Over the years, bed bugs have become more and more of a problem in our homes. A common misconception is that bed bugs only show up in dirty houses, but the truth is that bed bugs can make themselves at home in any location where people sleep. Bed bugs can't jump or fly, but they have adapted and learned to travel with people from place to place.

There are two common ways that bed bugs enter our homes. The first way is after you come into contact with bed bugs, usually in a public place, they crawl onto you or into your personal belongings (bag or purse), and you bring them home with you. The second way is after purchasing used furniture or another secondhand item infested with bed bugs.

Knowing a few helpful pieces of information about bed bugs can help you identify an infestation sooner rather than later and get the professional help necessary to eliminate an infestation. Bed bugs are small and can be tricky to spot, but they certainly aren't impossible to see as long as you know the basics of what a bed bug looks like. They are the size and shape of an apple seed and are reddish-brown. Bed bugs hide during the day when you are awake and emerge at night to feed on you and your family's blood as you sleep. Despite their name, bed bugs don't just stay in the bedroom; they travel throughout your house, hiding in any tight, dark crack or crevice they find.

Some areas of your Eugene home you should regularly inspect for bed bugs include:

• Seams of mattresses and box springs
• Behind cushions of upholstered furniture
• Inside electrical outlets
• Behind baseboards and wood trim
• Behind wall hangings
• In clutter

If you suspect bed bugs have traveled into your Oregon home, immediately contact us at Ultimate Pest Control, LLC, and learn about our bed bug control solutions. To further help you protect your house against bed bugs, we want to provide you with our most practical bed bug prevention tips.

• Keep your home as clutter-free as possible; clutter doesn't attract bed bugs, but it will provide them with spots to hide.
• Place bed bug-proof covers on your family's mattresses and box springs to take away one of the bed bug's preferred hideouts.
• Regularly vacuum your floors and upholstered furniture to get rid of stray bed bugs that may have come inside with you.
• If possible, don't purchase used furniture for use inside of your house.
• After purchasing clothing, used or new, immediately wash and dry it on high heat settings.

Rodents are persistent pests in constant pursuit of their most basic needs: food, water, and shelter. As people have taken over more and more of the natural habitats of rodents, they have adapted to living near people, much to our dismay! There are many different species of rodents living worldwide, but the two that have developed a very close relationship with people are the mouse and rat. Both have learned that our yards and homes can offer them everything they need to nest, eat, and breed successfully.

Rodents cause property damage, health issues, and contaminate our food sources, making them extremely unwelcome in our Eugene homes and businesses. We identify mice and rats by their large ears, long tails, furry bodies, and chisel-like front teeth that grow continuously throughout their lives. Rodents are nocturnal, and unless you are dealing with a large infestation, you won't see these pests out and about during the day, they hide in their nesting spots.

If rodents are in your home, though you may not see them, you will likely notice signs of their presence. Hearing noises behind walls at night, finding gnaw marks on boxes, cabinets, and furniture, finding droppings in drawers, or noticing a musty odor are some of the most common signs of a rodent problem.

If you are concerned about rodents living around your home, reach out to us at Ultimate Pest Control, LLC. To help you protect your property against rodents, we want to offer you some of our most practical rodent prevention tips.

• Take away access to food in your yard by keeping lids on trash cans and compost bins, picking up uneaten pet food, maintaining gardens, and keeping outdoor eating areas free of food debris.
• Limit their access to food in your home by keeping a clean kitchen, storing food in the fridge or airtight containers, and vacuuming regularly.
• Look at your home's exterior and seal any gaps or other openings you discover either at or above ground level. 
• Remove clutter where rodents can hide both inside and outside your house.

Spiders are often misunderstood and only remembered as pests whose eight legs and quick movements startle us regularly, but did you know that spiders perform a very beneficial service? They act as nature's pest control experts! Their predatory feeding habits help minimize the number of insects that spread diseases and cause damage to crops. Like any critter, when they decide to move into our yards in large numbers or breach a barrier into our homes, it's hard to remember their benefits as they transform into unwanted pests. No matter how helpful, spiders should never be allowed to take over our properties and make us uncomfortable in our own homes!

Spiders are arachnids, and each species is unique. Some are big, some are small, some are covered in hair, and others are hairless and shiny. Some spiders jump, others run very fast, and some build webs while others prefer to burrow!

In our area of Oregon, some spiders that you may run into include:

• Black widow spiders
• Hobo spiders
• Giant house spiders

While most of the spiders we come across are harmless to people, the black widow spider is one that is considered dangerous. They and other dangerous spiders have venom powerful enough to affect a person and cause us harm. Spiders are naturally shy and reclusive and do their best to hide from us, so if you are spotting large numbers of them in your yard or home, there is likely a large infestation present. Spiders prefer to live outside in areas where there are many insects to hunt. When those insects move indoors to escape bad weather or to search for food, spiders will follow. Once inside, as long as their needs are met, they tend to stay.

Spiders belong outside and away from our home and yards; if they have become a problem on your property, reach out to Ultimate Pest Control, LLC for help identifying, eliminating, and preventing their return. To further help you protect your property against spiders, we want to provide you with our most practical spider prevention tips.

• Control and eliminate moisture around your home. Spiders and many of the insects they feed on are attracted to areas with excess moisture.
• Keep lids on trash cans and store them away from the sides of your home; many insects that spiders feed on are attracted to trash containers.
• Inspect your home's exterior, sealing any openings you discover that spiders could move through.
• Cut overgrown shrubs, bushes, and trees back away from your home's exterior.
• Clear excess clutter from your house where spiders can hide.

The same thing happens every spring and summer; we are out and about minding our own business trying to enjoy a park, an outdoor event, or our backyards, and suddenly, stinging insects are making any enjoyment impossible with the threat of the painful stings.

Stinging insects bring many benefits to the table, including natural pest control provided by predatory species and the pollination of plants and crops that bees and others provide. These pests are most beneficial when they live outside, well away from our yards and the outdoor spaces we frequent. When in our yards, they are dangerous and unwanted pests!

Stinging insects that regularly nest in our yards and become a threat to people and pets are bald-faced hornets, yellow jackets, and wasps. They are all predatory species and feed on insects. These stinging insects also feed on the same proteins and sweets we do, and you'll often see them around trash cans, recycling bins, outdoor eating areas, and compost piles or gardens. Food initially attracts them to a property, and safe sheltered areas entice stinging insects to build a nest and stay for the long haul.

Some of the most common places to discover stinging insect nests include trees, shrubbery, the exterior of homes, under decks or fence rails, and ground holes. Other less than ideal places that stinging insects often make their home include wall voids, play structures, and under outdoor furniture. Inspecting common nesting sites will help you keep an eye out for them, allowing you to call for professional help before their colony becomes too large and dangerous.

If stinging insects ever nest in your Oregon yard or home, immediately reach out to us at Ultimate Pest Control, LLC. To further help you protect your property against stinging insects, we want to offer you some of our most practical stinging insect prevention tips.

• Cut back shrubbery and trees from your home's exterior.
• Fill in ground holes that develop in your yard.
• Inspect fences, decks, outdoor furniture, and play structures regularly for stinging insect nests.
• Keep lids on trash cans and recycling bins.
• Make sure outdoor eating areas are free of food debris. 
• Maintain your lawn, keep the grass cut short and get rid of flowering weeds. 

Wildlife are those animals that are not tame; their "wild" nature makes them difficult to control when they choose to make our properties into their home. Wild animals can survive on their own without the help of people. As we have come to live closer to or within their natural habitat, they have discovered that our properties and the food and shelter they provide make their lives easier, and they won't hesitate to take advantage!

Some of the most common wild animals that often infiltrate our properties include:

• Bats
• Birds
• Gophers
• Ground squirrels
• Moles
• Nutria
• Possums
• Raccoons
• Squirrels
• Voles

Wild animals tend to be destructive because, in order to survive, they have learned to do whatever is necessary to gain access to food and safe shelter. They dig up gardens and lawns in our yards, tear through siding, burrow under foundations, and tip over trash cans. In addition to causing damage, wild animals can be dangerous; they spread diseases that can make us ill, spread parasites, and if they feel threatened, may bite or scratch.

Many wild animals will stay outside around our yards, while others will find a way into our homes to take advantage of the safe shelter it provides. Attics, chimneys, and wall voids are the most common places to discover wild animals.

If wildlife has become a problem on your property, reach out to Ultimate Pest Control, LLC for help identifying, eliminating, and preventing their return. To further help you protect your Oregon property against wildlife, we want to provide you with our most practical wildlife prevention tips.

• Eliminate sources of water in your yard and around your home.
• Repair damage to your siding, windows, shingles, and chimney.
• Fill in holes that develop in your yard and near the foundation.
• Regularly harvest fruits and vegetables from gardens; if possible, install a fence around garden areas. 
• Keep locking lids on trash cans and compost bins.
• Cut tree branches back from your roofline.