Learning Center

The number one nuisance pest in North America, ants make up the majority of local pest problems. Varying by species, the average colony is made up of anywhere between 300,000 to 500,000 ants. With the capability of surviving more than seven years, it’s no surprise that they are likely to take up residence in your home. 

One of the most feared pest infestations, bed bugs are small, flat insects that tend to congregate in mattress folds, furniture, carpet, or wall voids. Bed bugs are hard to detect, avoid, and eliminate once you have an infestation, and these pests will keep you up all night once they've made their way indoors. 

Boxelder bugs get their name from the boxelder tree, a species native to the western United States. These insects feed almost entirely on the seeds of the boxelder, ash, and maple trees, but are known to make their way into homes, sheds, and garages during cold months to overwinter.

Mostly nocturnal, cockroaches like to seek shelter from the outdoors. Likely to gravitate in dark, warm locations, many homeowners notice that cockroaches inhabit their bathrooms, closets, and kitchens. Ranging in color from light brown to black, the type of cockroach has much to do with the location they are likely to be found.

Most likely to affect your four-legged friends, fleas can also latch on to human hosts, exposing you to diseases like typhus and tularemia. In addition to applying flea treatment to your pets, it’s also a good idea to safeguard your home.

Adapted for aerial movement, and streamlined for speed, flies are some of the most difficult pests to catch. In addition, they feed on rotting food and animal feces, making them highly resistant to many insecticides but also undesirable to have around your home. Sometimes it takes a professional pest control company to eliminate these 6-legged critters.

Grasshoppers are found on every continent but Antarctica. Here in the United States, grasshoppers typically inhabit dry open areas with grass and other low plants. They can typically be found in fields, meadows, and backyards. Grasshoppers seek out dry areas, so they do find their way inside houses from time to time.

Not only are mosquitoes known for disrupting outdoor activities, but they are also vectors for dangerous diseases. Drawn to standing water and capable of laying up to 3,000 eggs in a lifetime, it’s no wonder that mosquitoes are one of the top nuisance pests in the US!

Including mice and rats, rodents can present a number of threats to homeowners. Known to chew through wires, causing electrical fires, transmit diseases, and even track in ticks, it’s always a good idea to prevent these pests before a problem occurs.

Contrary to popular belief, spiders are not insects; they are actually arachnids, closely related to ticks and scorpions. Possessing the signature trait of eight legs and known to leave behind webs, spiders are notorious for spooking many homeowners.

There are a number of stinging insects common to North America, many of which pose a threat to your family’s well being. Insects like bees, wasps and hornets can cause painful, sometimes life-threatening stings! It’s important to understand the behaviors and characteristics of these pests, so you can stay safe.

Causing more than $5 billion in damage to homes across the United States each year, termites are most common in the southern part of the nation. Since most homeowners’ insurance won't cover termite damage, professional help and prevention methods are often recommended.

Closely related to spiders, ticks also belong to the arachnid group. Relying on the blood of their hosts, ticks are likely to move from one mammal to another in order to survive. Due to their transient behavior, these pests are vectors of a number of diseases, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease.

Voles are a type of rodent similar to the mouse, famously known for damaging the roots of your lawn, trees, and shrubs. There are 124 species of voles in the Northern Hemisphere, with 23 species commonly found throughout the United States, including the prairie vole, meadow vole, pine vole, and Oregon vole. With other names, like meadow mice, field mice, meadow moles, and ground moles, they are easily confused with mice, hamsters, shrews, moles, and other types of rodents.