Pest Control Ballwin MO manages pests, organisms that damage or spoil property or introduce diseases. Pest control goals include prevention, suppression, and eradication.
Natural forces such as climate, natural enemies, and the availability of food and shelter influence pest populations. Threshold levels, representing the level of harm a pest can cause acceptable to humans, also guide pest control decisions.
Insects are tiny parasitic insects from the genus Cimex that feed on blood, usually at night. They’re most likely to be brought into the home on clothing, luggage, and other personal belongings in infested hotels or lodgings. They also hitch rides on public transportation and in the backs of trucks or cars. Practicing caution while traveling is the best way to avoid bringing bed bugs home. Check shoes before entering a hotel room, change clothes before getting into bed, and place a protective cover on suitcases to keep bugs from crawling inside.
Detecting a bed bug infestation requires a thorough inspection with a flashlight. Look for eggs under bedding, in cracks and crevices around beds and in the seams of mattresses, box springs and headboards. Inspect area rugs, carpet tack strips and wall-mounted items such as clocks, picture frames and smoke detectors. Bed bugs can also hide in recessed screw holes in headboards, dressers and other furniture.
Wash all infested items in hot water and dry them on high heat settings. Discard clothing that can’t be washed, as well as any infested pillows, pet beds and stuffed animals. If a mattress or box spring is badly infested, consider replacing it. A tightly woven mattress cover will help prevent bed bugs from escaping.
Pesticides can be used to treat serious bed bug infestations, but only if the proper safety instructions are followed carefully. Several products are registered for use against bed bugs, including over-the-counter total release aerosol foggers. These are not considered effective for treating serious infestations, however, and can be harmful to people and pets. Contact a certified pest control professional for more effective long-term management of bed bugs.
After treatment, continue to monitor the situation for recurrence. Inspect rooms regularly, and keep records through the process so that any problems can be quickly identified and treated. This is particularly important as the insecticide treatment can take weeks to fully work, and it may be difficult to tell if the problem is completely resolved until after all the chemicals have had time to dissipate.
Termites
Each year, termites cause billions in damage to homes and other structures. These destructive pests are more active in warmer weather as they search for food to store for winter. Termites live in underground colonies, composed of worker and soldier termites with large heads and jaws to chew through wood. These insects are cream-colored with no eyes, but they communicate through a system of pheromones and secretions.
Homeowners can avoid costly termite infestation by keeping an eye out for warning signs. These include wood that sounds hollow when tapped, cracking or bubbling paint on walls and floors, mud tubes that run from the ground to a structure’s foundation, and a temporary swarm of winged termites in or around a home or office.
Termites love moist wood, so eliminating moisture is one way to deter them. Keep gutters and downspouts working properly, seal any leaky pipes and make sure crawl spaces are ventilated. Don’t store wood or cardboard in crawl spaces, and stack firewood away from the house. Dryer vents that aren’t cleaned can also create the moist, humid environment that attracts some species of termites, so make sure to clean the dryer duct regularly.
Another preventive measure is to remove rotting wood and replace it with termite-resistant materials. Also, trim overgrown shrubs and keep them away from the foundation of the house. Inspect all wood structures for any signs of termite activity, and schedule regular inspections from a professional.
The type of termite treatment depends on the type of infestation. Subterranean termites and dampwood termites require access to wood with a high moisture content, so they are attracted to mulch, overgrown shrubs, and firewood placed too close to buildings. They are also more likely to infest houses with exposed foundations.
A soil-applied termiticide can be a great preventative, as it acts like a barrier that the pests cannot cross. The most common products are Termidor, Premise and Altriset (chlorantraniliprole). In addition to these preventative methods, direct chemicals can be sprayed into crevices and cracks that may be hiding termites. The odorless foam expands and kills the termites as they attempt to enter the home.
Ants
Ants are social insects that live in colonies with a queen and thousands of workers. They are most often seen invading indoors looking for food and water sources, but they can also be a problem outdoors in gardens, lawns, and in other places around the house where they aren’t wanted. Ants can cause damage to plants by eating the roots, and ant hills or tunnels in the soil can disturb or even kill grass and other vegetation.
Like any insect, ants can be controlled using a variety of methods, from baits to dusts to sprays. Some of these products can be used safely by homeowners, while others are only available to licensed pesticide applicators. It is important to correctly identify the ant species in order to choose the most effective control measures.
In many cases, ants can be controlled by simply removing the food source. For instance, a clean kitchen and storing food properly will prevent ants from being attracted to it.
The use of soaps and detergents in the kitchen and bathroom will also help to keep ants away, as will cleaning up spills immediately and not leaving them on surfaces where ants can walk over them. Caulking cracks and plugging holes is another effective way to prevent ant entry into the home.
Other effective ant controls include barrier, perimeter, and direct insecticide treatments of ants’ nests. However, these treatments can be risky to people, pets, and beneficial insects such as pollinators if they aren’t done correctly and in the right conditions.
It is important for homeowners to follow all label instructions when using ant control products. Never treat entire walls, floors, cupboards, or other areas where ants can walk over them. This will only contaminate the food in those areas and may attract other ants. Instead, apply dusts or baits to ant entry points, such as in wall voids or under flooring.
A popular, natural method of ant control involves using a solution of equal parts vinegar and water. The vinegar smells to the ants and repels them while killing them. The ants will carry the poison back to the colony and poison other ants, ultimately killing the whole population.
Rodents
Rats are a major pest because they can carry fleas, ticks and mites that may bite humans and pets and cause diseases including typhus, plague, trichinosis and salmonella. They can also chew through wires and pipes to gain access to interior structures where they breed and find food.
Rodents love to nest in attics and basements, under piles of paper, cloth, trash, or other material and behind walls where they can chew holes. They also gnaw through exterior and foundation walls to get into homes, buildings and other structures.
An integrated rodent control program includes the removal of food, water and shelter from rats’ natural habitats; using poison baits to reduce their population; and building them out to prevent their re-entry into homes, buildings and other structures. This last step is known as exclusion or “rodent-proofing.”
When it comes to preventing rodents from entering a structure, the best approach is to keep it clean. Remove potential rodent hiding spots and nesting materials, such as discarded cardboard boxes, fabric scraps and old newspaper. Keep kitchen garbage and compost piles tightly sealed, with the contents rotated to prevent them from drawing rodents.
The most effective, long term form of rat control is trapping and building them out. Wooden snap traps placed along runways at right angles to walls and other structures and in secluded locations, such as dark corners, are most effective. These should be checked frequently and dead rodents promptly disposed of. Poison baits can be used with caution and only when necessary to control existing populations, but they must be properly stored away from children, pets and nontarget wildlife and in tamper-resistant bait stations as specified on product labels.
For long term rat control, fumigants are also available. These products release a deadly gas that quickly and silently kills the rodents underground or in their tunnels, leaving no ill effects to others. These are typically only recommended by professional pest control companies and can only be applied by them to commercial or residential properties where the threat of secondary poisoning is considered low.