Pest Library

Ants are insects that regularly find their way into our Reno homes and other structures like grocery stores, schools, and restaurants. These insects have learned that our structures can provide them with regular food and water sources. Homeowners regularly deal with several types of nuisance ants in our area, including pavement ants and odorous house ants. We must also guard our homes against dangerous carpenter ants, whose nesting habits can cause structural damage. 

Ants are one of the most familiar insects that people encounter. The best way to determine the type of ant that has found its way to your property is to partner with a professional. Professionals understand the unique physical and behavioral differences between ants and can provide accurate identification and perform effective treatments. 

Helpful prevention tips: Take away as many entrance points leading into your home as possible. Caulk cracks in the foundation, install door sweeps, and ensure weather-stripping and screens are intact. Permanently seal gaps around wires and cables entering your home. Reduce the food and food odors that attract ants to your home by keeping lids on trash cans and maintaining your family's indoor and outdoor cooking and eating areas.

Some of the most regular cockroach visitors to our Reno homes and business include:

• American cockroaches

• Brown-banded cockroaches

• German cockroaches

• Oriental cockroaches

We identify cockroaches by their flat oval bodies, long antennae, and spine-covered legs. While cockroaches have wings, most prefer running from place to place. They are nocturnal, hiding in tight cracks and crevices during the day and emerging to forage for food at night.

Cockroaches take over human structures in large numbers, are difficult to control, and spread disease, allergens, and parasites. Sharing our homes with cockroaches is never ideal, and as soon as you discover their presence, you need to take action to eliminate them. The best way to eliminate cockroaches and prevent a re-infestation is through regular pest control services performed by a local expert. 

Helpful Prevention Tips: Control excess moisture around your property by repairing leaky pipes and air-conditioners and ensuring your yard has good drainage. Inside your home, use dehumidifiers and address leaks quickly to reduce excess moisture. Reduce clutter from your property so that cockroaches can't take cover within. Store your family's food properly and regularly wipe counters, vacuum floors, and upholstered furniture.

Spiders are arachnids, and we identify them by their:

• Eight legs

• Two body segments

• Lack of antenna and wings

• Many eyes

• Ability to produce silk

Many people fear spiders because of their unsettling appearance and quick and unpredictable movements. However, it is important to remember how beneficial they truly are. Spiders help control insect populations that would otherwise overrun our outdoor spaces and destroy gardens and crops. 

Despite their unpleasant appearance, most species of spiders, like wolf and tree spiders that find their way to our properties, are not a threat. But it is important to note that there are spiders in our region that are a threat to people. The most dangerous spider that Reno homeowners encounter is the black widow spider. Unlike most spiders that only have venom potent enough to harm their insect prey, black widow spider venom can harm people.

Helpful Prevention Tips: Keep these arachnids from taking over your home by regularly vacuuming and dusting to remove webs and stray spiders in your home. Eliminate clutter from your home, especially in storage spaces. Cut back trees and shrubbery from your home that provide spiders easy access to your home. Turning off outdoor lights when they aren't needed is also important. Light attracts the insects to your home that spiders like to hunt.