Once rodents are in the home, they are notoriously difficult to get rid of. They are social animals, and they can breed very quickly. Rodents are also great at hiding in the dark crevices of your home, and it could be a while before you know you have a problem. By then, you already have a severe issue to contend with.

There are two things you need to be aware of as a homeowner to avoid serious rat infestations. The first is that all homes have some vulnerability where rats and mice could take advantage of getting into your home.

Once you know that your home is vulnerable, you can get to work to tighten things up to make it difficult, if not nearly impossible, for rodents to get in.
The process of fortifying your home is called Rodent Exclusion. Exclusion is the process of inspecting your home and finding all those vulnerabilities and fixing them. The problem is that as the homeowner, you may overlook the serious issues your home has.

You may know that there is a ripped screen on a window on the second floor, but it never really made your radar or got to the top of the list of things that needed to be fixed. You may not even realize there are also things like having a tree too close to your home with branches close enough for rats to get to your roof very easily.

When you call Pinnacle Pest Control for a Rodent Exclusion Inspection, we are coming in with fresh eyes and years of experience. We will find every issue in your home and recommend a remediation plan.

The second thing you need to know is the signs of an active infestation. If you know the signs, you have a much better chance of finding an issue before it gets out of hand.

The main things you need to look out for are the following:

• Rodent droppings around food packages, in drawers or cupboards, and under the sink.
• Nesting material such as shredded paper, fabric, or dried plant matter.
• Signs of chewing on food packaging.
• Holes chewed through walls and floors that create entry points into the home.
• Stale smells coming from hidden areas.

In the Sacramento area, the vast majority of rodent cases involve Roof Rats, so the clues you are looking for will be higher up in the home. A Norway Rat infestation will be more in basements or the lower levels of your home. While it is good to know the signs of different rats, if you have a rat problem, the chances are it will be Roof Rats. Don’t ignore your basement, but focus more on your attic.

Whether you know the signs of a rat infestation or not, if you even think that you may have an issue, do not hesitate to call us. We will come to you and inspect your home, not only for rats but also for any pests lurking in the dark crevices and corners of your home. If we do not find anything, we can still discuss our exclusion services and an ongoing plan to treat the perimeter of your home so your home stays rodent and pest free, and you can keep your family safe.

Spiders Have a Long History of Being Depicted in Movies and in Folklore

People hate bugs, but people despise spiders.  Generally larger than your typical pests, their eight legs give them a look that appears creepy or scary to most people.  Spiders have been depicted in mythology and folklore all through the ages.  In Lord of the Rings, Shelob is a demon in the form of a spider.  Gollum lures Frodo to Shelob in the hope of grabbing the ring after Shelob attacks our hero.

While Aragog the spider in the Harry Potter series attacked Harry, Ron, and Hermione in Chamber of Secrets, by the end of the series, the spiders were on the side of good against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

Many folklores, including African and Native Americans, view spiders as tricksters, but in many cases, they are viewed with high esteem and the most cunning of all the animals.

In Indigenous Australian art, spiders are associated with some of their most important rituals.  In many Pacific Islands, spiders are said to have created the universe.

Pinnacle Pest Control Will Take Care of Your Spider Problems, but What Does That Mean?

We will often get calls from people who complain that they have a spider problem.  As with any other issue, our first step is to come out to you and do an inspection to see what the problems are and how serious they are.

When we see spiders, it is usually an indication of another problem.  Spiders are incredibly talented hunters.  They hunt, trap, and eat other insects, such as mosquitoes, flies, moths, and even butterflies.  Some spiders will also eat crickets, beetles, and grasshoppers.

In Sacramento, the spiders we see most are Black Widows, Wolf Spiders, and Cellar Spiders.  Cellar Spiders are also known as Daddy Longlegs or Granddaddy Longlegs.  For the most part, when we see spiders in an area, it is an indication that we have to look deeper to see what the underlying issue is.  Spiders go where the food is.  If you have spiders in your home, it usually means they have found a plentiful supply of food, and that means you have an underlying pest problem that you might not even be aware of.

Spiders are usually not the problem, they are a symptom of the problem.

Like anything else, once you treat the root cause of the problem, the symptoms will go away.  When it comes to any issue, if you treat the symptom and not the actual problem, the symptoms are going to return.

Regardless of the spider that crawled on Peter Brady’s chest, we love spiders.  We have similar goals: to rid your home of insects.  However, even though the spiders are not usually the primary problem, it does not mean you have to live with them in your home.

Call Pinnacle Pest Control.  We Treat the Problems You See, and Find the Problems You Don't

When you call Pinnacle Pest Control, we will come to you to diagnose the problems that you see, and even check for and find the ones you don’t.  We will take care of your immediate issues and implement an ongoing service plan where we return every other month to strengthen the barrier keeping the pests, including the spiders, away from your home and family.

Call our offices to set up an appointment.  We can be reached at 916.381.5793. Our Integrated Pest Control Services come with our one-year service warranty.  If the insects return, so do we.