Category: Pest Control Tips

How do you prevent common household bugs from entering your home during the fall and winter? As temperatures drop, these nasty little nesters seek warmer hiding spots just like the rest of us do—and the unfortunate bit is that they might want to make your home their home. Common household bugs in Minnesota aren’t merely annoying: they can provide health risks to your family, including your kids and pets.

Ready to learn how to prevent bugs from entering your home? Curious about the cause of an infestation? Read on to learn about bug-proofing your home or business. At Environmental Pest Management we want you to be ready for this fall and winter.

Bar These Common Household Bugs From Entry

Stink bugs, bed bugs, ticks, ants, fleas and more are pretty common in the winter. They like food sources and places to hang out, which unfortunately means your home. Although approximately 95% of bugs will not harm humans, they can be a real nuisance, according to experts at the University of Arizona.

Seal Points of Entry from Outside

Bugs march in from the outside. If you’ve ever had ants, you know all about this. They sense a food source: box glue, your food, your pets, or you–and they’re ready to have a feast. You can only prevent this type of entry by sealing it off. Most structures have small points of entry that go unnoticed until an infestation. Find and block them.

Seal Interior Points of Entry

While it seems obvious to seal off entrances from the outdoors, there are points of entry leading to your interior walls and other parts of the house, including your basement and garage. Stop giving bugs another entry point: seal up areas behind household appliances; exposed plumbing, not-so-precisely created holes in the wall, and more.

If you only have one or two areas like this, a DIY option might be best: head to Lowe’s or Home Depot and ask about insulation material appropriate for the hole. (Make sure to mention what goes through the hole; some pipes might run hot or cold temperatures affecting the insulation type.)

Limit Access to Moist, Dark Spaces

Why do creepy crawlies like to live in your basement? Why do bedbugs hang out under your bed sometimes instead of in it? They like to hang out until it’s time to do something (like feed). They want their eggs undisturbed. And they love, love, love moist, dark spaces. Venture into your basement, find these spaces, keep them clean, and make them less wet.

The Cat’s Meow: Introduce a Safe, Domestic Natural Predator

Love them or leave them, cats do one thing well: they deter pests such as rats and mice and the fleas they carry. Large insects also steer clear of felines. Bugs smell cats, and their spidey senses tingle. They want no part of dealing with that kitty’s domain.

Also Read: Should Carpenter Ants Be On Your Radar This Spring?

Check Your Pets and Kids When They Come In

You, your kids, and your pets can inadvertently transport bugs into your home from the outdoors. Gross, right? Ticks are a significant health hazard, and they carry parasites that can damage the health of you and your family. It’s essential to check for them and other nasties when they come in. Here’s what you can do to minimize risk:

1. Leave shoes at the door
2. Take off coat or jacket immediately
3. Remove hats and other outerwear in the foyer
4. Do a tick check, especially in the fall after an encounter with leaves or activities such as hiking
5. Bathe your pets regularly (but make sure they’re warm!)>
6. Holiday gathering? Don’t pile guests’ coats on your beds (unless you want bedbugs)

Pick Up Clutter

You don’t have to be sink-full-of-dishes, never-clean-toilet dirty to attract bugs. Most of them like hiding out in clutter—especially bedbugs. Dark and dusty corners, piles of clothes, available books: bugs love those areas. Keep it clean to discourage insects from making homes there.

Keep It Clean, Folks

Common household bugs are also attracted to the stuff customarily considered ‘dirty,’ like dishes, undone laundry, and more. Maintain some basic cleanliness to prevent bugs. This can also help you discover a new infestation. Got bites after you pick up clothes from the floor? Check for fleas or bedbugs.

Tend To Your Yard

Got some crazy tall grass? It happens, especially at the end of the summer. If you hire lawn maintenance folks, sometimes they’ll switch to a seasonal schedule before it’s time, leaving that late summer grass to grow and shelter ticks in the early fall.

This is not good news for your home, as bugs love wet spots, tall grass, and debris. The more plant and wildlife you have out there, the more likely you are to get creepy crawly friends. Make sure you keep up your lawn maintenance to avoid bug problems, especially in the fall. Bag those leaves up to avoid ticks in particular and dispose of them according to your township’s rules.

Also Read: The Best Ways to Get Rid of Mice this Spring

More Bug Proofing Benefits

Bug proofing your home or business also yields more benefits. If you plug up all those holes and do your chores more methodically, you’ll save on energy bills. Plus, you’ll lower your stress, which is especially helpful during the holiday season.

If you want peace of mind concerning bugs, it’s best to have professionals like us come in to do a quick inspection. If we tackle this in the preventive stage, it’ll help ease your worries about winter and fall infestations.

Need Help Bug Proofing Your Home? Need to Stop an Infestation in its Tracks?

Environmental Pest Management of Burnsville, MN is here to help. Give us a call to stop those common household bugs from ruining the magic of fall and your holiday season. We’ll help you seal up those holes and bug proof your home, identifying any weak points in your building.

Have you seen the first signs of an infestation? It’s the best time to stop it and prevent a more substantial expense. We’re used to dealing with common household bugs, and we’ll take care of it for you.

We can perform these services for commercial properties as well. Give us a call today at 952-432-2221

How To Get Rid of Wasps and Hornets

Here’s the thing about getting rid of hornets and getting rid of wasps: sure you could do-it-yourself. But with so many individuals critically, even fatally, allergic to wasp and hornet stings, why not just contact Environmental Pest Management? We’ll safely locate the hornet or wasp nests and safely control the problem.

You’ll never have to experience that terrifying figure-eight buzzing around your head, or that fierce, electrifying sting. Although, if you’re reading this, you might have already felt it!

Safely locating the hornet or wasp nest.

The tricky part with wasps and hornets is that their preferred location for a nest is inconvenient. And that’s putting it mildly.

Hornets and wasps can create nests in so many hidden places. Above ground, in nests they’ve manufactured in eaves or behind shutters. In rotted tree stumps or spaces in ceilings or walls, crevices in home siding, protected nooks and hard-to-reach soffits.

Your family starts realizing that every time you walk out the front door, there seem to be two or three buzzing hornets flying figure eights around your head. You become afraid to use the front door. You’re scared to have company over. You’re too concerned to have business clients come to the house. That’s not good for family or business.

They can overwinter in tree bark and rotten logs. Protected nooks. Hornets also like to hide under roof awnings or behind shutters.

They also create nests below ground. They can build in small holes in the ground or field. Their ability to use old rodent burrows means that you might be out in your backyard, playing football or gardening, and you suddenly get stung. Or maybe you’re outside moving a shrub or pulling weeds, and from the mulch comes something that is mad at you.

Also Read: How to Get Rid of Cockroaches

Hornets and wasps nests can be hard to find. Wasps and hornets protect their nests fiercely. If they sense a disturbance, they’ll be out guarding their territory. You or someone else experience getting bitten multiple times. But you still can’t find the dang nest!

After all, hornets nests can be in an area as small as a hole in the ground, about the diameter of a pencil. You might see a mound of dirt, but think it’s an ant hill. The only sure sign will be them moving into and out of the hole. They’re most active in the daytime.

And wasp nests can be found hanging from tree branches or play sets. In the crevices of stacked wood, or attached to swing sets. If you know where the nest is, you’re in good shape. Call us. We’ll take care of the rest. If you cannot find the nest, really call us. You want this problem solved. The University of Minnesota Extension Center recommends leaving leaving them alone unless they are bothering you, and then you should seek action.  But how to remove the nest?  That’s a good question.

Removing a Wasp Nest the Wrong Way

For starters, some people think burning it is a good idea. True, the nest is very flammable. But this action will result in angry wasps, agitated wasps, and scattered wasps. Once they’ve calmed down, they’ll rebuild somewhere else. The same way that we would.

And please don’t try using a baseball bat. This is the world’s worst removal option. You will put yourself at direct risk of setting the world’s record for the most bee stings in one setting.

Getting Rid of Wasps the Right Way

Keep children and pets away from the work. Consider your plan and exit strategy carefully.

Use professional products. This is where we can help. We have access to products that are more powerful than the DIY products you can find at your local home improvement store. We’re also trained and qualified to work in tight spaces. We have expert knowledge of hornets behavior and instincts.

Also Read: What Pest Problems Come With The Spring Thaw?

How To Avoid Getting Stung

There are many different types of wasps and hornets. Some species are more aggressive than others. Don’t take your chances.

Wasps and hornets are looking to protect the queen. They’re protecting their nest. So avoid crazy, erratic hand gestures. Avoid agitated movements.

Think of actions and behaviors that move you from calm and disinterest to agitated and afraid. If you’re inside your house and the doorbell rings, you calmly wonder who’s there and if you want to get it. When someone is ringing the doorbell again and again, then repeatedly banging on the door, that’s when your adrenaline surfaces. That’s what happens for hornets.

Wasp and Hornet Nest Removal

If you’ve decided to try to remove the nest, don’t do it during the daytime. If you do, you’re going to need to take many precautions, such as wearing protecting gloves and clothes.

If you’ve found and wanted to spray the nest, you should do so at night. The workers and queen will be present. The workers will be less aggressive. And you want to avoid killing only part of the hive. Workers who weren’t present will return and build a new nest. Do you want to go through this a second time?

So take effective precautions. Do this right.  Avoid shining a bright light at the nest. You can use a red filter on the flashlight.

If you’re going to spray the nest, you’ll want first to don a wasp suit sealed at the wrists, ankles, collar. That’s what we recommend when disposing of a hornet nest. Hornet nests have a single opening, usually toward the bottom, where the wasps enter and exit.

Do not break or tear the paper envelope of the nest. You do not want the angry wasps to scatter and buzz in all directions. Do not stand directly under the nest.

Also Read: The Best Ways to Get Rid of Mice this Spring

How to Prevent Wasps or Hornets from Returning:

You need to remove the wasp nest if you can to avoid returning workings and re-infestation. You’ll also want to remove the wasp nest, especially if it resides within your home, such as in an attic or wall. Leaving the wasp nest behind might invite secondary infestations by other pests.

And, finally, after you treat the wasp or hornet nest, you’ll need to continue monitoring the area for wasp activity.

This is One Problem Where You’ll Value Having Called a Professional:

If you or a member of your family has a potentially fatal allergy to wasp and hornet stings, this is a no-brainer. Call Environmental Pest Management at 612-255-2900. But even if you can handle a sting, do you want to risk it?

We’re happy to come and safely eradicate the pest problem. Don’t you have enough to worry about, without wondering if you’ll ever be able to get back to your flowers?

Home is where the heart is. While this statement rings true, you could also say that home is where you should feel most comfortable. Finding insects, animals, and other critters in your home can leave you feeling just the opposite of comfortable. While you might not have any issues seeing bugs in their natural habitat, finding them in your place of dwelling is not ideal.

Finding out what type of insects live in your area, how to get rid of them, and what resources you have is vital. Specifically when dealing with beetles, the sooner you act, the better. This means calling your local pest control company to come and spray early so that you can be PREVENTATIVE with pest management instead of calling pest control AFTER an invasion. That’s why Environmental Pest Managementis here – Let’s solve this problem!

Beetles: Know What You’re Dealing With

When it comes to insects, knowing what you are dealing with will dictate the type of methods you use to get rid of them. In Minnesota, there are a couple of different beetles that cause havoc and chaos amongst homeowners: the Asian Lady Beetle, the Japanese Beetle, the Conifer Beetle, and the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug.

The Asian Lady Beetle

The Asian Lady Beetle looks like a typical ladybug, but can become a nuisance to homeowners, especially in the winter. As autumn approaches, the Asian Lady Beetles leave their usual feeding sites and head toward shelter for the winter; typical shelters include cracks around windows and door frames, attics, soffits, and wall voids.

Most people do not think of ladybugs as a nuisance; however, the Asian Lady Beetle has a couple of key features that make them unpleasant for homeowners. First off, they secrete a neon yellow acid that will stain whatever it comes in contact with. Secondly, as a defense mechanism, they emit an irritatingly strong and unpleasant smell.

Having just one or two Asian Lady Beetles in your home is no cause for alarm; however, if you notice a couple, start taking a look around your house as there can quickly be an infestation of hundred in a crevice or cavity in your home.

Also Read: What’s The Best Method of Pest Control for Apartments?

The Japanese Beetle

If you are an avid gardener or are growing your crops, then you might be very wary of the Japanese Beetle. With a voracious appetite, the Japanese beetle is known as a nuisance because it can destroy a large number of plants in a short amount of time. From roses to raspberries, this beetle will take advantage of all your garden has to offer.

You can tell if you have an infestation of Japanese beetles because they have metallic green-blue heads, copper backs, and tan wings. They usually feed in small groups, so chances are if you see one, you will find more buzzing around.

They eat all kinds of plants and flowers and are especially known for their love of roses. While you will not find these beetles within your home as often as you might other insects, they can become a hassle to deal with if you have decorative plants everywhere and grow your own vegetables.

The Conifer Beetle

Conifer bugs, just like the Asian Lady Beetle, try to find refuge in your home for the winter. With temperatures plummeting in Minnesota, these beetles will infest your home in great numbers. Many times they are confused with the stink bug or the cockroach due to their similarity in appearance. The good news is that they do not bite or cause bodily harm; the bad news is that if you find a couple flying throughout your home, you most likely have them hanging out somewhere in large numbers.

Also, like the Asian Lady Beetle, they get into your home through tiny cracks in your home. Those who observe the Conifer Beetle state that noise they make as they fly resembles that of a bumblebee. They are commonly found in the house in late fall as the temperatures begin to plummet and become active again in the springtime.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

These pesky insects are not only unpleasant to look at, but they also pack quite the punch to your senses. They don’t call them stink bugs for nothing! And, if you find them in your home, you might want to brace yourself for unpleasant odors.

While they do not bite, they can produce allergic reactions in individuals who are sensitive to insect odor. Additionally, if this bug is crushed or smashed on exposed skin, it can produce dermatitis in the area of contact. Though research shows that this only happens to a very small portion of the populations, it is always great to be precautionary.

Keep Beetles Out of Your House: Precautionary Measures

There are many things you can do to prevent insects and other creatures from coming into your home. If you are living in Minnesota, then you will become familiar with the fact that the fall is when these insects begin to find homes for the winter. You can personally take a couple of measures to secure your home.

Also Read: Beetle Control

For many of these insects, they are found on window and door frames in swarms. Because this is likely a very crucial point of entry, making sure that you replace any loose window screens, windows, and doors is a good place to start. Also, using caulk to fill in any cracks or gaps around your windows, doors, walls, etc. should make it harder for insects to enter and congregate in your home.

While these are some easy steps to take, walking your home from the exterior and figuring out what areas to look out for can be time-consuming and tricky. Calling a professional,Environmental Pest Management, will give you peace of mind as they know exactly what to look for when inspecting your home and will know what is the most efficient and effective methods out there.

Beetles Be Gone: Spray Your Home

Spraying the exterior is important for preventing beetle infestations in your home. Sometimes using over the counter items is not efficient nor effective so your best bet would be to call a pest control company.

Pest control companies are certified to handle specific insecticides and chemicals. It is best to call a professional in the latter part of summer to come to spray as that is when certain beetles will begin to seek refuge for the winter. If you spray too early, the chemicals can lose their effectiveness when you need it the most, but if you spray too late, you might already have the insects in your home.

Vacuuming Beetles

If you do notice you have beetle populations swarming in your home, one of the best methods to catch them would be to vacuum them up! This is an especially effective method when you are dealing with insects like the Asian Lady Beetle that can stain surfaces with the acid they secret in defense.

If you wish to release the beetles outside after vacuuming them, you can place a handkerchief between the dust collection bag and the hose to act as a trap.

Also Read: What Pest Problems Come With The Spring Thaw?

Got a Beetle Infestation? Call a Professional Today

Environmental Pest Management is here for any insect or animal management questions you may have. With over 30 years of experience, Environmental Pest Management is reliable, efficient, and very knowledgeable in dealing with any pests that are plaguing your family. We service East Central Minnesota, including the greater ten county metro area of the Twin Cities. Summer is ending, and the beetles will be invading soon, make sure you have a professional come to check out your home, spray the exterior, and give you peace of mind knowing that your home will be safe from all the creepy crawlies. Call us today at (952) 432-2221, and we will be more than glad to help!

Yikes. You came to this site because you want to know how to get rid of cockroaches. That’s the bad news. Cockroaches are a resilient and prolific pest.

But let’s start with the good news.

First, you’re going to have an amazing story to tell at cocktail parties. Cockroaches? You’ll say, laughing and swirling your Diet Coke in the glass, where do we start? (Because with a cockroach infestation, you’re not going to be able to afford the luxury of anything but radical sobriety.)

You’ll regale them with stories of cockroaches’ capacity to squeeze their body through tiny cracks while still running the human equivalent of seventy miles per hour. You’ll tell them all about how cockroaches can survive decapitation because they don’t breathe as humans do.

You’ll tell them that the urban legend is overstated, but a bit true: Cockroaches might be the one thing that survives a nuclear holocaust, given their radiation resistance.

Then you’ll get more serious. More ominous. You’ll stare at them and quote Daniel Goldman from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He says that cockroaches can easily change shape and size, so what that means is that these bugs are like the Transformers you see in the movies.

Yes, these bugs are like science fiction creations. They can squeeze into any crack. They can adapt, shift, and penetrate at will, just to hide. They’re genetically hardwired for survival. If your family is on a budget and cut out Netflix, you can find entertainment by watching YouTube videos like “OMG! Cockroach Giving Birth While Being Devoured by Fire Ants.”

Now the bad news. If you have cockroaches, you’re going to have to get downright serious about cleaning.

Why do I have roaches?

While pests like mice are drawn to warm air escaping a home, roaches want food and water. Period.

You likely have roaches because you have a stable source of water, and there are other roaches present (cockroaches are attracted to the presence of other roaches, which is a signal of a steady food source).

You also have cracks for roaches to squeeze through. You think you don’t? Cockroaches can squeeze through a crack the size of two pennies stacked up.

Please, don’t feel bad about this. There’s no cause for shame. Cockroaches in many, many countries of the world are something that people learn to live with. They learn to manage cockroaches, to control cockroaches. Never fully eradicate.

But you’re not those people? Okay. So let’s get serious about getting rid of cockroaches…in your home.

Also Read: What’s The Best Method of Pest Control for Apartments?

Steps for getting rid of roaches

Can we start with the tongue-in-cheek? With the cocktail party banter? Your easiest solution would be to get a cat. Cats will eat them and leave them for you as a present. Maybe even under your pillow.

If you’re not a cat person, you could figure out a way to create an ant infestation. Ants will devour cockroaches whole. Like a Shel Silverstein poem. Starting at one end and working through to the other.

Now let’s be serious:

Step 1:  Plug up water leaks and sources of water

Let’s start here because cockroaches, like humans, can go longer without food than without water. So you’re going to need to make sure there aren’t available sources of water. No dripping faucets. No standing water. No water left in puddles around the sink when your sixteen-year-old son does the dishes. No water left in the basin of the shower or on the basement floor.

No one said this creature wouldn’t take patience and persistence.

Step 2: Get serious about keeping food consumption and waste limited to one area

If your son wants to take a bag of tortillas into his bedroom while playing PS4, you’re going to have to say, Honey, remember the cockroaches. We need to keep all food scraps contained to a manageable area because we need to minimize the square footage that we need to clean. Eat in the kitchen or at the dining table.

You’re going to have to do some severe cleaning. I’m talking about vacuuming the kitchen and dining floor every night. You can’t leave crumbs in the cupboard. No old boxes of cereal left laying around, or in the back of the cabinets. Yes, you’re going to have to get some plastic containers from that storage section at Target. No dirty dishes lying out next to the sink.

But you can’t even do what many workplaces do, and keep a sponge with detergent handy. That wet sponge will be just enough water for that roach to drink…and stay alive another cycle. If you do that, keep the sponge in a Ziploc bag.

Step 3: Determine your baiting strategy

You’re going to have to consider your pest removal values so that you can communicate with whomever you hire. If you’re opposed to spraying because you’re worried about contamination, that’s helpful information. If you don’t care about the spray and you just want to get rid of the roaches, that’s also useful information.

Next to sanitation and plugging water leaks, baiting is the most important component to roach control. The idea is the same one as behind mice control. The roach eats the poison and takes it back to the nest. The roach contaminates the others by way of contact, feces, etc.

You can use natural baits. One recipe is for 3 parts boric acid with 1 part powdered sugar. The sugar attracts the cockroaches. The boric acid kills them. They go back to wherever they’re hiding.

Step 4: Eliminate hiding spaces

Cockroaches need to hide. Think about hiding places and eliminate where they might be. Do cracks exist between counters and cabinets? Are there unpatched holes in the pantry where you ripped out old shelves, installed new ones, but never patched the holes? Cockroaches like to hide. In this sense, they’re like bed bugs. Take away their hiding spaces, and they really don’t want to use your place as a hotel.

Step 5: Cultivate patience and the long view

If nothing else, you’ll be able to use “patience” and “overcoming obstacles” as core leadership competencies during your next job interview. This pest will require patience. You can do everything right to eradicate cockroaches, but still wait months to see the results.

Keeping cockroaches away for good

Keeping cockroaches away for good will require that you maintain sanitation, maintain patience, maintain sanity.

Get a massage. Do whatever you need to do to deal with the tension that builds up in your shoulders when you find another cockroach in the trap…after weeks of thinking you were home free.

If you need to, call experts. There is no harm in admitting defeat.

If you do call in the experts, remember to articulate your values: do you prefer natural remedies or are you comfortable with the nuclear option? Do you have pets? Start by communicating your values.

Also Read: Roach Control

So what now?

Cockroaches are not ideal. Remember that we’ve all been dealt a bad hand or received a bad pitch in the game of life.

Maybe this is an opportunity to simplify your kitchen, devote time to cleaning up that part of your life.

Or maybe, the positive outcome at the end will be that never-ending supply of cocktail party stories. If you do your cockroach research, you’ll know “How to eat a cockroach” and will possess the best line you’ve ever deliver:

“After cooking, Mr. Wang gently ladled them onto a plate, their bodies plumped with the oil and their wings slightly spread, before sprinkling a packet of instant noodle powder–pickled cabbage flavour–over the dish.”

You can also fry them. In a wok of hot oil. Which makes them crispy with cottage cheese-like innards. Think of a fresh wonton.