Identifying Utah’s Most Common Pests

Home ownership comes with a few aggravations. One of the most annoying are bugs. When these creepy crawlies get into your house, you need to exterminate them before they do lasting damage. Utah has several species that can cause problems. Here’s a guide on identifying Utah’s most common pests.

Ants

These critters are among the most insidious. You’ll never find just one ant in your home. If you see any, you’ll see hundreds. In Utah, pavement ants are the most frequent unwelcome visitor from

this species. They’re brown or black, and they’re insatiable— anything you drop will entice them.

Carpenter ants are the real problem, though. If these giant ants get in your woodwork, they’ll make tunnels throughout your infrastructure. To avoid all ants, pick up food after you’re finished eating. Pay particular attention to sweets, as those are the favorite among carpenter ants.

Vespidae

Yellow jackets, hornets, and wasps all fall in this creature category. When any of them build nests near your home, you risk your family’s health. They’ll pepper you with bee stings, which is at best annoying. At worst, it’s dangerous if anyone in your home is allergic.

There are many preventive steps you can take to keep bees from nesting. The easiest one is simply to pay attention. Bees need a fair amount of time to build a new home. As long as you remain vigilant to bee activity, you should have no problem shooing away a potential infestation. Once there is a nest, however, you should hire an expert, especially if you have bee allergies.

Spiders

These eight-legged crawlers are the largest member of the arachnid class. They’re big, they’re ugly, and they’re furry in the creepiest way possible. It’s no wonder that half of all women and 18 percent of men suffer from arachnophobia.

You obviously don’t want them around you. Keeping your porch light off is the best way to prevent a spider infestation. Outside lights attract moths and other bugs that spiders like to devour. Spiders in Utah will nest in areas with steady food supplies. Another step you should take is to knock down spider webs when you see them. They’ll have to build a new home elsewhere. If all else fails, use cinnamon or lavender smells in areas you find spiders; they hate the smell.

Rodents

Utah’s most populous cities suffer from a steady horde of house mice, voles, deer mice, rats, and other rodents. Mice and voles are as small as three inches. Norway rats will give you a bit of a fright, as they can grow over 12 inches. They also look unclean, which will entice you to get rid of them that much sooner. To prevent these critters from taking up residence in your home, insulate your pipes, cover the cracks in your doors, and keep your crawl space clean.

There are plenty of pests in Utah that will try to ruin your home. Follow the suggestions above to prevent this, or hire a professional to stop additional infestation. Call (801) 544-9200 to set up a consultation.