They go by many names but the result is always the same – they drive you crazy!   The odorous house ant (Tapinoma sessile) is the most common ant problem in the Portland area during mid winter through early spring.

Many of us have grown up seeing them and calling them by various names – small ants, sugar ants, pavement ants, odorous ants, etc.   Interestingly, a name can often affect how we perceive a pest and the significance of the problem.   Some folks are lead to believe not much bad can come from something called a “small ant” or “sugar ant.”    However, odorous ant colonies, left untreated, can amass to a size of 50,000 to 100,000 ants.   That’s no small problem!

While not destructive like a carpenter ant, odorous ants have the ability to suddenly overrun any given room of your home.

Moist areas, such as kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms are usually the first, but aggressive ants will soon be looking for other areas to move in to.The photo below shows what is common to see the first few days that an infestation becomes visible.   I say becomes visible because at this point, the ants have already been nearby for quite a while.

Odorous Ants on counter - just the beginning.

This is the stage where the homeowner might be surprised but not overwhelmed yet and might try to handle the problem with a paper towel, household cleaner or the nearest can of over the counter bug spray.

None of those options will solve the problem and one, spraying the wrong type of pesticide, can actually make the problem worse.

There is good news, however, for those in Portland with odorous ants.   If you see a small gathering of ants such as the one above, call a professional ASAP.   Prompt action will help fix your problem before the colony grows to scary proportions.

Are you ready to say goodbye to your ants?   Let All Pest Control help you today – get your FREE estimate.

Some homeowners will immediately see them inside of their homes.

Others will first see ant activity (whether Carpenter Ants or Odorous House Ants) outside, then see them start to show up indoors.   Let’s briefly address ant activity that is currently only showing up outdoors.

First off, please keep in mind that even though you only see them outdoors, that does not mean that they may not be indoors.   Most homes have plenty of areas that are out of sight where ants can be colonizing.   Examples of such areas can be wall voids, cabinetry voids, crawl spaces and attics.

Regardless, if you spot ants near your house, consider doing the following.   Walk the entire house perimeter and look for areas where shrubbery may be touching the siding.   As a general rule, a two foot boundary between plants and siding is best.   Also look for tree limbs that dangle near the roof or gutter line.   All of these contact points can very quickly become a super highway for ants to travel into your home in high numbers.

The simple mechanical chore of trimming back some greenery goes a long way as a preventative method to avoid interior ant infestations.    Happy trimming!

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Heidi_Ball]Heidi Ball

Nothing is much worse than seeing a cockroach scurry across the kitchen.They have been shown to transport a number of bacteria and viruses on their icky little bodies. They can cause some serious health problems and should be eliminated as soon as possible.

Termites and carpenter ants are a significant cause for worry. While they don’t carry the diseases that cockroaches do, they can destroy buildings and crops. Termites especially as they live in colonies from several hundred to several million in number.

In some places the battle of ticks and fleas is ongoing. Ticks can be found in tall grass and shrubs where they wait for an unsuspecting "host" to attach themselves to. They can transmit Lyme disease which indeed can be very serious. Fleas live off the blood of mammals and birds. They are great jumpers and also a great source of disease. They can transmit things as serious as the bubonic plague and also as awful as tapeworms.

Mites and bed bugs can bite and create painful skin irritation. Scratching an itchy bite from a mite can lead to secondary infection. Bed bugs feed on their host while they sleep. They use a sharp beak to pierce the skin and then feed on the blood. A full grown bed bug will feed for as long as 10 to 15 minutes. As horrible as it may sound, bed bugs are most frequently found in hotels or shelters. They are not a result of poor housekeeping or bad hygiene, they are just around.

Especially with those with allergic reactions to bees, having hornets’ nests or yellow jackets around their dwelling can be scary and dangerous. Hornets will sting repeatedly if their nests are disturbed.  Carpenter bees can also be a problem as they can drill into wood and nest in the hole.

Rats and mice can be a problem both indoors and out. Some rats, like the Norway rat, can weigh up to one pound and can be up to 18 inches long. They can cause extensive damage to buildings and homes as they can cause problems with the foundation and some of their nests can cause electrical systems to short circuit. They are large contaminators of food and can transmit deadly diseases. Mice can cause some of the same problems on a smaller scale, but carry the same disease risks.

If you are experiencing any sort of pest problem, dqpestcontrol.com ( http://www.dqpestcontrol.com) can help with   Nassau County Animal Control.  Heidi Ball is a freelance writer

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Heidi_Ball http://EzineArticles.com/?Pests-That-Need-Control&id=2075044

Another common pest in the Portland area that in worthy of quick action is the odorous house ant.   While not an overly destructive pest, they can get out of control very quickly.   They usually start becoming more prevalent in the Portland area during March and April. – Tom

Usually, it is just one or two that you spot the first time that you see ants in your home. “What is an ant or two?” you might say to yourself as you either squish it, grab it with tissue is preparation for flushing or personally escort it to the back door. You might not even see any more signs of them for days or weeks.   How soon the next sighting is depends a lot on what the Portland Oregon weather is currently like.

But then there is that terrible moment when you round a corner, focus on something that doesn’t look right, and then suddenly realize that there are a dozen or two or three ants crawling all over something not intended for them! A quick rush for a can of bug spray, window cleaner or anything handy that has a list of chemical names on it is almost always the next step.

Let me suggest something different at that point. Resist spraying anything in you household cupboard on them. I know that you want them either dead, gone or both as soon as possible but believe it or not, spaying them with that handy household chemical is counter-productive. The vast majority of the time, it actually serves to make the problem worse.

The reason for this is that when you see a few ants, you are almost always only view the tip of the iceberg.

Rarely is what you see all that you have. Consider the visible ants to be the welcoming committee, announcing their presence with authority that they have moved into the house. Killing a few does nothing to solve the real problem – the nest.

Even worse, however, is that most household chemicals will form a temporary barrier. While this might sound like a good idea, in effect what is has the potential for doing is stressing the ant colony, making them work harder and eventually show up elsewhere in the structure with even more vigor. Some species, such as odorous house ants, actually respond by budding, creating an offshoot colony with its own queen. If you have ever tried holding a beach ball under water, you will soon realize a similar effect with your ant. They will just shoot up more elsewhere with more force.

The best plan of action is to call a professional pest control company by the second time you see ants.

This first time could always just be some “crawl-ins” from outdoors but if you see them a second time, they are there to stay. Services usually are very reasonable and the sooner you call, the smaller and more affordable the eradication job is. Additionally, the problem is addressed immediately and you can be back to having an ant free house instead of fighting a losing battle for a month before call for help.

If you live in the Portland Metro area and have seen an ant or two, please give us a call and we will be glad to help.

The first inclination, when faced with this situation, is to take immediate action. However, what the average Portland homeowner has on hand for such occasions is usually fairly limited. A spray can of scented room spray is usually first out of the gate. Often, someone might spend upwards of a day trying to convince his or her self that this is really working. But the smell is still there. It might be time to break out scented carpet powders, start burning candles, or just the house an extended airing out (not a fun option in the middle of winter.)

But when you have cycled through all of these ineffective options, the underlying smell of decay. So, are there any option left for the desperate homeowner to get rid of these odors?

Yes. The first option should always be to track down and if found, remove the dead mouse or rat. If you are fortunate enough to find it, don’t expect an immediate cessation of the terrible, pungent odor. The surrounding areas and item in the house will likely still have the smell in them as the result of having been absorbing it for a period of time.

Next of the odor elimination list, even if the rodent was found, is to get a professional grade odor neutralizer. Unlike fragrance, which doesn’t solve the problem but just changes the smell to a different variation of disgusting, odor neutralizers actually bond with the odor. Once bonded, the smell that eventually reaches your noise is odorless. Of course, there are times when even the best neutralizer will only help so much and additional neutralizing must be done, but this is a much more successful approach to making your home livable again.

If you are experiencing any odors in your home, whether from mice and rats or something else, please give All Pest Control Company a call. We are very skilled at tracking down the odor source and use the best available neutralizers available.

This is a good, general article, applicable for the types of ants we experience in the Portland Oregon area.   It doesn’t go into any depth in terms of the strategical processes a professional pest control technician would use for best results, but is is helpful for a obtaining base  understanding of problem. – Tom

On any given day, you may see hordes of ants, marching into your home. They may be searching for food and water, shelter from outside elements.

Here are some steps you can take to get rid of these industrious creatures.

1. Follow the ant to its source of entry, could be a window, molding crevice or floor crack.
2. With Boric acid, form a barrier at the source, or use laundry detergent, must be in powder form.
3. If they have attacked any food, remove it to a garbage container, outside your home.
4. If they have invaded your kitchen garbage can, take it outside, hose it out and wash with dishwashing liquid.
5. Put any food they have NOT found in zip lock bags, or in sealable plastic containers. or the refrigerator.
6. Ants can penetrate metal-threaded lids on glass jars. Glass jars are immune from ants, only if sealed with rubber gasket.
7. Once you have secured the food,vacuum up the ant line, along with some cornstarch( this helps to suffocate them inside the bag).
8. Use dishwashing liquid and hot water to wash the area around the ant line to erase any scent of the trail.
9. Seal the area where the ants entered; caulk windows and cracks and weather strip doors. Apply duct tape or petroleum jelly over holes as a temporary fix.
10. Go outside and see if you can find out where the ants entered the house. They may have used an overhanging branch to enter, if so, trim it off.
11. Check the area in an hour. If you see any single ants, or scouts searching the area, squash them( sorry!) but they are checking out the area for future invasions!
12. If you wish to wipe out the ant population, use ant traps that contain" Boric Acid". The returning ants poison the whole colony.

I would point out however, that in the garden, ants can play a beneficial role, so only use the above method if absolutely necessary
Here are some tips that may help;

Some natural ant deterrents include crumbled bay leaves, cinnamon, peppermint leaves and cayenne pepper. If an indoor plant is infested with ants, take it outside and flood it several times with a hose, to remove them.Insecticidal sprays kill only the ants that you spray, which will be a very small percentage of a colony, and won’t prevent future invasions. Please make sure, if you do use a spray, keep children and pets away.

In the house, I found that sprinkling the doorways with a powder cleaner ie, Ajax, kept the ants from crossing the line of powder and they did not enter the house.

One word of warning!! If you have Carpenter ants, which are a larger species, as they burrow into wood and cause terrible damage, do NOT keep any piles of decaying wood near your house, as this attracts them.

The methods I have outlined above, if used diligently, should go a long way to eliminate your pesky visitors.

Here is a helpful article about carpenter ants.   It is pertinent to anyone in the Portland Oregon Metro Area who suspects that they may have a carpenter ant infestation.   The article is written simply, without getting into too much technical trade and research jargon. – Tom

Carpenter Ants can cause a great deal of damage to your home.

These large brown or black ants live mainly in wooded areas but from time to time might try to enter your home. This article will help you identify carpenter ants and help you prevent an infestation.

There are many potential signs of an infestation that you can look out for.

1. Look for large winged ants. These are breeders and if you spot them, you probably have a colony nearby.

2. Examine your woodwork. Look for sawdust and small slits around and on your woodwork. This will show you where carpenter ant have been working.

3. Another sign of an infestation is clicking noises coming from your walls. The ants are so voracious that you can actually hear them working behind walls. it will sound like a quiet rustling noise.

So how can you keep from getting an infestation? There are several things that you can do.

1. Do not let wood become wet. Make sure that damp areas of your home have good ventilation so that they dry quickly. If you get a water leak, be sure to fix it promptly and dry the area.

2. Trim tree branches away from your home. A branch touching your house is a good way to give ants access.

3. Clear your gutters to keep them free of debris.

4. Lastly, set up a regular pest control program.

If you think you have an infestation be sure to call a local pest control service as soon as possible. You need to take care of the problem before they do major damage to your home. If you do not have a problem take action to make sure that these insects never get the chance to move in.

But that doesn’t mean that there is no pest activity during winter.   Particularly during untypically severe weather, some pests can be prompted into action.

As mentioned in the previous post, rodents are one of the most common critters to start showing up during the cold months.   Hey, they prefer the warmth just like us.   These months are a good time to check and repair obvious entry points such as loose exterior doors, damaged screens, and exterior insulation around pipes and venting.    Be sure to keep food tightly stored and avoid excessive clutter (I know that is hard to do right after Christmas and the holidays!)

By no means do rats and mice have the house to themselves, however.   Roaches can often show up during this time of year.   While they are much more common in restaurants (sorry for mentioning this – I don’t like considering this fact either) and higher traffic residences such as apartments or motels, they still show up in single family homes.   Being the prolific breeders that they are, finding even one is cause for taking prompt action.   Always give a good inspection to any used furniture, packages stored remotely for extended periods of time or large boxes for potential intruders.

Another group of pests not shy to show up in winter are "pantry pests", meal moths and other related species.   Like a roach, they can travel into your home via outside sources.   Keep an eye on dry goods such as flour and cereals, birdseed and other carbohydrate heavy food stuffs.   Also take quick action if you spot any webbing or larvae where you keep your food.

Finally, it is not unheard of to see ants, both Carpenter Ants and small ants (usually odorous house ants) during this season.   It will usually be the wetter parts of the home (kitchen sinks, bathrooms, and laundry rooms) where you will first notice them.

The cold temperatures are pushing some of last mice and rats indoors for more comfortable nesting.   This migration commonly happens throughout the fall, but recent cold is forcing the issue with those that had yet to seek warmer surroundings.   Often, after strong fall rains and winds, a few more entry points to structures have loosened and opened up.   It doesn’t take much space for a mouse or rate to squeeze through a gap.

This is an especially important time to keep floors and hidden areas clean of loose food.   Every rodent that survives through the winter is primed to start breading soon thereafter.   With their short gestation periods, quickness to maturity, and large litters, things can get quickly out of hand come spring.   So if you see any signs of intrusion, it is wise to take quick action right now and save yourself alot of money and headache in a few months.