Termites—’Tis The Season for Prevention

What eastern subterranean termites look like in Eastern & Central Virginia - Loyal Termite & Pest ControlA termite infestation is one of the most feared pest problems in the country. In Eastern & Central Virginia, homeowners and businesses owners start to call us every spring about their potential termite problems. Once the winter starts to wane, Eastern subterranean termites begin to thrive again, taking advantage of all of the moisture that the rainy season has brought. To keep termites out of our homes in the spring, we have to take preventative measures during the winter before any problems start to arise. To learn the best way to termite-proof your property this winter, read on for advice from the experts at Loyal Termite & Pest Control!

Why Conduct Termite Prevention in the Winter?

In the case of termites, as well as many other pests, certain seasonal conditions accumulate that allow them to thrive in the next season. Eastern subterranean termites thrive in damp environments because they both soften the ground for tunneling and allow for easy access into wooden structures. Damp wood is damaged wood, and Eastern subterranean termites take advantage of this weakness to plow through in search of healthy wood to feed on and tunnel through. They build networks in the earth to provide pathways from their wooden food source to their underground nests. You will notice mud tubes rise up in your yard if termites are present.

Taking action in the winter to discourage termites from going after your home will prove greatly effective when springtime comes.

Preventing Termites in Eastern & Central Virginia

So, how can we make sure that termites don’t infest our homes this spring? Here are our technicians’ recommended ways to protect your home from termites during the winter:

  • Reduce moisture: Make sure that your gutters are in working order and leaving your foundation dry. Also, check around your siding and windows to look for any moisture pooling.
  • Store firewood away from your home: Keeping your woodpile at least 20 feet away from your home and elevated off of the ground is a great way to ensure that termites don’t find it. Termite infestations often move from woodpiles to homes.
  • Keep mulch away from your foundation: Termites are attracted to many kinds of mulch for their ability to retain moisture. Having this too close to your foundation will give termites a better chance of invading your home.
  • Seal any holes and cracks: Your plumbing fixtures, foundation, walls, roofing, and more could have gaps that are allowing termites in. Conduct a thorough home inspection to look for any holes and seal them with a silicone-based caulk.

Professional Help with Termite Prevention

If you feel that you need someone to help with preventative maintenance against termites or would like a professional inspection done to check for termites in your home, look to your local pest control company. At Loyal Termite & Pest Control, we train our termite exterminators to conduct exhaustive WDI (wood-destroying insect) reports and complete termite removal for home and business owners in Eastern & Central Virginia. Don’t wait until it’s too late to prevent termites. Contact us today to receive a free quote!

 

Tips to Prevent Mice From Multiplying

Group of mice in Eastern VA home - Loyal Termite & Pest ControlRodents are one of the most common—and concerning—pests in all of Virginia. Not only do rats and mice spread germs and disease, they also can damage the very structure of your property. Most troublesome of all is the fact that rodents reproduce at a rapid pace. This is why seeing even a couple of rodents could indicate a bigger problem at play, as litters are born constantly. This is why it’s imperative that you learn how to keep mice from turning your property into their own personal breeding grounds in the first place. Read on to learn the best tips to prevent mice from multiplying in your home or business with Loyal Termite & Pest Control.

The Reproduction Rate of Rodents

If you see just one or two mice, you may not be in a panic. However, it only takes one male and one female mouse to start an infestation. At just 4–6 weeks of age, female mice are able to begin breeding. One mouse can give birth to five or six babies after just a three-week gestation period. Even worse, they can produce up to 10 litters a year! These female mice can mate immediately after giving birth, meaning mice can birth a second litter in as little as 25 days after the first. Needless to say, even a small rodent problem in your home or business can quickly become a full-blown infestation.

Rodent reproduction rate infographic - Loyal Termite & Pest Control

3 Tips to Stop Mice From Multiplying

The key to stopping the rapid reproduction rate of mice is to keep mice out altogether. This is best done by making your home or business impenetrable and less attractive to the pests altogether. The top three things you can do to repel mice are:

  1. Block off any easy access points—this could mean fixing screens on windows and vents, applying weather stripping on doors, and filling cracks in your plumbing fixtures and roofing.
  2. Clean dishes and spills right away and store your food properly, sealed in airtight containers.
  3. Keep your grass cut short, clear out your yard waste often, and refrain from using mulch near the foundation of your home.

Preventing Mice Year-Round in Virginia

Rodents are a year-round pest problem in Virginia, but they are especially common in the fall and winter months. To avoid mice reproducing in your home, it’s important to know how to recognize the early signs of rodents in your property, like droppings or gnaw marks, so you can stop an infestation before it begins. At Loyal Termite & Pest Control, we know how difficult this can be, which is why our rodent exterminators are always happy to help. Contact us today!

3 Step Pest Control – A Homeowner’s Quick Guide

Ants gathering by pooling water in Eastern & Central Virginia - Loyal Termite & Pest ControlIntertwined with any proper home maintenance routine is a list of important pest control measures. It’s easier than you think to put your home in the right place to avoid pests all year long, but many people just don’t know where to start. That’s where we swoop in to help! At Loyal Termite & Pest Control, we place great emphasis on educating our customers in keeping a pest-free* home through their own work. If you’re looking to learn our three-step pest control technique for homeowners in Eastern & Central Virginia, read on!

What Problems Can Pests Cause?

If you have never experienced any serious pest infestation, you likely aren’t aware of the importance of taking pertinent steps to prevent outbreaks. There are dozens of local pests species in our region, each of which come with their own unique methods of nuisance, or even danger. Insects, arachnids, and wildlife in our region can possibly:

  • Affect your food and water quality
  • Damage your possessions or your home’s structure
  • Transmit diseases and spread filth
  • Bite people and pets
  • Create long-lasting disturbances

Obviously, it is in our best interests to put in work before an infestation starts to prevent having to panic when one happens, acting quickly and unpreparedly.

3 Steps to Pest Control

If you have a history of problems with a particular pest in the area, you will want to follow our three-step process to conduct successful pest prevention. Here are our three steps to DIY pest control:

  1. Identify: Knowing exactly what kind of bug or animal you’re dealing with is all too important. Different species of ants have different habits, different species of rodents carry varying diseases—you have to know what you’re up against. If you aren’t sure, you can always ask for the help of a local pest expert.
  2. Educate: Once you have the species narrowed down, you have to learn everything you can about them. Understanding their preferred living environment, their diet, their lifespan, and their weakness will all help you quickly narrow down the best ways to get them under control.
  3. Control: Some pests can be dealt with effectively at home and without purchasing any products or services! For example, ants can be eliminated with a diluted vinegar solution or a common lemon-scented cleaning product, and certain essential oils can be sprayed on spider hotspots to discourage web-weaving. However, for heavy infestations or cases of more dangerous pests, professional help is always the safe way to go.

Eastern & Central Virginia’s Pest Experts

No matter what part of the three-step process you need help with, our expert pest control technicians at Loyal Termite & Pest Control are prepared to help. With decades of experience in the regional pest environment, our technicians are quick to identify and control whatever type of unwanted guests you’re dealing with. Don’t hesitate when your infestation gets out of hand—it will only increase pest presence and delay your comfort! Contact our team today for a free quote.

Prepare for Higher Fall-Winter Pest Activity

What a rat in your house might look like in Eastern & Central Virginia - Loyal Termite & Pest ControlHaving serviced Eastern & Central Virginia homes for so long, our Loyal Termite & Pest Control technicians have seen it all. With the great variance in weather trends that we see throughout the year, all sorts of pest problems are possible. This means that in order to stay on top of pest problems year round, our at-home pest control strategies have to change. As we watch this autumn fade into winter, we have to make sure our home maintenance is keeping up with the season. Read on to learn how!

Cold Season Pests in Eastern & Central Virginia

This fall, we are expecting rodents to become a problem earlier in the year than they usually do. While we usually consider them to be wintertime pests, this year’s colder fall will be driving them indoors, looking for food, shelter from predators, and a warm place to sleep. They could already be living in your yard undetected, but they will find any way that they can to sneak into your crawl spaces, attic, or walls next. Mice and rats are the most common rodents that we get called out to deal with here at Loyal Termite & Pest Control.

The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) recently put out their Fall & Winter 2021 Bug Barometer:

Bug Barometer 2021 - Loyal Termite & Pest Control

How to Prevent Rodents in Fall and Winter

As you might expect, the nature of keeping pests out of your home and off of your property varies greatly between the summer and winter. Shifting our focus from mosquitoes, ticks, ants, and other small arthropods to rodents and other mammals will help us prevent pest issues most effectively. Here are our top three ways to conduct your own pest control for fall and winter:

  1. Don’t let your yard become unwieldy. Keeping your grass cut and yard waste cleared can reduce hiding places for rodents in your yard. Your firewood piles can host rodents, too, so keep your firewood off of the ground and away from your home.
  2. Check around your home for potential entry points. These could be cracks in your walls and foundation, broken ventilation and roofing fixtures, or gaps around your doors and windows.
  3. Be careful with food and trash. When you’re done eating, store all of your food in airtight containers and wash your dishes promptly. You should also be keeping your trash in sealable bins and bringing it outside as often as possible.

Professional Pest Control for the Atlanta Winter

Whether you’re already dealing with a seasonal pest infestation or you’re looking for help getting ahead of impending problems, you can reach out to your local pest control company for help. At Loyal Termite & Pest Control, our technicians take the extra care to inspect your entire property, perform all necessary rodent removal or necessary pest extermination, and leave you with advice to better protect your property going forward. To hear more about how we can help you and receive a free quote, contact our team today!

The Basics and Benefits of Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

IPM-focused pest control in Eastern & Central Virginia - Loyal Termite & Pest ControlMany people hesitate to contact a professional pest control company because of a fear of how their service will impact their children, pets, plants in their yard, or the environment as a whole. We love to hear how conscientious our customers are and how much they care about the world around them! That’s why our services in Eastern & Central Virginia are rooted in Integrated Pest Management and grounded in environmental responsibility on macro and micro levels. To learn more about Loyal Termite & Pest Control’s promises to our community, read on!

What is IPM?

Integrated Pest Management is a set of principles that dictate how responsible pest control should be conducted. It is a four-tiered process that follows as such:

  1. Set Action Thresholds: The action threshold is the definite point at which we decide that pest control services are necessary. A sighting of a single pest doesn’t always warrant a complete extermination process.
  2. Monitor and Identify Pests: Certain pests or plants that are perceived to be invasive or disruptive could actually be beneficial to our local ecosystem.
  3. Prevention: We always aim to prevent infestations before they happen through indoor and outdoor property maintenance. These solutions tend to be effective, cost-efficient, and environmentally friendly.
  4. Control: Most importantly, when we do resort to pest control proper, we prioritize pest control strategies and products that are highly targeted, non-chemical, or purely mechanical.

Why We Use Integrated Pest Management

At Loyal Termite & Pest Control, we feel an obligation to protect the community that we have been serving for over 60 years. While there are plentiful pests here in Eastern & Central Virginia, most of them belong essentially to a delicate ecosystem. What we call pests are actually predators, prey, pollinators, and more. While there are certain cases of invasive species in our region like the brown marmorated stink bug and the imported fire ant, many pests you might have on your property could be a complete non-threat and a crucial contributor to their natural world.

Safe Pest Control in Eastern & Central Virginia

Are you currently dealing with a pest infestation, but you’re hesitant to call for help because you’re worried about the safety of your family and home? As your local pest control company, we are proud to offer IPM-oriented solutions to a long list of our regional pest problems. We will send out our licensed and certified technicians to conduct an inspection, apply pertinent pest control measures, and provide you with advice to alleviate your issues going forward. For a free quote, contact our team today!

 

Why Do Rats Chew Wires?

What rats look like in Eastern & Central Virginia - Loyal Termite & Pest ControlOne of the worst parts about dealing with pests, especially rodents, is the concern of potential property damage. Between mice, rats, gophers, moles, and more, rodents are able to tear up your yard, nest in your attic and crawl spaces, spread filth and waste on your property, and chew up the wires in your home or car. If you have noticed that electrical wiring in your home or car has been chewed up or torn, you’re likely dealing with a rat infestation or a nearby population of rodents. To learn how to prevent more damage, read on for expert advice from the rodent control experts at Loyal Termite & Pest Control!

Are Rats Chewing Wires in Your Home?

Rats are stealthy pests—they have been known to live in Eastern & Central Virginia homes for long stretches of time before being discovered. Nesting in your crawl spaces, attic, walls, or basement, rats bide their time through the fall in winter laying low and chewing on almost anything that they can find. But why do they insist on tearing up our wires?

Like all rodents, rats have a pair of upper and lower teeth called incisors which continually grow throughout their lives. To keep these teeth from growing into their brain, rats must constantly grind them together or gnaw on objects to whittle them down. This accounts for much of the property damage that we often see related to rodents. Chewed-up wires and wood in your home could mean you have rats or mice.

Why is Rodent Damage Dangerous?

When rats chew up your electrical wiring, they tear through the protective layer of insulation, leaving the metal exposed. This could cause a spark that leads to a fire in your home or car. Especially when within the structure of your home and surrounded by wood, fire hazards become a concern.

To keep rats out of your home, try these prevention methods:

  1. Inspect your home for holes or gaps and seal them promptly
  2. Use baits outside to draw them away from your home
  3. Clean up your spills and don’t leave food out after eating
  4. Call a professional pest expert for a property inspection

Expert Rodent Removal in Virginia

Rodent infestations in the fall are inevitable for Eastern & Central Virginia homeowners who don’t take the proper precautions against them. If you want to ensure that your home is safe from rats, mice, gophers, and more, talk to the rodent control team at Loyal Termite & Pest Control about your concerns. Our vermin control specialists are fitted with equipment and training to tackle any rat infestation or mice outbreak that you’re dealing with. Contact our team today for a free quote!

The Distinctive Violin – Sign of the Brown Recluse

What brown recluse spiders look like in Eastern & Central Virginia - Loyal Termite & Pest ControlIf you’ve seen a brown recluse before, you probably remember its creepy appearance, but if you’ve been bitten by one, you surely remember what it felt like. Brown recluse spiders are a venomous species of spider that live here in Eastern & Central Virginia. You might not have seen one before, because, true to their name, they like to remain hidden away. However, when they feel threatened and have no place to hide, they unleash a vicious bite that can leave us with lasting pain and ulcerating sores.

Read on to learn more about brown recluse spiders from the Loyal Termite & Pest Control technicians.

What Does a Brown Recluse Look Like?

Some common house spiders in Eastern & Central Virginia can be easily mistaken for a brown recluse if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Here are some distinctive features to note to help you identify a brown recluse in your home:

  • They are light to dark brown in color
  • Their bodies usually range from 3/8”-5/8” in length
  • They have a unique brown marking on their back that almost takes the shape of a violin

If a brown recluse makes its way indoors, it will usually live in storage areas, crawl spaces, or anywhere that is dark, cluttered, and not too busy.

The Dangers of Brown Recluse Spiders

Brown recluse spiders are often paired in with black widows as deadly spiders spilling over with venom and aggression. However, they are actually quite docile in nature and only attack when they feel seriously threatened. Brown recluses have less potent venom than black widows, but when they bite, they leave it all on the table. The amount of venom that they inject can leave humans with open, ulcerating sores, along with scars that last for years.

If you’ve been bitten by a brown recluse spider and are seeing concerning effects, seek medical attention right away.

Spiders in Eastern & Central Virginia

If you think you’ve found a brown recluse in your home around Richmond, leave it alone and call the spider control team at Loyal Termite & Pest Control. We equip our technicians with the tools and tactics necessary to safely and efficiently remove venomous pests from our customers’ homes. We will also inspect your home to help you identify the source of your spider problem and correct any present pest vulnerabilities. For a free quote on spider control, contact us today!

6 Common Bathroom Bugs To Watch Out For

Spiders are a common bathroom bug in Eastern & Central VA - Loyal Termite & Pest ControlWhether you spend your evening relaxing in the tub or have a morning routine to help start your day, the last thing you want is bugs running around. Bugs in bathrooms are, unfortunately, a very common household problem for residents here in Virginia. But why? While pests can infest a number of areas in your home, bathrooms are favored due to the humid, damp conditions. To avoid the distressing discovery of a pest problem in your bathroom, it’s crucial to learn not only what pests are most common, but also what you can do to avoid an infestation. At Loyal Termite & Pest Control, we know no homeowner wants to deal with bathroom bugs. Our experts have rounded up our best tips to keep them out—read on to learn more!

Why Do I Have Pests in My Bathroom?

Bugs and pests of all kinds are drawn to bathrooms mostly due to the moisture. Many insects are drawn toward humid, moist environments—so what better place than a steamy bathroom? Leaky pipes, showers, and sinks provide precisely the environment many pests require to survive and reproduce. Your bathroom can also provide insects with plenty of food options. Humid, even moldy areas provide sustenance for some pests. Lastly, a dark bathroom can provide ample shelter for many insects and pests. Whether there are roaches under the sink or ants along your sink, there could be many more pests than you’d think hiding in your restroom.

Common Bathroom Bugs

The 6 most common insects that are the culprits behind most bathroom pest infestations are:

  1. Silverfish. These nocturnal insects are typically found around sewers or drains, and prefer to feed on mildew and mold.
  2. Ants. A small ant problem can quickly turn into a large one if ants have found a source of food or water in your bathroom.
  3. Cockroaches. Roaches love filth and feed on sewer and drain sludge. They easily get into your bathroom through plumbing fixtures.
  4. Centipedes. These long, spindly insects feed on other small insects that are common in bathrooms and love a humid environment.
  5. Drain Flies. True to name, drain flies are found around drains. They often appear when there is a plumbing problem in the main sewer line.
  6. Spiders. As predators, spiders like to prey on the smaller insects often found in your bathroom areas.

How to Keep Bugs Out of My Bathroom

The best way to make sure bugs don’t make themselves at home in your bathroom is to eliminate anything that would attract them in the first place. Always ensure you do not have any leaky pipes or plumbing issues that are contributing to the humid, moist environment. Consider using a dehumidifier from time to time to aid in this process. Lastly, clean your bathroom on a regular basis! Reduce the clutter in your drawers and cupboards, and make sure to prevent any mold or mildew.

If you’ve done all you can to prevent bathroom bugs but are still dealing with roaches, ants, or another pest, it’s time to call an expert. The experts at Loyal Termite & Pest Control can help. Contact us today to get started!

The Termite World – Meet the Castes

Eastern subterranean termites found in Eastern & Central Virginia - Loyal Termite & Pest ControlTermites are some of the most prolific pests in the world, tearing through the wooden structures of our homes and causing more damage than any other insect. They are able to work so efficiently by breeding different types of termites for separate tasks, streamlining the ability for their colonies to grow. Our technicians at Loyal Termite & Pest Control are here to help teach you all about the differentiation of termite castes and what to look for to identify them. Read on to learn more about termites!

What Kind of Termites Live in Eastern & Central Virginia?

Here in Eastern & Central Virginia, we are tasked with dealing with the eastern subterranean termite. This particular species of termite is responsible for over $5 billion in damage costs in the United States every year! The last thing you want for your home is an infestation of eastern subterranean termites.

You can identify these termites by their bulbous heads and abdomen and their brownish-black colors. They are often found in crawl spaces, interior walls, basements, and other areas susceptible to moisture buildup. If they are in your home, you should also be able to find mud tubes that they’ve tunneled through around your property.

Termite Castes

Termite colonies contain three distinct categories of termites: workers, soldiers, and reproductives. Here are the main differences between the three:

  1. Soldiers: Soldier termites break off from the others after the larval stage, at which point the larvae can either develop into nymphs or soldiers. They have darkened, enlarged mandibles and bulbous heads.
  2. Workers: Workers are responsible for wreaking havoc on our homes. They have light tan-colored bodies and no eyes. They remain in the dark, chewing through a wood to get to the cellulose.
  3. Reproductives: There are actually three tiers of reproductive termites. The darker, winged ones that you might have found in your house are called swarmers or alates, and they are responsible for spreading the colony to new places and reproducing.

What to Do If You Find Termites

If you notice a few termites in your home, especially swarmers, it could be a sign that there has been an active infestation in your home for a while. They are stealthy pests that are equipped to move undetected for a long time. Be sure to contact your local pest control company right away before your termite issue gets out of hand. The technicians at Loyal Termite & Pest Control can use a variety of termite control strategies to limit damage and quickly eliminate the active infestation. Contact us today for a free quote!

Why Do I Suddenly Have Ants in My House?

Why do ants suddenly appear in Virginia homes? Loyal Termite & Pest ControlWe’ve all made the frustrating discovery that ants have taken over our kitchen or bathroom. Ants have long been one of the most confounding pest problems, leaving most people wondering where and how they got inside in the first place. There are many things that can make your home attractive to ants. Keeping them out, then, requires the knowledge of making your home less suitable for them in the first place. The ant control experts at Loyal Termite & Pest Control are here to help! Read on to learn everything you need to know about why you might have ants, as well as what you can do to keep them away from your Virginia home.

Where Did Ants Get In?

If you have ants, you may be wondering where they came from. Ants are motivated by their search for food and water. If they find what they are looking for, ants will leave a pheromone trail for their colony to follow suit. Before you know it, a small ant problem can turn into a big infestation. An ant colony can nest in the walls of your home, and crawl into your various rooms through cracks and crevices. They are most commonly found in or near kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and other areas that provide them with food or shelter. Once they’ve established themselves, it can be difficult to control an ant problem.

Ant hotspots in Eastern & Central VA - Loyal Termite & Pest Control

How Do I Keep Ants Out?

If you want to avoid discovering that you have an ant problem altogether, it’s crucial that you learn how to make your property less attractive to the pests.

There are three easy steps to accomplish this:

  1. Eliminate moisture problems. Especially in your bathrooms, crawl space, or bathrooms, excess moisture from leaky pipes or plumbing issues can attract ants. Always fix leaks and other moisture problems as quickly as possible.
  2. Clean up crumbs and spills. Ants have a sweet tooth. Crumbs on your floor, even pet food, can be a huge draw for ants. To prevent ants, it’s important to regularly clean up spills and vacuum on a regular basis to deny them access to any of your food.
  3. Seal all cracks and crevices. Ants will make use of the tiniest cracks or holes to get inside, especially at the base of your foundation. Annually, inspect your home for these tiny openings and consider sealing them with caulk.

Ant Problems in Your Home?

Sometimes ants persist even after your best effort to get rid of them. If this is the case in your Eastern or Central Virginia home, it’s time to call in the experts at Loyal Termite & Pest Control. Our ant control team will work to get rid of ants in your home, as well as set up prevention methods to keep them away for good. Contact us today to get started!