Venice Pest Blog

With colder temperatures arriving, the last thing on your mind is winter lawn care. Unfortunately, pests can be invading your lawn and your garden even during the colder months. How can you keep your lawn and garden pest free all year round? Keep reading to find out. Winter The best way to prepare your yard and garden for winter is to clear all debris before the first real frost of the year arrives. Rake up all leaves to prevent the piles to prevent them from killing your grass. Cut your grass to two inches or lower. If your grass is overgrown, it can become an attraction for pests. Make sure that all shrubbery, branches and trees are pruned and kept away from the house. As pests are attracted to any overgrown areas where they can find food, shelter and warmth, they may try to find these things in your garden and...

The word “organic” has become something of a buzz word over the last decade or so. When people hear this word it conjures up images of healthy items such as food. But did you know that your pest control can also be labeled as “organic”? If you want to learn more about what this term means and how it applies to pest control, read more. What is Organic Pest Control? Just like food, when it comes to pest control the term “organic” relates to whether or not the substances used are natural or not. Because pest control often involves a lot of chemicals, there is concern that these synthetic chemicals can cause damage to people, animals or the environment. When we use naturally-occurring pesticides and non-chemical substances, there is less damage on the surrounding environment and less cause for concern. These organic substances can include a variety of materials, including those...

Rodents are smart creatures. They do not want to spend time outside and exposed to the elements in the winter any more than people do. Their solution is to seek refuge in the warmth of people's houses. If you want to keep your house from becoming a safe haven for rodents this winter, follow these simple steps. Keep Food Securely Stored Rodents can easily survive on any food you leave out on the counters or that falls to the floor. To keep rodents out of your house, make sure all of your food products are safely stored away in sealed containers. Be vigilant about wiping crumbs off counters and sweeping them off the floor. Do not forget about your pet’s food. Rodents will happily feast on it as well. So, keep it in a sealed container that is stored off the floor when your pet is not eating. Seal Entry Points...

Cockroaches are commonly found in warm, moist environments like your basement. Then, they explore your house through drains and pipes. If you leave food out on the counter or dirty dishes piled in the sink, you could be setting yourself up as host of a big cockroach party that extends well beyond the normal places to discover the disease-ridden creatures. Some people are very surprised to find an infestation in their ovens. Isn’t That a Myth? Many people believe it’s just a myth that cockroaches will take over an oven. It is not. Cockroaches can and will inhabit your oven. Cockroaches carry E. coli, salmonella, and other sorted diseases. For most of us, it is truly horrifying to find our beloved baking appliance full of cockroaches. Why the Oven? As discussed earlier, cockroaches like warm, dark places. They also like food. The oven checks off most of the boxes on their...

Seeing pests like mice or roaches out in the open inside your home is upsetting for many reasons. The problem that most homeowners experience when dealing with pest problems is finding where the pests are hiding during their inactive hours of the day. After all, you can’t get rid of them completely until you clear out their nest, burrow or other cozy hiding place. The good news? There are places in your home that make ideal habitats for pests. All you need to do is check these places out, and get rid of the pests permanently if you find them there. If these areas are clear, then make sure pests can’t establish a foothold there and prep the area accordingly. Here’s a list of the spots in your home pests love to hide. Check them out and see if you can stop an infestation before it starts. Back of Cupboards These...

Venice Pest Control has been serving Venice, Florida and its surrounding areas since 1974. If you're looking for a reliable, experienced company to take care of your pest problems, we are the people to call! Florida has a warm, tropical climate and is home to many different kinds of pests. This area has termites, cockroaches, fleas, ticks, ants, spiders, and rodents. No matter what kind of home you live in, you might be susceptible to any one of these pests. These pests can really cause problems for you, especially if you have children and pets. But this is why we're here! We can eliminate any of these pests in no time at all. We can tackle even the most severe pest problem, and your home will feel safe again. Don't get discouraged - give us a call, and we will take care of the problem for you! Carpenter Ants Carpenter ants...

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t like spiders. While many of us can tolerate knowing that these creatures share our living spaces, ignorance is bliss. As long as we don’t see them, we don’t care about them. Nonetheless, living in Florida means that you may be sharing your home with more spiders than you might think. There are a lot of advantages to living in the Sunshine state, but having fewer eight-legged friends isn’t one of them. So, with that in mind, we want to go over the most common spiders you may (hopefully not) find at some point. Black Widow Although these spiders are well-known for being deadly, they aren’t too aggressive unless provoked (as is true with most species). Also, it’s good to keep in mind that the black body and red hourglass shape is only found on females. Males are dark gray or brown, and many...

Although pests are small creatures, they can cause lots of damage to a house. Normally, when extensive damage is done to a home, a homeowner’s insurance policy will cover the cost of repairing the damage. So, it is reasonable to assume that your policy will also cover damage caused by pests. However, that is not necessarily the case. You need to take a close look at your policy to see exactly what it covers. Keep reading to learn some valuable information about pest damage and insurance. Pest Infestations are Considered Maintenance Issues Most insurance companies consider damage that is done by pests to be nothing more than a maintenance issue that was preventable. So, insurance companies are hesitant to pay a claim for something they think likely would not have occurred if the homeowner had taken the proper precautionary steps. Therefore, the cost of repairing the damage must be paid by...

Being a homeowner brings many challenges- among them, keeping out pests. Unfortunately, insects and rodents enjoy making their own nests inside your home as it offers warmth, comfort and food. Keeping your home pest free is important not only for cleanliness but also for safety. As there are many common pests that can cause severe damage to your home, you need to be aware of them and what they can do to your home. Keep reading to find out more about common pests and the damage that they can do. Termites Termites are commonly found in basements and attics, eating away at the wooden beams in your home. These pests can tunnel underground and through your walls, beams and any other wooden structure, causing the structure of your home to be significantly weakened. Unfortunately, this means that they can do a lot of damage without being detected immediately. If you have...

When most people hear the word "fleas," they almost never think of them as a potential problem for human beings, and if you were to tell somebody that you had fleas, they may question whether or not they heard you correctly. It’s usually taken for granted that non-human animals such as dogs and cats are the only creatures at risk of these sesame seed-sized menaces. However, it is quite possible for you and others you know to suffer from flea bites. Here are some ways humans can get fleas, and how to avoid them. Humans with Fleas? Although it’s much less common for humans to get fleas than dogs, it happens more frequently than you might think. What fleas want in a host is simple: warmth, a little moisture and places to hide (namely, fur/hair). Humans have all three of those things, only with fewer hiding spots. Since dogs are almost...

There are probably just as many home remedies, life hacks and Do-It-Yourself bits of wisdom to rid your home of pests as there are species of pests. Much like infomercials, some of the ideas can be too good to be true. Some suggestions can seem unrelated to the problem, while others will seem so simple that you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of it. It’s all a matter of answering the question on everybody’s mind: Does it really work? Does It Really Work? Short Answer: It depends. Certain home remedies do work but must be followed to the letter, with any deviation resulting in a dud. Some remedies are partial truths. Other remedies are just wishful thinking. One example is the idea that pouring boiling water on an ant hill will destroy the colony. While the boiling water will certainly kill any ants it comes into direct contact with, the temperature...

A roach infestation is something to take very seriously. After seeing one cockroach in the home, you should expect more to be hiding elsewhere. With that said, pest control services need to take care of your problems as soon as possible. But to make sure to try and never cause another cockroach infestation, it is important to understand how they are caused in the first place. Where Do Cockroaches Come From? The short answer to this question is that people bring them into their homes. Without the reliance on human beings, cockroaches won’t have the resources they need to survive and thrive. It is difficult for most people to imagine a natural habitat for cockroaches that isn’t somebody’s home. Cockroaches do live in settings such as caves and forests, but the real motivator for a cockroach to leave its home is for a human to go where it lives to unintentionally...

Ants are one of the most common creatures that come to mind when people hear the word ‘pest.’ However, not all ants are the same. What many people may not know is that there are actually 12,000 different species of ants out there. All these different species have their own appearance, their own region they inhabit, and their own particular way of making people's lives miserable when invading their homes. All these different kinds of ants can get confusing, so here is a guide to the most common species of ants you may find and what kind of impact they cause. Acrobat Ants Acrobat ants have two nodes on their heads and are about 2.5 to 3 millimeters long. These ants live primarily throughout the Eastern United States, they nest in damaged wood, and they will sting if threatened, although they do not typically invade indoors. Acrobat ants vary in color...

Cockroaches are fact of life in sunny Florida, but that doesn't mean they have to infest your Sarasota or Venice area home. Determining if your home is infested with cockroaches or if there is just a nearby infestation can be difficult for many homeowers. Here is what to look for when trying to spot a cockroach infestation in your home: Feces/Droppings If you notice any substance that looks like coffee grounds where you know they should not be, it is a good indication you have cockroaches. Roaches leave droppings that are indicative of their size. So, you should easily be able to tell what size bug to look for. Leave a few glue traps out to capture a roach or two to truly identify what is infesting your home. Determining where the largest number of droppings are being left is also key to wiping them out effectively since it is a...

Venice Pest Control is dedicated to helping you protect your family and your property from the pests that pose potential hazards to your health and the structure of your home. One of the leading hazards to your home are termites. These insects are small and easily overlooked, which means that they can do extensive damage to the structural components of your home before you realize there is an infestation. Termites can naturally enter your home or be introduced to your house through the placement of contaminated mulch placed near the foundation. Once they enter your home, they seek out the wooden support structures of floors and walls. The damage they cause as they chew through the wood can weaken the entire structure, and eventually lead to a collapse of some areas. Termites also experience a swarm season in the warmer spring and summer months. They may also migrate to your home...

Spiders can be beneficial to your home in some ways by keeping smaller insects away, but they are never pleasant to look at, especially when you don't know how they get inside your home in the first place. If you want to get spiders out of your home and keep them away, it's important to take a walk-through of your home to determine where they are entering as there are a few common places to look at first. Obvious ways that spiders enter your home are through cracks underneath and around the doors and windows. They could also sneak inside when you have the doors and windows open if there is enough space for them to get through. They can also enter the home by going through holes underneath your sinks and around pipes. Holes in the walls that lead to the outside are also good ways for spiders to get...

If you live in Florida, then you know that there are a few pests that are known to destroy lawns if they are not dealt with as soon as possible. A common pest in Florida that builds hills and tunnels through lawns is the ant. There are different types of ants that can make their homes in lawns. When they create tunnels, they weaken the soil in the yard, which can then cause holes to develop. One type of ant that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible and that can be exterminated by Venice Pest Control is the fire ant. They can bite and leave red marks and painful stings on the body if you come in contact with them. Another common pest is the armyworm. They are usually seen in the fall months, but they can invade your lawn in the summer as well. They feed on...

Ticks, which look like spiders, are nuisances that many Florida homeowners have to face. And, at times, they can be dangerous. Fortunately, there are quite a few ways to keep these pests away from you and your family. Ticks and Your Home Ticks often attach themselves to dogs and sometimes to human skin. Then, when the dog or the person goes inside, the ticks can find hiding spots in walls and in other places. The good news is that, without supplies of food, ticks usually can't survive more than a few days inside a house. The bad news, though, is that ticks can spread Lyme disease and other infections. These conditions can be life-threatening. To avoid ticks, you could apply an insect repellent to your skin, shoes, and clothing before heading outside. Don't forget to spray your dog as well. Then, just before you go indoors, look yourself over to make...

Pests can eat away your trees or shrubs, which exposes other vegetation in the area to danger. If you live in a region that is warm and humid during certain months of the year, you might also have an infestation of pests at some point. If you know the most common signs of an infestation, you can take precautions to prevent additional damage to your property. Protect your lawn, garden and home from pests by learning the five most common signs of an infestation: Holes in the leaves of trees will indicate a pest infestation. Many small insects will feed on the leaves of shrubs or trees to survive. They will burrow into the plant and leave large gaping holes in the leaves. Different pests will create holes of different sizes in the plants. If you see cocoons perched from the branches of your trees, you might expect to experience a...

Ants are attracted to a variety of foods, and they may appear any time during the year for this reason. However, you can initiate an effective ant-control program by sealing the foods that are most desirable to ants in sealed containers. In order to do this effectively, you need to know what kind of foods these ants will find most attractive. This information can help you to make decisions that will deter ants from entering your property. Properties of Foods Every food has certain dominant characteristics, and ants may find these attractive. Understanding the properties of the foods that attract ants can help you to identify these foods and store them safely. Although certain foods will compel ants to invade your home or office rapidly, they will also be willing to eat a wide variety as well. This is why it is important to protect your location by sealing the foods...