Pest Library

Spiders are unique-looking creatures with eight legs, two body segments, and a lack of antennae and wings. While not all spiders can produce the silk these critters are known for, not all spiders use their silk to build webs. Other uses for spider silk include tethers, a way to wrap up their insect prey, and a cocoon to protect young spiders. Spiders also produce venom that they use to paralyze their insect prey.

Nuisance spiders in Kentucky, like wolf and cellar spiders, have venom only potent enough to harm their insect prey. Dangerous spiders include species like the brown recluse and black widow that have venom potent enough to harm people.

Our Danville yards are places where spiders thrive. Its trees, grassy areas, and landscaping offer spiders shelter, places to build webs and burrows, and plenty of access to their insect prey. The more insects you have on your property, the more spider activity you will see. When weather conditions or a lack of food drives insects indoors, spiders will follow. After following their insect prey indoors, spiders take full advantage of the food, water, and dry shelter our homes offer and usually aren't motivated to move back outside.

Some things you can do to help prevent problems with spiders include:

• Reduce areas of excess moisture and standing water that attracts the attention of spiders and their insect prey.
• Regularly inspect your home's exterior and seal cracks in its exterior, torn screens, and gaps around windows and doors that provide entry points into your home.
• Avoid attracting insects and spiders to the outside of your home by keeping lids on trash cans, turning off exterior lights when possible, and cutting back shrubs and trees from your house.

For more information about spider control in Danville, please call us at Guardian Exterminating today!

Ants are one of the most common household pests. These insects live outside all around us, and it is only a matter of time before they find their way into our yards and homes while out foraging for food and new nesting sites. Ants work together as a team to ensure the colony's success. Their excellent communication skills allow these pests to successfully maintain colonies with thousands or hundreds of thousands of ants in them, take care of multiple nesting sites, and defend themselves from harm.

While most ants in our region, like pavement ants, are nuisance pests and don't pose significant threats to people or our properties, there are dangerous ants in our region. The pharaoh ant spreads disease-causing pathogens to people, and the carpenter ant causes structural damage. No matter the species, ants don't belong living with people; they will contaminate surfaces with bacteria, contaminate stored food, and are difficult to eliminate.

Keep leaves, soil, and mulch raked back from your foundation to prevent ants from taking over your home. Use caulk to seal cracks in the foundation, repair damaged weatherstripping, and install door sweeps. Remove trash from your home daily and make sure all garbage is in cans outside with locking lids and away from the side of your home.

Partner with a professional to implement the year-round pest control needed to keep ants and other household pests out of your house. For ant control near you, call Guardian Exterminating today!

Bed bugs are insects whose sole source of food is the blood of warm-blooded animals. These nocturnal pests bite their hosts at night while they are sleeping and then retreat to their daytime hiding spots. Bed bugs have become common household pests because humans are their preferred hosts.

It is a common myth that only dirty homes have to worry about bed bugs. The truth is that bed bugs can find their way into any of our houses. Bed bugs move from place to place by crawling onto people or inside our belongings like luggage, bags, purses, and secondhand items. When you spend time in a place where large groups of people move to and from (hotels, movie theaters, airports) regularly, you risk coming into contact with bed bugs and bringing them back to your home.

There are some easy precautions you can take to help avoid a bed bug infestation within your house.

• When spending time in public places, always keep your belongings off the ground and away from other people's things.
• Thoroughly inspect your hotel room for bed bugs before bringing luggage inside.
• Always clean and check secondhand items before bringing them into your house.
• Regular vacuuming of your floors and upholstered furniture will help remove stray bed bugs before they take over your house.

For information about commercial pest control, call now.