Author: preventative

Just the title is enough to probably make you shudder. Cockroaches are some of the most “yuck-worthy” bugs on the planet. While they’re normally associated with dirt and filth, cockroaches also like to hang out in beautiful gardens and on palm trees. There are more than 4,000 kinds of cockroaches living on planet earth today. You’ll find them anywhere there are people, on every continent. This article takes a look at cockroaches in our region, how to keep them out of a building, and how to spot the signs of an infestation. All About Roaches Cockroaches are flat oval bugs with antennae and six legs. Roaches like to come out at night and they prefer warm environments close to food and water. You’ll find them hanging out in a kitchen or bathroom because they’re also attracted to the humidity found in these environments. Cockroaches carry a lot of disease which they pick up on the spines of their legs. When they crawl over carrion or rotting debris, they pick up all kinds of bad germs that they then transfer to food or other places where humans hang out. Pest World says they’ve been linked to 33 types of bacteria, six types of parasitic worms, and about seven human pathogens. Cockroaches have also been linked to allergies and asthma. Three of the most common cockroaches that Preventive Pest finds in...

All flies are gross. They can spread serious disease and they’re very hard to get rid of. One subspecies of fly it the fruit fly, a creature slightly smaller than the “standard” version of the pest. Fruit flies can ruin a picnic. As the name implies, these little creatures love the sweetness of any type of fruit. They also like sugary drinks. And they’ll swarm on any decaying plant life that’s moist and rotting. But they’ll also go after that nice bowl of watermelon you’ve put out on the picnic table in your yard. Even worse? You can get them in your house – and that could certainly ruin your appetite. This article will look at ways you can keep your home or office cleaner and avoid an infestation. Getting Rid of Fruit Flies “Fruit flies in the family Tephritidae are among the most destructive, feared and well-publicized pests of fruits and vegetables around the world.” United States Department of Agriculture While fruit flies are the scourge of farmers around the world, you probably have fruit flies in that bowl of fruit on your table. Fruit flies aren’t like scorpions or ants, which like to crawl in gaps between windows and doors and invade your business or residential property. Instead, fruit flies lay their tiny eggs on the outside of the fruit. When conditions are right, these eggs will...

When the temperatures rise during our Nevada summers, you might be surprised that you and bugs have something in common: Both people and bugs seek water and cooler environments. Unfortunately, many times that cooler climate is in your home or business! As spring rolls into summer, Preventive Pest always sees an uptick in the number of calls we receive. This article will teach you the signs that you have an infestation and what to do to try to prevent it before it occurs. Stopping Pests Before They Visit Ants, crickets, and scorpions are three of the most common unwelcome pest guests that we see every summer. One of the best ways to make your home less inviting is to keep a meticulously clean kitchen. Try not to leave leftover foods out at night or dirty dishes in the sink. While pests seek cooler climates indoors, they are also attracted to that yummy baked on lasagna pan that’s been soaking in your sink. Keep your floors clean, as well, giving all the nooks and crannies a good cleaning each week. If you’re still having problems, call us. Bug Proofing Your Home This Summer One of the benefits of partnering with Preventive Pest is that we know exactly how to spot the signs of pest infestation before it becomes a problem. When we inspect a property, we’re looking for small holes...

Gardening in the desert may seem like an oxymoron. But people love their home gardens and commercial businesses frequently show off gorgeous floral displays in and around their businesses. All of these activities are admirable but unfortunately, pests can invade Nevada gardens just like they do around the country. This article will look at some common pests in the Nevada garden and how to fend them off. What’s Bugging You and Your Garden? While we liked to generally have a “live and let live” attitude toward creatures in our yards, these bugs are the exception to the rule. If they come to live in your gardens, it’s not something you can delay; before you know it, the damage could be dramatic. Here are some of the common bugs that can invade your Nevada garden: Spider mites are tiny little creatures that live under the leaves of your favorite plant. They thrive by sucking the juice right out of the leaf, living directly off your prized plants and creating a mottled, yellow appearance on the plant. While you can try to raise the humidity of your home indoors, you can’t do much about our dry climate. The best way to get rid of spider mites is to call for help from a professional pest control service. Leaf miners go to work every day digging not for goal, but for the...

This article is probably going to make you a little squeamish. That’s because even we think bedbugs are pretty gross. Bedbugs are the size of a grain of sand and they live off of our blood. You’ll find them just about anywhere humans are nesting, on the corners of our mattresses, in couches, and even, on airplanes. These little insects are masters of hiding and surviving. They’re hard to get rid of and they can travel between locations by simply slipping into a corner of a suitcase. This article will look at five practices you can take to avoid a bedbug infestation before they invade your home or offices. Five Tips to Not Let the Bedbug Bite Bedbugs are one of the most difficult pests to eliminate once they have invaded a space. So, it’s best to practice prevention in order to save yourself a lot of pain and suffering later on. Here are some of our best tips for avoiding bedbugs: Be careful about bringing used furniture into your home. While the local Goodwill store may say they’ve cleaned that piece of fabric-covered furniture, it’s still a good idea to look at every nook and cranny – before you bring it home. This is generally why we suggest not purchasing a used mattress. Mattresses are a bedbug’s home of choice. When traveling, use the suitcase holder instead of...