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How Construction Sites Near You Affect Pest Control

A construction site near you will likely affect your pest control needs. This is because construction sights disrupt the existing homes for most pests. In search of new surroundings for food and shelter, they can find their way into your home. Eradicating pests before the start of construction or creating a barrier around your home is a sure way of keeping the bugs away.

Whether you are building a new home for yourself or you live near construction sites, it is essential to learn the different stages of construction, as well as the pests you can expect at each stage.

The Pre-Construction Stage

Bare land harbors different kinds of pests. Ants, termites, and mice build nests in areas with fewer activities. To prevent these pests from moving into nearby homes, it is important to treat the ground with pest control before beginning work on a construction site. The treatments should involve destroying termite colonies by targeting the queen. With the queen out of the way, future wooden structure damage is minimized.

Fire ants are another nuisance that you should be address immediately. Apart from moving to your home giving you painful bites, they disrupt construction in some areas. Leftover foods by construction workers attract them to the site eventually, leading them to your home. To stay safe from insects and rodents of construction, apply chemical barriers around your home. Keep your environment clean and ensure that foods and waste are well placed away from the reach of pests.

The Construction Stage

Some pests get trapped in the building when construction work begins. Others build nests when the construction takes too long to complete. The trapped and nesting pests can attract other prey that are looking for food. Pests you may expect to see include the snakes, coyotes, raccoons, and cats. Since your home is also another source of food, these pests may go back-and-forth between the construction site and your building. The unwelcome visitors can also introduce fleas and ticks around your home. Their waste-spreading habits also bring flies, cockroaches, and ants to your surroundings.

The Post-Construction Stage

The post-construction phase is the period between the completion of the construction and you moving-in to your new house. If most of your wooden structures are made of exotic woods, there is a possibility of experiencing infestations from wood feasting pest. The pests you are likely to see include the termites, carpenter ants, and powder post beetles.

Bees and wasps can also build nests in the voids of the house if the building is left vacant for too long. The same applies to spiders that will find an ideal settlement in the dark and secluded environment. To avoid post-construction site pests, it is recommended that new homeowners adopt an integrated pest control system. The system will protect the constructed house and also the neighboring buildings.

Conclusion

Construction sites near you will inevitably affect your pest control needs. Pest-proofing is your best bet to a pest-free house. Hiring a professional pest control company such as Bamboo Servicing will also help keep the construction pests away.

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Voles vs. Mice | Spot the Difference

Knowing the type of rodent you are dealing with is the first step to safe eradication. Voles and mice have an almost similar appearance, but a closer look at their features will reveal a difference in their look.

They also have different behavior and habitat preferences making them differ in their adaptation to different environments. While the mouse is an indoor rodent, the vole prefers the outdoors for exploration. Mice also stick to a warm and food stocked building while voles can survive outdoors in the cold winters and warm summers.

Appearance

There are five different species of voles in Utah. Most of them measure between 5-8 inches long. They have a stout body with short tails that have more fur. The eyes of voles are also larger, and they have more prominent and rounded ears.

Mice, on the other hand, are less heavy than voles. They appear in five different species around Utah, namely; deer mice, field mice, white-footed mice, cactus, and Eurasian harvest mice. Mice have a long tail which is about the same length as their body. They also have grayish brown fur with an underside of gray.

Habitat

It’s common to spot both voles and mice in the house. However, voles are usually one-time visitors that do not dwell indoors for long. Voles live at the ground where they can feed on roots and plants. They are dominant both in the cold and warm seasons, and their runway trails are visible after the melting of snow.

Mice like the indoors and will visit buildings in search of food and shelter. They stay in hidden in homes or other buildings, often in areas that are close to the wall. You will mostly spot them in kitchens, basements, and dark corners where mice nests and predatory activities are safe.

Behavior

Voles prefer open areas that are ideal for digging burrows. They are herbivorous and will mostly feed on roots, bulbs, and the bark of trees. They often chew on tree trunks that are covered with mulch or snow at the bottom. The chewing can sometimes be damaging, leading to the death of a tree due to the irregular transfer of nutrients.

Mice live in secluded areas that are close to a food source. They have a habit of biting through stored foods, and it is common to observe chewed food particles in their paths. They always leave their droppings around food sources, which is the first sign of an infestation. For nesting, you will observe soft house items stashed correctly in a dark area. Some mice share nests, and it is possible to have 2-3 families living together.

Voles and mice have adverse effects on human habitation. Voles destroy the home. Mice are a health hazard because they carry diseases. Their contact with your food supply means possible contamination and spread of diseases. To effectively get rid of voles and mice in your surroundings, contact Bamboo Servicing.