Pest Control In Hanover, VA

When you first recognize a nasty bug in your home, you probably don’t think about disease and other health-related problems. You probably don’t even consider the damage pests can do to the structural integrity of your home. But, pests can reproduce and spread throughout your home in places you don’t even realize. Before you know it, your crawlspace could be home to an entire colony of mice or termites, and the infestation is unmanageable. Here are some quick facts about different pests local to Hanover County, VA, and the dangers they pose.

• Mosquitos: Mosquitos love warm, humid areas, and Central, VA, has a longer spring and summer than fall and winter. According to the Virginia Department of Health, the Asian Tiger Mosquito is the most common biter in our area and they are called “container breeders” because they breed in buckets, small pools, roof gutters, bird baths, and trash cans that hold standing water. The Asian Tiger Mosquito also carries diseases and spreads them to humans. Some of the diseases include Zika, West Nile, Dengue, and Malaria, but the most common is West Nile Virus. 1 in 5 people who get West Nile gets a fever and other symptoms, and 1 in 150 can get a serious, fatal case of the disease.
• Stinging Insects: Central, VA is home to many different insects that cant sting, resulting in serious allergic reactions. One of the most dangerous is the Bald-faced Hornet. This hornet is part of the yellow-jacket family, and they are extremely aggressive. You could try to safely remove the nest, and before you know it, you’re surrounded by tons of them stinging you over and over. Like honeybees, they can sting multiple times and even tear your skin using their sharp mandibles. Bald-faced Hornets usually hide their nests in bushes and trees, so when you notice one, there could already be a dangerous hive nearby.
• Black Widows and Brown Recluse Spiders: Virginia is home to 4 poisonous spiders but, there are 2 highly recognizable ones. Spiders usually want to run away instead of attack, but it doesn’t make them less dangerous because they like to live in dark, damp spaces within your home. Before you realize you’ve disturbed them, you have already been bitter. Black Widows prefer places like sheds, garages, and outbuildings. They don’t like moisture which means they usually avoid crawlspaces but, you can find them under stones, near entrances, and under overhanging ledges. Brown Recluse spiders are the other well-known poisonous spider in Virginia. Brown Recluse spiders are commonly found right within your home! They like dimly lit and moist locations like basements, closets, crawlspaces, or inside your shoes. These spiders can bite unexpectedly and their bites can cause lesions, nausea, fever, and open wounds.
• Carpenter Ants and Termites: These insects are notorious for destroying the structural integrity of your home. Carpenter Ants tunnel and nest within your house’s wood. Within these cavities is where they reproduce and raise their young. Sometimes, they are hard to spot and by the time you realize you have them, the wood in your home is a hollow shell. If you witness winged, flying ants in your home, it’s a sign you already have an infestation. Termites are more dangerous to your home’s structure than Carpenter Ants. In Hanover, VA, your home could be damaged by two different species of termite. The Eastern Subterranean Termite, and the Formosan Termite. Termite damage can be more than $3,000 to repair if the infestation isn’t caught fast enough, and they can chew through all different types of wood.

That’s not all the pests that can give you a headache. Virginia homes are also at risk of invasion by bats, rats, mice, fleas, ticks, snakes, and other small organisms. Even if you see a non-dangerous insect in your home such as a camel cricket, they can be hard to get rid of without a pest control professional.