Pest Control Solutions Inc Blog

No matter how hard you try to keep your home pest-free, there are times when even the most stringent of defenses won’t be enough. So, what do you do when you come home and find your house has been invaded by bugs, critters or insects? The important thing is not to panic. As frustrating as it can be to watch all your hard work fly out the window, it’s best to tackle this problem smartly and efficiently. Here’s what to do:

Confirm

The first thing to do is try and confirm what, exactly, has invaded your home. If you actually saw it then this step has been taken care of already. However, there’s a good chance that you only saw its traces. This is where a keen eye and a bit of detective work come in handy. It’s important to know what different droppings and debris look like, so you can identify the problem.

For example: mice and rats leave behind little pellets that look like chocolate sprinkles or tiny seeds (sorry for the visual), and you can usually find papers and boxes that have been chewed up. Roaches leave behind what look like dark dots, and there’s a unique, tell-tale smell that goes with it. Termites leave piles of wings, sawdust and mud tubes that look like little trails.

Seal the House

In addition to identifying the problem, you have to figure out how they got in so that no more can follow. Inspect the outside and inside of your home, looking for cracks and holes. It doesn’t take more than a few millimeters of space for outsiders to gain a foothold into your living room or kitchen.

Once you find these openings, you have to then seal them up. How to do this will differ depending on what you find and where you find it, but closing off your interior is the only way to make sure that more nasty pests don't get in.

Cockroaches can run three miles per hour. That means they can spread diseases, bacteria, and germs throughout your house very quickly.

These pests have a determination to live through the most dangerous circumstances. It is significantly easier to prevent them from coming in instead of exterminating them from your home.

Strategies to Prevent Cockroaches

These tiny bugs can come through small cracks, vents, crevices, and sewers. The best way to keep them away is to make sure they can’t come in. A few tips:

• Store everything in sealable containers. If they can’t get to a food source, they won’t survive in your home.
• Avoid exposed liquids. This could be left out water, spilled liquids, any spillage from food preparation, water collected under sinks, or liquids inside of appliances.
• Seal garbage and compost containers. Much like with food, if your garbage or compost is in sealable containers, cockroaches won’t have access to them.
• Avoid leaving pet food out overnight. If it’s good for your dog or cat, the cockroach will think it’s good as well.
• Rinse all recyclables before putting them in a bin. Bottles, cans, or other plastic containers may still have residue after they’re empty. If you rinse them out, cockroaches won’t be attracted to them.
• Maintain an organized area. Old newspapers, magazines, cardboard boxes, etc. are all things that clutter up and provide the perfect latrine or shelter for cockroaches.
• Seal all wooden furniture. If you use varnish or paint to seal the wood, and then wipe them regularly, it can help deter them.
• Cockroaches love dark and damp areas, so pipes are the perfect entrance and shelter. Make sure all repairs are done, and you clean any blockages.
• As earlier stated, cockroaches can come inside your home through a plethora of small openings. Try to seal any you see. These could also be near walls, electrical sockets, skirting boards, bathroom cabinets, or under your kitchen sink.
• Keep overgrown vegetation to a minimum in your yard. Try to avoid any large plants or bushes away from any external walls or doors.
• Keep firewood as far away as possible. These provide perfect homes for a variety of pests to harbor in.
• Hire a professional exterminating company to regularly treat your home for preventative measures.

Pest Control Solutions, Inc.

Household poisons and DIY solutions don’t always work. They can contain toxic ingredients and can be harmful to your family. If you want to protect your family, hire Pest Control Solutions.

They are dedicated to providing the best service for you and are willing to work with you to create your personalized service plan. To schedule your first treatment, call Pest Control Solutions today!

Having a pest problem is nerve-racking enough. But when you need to find an exterminator for the first time, your nerves may get tested even more. If you do not know the right questions to ask or what the pest control company may ask you, the feeling of intimidation or confusion is not uncommon.

Questions from the Pest Control Company

When you call a pest control company, they will need some basic information. This information may include:

• Reason for the call - Why are you calling and what do you see?
• Is there a particular part of the house where you notice the activity?
• Do you live near woods or water sources?
• Are there children or pets living in the house?
• Do you have a crawl space or basement?
• Does your home have an attic or second floor?

Your answers to these questions help the pest control company estimate the amount of time the exterminator may need to investigate your pest problem. If there are more possibilities for entry points, the exterminator will require more time for inspection.

Ability to Answer all Your Questions

As you are discussing your pest problem, make sure that the pest company answers all your questions on the treatment, inspection, and any pretreatment requirements. Some of your questions should include:

• Is the treatment safe for pets and children?
• Do you need to keep pets and children out of the house for a specific amount of time?
• Do you need to move any furniture away from walls for the inspection?
• How long will the inspection take?
• How long does treatment last?
• Are additional treatments necessary?

Punctual and Professional

On the day of your appointment, you will want to make sure that your exterminator is punctual for your appointment. The pest control employee must be in uniform and professionally dressed. The exterminator should have his identification card visible. Do not let any worker into your home if they are not in uniform or they do not have an ID card. You need to call the company immediately if this occurs.

Bed bugs are some of the most unwanted pests around. They can pervade your home and make it an uncomfortable place to live. But are they actually harmful? Can they hurt you and your family? The answer isn’t as straightforward as a simple “yes” or “no.”

Bed Bugs Bite

Bed bugs are a nuisance in part because they bite and do so in places where you just want to relax. These bites can cause red bumps and welts on your skin, which usually appear within a few days of an attack. These bite marks look similar to those from mosquitos, but they last much longer. There have been reported cases of people having allergic reactions to bed bug bites, some of which are very severe. In most cases, however, the bites are not dangerous in and of themselves. Sometimes it takes longer for these symptoms to develop, but the fact remains that when they do, they tend to cause severe and prolonged itching. When something itches, we all scratch. That’s where the danger can set in.

All of that scratching eventually causes damage to the skin. When your skin becomes damaged, you open yourself up to allowing more infectious organisms to enter your body. These infections can range from relatively mild to very dangerous. That’s why it’s important to refrain from scratching any bite as much as you physically can. If you have persistent irritation or other indications of an infection, seek out a doctor immediately.

Interestingly enough, bed bugs as a species have not been found to carry diseases that are transmittable through bites. So, while you can get sick from a bed bug-related incident, you won’t necessarily get sick from bed bugs themselves.

Bed Bugs and Mental Health

While the presence of bed bugs might not be the sole cause of disease, that doesn’t mean an infestation isn’t harmful in other ways. Knowing that bed bugs are in your home can take a toll on your mental health. People have reported heightened levels of anxiety during an infestation. This anxiety can lead to physical symptoms that negatively impact your quality of life. One of the most reported symptoms is insomnia, which can wreak havoc on your daily routine. If you fear you have a bed bug infestation, don’t delay. Contact Pest Control Solutions Inc. today!

Finding a scorpion in your home can be extraordinarily frightening to a homeowner. And unfortunately, they often travel in packs. For every scorpion you see, five or six more may be hiding in your home.

In Nevada, there are about 25 different types of scorpions, and the Arizona bark scorpion is the most common. The bark scorpion is also the most venomous in the United States. Their very painful sting releases neurotoxins, and symptoms can include numbness, pain, nausea and swelling.

Although its sting is usually not fatal to a healthy adult, the scorpion’s sting can be medically-significant to small children, the elderly, those with compromised immune systems and family pets.

Keeping your home and your family safe from scorpions is important, and you may be wondering what attracts scorpions to your home. Here are some of the more common reasons those scorpions may be moving in.

Water and Moisture

Surprisingly, scorpions can go without food for several months. But lack of a constant source of water can be deadly to them. Look around the outside of your home. Standing water or a leaking hose next to the house can be inviting to scorpions.

Bees play an important role in nature, but that doesn’t mean they are welcome in your yard. When bees come around, they can ruin an otherwise pleasant time and prevent you from enjoying being outdoors with your family and friends. Follow these tips to keep your yard bee-free this summer.

Pay Attention to Plants

Bees are attracted to strongly scented flowers, so avoid planting things like lily of the valley, gardenia, wisteria and more. Consider the scent of any potted plants placed on your patio or scented candles used as a centerpiece on a picnic table. Instead, opt for plants that repel bees. Mint, marigolds and citronella are examples of plants that bees do not like. These plants will discourage bees from visiting your yard.

Keep grass and shrubs trimmed. Tall grass makes an inviting home for ground bees, while also making the nests harder to spot. Overgrown shrubs also create an ideal place for bees to build a concealed nest, preventing you from realizing it’s there right away.

Remove Feeders

Hummingbird feeders tend to attract bees. The sweet smelling, sugary food that brings hummingbirds around also brings bees around. If you find there are a lot of bees in your yard, then go ahead and remove any hummingbird feeders. By eliminating something that attracts bees, you will reduce the odds of these nuisance pests coming into your yard.

Clean the Grill

Food smells can attract bees. However, the sweet smell of barbecue sauce is more likely to bring bees around. Clean your outdoor grill after each use. Remove food particles and baked on sauces to minimize the food scents. Bring grilling utensils inside when not in use, so any lingering scents are removed and do not attract bees.

Have you ever had unwanted company come to dinner? It’s awkward enough when they show up uninvited, but then they continue eating until your pantry is almost empty. In some cases, termites can be those unwanted guests, and they may not limit themselves to the kitchen. Termites most commonly eat the wooden structures in your home, causing thousands of dollars in damage that may not be covered by insurance. Keep reading to discover if you have a termite problem.

What Are Termites?

Termites are tiny insects that are generally white with a box-shaped abdomen and four wings. They travel in colonies looking for dead or decaying plant matter to consume. Wooden structures are one of their favorite sources of food. Once they find a good food source, termites get to work quickly eating as much as one pound in one month’s span. As they only live underground in damp, cool places, it may be difficult to detect if your home has termite activity. It is recommended that you thoroughly inspect for signs of these pests once every six months. Keep reading for evidence that you may have termites.

How Do You Know if You Have Termites?

A common sign of termites is finding tiny clear wings near doors and windows, wood shavings and mud tubes on wooden structures or wood piles. Be aware of areas where termites may enter your home, especially wherever there are wooden structures. There are many ways where they can enter your home. Often times these pests will tunnel through your basement and eat through walls. However, they can also enter through windows and doors or infected firewood and wooden furniture brought into the home. It is important to keep an eye out for these signs, as termites are often hard to detect and can cause a lot of damage before becoming noticeable. This is why you should have your home inspected for termites by a professional pest control company at least once a year.

What Do You Do if You Detect Termite Damage?

If you suspect that you have termite damage, you should immediately call the experts at Pest Control Solutions, Inc. While there are do-it-yourself treatments available, it is wise to leave the treatment to Pest Control Solutions, Inc. as their treatment will be more effective and will prevent further activity. Do not hesitate. If you suspect that your home has termite activity, contact Pest Control Solutions today!

The most common household invader is also one of the tiniest - ants. While they aren’t the thing homeowners fear most in the bug department, they can be incredibly hard to get rid of once they’ve established themselves.

Like most pests, ants are attracted to areas with plentiful food sources, shelter, warmer temperatures and better conditions. Once they’ve homed in on an area, they take the word back to their colony. Following the scent trail, the entire horde will soon make its way back to the area.

You’ll most likely find ants where food is stored - namely, kitchen and pantry areas. Because these are areas where food preparation takes place and contamination is a factor, homeowners are understandably reluctant to use pesticides. Thankfully, if it hasn’t grown too large, you should be able to eliminate your ant problem rather easily.

Know What You’re Dealing With

Understanding what species you're sharing your home with is important some can cause harm to humans and should be avoided at all costs. Fire ants, for instance, will sting anyone they consider a threat to the colony. These stings range in severity from pain and discomfort to nausea and difficulty breathing and are generally best left to professionals.

Others, like carpenter ants, will chew through the structural wood of your home and cause severe damage. Using behavior and other cues to figure out what species you’re dealing with will help you find the correct solution.

Bees play a really important role in nature and produce delicious honey, but you don’t want to see them in or near your home. A bee infestation, while not as common as bed bugs or ants, is a serious problem. Honey-laden hives can cause structural damage and even collapse walls and ceilings. Carpenter bees can also cause structural damage and leave unsightly holes in wood. Africanized bees are the most dangerous since they will attack humans and animals aggressively if their hives are threatened.

Finding Bees Inside Your Home

One day, you notice one or two bees inside your house. You may think they have flown in through an open door or window. Over the next few days, you may notice a few more bees. It’s usually not just a coincidence if you see more than one or two bees in your home. They are more than likely from an infested nest inside your home.

Hearing Buzzing

A very common place for bees to nest is in the chimney. If you are noticing bees in your living room where your fireplace is, then you may have found the source. Turn off your TV, radio and anything else that makes noise in your home. Sit close to your fireplace and listen for buzzing. Do not try to look up the fireplace or open the flue. You definitely don’t want to disturb them and have the whole hive swarm into your home.

If it’s not your fireplace, they may be coming into your home through vents or cracks in your walls. Take a careful walk around the outside of your home and listen for buzzing near pipes and any vents coming out of your house. You can also use binoculars to take a look at the top of your chimney and see if you see bees swarming around the top. Binoculars are a great idea when looking around your home for swarms before you take a walk. Make sure to watch out for ground nests.

Check for Any Bee Entrances

Bees look for anywhere that they can easily make their nest. An undisturbed eave of your roof, an uncovered chimney or an uncovered vent are all common places that bees take up residence. Any vent, pipe or crack in your home is a possible place that bees could be hiding.

You unknowingly bring home some guests - bed bugs. These new residents generally need a little help getting into your home. At some point, you or something you brought into your house had to come in contact with the little pests. They can enter your home by either hitching a ride or finding a crack in the wall.

The bed bugs are small flat pests and reddish-brown in color. These bugs like to come out and play at night and hide - sometimes very well - during the day. The bed bug travels by crawling. They do not jump or fly.

Hitching a Ride

The bed bugs like to travel by attaching themselves to soft material. The pest grabs onto soft material like:

• Clothes
• Luggage
• Mattresses
• Bedding
• Furniture
• Purses
• Backpacks

Any soft material item is fair game for these pests!

Once they reach their destination, they spread throughout their new home. They will find other hiding spots and make themselves comfortable.

Ants are persistent pests. The most frequent calls we receive in both our Los Angeles, CA office and our service areas throughout Las Vegas, NV, are from clients who are frustrated with their inability to prevent and remove ants from infesting their home.

Ants typically enter a home in search of one of the following:

• Water: This is the factor that our clients find most surprising. Ants search for water, especially in dry, arid climates. You don’t have to leave excessive water out, either. Due to their small size, even tiny drops left in the sink are enough to be attractive to ants. Ensure that all of your faucets close completely and fix any leaks as quickly as possible. If you already have ants, taking a few seconds to dry your sinks and tub could be enough to make them pack up and leave.
• Food: It’s just a small crumb to us, but to an ant, it’s a feast. Regularly wipe down your kitchen counters and the interior of kitchen cabinets to ensure that you’re not inadvertently leaving a picnic for your visitors. Remember to use a cleanser that fully dissolves any sticky or greasy residue, as even a trace could be enough to encourage ants.
• Shelter: Once ants inhabit your walls, they’re tough to remove. Check your exterior and interior walls regularly and seal any cracks or holes that might be present. This will make it more difficult for ants to find their way inside and set up camp.

In addition to these measures, preventative maintenance is never a bad idea. Pest Control Solutions can pre-treat your home to deter foraging ants from moving in. Seasonal spraying of the perimeter and all access points is an important part of avoiding an infestation.

Pest Control Solutions wants to help our clients and others avoid the seemingly impossible fight against ant infestations by making them aware of what ants are most attracted to. If you know what might bring them into your home to begin with, you’re already well on your way to preventing an occurrence. If you have an ant problem that you’ve been unable to rectify, contact us. Our trained, highly skilled pest control technicians can help rid you of your ant problem for good. We offer around the clock services with eco-friendly, green pesticide solutions, so you don’t have to worry about anything.

Living in Las Vegas brings a variety of unique situations that aren’t found anywhere else on Earth. Having such a diverse and vibrant city in the middle of an arid desert can pose a few challenges, including pest control.

While everyone in the US has to deal with pests, Vegas residents can have to deal with critters that aren’t a problem elsewhere. Today we want to discuss five of the top pests that you may encounter when living in Sin City.

Cockroaches

All major cities have problems with roaches, but Vegas has four distinct varieties living here. The Oriental, Australian, German, and American cockroaches all call Vegas home, which is a testament to the diversity found here. These bugs are usually relatively small, although they can get up to three inches long.

Roaches love dark and damp places, such as basements, crawlspaces, and attics. They breed quickly and can spread disease, which is why you want to make sure that they’re not in your home.

Scorpions

Because Vegas is in the desert, scorpions are more of a threat than other parts of the country. These pests are not as abundant or as dangerous as rats or roaches, but they can pose a danger to you and your family. Since scorpions are poisonous, you want to avoid them at all times. Fortunately, they’re mostly a problem on the outskirts of town, not within the city itself.

A few pests may not seem like a problem, but those pests will multiply and turn into an infestation before you know it. Whether it's ants or roaches, it's important to take preventative steps before pests get out of control. If you want to keep pest insects and rodents out of your home every season, Pest Control Solutions has a few tips to get you started.

3 Pest-Prevention Tips for Your Home

Get rid of clutter.

Clutter acts as the perfect shelter for pests of all types. They can hide under or inside toys, boxes, trash and debris. If your attic, basement or other rooms have clutter, remove it before pests use it for shelter. You should also reduce the clutter outside to keep pests from invading your lawn.

Maintain your yard.

Pest infestations start in the yard and end inside your home. Therefore, it pays to maintain your lawn on a regular basis. Mow the lawn to prevent tall grasses and weeds, which pests use for shelter and nesting material. Cut back the bushes and overgrown tree limbs if they're touching your house. A pristine yard not only looks nice but also gives pests no where to hide.

Put away opened goods.

You should keep pantry items such as flour, sugar and cereal in sealed containers. Leaving opened bags and boxes on the shelves is one way to attract unwanted pests. Transferring opened goods to sealed containers keeps the contents fresh and prevents contamination from insects and rodents. If you don't have containers, move the opened items to the refrigerator until you have adequate storage materials.

A Pest-Free Home: Preventative Pest Control

It only takes a couple pests to start an infestation. Preventative steps such as getting rid of clutter and maintaining your lawn goes a long way in the battle against stubborn insects and rodents. If they've already invaded your space or you fear an infestation is right around the corner, Pest Control Solutions can help. Contact us to get a free estimate and to schedule an appointment with our technicians. We'll not only eliminate an infestation but also prevent another one from happening in your home.

Perhaps you were eating breakfast and saw a roach scurrying across the table or went to take a shower and found the unwelcome pest in your tub. If you encounter one of these creepy-crawly creatures in your home, it might have snuck in through a door or a window. However, it could be a sign of a more serious infestation.

Do You See Cockroach Droppings?

Cockroaches produce a large amount of feces. They can poop anywhere they go, but their droppings tend to remain close to their nesting or feeding areas. Roach droppings look like specks of pepper, coffee grounds or dark grains of rice.

The size of the feces is directly related to the size of the cockroach. Bigger insects produce larger droppings.

If you notice these dark grains underneath or inside cabinets, behind your refrigerator or in other cracks and crevices, you will probably be able to gauge the extent of your problem. You should clean them up because they can trigger asthma symptoms and attract other roaches. If you see cockroach feces, you might also want to contact an exterminator to get rid of the problem for good.

Have You Found Egg Casings?

Cockroach egg casings look like small, pill-shaped capsules. The egg casings may have recently been deposited by the female, in which case they may hatch soon. Older egg casings have probably already hatched. Guess where those cockroaches likely ended up?

If you have travel plans and don't want to invite bed bugs to come back home with you, taking a few proactive steps can do wonders. Reducing the risk is easier than you once thought possible as long as you follow a proven plan, and you can stay bed bug-free without much trouble. You can travel without stress because you will know that bed bugs don't stand a chance, putting your worries to rest. Taking a few steps to keep bed bugs out of your clothes and luggage will give you confidence and peace of mind.

Protect Your Belongings

Bed bugs could try to get into your clothes or bags when you arrive at your hotel, and you are unlikely to detect them at the start. Knowing how bed bugs operate gives you the tools to keep your clothes out of their reach. For example, placing your clothes and bags in the bathtub reduces the risk because bed bugs can't climb that surface. Place everything you have in the bathroom until you confirm the hotel room is free of the pests, and doing so is always a wise step in the right direction.

Inspect Your Hotel Room

Inspecting your hotel room before doing anything else is another smart move that will reduce the threat and safeguard you from harm. Using a flashlight, check the seams of your mattress and under the covers of your bed, and you should spot the warning signs if bed bugs are nearby. Since bed bugs can hide in the other parts of your hotel room, don't forget to look in and around your furniture for the red flags of trouble. If you spot bed bugs or signs that they are not far, go to the front desk to request a room on another floor.

Sanitize Your Clothes

Although taking proactive steps to reduce the odds of a bed bug infestation can do wonders, you can't eliminate the threat. Bed bugs can still follow you back home despite your best efforts to avoid them. Luckily, you can sanitize your clothes by sealing them in plastic bags before you go inside your home. Next, take your clothes directly to the bathroom and place them in the dryer on the highest setting for 60 minutes, and the heat will kill the bed bugs and their eggs.

Pest Control Solutions

Finding bed bugs in a home after taking all of the right steps is enough to make anyone feel discouraged and hopeless. If bed bugs have made their way into your home and you want to stop them in their tracks, contact Pest Control Solutions. Our team of professionals will look for and destroy any bed bugs that think of causing you harm. Once you pick up the phone and enlist our help, we will dispatch a caring expert to your door. Give us a call if you want to learn more or are ready to take action.

Whether you want to keep your home safe or protect your business from invaders that can strike at any time, you will need a pest control company on which you can depend throughout the treatment process. We offer residential and commercial pest control services to our clients and can do the same for you when you enlist our help. Providing outstanding results by crafting a unique approach for our clients is what has led to our success. You will enjoy our Problem Solved! Guarantee when you let us give you a hand with the pests that have invaded your property.

Residential Pest Control

Fleas, ticks, spiders and bedbugs are only a few of the pests you might find in or around your home, and you won't always know where you should turn for support. Allowing pests to enter your home can cause more trouble than you might suspect, and you don't want to put yourself in that situation. The invaders can spread diseases and taint your food, but that is not all. An uncontrolled pest infestation can cause stress and even damage your property if you are not careful. You can try a range of at-home solutions when you want to keep pests away, but you won't always get the outcome for which you have been hoping. At Pest Control Solutions, Inc. our team can help control pests in your home with ease.

Commercial Pest Control

If you let pests get into your business and don't put in the effort to stop them, they will harm your bottom line. Pests will ruin food, create safety hazards, spread pathogens and discourage your customers from coming back. Your customers don't want to expose themselves to pests, and a person who sees a pest on your property can take a picture and upload it to online review sites. When that happens, you could lose a lot of customers, and your profit will suffer as a result. The steps you take at the first red flag will play a role in the amount of fallout you can expect.

Problem-Solved Guarantee

No matter the type of service you request when you come to us, you will enjoy our Problem Solved! Guarantee. That means you will know you are in good hands when we send one of our experts to your door. After learning about your needs and the type of pest with which you are dealing, we will create a custom plan that will get the job done.

Getting Started

If you would like to work with caring pest control experts dedicated to providing you with the best possible results, let's get started. Contact us today and you will know you have made the smart move.

For many people, hosting outdoor barbecues is one of the best things about summer, and the warm air, tasty food and good friends combine to make each barbecue a unique and memorable experience. The problem, though, is that pests will get onto your property and spoil the fun unless you have a plan in place to stop them. No guest wants to get bitten or stung, and you will need to keep your yard safe if you want people to come back in the future.

Combating Mosquitoes

Even though you can encounter different pests over the summer, some are worse than others. Mosquitoes are the most annoying and harmful pests as far as a lot of people are concerned. Not only do these flying parasites cause skin irritation, but they can even spread harmful pathogens that you will want to avoid if you care about your health. Make your barbecue free of mosquitoes by getting rid of standing bodies of water, but you can also keep mosquito repellent on hand for your guests. If you would like to protect your entire yard from mosquitoes and the issues they cause, use a fogger to kill them and their eggs before they can interrupt your fun, and you will know that you have done the right thing when you see the outcome.

Keeping Stinging Insects Away

Bees and wasps can give painful stings if they get too close to your guests during a barbecue, but you are not powerless to stop the threat. Wasps are territorial and do their best to avoid other wasps because they don't want to fight. Brown paper bags resemble wasp nests, and placing them around your yard will keep them away. Not all bees will fall for that trick, so you will need to take another step. Go to the store to buy bee traps, and you will be on the right path in no time. You can also make your own trap with an empty bottle and sugar water.

Discouraging Ants

The smell of tasty food will attract tons of ants if you don't do something to protect yourself from the invaders. They are not pleasant to have around and can taint your food when they find it. If you don't want ants to crash your barbecue, you can put vinegar in a spray bottle and spray it around your yard. Traps that you can find at the store will also take you far when you want to prevent ants from inviting themselves to your event.

Pest Control Solutions

If you can't seem to get pests to leave you alone and are ready to contain the issue, your search is over. Contact Pest Control Solutions, Inc. and let our team of pest experts rid your worries.

It can be unsettling to step into your kitchen in the middle of the night, turn on the light and see a scorpion skittering across the floor. It can be even more disturbing if you happen to step on a scorpion without your shoes on; you could receive a painful sting. Fortunately, most scorpions would rather run than fight. Here are some more facts about scorpions that you should know.

All Scorpions Are Venomous, But Few Are Dangerous to Humans

Similar to spiders, all scorpions can deliver venom when they sting. However, the venom of most scorpions is not strong enough to cause serious harm to a healthy adult. Young children, pets, the elderly and anyone who is allergic to scorpion venom can be affected more severely. Healthy adults often experience a reaction that is no worse than a bee sting when stung by one of the less-venomous types.

Las Vegas Is Home to a Highly Venomous Scorpion

Of the 25 species of scorpions found in Nevada, only three are common in the Las Vegas area. Unfortunately, one of them is the Arizona bark scorpion, the most venomous type of scorpion found in the United States. Although fatalities are rare and typically limited to toddlers, small pets, adults whose immune systems are compromised and the elderly, stings are extremely painful. It is quite common for the area around the sting to experience temporary numbness, paralysis or convulsions. The other two types common in Las Vegas, the Arizona giant hairy scorpion and the stripetail scorpion, can deliver a painful sting, but unless the person has an allergic reaction, the venom poses little risk.

Scorpions Are Nocturnal

Scorpions hunt by night and hide during the day. When they invade your home, they may hide inside footwear or clothing, giving you an unpleasant surprise when you slip into your shoes or don an article of clothing. Outdoors, you could accidentally encounter a scorpion hiding under a rock, landscaping timber or other item that has not been disturbed recently.

Scorpions Eat Insects

Although there are some types of scorpions that are large enough to prey on rats, the types found in Las Vegas are not among them. Instead, they eat spiders and insects, including cockroaches, ants, crickets and maggots; the giant hairy scorpion can sometimes prey on small lizards. If these pests are present in your home or yard, scorpions can be attracted by them.

Spring cleaning should involve more than just cleaning the windows in the home or getting rid of things that you no longer need. If you follow a few simple tips, then keeping pests away in the spring will often be an easy task along with ensuring that the exterior and interior of the home is as clean as you want.

Look around the home to see if there are any entry points that need to be sealed. When the warm weather of spring and summer arrives, pests will begin trying to get to a cooler environment as well as an environment where they have a water source. This is often inside your home. Seal any cracks around the windows or doors with caulking material or plastic so that nothing can get inside. You should also seal any cracks around light fixtures as well as the plumbing in the home as these are often entry points for smaller pests, such as ants or spiders.

Any food that is in the home should be kept in sealed containers instead of being left in an open box or left on a counter or table. These items also include foods for pets because pests often enjoy this kind of meal as well. The pantry is usually an ideal location for ants, mice and other pests that like to get inside boxes if they can smell food. Throw out anything that is old or that appears as though it has been tampered with to keep other pests from getting to it as well.

Get rid of anything outside that has standing water in it or anything that could be a reservoir for standing water. Mosquitoes often begin to swarm in the spring, and they like to look for standing water to lay their eggs. Remove any leaves, brush or logs on the property as well. These are inviting places for all kinds of pests to make a home. You might not even know that there are pests present until you walk in the yard or until you move items that are no longer needed in the yard.

Contact Pest Control Solutions, Inc. if your home or business have been invaded with pests. Our team of professionals will work hard to ensure these pests will be eliminated.

Cockroaches are some of the most dreaded pests in the United States. These unsavory creatures can turn the stomach, and they can turn your peaceful home upside down with creepy uncertainty. While you might expect to see a cockroach in the kitchen or in your pipes, there are actually other places where an infestation might start.

1. Appliances

Cockroaches are known to like dark, dank places, which is why people worry about them in their pipes and drains. The fact is that cockroaches also find these conditions under your major appliances. While the stove and refrigerator may seem like obvious spots, cockroaches may also take up residence under your washer or dryer in the laundry room.

2. Recycling

Everyone knows that cockroaches like trash, but you should also be aware of their fondness for recycling. Cockroaches eat paper and cardboard, which can make your stacks of boxes and unwanted newspapers an oasis for these pests. The problem is pronounced when you do not clear your recycling on a regular basis. If your paper stacks sit for any extended period of time, you are at risk for an infestation.

3. Furniture

No one likes to think of cockroaches in the house, but what about in the furniture? Unfortunately, cockroaches have been known to nestle into furniture. Cockroaches like the stuffing inside of couches and chairs. They even like the wood finish of end tables, cabinets and other pieces of furniture.

4. Ceilings

Cockroaches cannot actually walk on ceilings, but you may see them up there from time to time if your house is infested. In some cases, cockroaches find a home under your molding or in other woodwork near the ceiling. When this happens, they sometimes make excursions across the ceiling. To make matters even more unpleasant, cockroaches have a tendency to fall when they try to walk on the ceiling. Needless to say, such a sight is unsettling.