harm your pets.

You will need to call in a professional if you notice any of the above in or around your home. Termites, of course have to be avoided and a regular termite inspection can help you do that. Bites from fleas, mosquitos and other biting insects can cause real health concerns besides being uncomfortable.

If you have small children that crawl around your home you absolutely have to call in a professional if you suspect you have roaches, silverfish, ants or other crawling pests that can trail across your floors.

Wasps, Bees and other flying insects that sting love to make your home their home and trying to dislodge their home from yours can be a dangerous undertaking and should be left up to a professional. Pesticides have to be handled carefully. They can dangerous products that only a trained professional that is licensed to use them should handle.

Destructive

All of the above pests can not only be dangerous to you and your family’s health but they are also destructive. They can all cause property damage to your home. The longer you wait to get someone in to help you to curtail these bothersome and dangerous pests the more damage will be done to your home.

Some of the damage to your home include: 

• Unsettle the foundation
• Holes in your walls and floors
• Weakening of the walls and floors

Of course that above is a short list. Rats, mice, roaches, flies and other insects leave dropping behind which can easily cause health problems. Whenever you see a pest in your home, even if you see one, there can always more lurking behind the walls and in other areas that you cannot see! Call a professional in as soon as you notice a problem.

Bed Bugs are Everywhere

To begin with, bed bugs are parasites that feed only on the blood of animals and people while they are sleeping. They are reddish-brown, small, and flat. They can be found all over the world. Bed bugs were once seen as a major problem primarily in third-world countries; however that is no longer true. In recent years the spread of bed bugs has been rising in the US, Canada, and United Kingdom, and other first world countries. They are found virtually everywhere, from rural areas to urban developments.

They Are Great At Hiding

The second thing you need to know is that while they are usually found in the places where people and animals sleep, they are quite adept at hiding. During the day, they seek refuge inside the seams of your mattress, inside luggage, tiny little cracks, the clutter around a bed, and even behind the wallpaper. This makes them very hard to find, and they can be quite clever at hiding. They do not travel very far during the day, tending to remain within 8 feet of where someone will sleep.

They Can Cause Health Problems

While they do not pose a major health risk, bites may cause a severe allergic reaction in some people, and this requires immediate medical attention. Normally, there is only a small bite mark or a rash in place. The pattern comes from the fact that they are methodical eaters, covering an area from one spot to the next until they are forced to move to a new host. Therefore the pattern is usually in a line or a small patch.

They Can Leave A Rash If You Are Bitten

An important thing you need to know, especially for Northern Virginia homeowners, is how to identify an infestation of bed bugs. The easiest way to tell is by a patterned rash of bite marks along your body after sleeping. These marks, however, may take up to two weeks to occur in some people, so there are other clues to look for. You might see the exoskeletons after the bed bugs have molted, or find them in the folds of your mattress or your sheets. You might find rust colored spots of blood excreted on the mattress or other furniture, or you might smell a sweet, musty odor.

Leave Bed Bug Treatments To The Professionals

The last thing you should be aware of is how you should properly treat the bites received from a bed bug. While they do not usually pose a serious health issue, the rashes can be irritating. However, they are easily treated by using lotions and creams that are antiseptic, taking an antihistamine, and by not scratching the affected area. The infestations themselves are best treated by spraying an insecticide or by calling a pest Control Company in that has experience in this area. You should also be sure to check quite often for any signs of their return.

Crickets are a brown, nocturnal insect that lives outside during the warmer months. Like most insects they have a somewhat flattened body, an exoskeleton, and are cold blooded. Because they are cold blooded, they take on the temperature of their environment. This is why when the temperature drops they move inside to keep warm. They are scavengers that eat organic material, usually decaying leaves or fungi. If they are found living in a home, they can cause damage to material from clothing, or furniture coverings (usually made of cotton or wool), and can sometimes even be the cause of some damage to the wallpaper in the house.

Crickets are not the only insect that can find its way into your home. There are also pests like bed bugs, ants and spiders. It’s important to know what can cause these insects to make their way into your home so that you can prevent an infestation. Bed bugs for instance, can make their way into the home by latching onto just about anything. This includes book bags, purses, and suitcases, and even in the spines of books (as some students in Seattle discovered). When it comes to bed bugs, prevention is the key. They are visible to the eye, so if you live in an area that has been known to have a large bed bug problem, then it would be wise to take precautions against bringing them into your house.

There many different kinds of ants but the two most common types of ants in Northern Virginia are Carpenter Ants and the Odorous House Ant. Both types are black or brown in colour. The carpenter ant is known to cause significant damage to homes by digging through the wood in the home. The odorous house ant on the other hand, is more a nuisance because of its large numbers.

Rodents are what a lot of people fear when they hear about house pests. The only thing that mice and rats tend to leave behind when they enter a home is damage and disease. In Northern Virginia the two most common rats are the Norway Rat and the Roof Rat. Roof Rats can be found, not shockingly, in the attics of most houses. The Norway rat on the other hand tends to burrow into the ground, and prefers to come out at night. The most common type of mouse is the house mouse. Curious mice, they have a tendency to get into just about anything. To avoid detection, this mouse is usually only seen coming out at night.  Removal of house mice is easier due to their small size and availability of mouse traps.

Most Fairfax County & Loudoun County homeowners think that they are in the safety zone and that termites are not a real risk to them. They are seriously mistaken. The Eastern Subterranean Termite is prolific in northern Virginia. These busy pests cause millions of dollars of damage each year.

The Caste System

Termites have a very sophisticated caste system that they operate under. Each colony has a king and queen that largely are responsible for insuring the colonies survival by producing up to 2,000 eggs each and every day. The young kings and queens are also responsible for reproducing offspring as well.

Under the higher caste of royalty are the soldiers. The soldiers protect the colony largely against ant attacks. The lowest members of the society are the workers. The workers outnumber all other member groups of the termite society. They have a life span of about 2 years and they start working the minute they hatch.

The workers are the ones that homeowners need to fear. There soul purpose is to “work” by eating every piece of wood they come into contact with!

Where Do They Live?

These sneaky insects can live anywhere there is a bit of moisture. They can easily elude inspectors because they like to sneak in through cracks that are less than 1/8 of an inch in width. They will chew through just about anything to make their homes. They make mud tunnels that look similar to wasp hives.

It is important to use an experienced inspector to make sure you do not have termites lurking somewhere in your home, by the time you notice them the damage is already done. Holiday Termite & Pest Control has the experience you need in detecting termites BEFORE the damage begins. Annual termite inspection will keep your home from the invasion.

Once They Invade

Fairfax County & Loudoun County homeowners are among the most at risk when it comes to termite invasion ( termites do not disappear in the winter like some people believe). It is always best to catch the problem before it becomes a problem but if you missed that boat and the invasion has begun there are treatment options.

It cannot be stressed enough prevention is key in the case of termites. Annual inspections can avoid a lot of heartache. Termites are active throughout the year. They can live in the cold and they do. The Eastern Subterranean Termite has already caused millions of dollars of damage up and down the east coast from Maine to Florida.

You can avoid having to deal with the damage by taking the preventive steps necessary to keep your home pest free!

A lot of homeowners prefer to take the DIY route because they believe that it saves money to try to get the problem under control on their own. Unfortunately it can be quite a dangerous undertaking to try to handle pesticides on your own! Over the counter products can be ineffective if not used properly, not to mention a danger for your family and pets.

Potential Problems Caused by Pests:

Many homeowners do not realize how bad their pest problems are. Bites from pests can get out of control rather quickly. Some pests can carry disease and it is not unusual for people to become ill from a single bite. Also, when bites occur, infection then becomes a higher risk as well.

The property damage that pests cause is well documented. Most people think of termites when they think of property damage caused by pests. It is true that termites do account for millions of dollars in damages each year but they are not the only pests that can cause damage.

Rodents like mice and rats are also well known for causing property damage. They have both been known to chew through electrical wiring inside walls, weaken foundations by tunneling through them and can easily tear apart your insulation to nest. Even some species of flying insects can cause property damage by making their nests in wooden areas of your home.

A Professional Pest Control Company is The Answer!

A professional pest control company offers the homeowner safer, effective treatment plans to rid the home of these destructive pests. When you call in a professional you are calling in a licensed, well trained technician that knows how to not only treat your particular problem but to actually eradicate it.

Professional pest control companies employ only highly trained individuals.  Holiday Termite & Pest Control employees are trained how to treat pests that attack Farifax county homeowners properties . These technicians will come to your home and evaluate your condition and advise you what steps need to be taken to get rid of your pest problem. 

The Best Time to Call In A Professional

The time to call in a professional is when you notice a degree of activity or when you notice signs of pest activity. If you want to secure your premises against pests you can call to get a professional assessment which is typically free.

Prevention is the key to keeping your pest problems under control. A professional pest control specialist has been trained to know what to look for and where.

Your Purchase Agreement

Before you buy a home, you will sign a purchase agreement. There will likely be a contingency in the agreement that states that the home has to pass a termite inspection or the purchase agreement will be voided out. The potential buyer will typically have to pay for the inspection.

Arranging the Inspection

In most cases, the buyer’s agent will actually arrange for the inspection. He will coordinate with the homeowner and the termite inspection company. When the inspector comes out, he will be able to look inside and outside of the home for termites.

Then, once the inspection is over, the prospective homebuyer will receive a copy of the report. At that point, he will find out if there is termite damage.

What if Something Is Found?

It is important to read the scope and limitations noted on the second page of your provided inspection on form NPMA-33.  Treatment guidelines are as follows: 

FHA and VA require treatment when any active infestation of subterranean termites is found. If signs of subterranean termites-but no activity-are found in a structure that shows no evidence of having been treated for subterranean termites in the past, then a treatment should be recommended. A treatment may also be recommended for a previously treated structure showing evidence of subterranean termites-but no activity-if there is no documentation of a liquid treatment by a licensed pest control company within the previous five years unless the structure is presently under warranty or covered by a service agreement with a licensed pest control company.

Additional Tips

Have the termite inspector also look for signs of carpenter ants, carpenter bees and wood destroying beetles when he is conducting his inspection. These insects can also damage wood, so you want to make sure the home doesn’t have any before you make an offer.

If the inspector finds signs of a previous infestation, have the current homeowners provide documentation of any repairs that were made. You will need to keep these documents on hand in case you ever want to sell the home.

Termites cause billions of dollars in property damage each year so it is important that you protect yourself before buying a home. A termite inspection is a relatively inexpensive way to protect your investment. It won’t take long to conduct an inspection, and it will provide you with some peace of mind. Thus, it will be well worth the cost.

Control Rodents in Your Home Environment

Ticks frequently use rodents as their host animals. Since ticks cannot fly, they typically crawl from one host to another, using grass, shrubbery, or tree limbs as necessary. To prevent yourself from Lyme disease, it’s important to control rodents in and around your home. Eliminate areas where rodents can hide, or where they can come into contact with your children or pets. Keep grass around your home cut short, and avoid planting low shrubs in areas where your pets or children play. If you find evidence of rodents in your home, call an exterminator or set traps – you’ll need to keep them from coming into contact with your family.

Take Proactive Measures to Discourage Ticks

If you’ll be outdoors for long periods of time, dress appropriately. Keep your children from playing in tall weeds or grass – these areas frequently harbor ticks. If your children go on camping trips, play in the woods, or are in areas that are known to be populated with deer ticks, be sure to check their bodies completely when they return. Bath time is an excellent time to check little ones for ticks; be sure to look in their hair, behind their ears, and between their fingers and toes. Deer ticks are quite small and can hide on the human body extremely easily.

Dress Appropriately When Outdoors

If you’ll be outside in a tick-infested area, or live in an area where deer ticks are common, it’s important that you dress appropriately. Wear a long sleeved shirt, long pants, and tuck your pants legs into your socks to prevent ticks from crawling up your legs. In addition, consider pulling long hair back and wearing a hat. Apply an EPA approved insect repellent that lists ticks on the label. Practicing good tick control measures is a crucial part of avoiding Lyme Disease, just as enlisting a mosquito control service can be an important part of limiting the spread of West Nile Virus.

Manage Your Pets’ Outdoor Time

Keep your dogs and cats out of tall grass and wooded areas. If you live in a forested area, or if they regularly play in this type of environment, be sure to check your animals for ticks regularly. If you find a tick on them, practice good first aid when removing it and be sure to kill the insect. Remember that ticks can crawl from your pet to you or your children, and be especially alert when handling your pet after it has been outdoors.

• high fever
• headache
• neck stiffness
• disorientation
• numbness and muscle weakness
• tremors
• coma
• convulsions
• vision loss 
• paralysis 

As you can see, it’s incredibly important to stop the spread of this serious disease and to protect yourself and your family from potential exposure. Let’s discuss a few easy ways to protect yourself from West Nile Virus if you live in Northern Virginia.

Use Insect Repellant to Prevent Mosquito Bites

To prevent insect bites, be sure to regularly apply insect repellant when you’ll be outdoors for extended periods of time. Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk, so be especially vigilant at these times. Choose a mosquito repellant that is EPA registered, and that lists mosquitoes on the label as an insect that it will protect you from. While natural insect repellants may seem effective, if there is no EPA registration number on the label, you cannot be sure that it has been tested against mosquitoes and will protect you appropriately from West Nile Virus. 

Dress Appropriately When Outdoors

To prevent the spread of West Nile Virus through mosquito bites, cover your arms and legs when you’ll be outside in the mornings and evenings. Mosquitoes will not bite through clothing, so if you wear socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt, you can dramatically reduce your chance of a mosquito bite, and therefore, your chances of contracting West Nile Virus.

Mosquito Proof Your Northern Virginia Yard

Walk through your yard each spring and remove any standing water that’s accumulated. Mosquitoes require water to breed, so if you take away their breeding habitat, they’ll relocate somewhere else. Remove pots, buckets, or other containers that will collect rainwater. Drill holes in plastic toys that might hold water, and be sure to change the water in bird baths and pet bowls on a regular basis – at least once every three days.

Encourage Others to Get Rid of Mosquitoes

If you notice that your neighborhood has many places that mosquitoes can breed, it might be a good idea to address the issue with your HOA, landlord, or directly with your neighbors. Not everyone is aware of the dangers of West Nile Virus, or of how easily it can be prevented. Often, education is the key to prevention.

Check Your Windows and Screens

Each spring, check the screens in your windows and exterior doors carefully. Mosquitoes can enter through small tears or rips in the screen, so if your window screens are damaged, take the time to patch or replace them. This will help prevent mosquitoes from entering your Northern Virginia home and spreading disease.

Lyme Disease Can Have Serious Symptoms

Early symptoms of Lyme disease include a distinctive circular rash, fatigue, and flu-like symptoms. If the illness is not treated, other symptoms can develop, such as joint pain, extreme fatigue, additional skin rashes, and severe joint pain. Joints may also swell dramatically, and the patient may experience chronic pain. Severe, untreated Lyme disease can lead to brain damage, heart damage, severely painful joints, heart palpitations, and more.

Deer Ticks Can Carry Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is transmitted to humans from other mammals by deer ticks. The ticks feed on the blood of an infected animal, then transfer the disease to humans when they bite. To prevent Lyme disease, it’s important to prevent tick bites whenever possible. Practicing appropriate rodent control and tick control can help limit the spread of Lyme disease. Eliminating rodents and ticks will also help you to get rid of fleas, and is well worth the investment.

Ticks Prefer Rodents as Hosts

Humans are most commonly infected by deer ticks that move from deer or rodent hosts to their human hosts. Ticks cannot fly, so they must crawl from one host to another. They frequently crawl around on high grass or shrubbery in wooded areas in order to move from one host to another, although they can also travel into homes while attached to rodents or pets.

Lifestyle Choices Can Help Prevent Contracting Lyme Disease

The only way to avoid contracting Lyme disease is to avoid being bitten by a deer tick that’s carrying it. If you’ll be outdoors, wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Tuck pant legs into your socks. If you have long hair, wear it up or under a hat. Apply an insect repellent that’s EPA approved for ticks, and when you return home, strip and thoroughly inspect your body for ticks.  If you are bitten by a tick and develop a rash or increased fatigue, visit your doctor promptly so that you can be tested for Lyme disease.

Eliminating Tick Habitats Near Your Home Can Help Keep You Safe

To reduce the danger of contracting Lyme disease, consider adjusting your landscaping. Trim bushes and tall grass to eliminate hiding places for rodents and deer ticks. If you have pets that frequently go outdoors, fence your yard to keep them out of wooded areas and help prevent the spread of ticks. Consider replacing decorative landscaping near your home with rocks or other low landscaping, so that there’s nowhere for rodents to hide near your house. Monitor your pet’s behavior carefully, and check them regularly for ticks when they enter your home. This will help prevent ticks from crawling from your pet, to your home’s furnishings, to your body.