Five Signs You May Have a Termite Infestation

Termites can destroy a home in as little as one year and cost billions of dollars in damage for US homeowners. Repairing termite damage in the US typically costs between $600 and $3,000, with an average cost of $1,800 nationally. The structural integrity of your home can be compromised before you even know there’s an issue. Do you know what the signs of termite damage are? Let’s take a closer look.

Subterranean termite common in our area

1. Swarmers - appearing in the spring after the last freeze, these young females and males come out of the nest looking to mate and start a new colony. Seeing lots of discarded wings or the swarmers themselves, near windowsills and doors, is a pretty good sign that you have termites.

2. Mud tubes - look for these around the foundation of your home. Termites construct the tubes to provide moisture in between the colony and their food sources.

Termite mud tubes

3. Wood damage - Blistering or wood that sounds hollow when you when you knock on it can be a sign of termites.

4. Uneven or bubbling paint - this is either water damage or termites!

5. Frass - Termites produce wood-like droppings. If you see a small pile of wood-colored pellets, it’s a strong possibility you have a termite problem.

Seeing any or all of these signs around your home? Don’t wait, call a pest control professional in your area. In the Berks, Lebanon or Lancaster county areas? Call Siani!

Mice and Rat Control

Days are already getting shorter and there’s pumpkin spice in everything from your breakfast cereal to your beer. Soon (not soon enough, amirite?) the temperature will start to drop and some of the creatures outside may start thinking about coming inside. Read on and we’ll give you info on what animals to look out for and some tips to make sure they don’t find a way inside your house. 

Mice 

These tiny creatures (each only 1-2 inches long, not including tails) are said to be the most common mammal in the entire United States. Despite their diminutive size, the common house mouse can cause BIG problems. Not only do they reproduce at an alarming rate (up to 12 babies every few weeks!) but they are known to carry up to 200 human pathogens, including salmonella and Hantavirus. Mice will enter your home through holes no larger than a dime, so each crack and crevice is an open invitation to mice: “Come on in and set up house!” When they’re outside, they eat cereals, seeds, nuts, fruit and sometimes insects. When they’re inside, they’ll eat almost anything. They are also surprisingly agile. While you won’t see them doing any Simone Biles moves, they can jump a foot into the air, and climb up cabinetry in the kitchen to get to food. 

How can you tell if you have mice? Look for the tiny brown droppings (they eat all day long so there will be plenty!) and micro-puddles of sticky, smelly mouse urine. They’ll also leave lots of gnaw marks where they’re trying to get to food. If you see one mouse, as with most pests, there are definitely more you can’t see. 

What can you do? Start now sealing up cracks and openings in your home. Pay special attention to the areas around pipes going in and out. Steel wool works great to close these up, as well as spray foam and caulk. If the mice have already made it inside, there are a number of kinds of traps and poisons. If you’ve got a real infestation, please call a professional. 

Rats

Norway rats are what we commonly refer to as street rats or sewer rats. Like mice, they’re found all throughout the United States, but they’re much larger than mice (by 6-8 inches!). Despite their larger size, they still manage to get inside homes and businesses, sometimes by gnawing their way in. Fun fact about rat teeth: the incisors NEVER stop growing so the rats need to chew to keep the teeth at a functional length. Rats can and will chew through wood and plastic, but you may not realize they can also chew cement, brick, cinder blocks and aluminum! Also similar to mice, they reproduce rapidly and a female can have up to six litters a year! 

How can you tell if you have a rat problem? You’ll see evidence of gnawing around your house or property, droppings which are shaped like capsules, and possibly oily marks along walls where their fur has rubbed. 

What can you do? Cover and seal food containers and garbage cans. Eliminate leaky pipes, especially from damp basements and crawl spaces; rats, like all mammals, need a water source to survive, don’t supply it! Store firewood a good distance from the house (20 ft) and keep shrubbery trimmed away from the house. Screen your attic vents and chimneys, and seal up cracks and crevices. As with mice, steel wool works to plug up holes. Copper wool also works and will not rust. Replace worn weather stripping and repair your screens. 

Sometimes despite your best efforts, vermin like mice or rats find a way into your house. It’s estimated that mice invade up to 21 million homes every year between now and February. If they’re already inside, call a pest professional, we can help you eliminate your rodent problem safely and effectively. 

Don't get stung!

Did you know that over a half a million people are treated in ERs for bee stings each year? And that’s not counting the people who have severe allergic reactions!

We’re getting a lot of calls for yellow jackets so far this summer. These are the insects that resemble hornets or wasps and have distinctive yellow and black markings, though some varieties have black and white or red and white markings. They are very resourceful when it comes to nest building and can be found in shrubs, under eaves or in the ground. Contrary to myth, they don’t die when they sting, and can sting more than once. Yellow jackets can also be aggressive, especially when threatened. For this reason it’s NEVER a good idea to attempt to bring down a nest on your own.

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Similar to the yellow jacket is the wasp. The wasp nest is a distinctive papery nest usually in a tree or on the side of a building. Wasps are known to be aggressive, and can sting unprovoked. Sometimes the colony can be home to over 15,000 insects so give them a wide berth and call a pest control specialist. 

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Carpenter bees are also seen around wooden decks and porches this time of year. You don’t need to worry about finding a hive of carpenter bees, because they are solitary and build their nests, or galleries, in wood. While the male carpenter bee is the only you’ll most likely encounter, only the female carpenter bee stings. 

Now that you know the most common stinging insects for the Berks and Lebanon county areas, here’s how to avoid them: 

• Keep your decks, fences and wooden porches painted or stained. This will keep out carpenter bees. Again, only female carpenter bees sting, but the boring will damage your wooden furniture and fixtures.

• When eating outside, keep food covered, especially sweets! 

• Likewise make sure your trash is securely bagged in a covered container. 

• Pay attention to your hair, skin and soap products and what scents they have. Sweet  and strong scents will draw bees, wasps and other insects to you. 

We’ve got a variety of ways to defeat the yellow jacket, as well as other wasps and hornets, which include nest removal, treating the ground nests with pesticide or an aerosol spray to treat a nest that is high off the ground. Again, do not attempt to remove a nest of any kind of stinging insect on your own! Call us to schedule an appointment for safe, complete stinging insect nest removal!

Why Choose Siani Pest Control?

There are a lot of choices out there for pest control companies. Whether you just want someone to take down a wasp nest or need your home or business treated for an infestation; whether you are in the Berks, Lebanon or Lancaster county areas, you want a company that is knowledgeable, efficient and treats customers like valued family members. You want Siani! Here are the top 7 reasons Siani should be your pest control company. 

We make appointments, so you can make plans. 

Siani Pest Control will set an actual appointment time, so you can go about your day.

Some other companies give you a three hour window; we leave that to the cable guys. You can book an actual appointment with Siani and trust we’ll be there when we say we will, so you can go about your day. 

We’re family owned and operated. 

We care about this business because for us, it’s all in the family. Our team truly is a team, working together to ensure the best services at the best price. You can call our number and get a knowledgeable, helpful person on the line. 

Spotted Lanternfly

We were one of the very first in the nation to take on the SLF invasion when it arrived near Boyertown in 2014 and we’re proud to say our proprietary technique for control of this invasive species remains at the cutting edge of Spotted Lanternfly treatment.  

35 years experience

We’ve been in business since 1985 and learned the business from the ground up (pun intended!). Each of our team members averages about 10 years experience in the pest control industry and stays up to date with all the newest techniques and certifications. We’ve seen it all and can handle anything.

We take on jobs other companies walk away from

We’ve got a reputation for taking on the jobs other pest control companies walk away from. We’ve removed venomous snakes from garages and entire bat colonies from attics.

Wildlife is no match for us

Siani has a well seasoned wildlife expert who will work humanely and safely when nuisance wildlife has invaded your living space or property. Whether it’s birds nesting in your dryer vent or a skunk under your deck, Siani can handle it all. 

Customized Service Plans

When you need ongoing pest control, you don’t want to pay for treatments you don’t need or to have to call for appointments and rearrange your schedule. We’ll customize a plan to suit your needs, not ours. We’ll come once a season, once a month or once a week and everything in between. Call us to discuss and we’ll create a plan that’s right for you or your business. 

Do you have bats in your house?

Scratching sounds could be mice, squirrels, raccoons or…

none of the above!

Have you been hearing scratching and maybe some squeaking in your walls or coming from your attic? You may be tempted to throw a couple mouse traps up there and think you’ve taken care of things until you notice that the traps aren’t catching anything, and you’re still hearing the scratching and squeaking. Do you have a super smart mouse? A squeaky squirrel? Maybe. The more likely answer could be that you’ve got bats in your attic. 

While we tend to categorize bats as nuisance wildlife or pests, bats are actually pretty great at pest control themselves, eating up to one third of their body weight in insects every night during spring, summer, and fall, including mosquitoes, beetles, ants, wasps and flies. In fact, bats are sometimes referred to as a “keystone” species, as they are essential to some of the tropical or desert environments they live in. In some areas, bats also pollinate and disperse the seeds of certain plants. Many bats here in PA live in caves or other natural protected spaces and while most migrate someplace warmer, some bats may decide to just crawl inside one of your vents or your chimney and set up winter quarters inside your house. 

“Some people will tell you that you can remove a bat on your own, but we strongly advise that this is something that a homeowner should *never* attempt themselves. ”

 Bats are a protected species, meaning that it’s illegal to interfere with a bat that is flying or hibernating, but when a bat is in your home, your health and the health of everyone in the home take precedence. It’s up to the homeowner to see that the bat/s are removed safely. The best and *safest* way to deal with a bat is to call a professional pest control service. Some people will tell you that you can remove a bat on your own, but we strongly advise that this is something that a homeowner should *never* attempt themselves. There are a few reasons for this. One, bat droppings, called guano, contain fungi that cause the lung disease histoplasmosis. You should never go near any accumulation of guano; but call a professional to disinfect the area and remove the droppings. Second, bats also carry bat mites and bat bugs which, despite their names, aren’t picky and will bite humans as well as bats. Finally, bats can also carry rabies, and if a bat is rabid, it can be transmitted through saliva or any contact at all.  Do not engage with a bat, even if it seems to be injured or sick, as a grounded, helpless bat may be more likely to bite. 

How can you prevent bats from coming inside your home in the first place? Same way you prevent mice, squirrels and birds from entering: seal up cracks and crevices and screen your chimneys and vents. When in doubt, an inspection of the exterior of your home for openings where bats can enter should be performed by a trained professional who can more easily spot likely entrance points and know how to eliminate them. 

In short, bats are very beneficial, but dealing with a bat or bat colony in your home is tricky and can be, frankly, quite dangerous. Siani Pest Control has a trained and experienced wildlife tech on staff who can make sure that both the bat and your family are safe.