There are some very dangerous venomous snakes in Ohio, so it is important that you are aware of this fact. In case you happen to notice any snakes near your home, remember that it is important that you be very cautious and do not approach them. You need to call a specialist who can help you remove them. Make sure that you stand at a distance because venomous snakes can bite you while trying to protect themselves, or if they are hungry. Here are the three most common venomous snakes in Ohio:
Eastern Mississauga rattlesnake
The snake has a thick body with colors that range from grey brown to grey. At the back it has dark brown blotches. It has a wide triangular head, and the eyes have split shaped pupils. In case you are bitten by this snake, then you should seek medical attention immediately because its venom can easily kill.
Northern copperhead
Northern copperheads can grow up to a length of 90 cm. The snake has a triangular shaped head with hourglass pattern. On the side of the belly it has dark rounded spots. During cold seasons, the northern copperhead can hibernate. It can easily camouflage to the surroundings hence making it hard to be noticed. It feeds on small snakes, lizards, small birds, amphibians, and insects, though mice form its primary prey.
Timber rattlesnake
The timber rattlesnake is highly venomous and can grow to a length of 152 cm. It can be found in two major color patterns which include the yellow phase pattern, where yellow forms the ground color with brown or grey forming the pattern. The black phase consists of black as the phase color and brown forming patterns. The snake mostly feed on small mammals, birds and frogs.
And if you find that you need assistance removing one of these venomous snakes, or any other type of pests, from your property do not hesitate to contact Stryker Pest Control in Columbus, Ohio.
Raccoons love to enter your trash pins at night to search for food. In the process they will end up scattering the trash all over. You will wake up in the morning to find your yard in a mess. Below are some tips for keeping these night scavengers out of your trash:
Replace trash bins with metal cans
The metals cans are stronger than traditional plastic trash bins and can help prevent the raccoons from gaining access. This will help you avoid waking up to trash strewn across your yard.
Use trash bins with locking lids
There are some trash pins that are designed with locking lids, which can help prevent the raccoons from accessing your trash. In order to ensure the lids are effective in safeguarding your trash, you have to make sure to lock the lids each time you put your trash in them.
Spray the trash with ammonia
Ammonia is a great raccoon deterrent. They associate the smell of ammonia to urine, which they hate. So spraying your trash cans with ammonia will be a good way to keep raccoons from even nearing where your trash cans are stored. Make sure to routinely spray your trash cans a few times a week to continue to effectively use this method.
Store in secure location
You can always store your trash in the garage or shed where raccoons will not gain access. After putting the trash in the shed or garage you should ensure the garage is locked.
And if you need assistance with your issue with raccoons or other pests in or around your home then do not hesitate to contact the professional at Stryker Pest Control, LLC, in Columbus, Ohio.
We all agree that pests at your home anytime of the year bring disturbance to every member of your family. They come with all the different types of problems such as destruction and diseases. Unfortunately, many of us do not take control measures as early as we should and this makes it hard to completely eradicate invading pests. The best way to deal with pests is having a customized plan for pest control in your home. This is because every home is unique in terms of location, facilities and potential pest risk areas. When you have a customized home pest control plan that meets all the needs of your home, you will effectively deal with all types of pests easily and readily without trying different methods that may or may not work. Below are some reasons why a customized pest control plan is important to maintain your home:
Lower Pest Control Costs
As highlighted earlier, every home is unique and pests that invade them come from different areas of the home. That’s why a customized home pest control plan is important to meet all your specific needs. Instead of trying different methods to find out which works most effectively, which lead to additional costs, you should consult a pest control expert such as Stryker Pest Control, in Columbus, Ohio, who can help you come up with the best and most specific method for keeping all types of pests away from your home.
More Effective
Removal of the unwanted pests from your home is completed much quicker when the proper methods for your needs are implemented. Acustomized pest control plan involves specific ways to control pests at your home actually based on your home and not some generic setup. With this method you are sure of complete pest eradication in a timely manner.
Avoid Unneeded Treatment
Regrettably, many people sometimes try multiple treatments that may not be necessary for their home. Instead of wasting time, money, and effort on treatments that your home may not actually need, it is good to be sure of exactly what you need to eliminate the pest you have, or don’t want to have.
Pests in and around your home can be extremely frustrating. The worst thing about them is that you only know of their existence when they are already at an advanced and difficult to control stages. This is attributed to the fact that many of us do not do regular inspections of our homes. The best way to keep all pests away from your home is by incorporating preventative measures in your home care, which should include using a home pest control program. This is a program that aims at ensuring that there is no infestation of any pest in your home. Instead of waiting for pest to invade your home, it is better to start a home pest control program to keep them at bay since prevention is much better than treatment after the fact. Below are some of the benefits of having a home pest control program:
Peace of Mind
One of the most stressful things in any home is taking proper care of it. With a home pest control program in place, this can be one less home maintenance issue to worry about.
Pest Free Home
A home pest control program is the best way to get rid of pests if they have already begun to take over your house. The program also acts as a preventive measure against infestation of pests. The program tends to kill all the existing pests together with their eggs, which make sure that everything is eradicated. Even if there are no existing pests, it’s good to apply preventive measures.
Proper Treatment of Issues
As a home owner, it is advisable to have a pest control prevention measure done in order to stay safe and secure. Make sure that you find a team that has experience with a wide variety of household pests, as they can quickly identify numerous types of pests. This ensures that you will get the proper treatment for your particular infestation rather than trying a bunch of different things to find the right one.
And if you need assistance with a pest problem in your home, or would like to start a preventative home pest control program you should contact Stryker Pest Control, LLC, in Columbus, Ohio.
Cockroaches are a pest that can be extremely hard to get rid of. And contrary to popular belief, you do not have to have a dirty home for cockroaches to take up residence. They may come from neighboring properties, or even the boxes or paper bags you bring home from the grocery store (they like to feast on the glue). If you think that your home is infested by cockroaches, there are some simple things that you can do that will help you get rid of them:
Fix leaks
Cockroaches can go for a very long time without food but they can’t survive for more than a week without water. That is why it is very important to fix any water leaks in your home if you want to get rid of them. When you fix the leaks, you make it impossible for them to find the water they need to survive. Even the smallest leak in your kitchen could be quenching the thirst of the cockroaches. Make sure that all the water pipes in your home are watertight.
Reduce clutter
Clutter provides the cockroaches with the food they need to live comfortably in your home. Try as much as you can to ensure that you do not leave any clutter in your home. After cooking, wipe clean all the surfaces in your kitchen. You should do the same thing after every meal. Take your trash out before you go to sleep.
Fill cracks
The cracks in your home provide the cockroaches with places to hide. Destroy these dwelling places by filling them up. Find cracks in hidden places and fill them up too.
Talk to professionals
If everything else does not seem to work, you have to talk to people who specialize in pest elimination. Pest control professionals know exactly what to do to eliminate the cockroaches in your home. However, continued treatment may be necessary to keep the cockroaches from re-infesting your home.
Of all insect that can come into your home, termites are the most dangerous. This is because termites can destroy your house right from its foundation. Your house is one of your biggest investments, and you definitely don’t want it to be destroyed by termites. Also, termites will not only cause damage to your house. They will also attack the shrubs and trees around your home. You have to take the necessary step that will help to protect your home from termites and eliminate themas soon as you notice that there are termites trying to creep in.
Determining Which Type are Your Culprits
Before you start any elimination methods, you need to determine the type of termites that have infested your house, trees, or shrubs. There are two termite types that can infest your home. These are the dry wood termites and the subterranean termites. Dry wood termites live solely in wood while the subterranean termites can live both in wood and in the soil. Knowing the type of termite that has infested your home will help you determine the most appropriate way of eliminating them.
What to Do to Eliminate Them
There are two ways that you can use to get rid of termites in your home. However, if you are unsuccessful you will still need to seek help from professionals. Or you can simply entrust the job to them from the start. Let the professionals at Stryker Pest Control LLC, in Columbus, Ohio, help you eliminate the termites from your property.
Ants can infest your home when you least expect. When this happens, you have to take steps to eliminate them before they take over your home. And if you home has not been infested by ants yet, it is important that you do everything you can to prevent ant infestation. Below are some things that you can do to prevent and eliminate ants from your home:
Sealing the cracks
Ants gain easy access to your home through cracks around your home. To prevent them from entering, you should seal all the cracks that give them access to your home. By sealing the cracks you eliminate these access points, which prevents them from turning your home their home.
Fix any leaks
Ants seek out moisture. Even the tiniest of leaks in your home make it very attractive to ants. If you don’t fix the leaks, you are encouraging them to come into your house by providing them with an environment that they consider favorable. Look out for dumpy areas and fix all the leaks that are making s areas dumpy.
Trim trees around your home
Low hanging tree branches assist ants in making entry into your home. And a bushy environment around your home provides ants with areas where they can thrive well. If you don’t want to be facing the ant problem again anytime soon, you have to trim all the trees around your home as well as clear the bushes.
Contact the pros
At times, the ant problem might be too big for you to handle by yourself. The professionals at Stryker Pest Control LLC in Columbus, Ohio, would be happy to assist you in eliminating ants from your home.
Fleas are responsible for some of the tiniest but most agitating bites. Usually they are brought into most homes by the family pet. If there are fleas in your home, you have to take steps to eliminate them as soon as possible. This is because fleas multiply very fast and can increase their number to millions in less than a week. It can be really challenging to get rid of these annoying insect if you don’t know exactly what to do. Below are some tips for getting rid of these tiny parasites:
Treat your carpet
This has to be done to make sure that your pet won’t get re-infested by fleas jumping from the carpet back on your pet. There are flea powders and sprays made to kill fleas that have made a home in your carpet. Follow directions carefully on these products to avoid any issues.
Wash your pet with flea shampoo
If there are fleas in your home, there are definitely some on your pet as well. That is why bathing your pet is an important step to ridding your home of fleas. Do not use anything other than flea shampoo designed for pets because they cause irritation and can also cause serious harm to their health. Start with the neck to prevent the fleas from jumping to the head. Rinse your pest using warm water to remove any remaining fleas. You can also use a flea comb to remove any fleas left after the shampooing. Thoroughly dry your pet and then apply a flea treatment product that has been recommended by your vet.
Clean the pet bed
Your pet’s bed can harbor thousands of fleas too. You can easily treat it by throwing it in the wash. Make sure to use hot water when washing your pet’s bed to disinfect it as well as eliminate the fleas. You will not be achieving anything if you clean your pet and you forget to clean his bed.
Keep your pet inside as much as possible
Fleas are usually picked up from outside. Therefore, unless your pet is an outside pet, the best way you can prevent flea infestation again is keep your pet inside if possible. If you can’t keep him inside all the time, limit the amount of time that he spends outside.
And if home treatment doesn’t work or if you would rather have professionals treat your home from the start, then do not hesitate to contact Stryker Pest Control in Columbus, Ohio, who can assist you with ridding your home of fleas. However, keep in mind that you still need to complete all the steps for flea treatment of your pet and his bed.
Learning how to keep winter pests out of your home is mandatory, especially if you live in an area where these tiny bugs are quite common. Most of these eight-legged creatures know when winter is near, so they will do their best to somehow wind up in your home. As you prepare for the cold season, get ready to do some things that will keep winter pests out of your house, indefinitely. Here is what you should do:
Eliminate Their Habitat
In order to solve this problem once and for all, you need to remove the root problem – the habitat. Inspect the exterior of your home, including trees, grass, shelter places, and find those places where pests hide, reproduce and live.
Here are some things to do in order to remove their habitat:
Inspect Your House for Access Points
Make sure to seal all crevices and cracks with silicone. For large gaps, use steel wool. Remember that rats can easily get inside the house through small holes, so never consider that a crack is too small for rodents and pests to get in. You might also want to screen any chimney openings and attic vents to prevent access in your home.
Keep Your Home Clean & Tidy
Store food in containers and keep your kitchen counters clean. Winter pests love to find those not so tidy places. Dispose of garbage on a regular basis and remember to keep all pet containers sealed. If those nasty pests can’t find the food they are looking for in your home, they will more than likely go away.
If you find that after all your efforts you still have unwanted winter pests, don't hesitate to call Stryker Pest Control of Ohio.
A bed bug infestation is one thing that no one wishes his home to be associated with. These bloodsuckers are very troublesome and whenever they invade a home, they do it in numbers which are very disturbing. They do not care how beautiful or expensive your home is, all they want is to create some sleepless nights for you and your family.
The majority of us fortunately do not know what bed bugs look like. Neither do we know the early signs that these little creatures have infested our homes. This makes for a greater period of confusion in order to establish that it’s of course bed bugs disturbing the peace. Here are 5 signs that you may have a bed bug problem in your home.
Sweet Aroma
A heavy infestation of bed bugs in a home brings about a sweet aroma whenever the bugs are crushed. Many people have described the aroma and associated it with the aroma of coriander, almonds and rotting raspberries. It is good to note that when the bed bugs are not many, this aroma may not be very much pronounced.
Strange Bite Marks on the Body
Yes, beware that bedbugs do bite whenever there is no light meaning that thy bite when you are in a deep sleep. If you wake up with strange marks on your body, consider bedbugs as a possibility. The bites are allergic and itchy and sometimes lead to swelling.
Red Stains on Your Bedding
Whenever you are in your bed, there is a great possibility that you will kill some of the bed bugs on the mattress. If you have light colored bedding, you will notice some red blood stains that have a strange smell.
Bed Bug Eggs
Before a bed bug matures, it passes through a number of stages. Whenever you notice some white eggs in the wall cracks or your bed and bedding, highly suspect there is presence of bedbugs.
Feces on Your Bedding
Closely inspect your bedding and look for blackish fecal specks. If you notice such things in the walls, pillows, furniture cushions etc., it’s good to look for a way to eradicate these bloodsuckers with immediate effect before they become a menace. A sure way to get rid of bed bugs is to call Stryker Pest Control in Columbus, Ohio.
Pests come in different shapes, sizes and colors. Whenever they invade a home or your garden they might lead to heavy destruction and make it very difficult to identify them. There is no way you can get rid of something if you do not know what it is. Therefore, it’s very vital as a home owner to have some tips on how to identify common household pests in order to eradicate them immediately.
One of the most annoying things about pests is that they have coon characteristics and therefore require one to be very observant to differentiate one insect from another. Below is how to identify common household pests in your home for easy eradication.
Thorough Observation
This is one of the basic ways you can identify the pest destroying your property or giving you sleepless nights. When you see the pest, be very keen to note its appearance in terms of color, shape and size. After that, look for an insect chart and find out what pest it is. If that doesn't help, find an entomologist who will be able to identify it and provide ideas on how to eradicate it.
Identify the Damage
It’s cool to know that different pests have different damaging abilities. Also, not all pests destroy the same property. For example, moths are known to damage fabric while ants are known to damage wood. This will make it easier to identify the pests in your home and give you an upper hand when it comes to eradication.
Hiding Places
This is another tip you can use to identify the pests in your home. All pests do not live in the same place. For instance, cockroaches can usually be found in the kitchen areas and hence if you see an insect in the kitchen, it's probably a cockroach. On the other hand, if you see something in the bedroom, it's probably a bedbug.
When you are ready to get rid of your pests, call Stryker Pest Control of Columbus, Ohio to get the job done.
It is common advice to seek the services of a professional pest control company to deal with any pests in your home. Yet, many home owners still insists on trying to exterminate the pests themselves before they give up and call a professional. This leads to wasted time and effort not to mention that the pests could be spreading the more you delay calling a professional exterminator.
Having a professional exterminator has a lot of advantages. They include:
Safety
When you attempt to deal with the pests yourself, chances are that you will end up using the wrong pesticide. This is dangerous and even more so when you use more than the required amounts. You are putting yourself and your whole family at risk. Professionals know what pesticide to use for each situation and in what amount.
Efficiency
Do you know the areas of the house where pests like to hide? How will you prevent a future infestation? If you cannot answer these questions, call a pest control company. Their exterminators will be highly efficient in fully eliminating the pests and putting measures in place to prevent future problems.
Lower Cost
A homeowner will buy a wide variety of pesticides, use traps and then baits in an effort to deal with pests. In the end, it ends up being way more expensive than simply having a professional come over.
Save time
Trying to do it yourself you will spend all your weekends spraying and powdering hidden and dark corners of the house. Since you are not an expert, the pests will still continue their stay and you will be forced to keep fighting them. You can save all this wasted time by having professional exterminators come over for a day or two and the problem is solved.
Do not include pest extermination in your DIY projects. For best results leave it to the professionals at Stryker Pest Control in Ohio.
Mice infestations in your home can be a very challenging pest control problem. The best way to deal with mice infestation is to limit their pathways through which they invade your home. Below are some simple tips for preventing mice from invading your home:
Close Your Doors
It only takes a few seconds for them to rush into your home through an opened doorway. They are so tiny they don’t need much more than a little crack to slip through. If you are fond of leaving your garage door or house door open, then you should be surprised when mice take up residence in your home. To stop them, ensure that you keep your doors closed at all times, and if you have to leave them open you should install screen doors.
Completely Seal Your Windows
It is also important to keep your windows closed whenever you are not around or open them only if they are screened. Also, inspect and ensure that your windows do not have any open spaces between them and the frame. If there is, seal them with hard cloths or steel wool since mice can tear weak coverings.
Inspect your Foundation Thoroughly
Cracks and holes under your home are easy entry points for mice. Therefore, as a homeowner, inspect your foundation and seal all holes and cracks to eliminate these access points.
However, if you do find that you have mice in your home, it is important that you remove them as soon as possible. The pest control specialists at Stryker Pest Control LLC, in Columbus, Ohio, would be happy to assist you in ridding your home of these unwanted guests.
As the weather turns cooler, it’s all too common for homeowners to notice an influx of pests and wildlife who start residing in their home. Pests, and in particular the furrier ones, like to escape the cold weather, and what better place to do that than in your home?
If you think you hear rustling around in your attic or other areas of your house, chances are you do.
The top 6 pests that tend to find their way into homes both in Ohio and across the country are:
If you suspect you have any one of the animals above, or any type of animal in your home, it’s extremely important to contact an experienced and professional animal control company. Animals can behave unpredictably, there are guidelines surrounding the removal of them from your home, and they also pose a serious health risk to members of your family.
The holidays are a popular time for people to travel, whether for leisure and luxury, or to visit family members.
If you are planning a trip in the coming months, you may be asking yourself how you can avoid one pesky and invited traveling partner—bed bugs. You may think if you’re traveling fairly locally in Ohio you can avoid bed bugs, but in fact, they’re on the rise in many cities throughout the state, and other locations in the Midwest region of the country.
Here are our top 5 tips for ensuring you don’t return home with anything more than souvenirs:
1.Research Your Accommodations
Luckily for travelers, the Internet is a huge resource that can help you with everything from booking a plane ticket to a hotel. Along with that convenience is the fact that you can also research hotels before making any plans. Look into where you’re thinking about staying and see if there are any bed bug infestations reported by other guests. You can also utilize the Bed Bug Registry, which is a free database available to the public that will alert you of whether or not your potential hotel has had a bed bug problem.
2.Choose Luggage Carefully
Before you leave for any trip, think about the luggage you’re bringing. The best kind of luggage for avoiding bed bugs is a hard shell bag, because there’s not so many soft crevices and folds where little bugs can hide. You can also place your belongings in sealed plastic bags, so even if you do encounter bed bugs along the way, they’re not as likely to hitch a ride back home with you.
3.Do An Inspection
Before traveling, whether for the holidays or any other time of year, you should always inspect your hotel room when you get there. Even if a room seems outwardly clean, it doesn’t mean there isn’t the potential for bed bugs to be present. Look for signs like shed skins or black fecal matter not just in the sheets, but on the floor around the bed, the headboard, and even around the other furnishings or accessories in your room.
4.Elevate Your Belongings
Even if you do a thorough bed bug inspection upon arriving at your hotel, and you don’t see any red flags, you should still take precautions. One such precaution is to keep your luggage, clothes and belongings off the floor. When you put your items on the floor of a hotel room, it makes it all too easy for critters to climb in and make themselves at home. Use the luggage storage racks that are provided in many hotels, or you can even put your belongings on a closet shelf or on top of the bathroom counter.
5.Inspect At Home
Once you arrive home, even if you think you’ve avoided any bed bug encounters, you should still do a thorough inspection of everything you brought. Make sure you go through your suitcase outside of your home, in case there’s anything lurking in there.
If you do find any bed bugs, contact a qualified pest control provider immediately, to avoid further infestation.
