West Hills, CA Pest Control

How Can I Avoid Stinging Insect Bites In West Hills?

The stinging insects of the West Hills area, such as bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, and more, are a severe health threat. Multiple stings can lead to harmful medical conditions, including anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal. Here are the best ways to avoid a dangerous infestation in the yard:

• Limit sources of sugar in the yard. 
• Store outdoor trash securely. 
• Maintain the lawn regularly. 
• Remove nests promptly (only with professional help). 

Removing nests promptly is the best way to frustrate these stinging insects and encourage them to move off of your property. However, this is the most dangerous activity when it comes to increasing your chances of a harmful, or even deadly, encounter. That’s why you should never try to remove a bee or wasp nest yourself.

Instead, enlist the regular nest-removal services of our highly trained stinging insect control experts. With years of experience, we can remove these nests without putting anyone at risk. Give us a call today to schedule your free estimate.

The Best Way To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs In Your West Hills Home

When bed bugs get into your West Hills home, they will hide in tight spaces, cracks, gaps, and voids. It is difficult to treat these spaces and many treatment methods focus on applying residual products that bed bugs will come in contact with when they emerge. These treatments have a high potential to fail because bed bugs can develop a resistance to chemicals. On top of this, bed bugs work together to avoid danger. Our recommendation is to use methods that get into the hiding places bed bugs use inside your home, such as a heat treatment or fumigation.

• Heat - This all-natural method uses temperature-controlled heating units and sensors to elevate the temperature in areas where bed bugs are found. The heat radiates into their hiding places and gets to where it can stop your infestation at its source.
• Fumigation - When bed bugs are widespread throughout a structure, it may be necessary to use fumigation to address the problem. Fumigants work their way into every nook, cranny, and pore, and knock down all bed bugs within the structure. It is a lot like flicking a reset switch.

If you're dealing with a bed bug infestation in your West Hills home, feel free to reach out to us here at Ventura Pest Control for our bed bug control service. We're always standing ready to help.

Are Rodents A Year-Round Problem In West Hills?

Yes. The temperatures in West Hills are never low enough or high enough to stop rodent activity. It is important to apply pest maintenance all year long to prevent rodents from entering your home. Here are a few suggestions:

• Remove lawn clutter. Rodents have poor eyesight and will use objects in a yard to navigate by touch. An open space is a natural buffer against rodents.
• Remove hiding places. When rodents hide under objects next to your home or get into unprotected voids beneath structures, it allows them to routinely explore your exterior and find entry points.
• Consider food sources. Move bird feeders away from your exterior. Keep trash protected. Pick up acorns and other nuts or fruits.
• Seal entry points. While mice and rats can chew a hole in order to enter your home, they're more likely to access your home through tiny holes that already exist.

If you take these steps, you can reduce rodent activity around your home and prevent rodents from getting inside. These steps are likely to be enough. If not, keep Ventura Pest Control in mind. We offer industry-leading rodent control at a fair price.

Is Your West Hills Home At Risk For Spiders?

Yes. But you can reduce the risk of having spiders inside your home if you roll your sleeves up and do some pest control maintenance, such as:

• Spider web removal. When you remove webs, you have the potential of removing spider egg sacs. A single egg sac can have hundreds of eggs in it. Doing this will result in a population reduction. It will also deter spiders from creating more webs.
• Remove hiding places. Spiders hide in all of the places rodents hide. Remove hiding places to reduce spider activity.
• Consider food sources. Spiders eat insects. When you address exterior white lights, perimeter moisture, dense vegetation, and other conditions that attract insects, you also reduce spider populations.
• Seal entry points. Seal exterior doors and windows, utilities, weep holes, gable vents, and other potential points of entry.

If you are diligent, you may be able to use these simple steps to reduce spider sightings inside your home to a point that is well below your threshold of comfort. When more control is needed, be aware that Ventura Pest Control offers a year-round pest service to reduce the food that spiders eat and to remove all those pesky webs.

A Handy Guide To German Cockroaches For West Hills Homeowners

The worst of all pest cockroaches is the German cockroach. These insects are so attracted to living with people that there are no known populations of German cockroaches found away from human settlements. You should be aware of this if you find these roaches in your West Hills home. We don't recommend DIY roach control for this species. But, we have suggestions that will help you keep German cockroaches from getting into your home in the first place.

• Inspect used furniture. German cockroaches can move from one location to another by hitchhiking. Always check furniture for black stains, shed skins, and egg casings—and, of cource, roaches.
• Clean trash receptacles. Cockroaches are attracted to the scent of rotting organic matter. Clean and deodorize trash receptacles so that you don't accidentally invite an infestation.
• Seal your exterior. German cockroaches use tiny gaps in weatherstripping, door sweeps, screens, frames, and more.
• Stay on top of yard work. German cockroaches love to hide under leaf litter and other organic debris.

It is a lot of work to prevent German cockroach infestations. If you'd like assistance, keep in mind that the service technicians here at Ventura Pest Control can help with sealing entry points and addressing attractants. If more control is needed, we can also apply appropriate cockroach control treatments. Reach out to us for service. We are here to help.