Every season I am saddened to hear of a family or resident from my community that spends thousands of dollars on unnecessary home restoration because they were told it was necessary by a pest control company or contractor.  While it is very true that pests in your home can cause significant and costly damage, it doesn’t always mean that you need to completely rebuild your crawl space or vapor barrier after a pest problem.  Too often, these extensive renovations are easy sells for predatory agents and contractors who use the “psychosis” of pest infestation to fuel panic and grossly inflate  the amount of work that needs to be done.

So, to all reading this I advise you to protect yourself with one simple-but-reliable practice, “get a second opinion”. If you have received an $8,000 estimate to do significant structural renovation to your house because of a recent pest problem, seek out 1-2 other opinions to make sure that you actually need all of this work to be done.

If you are looking for a reliable second opinion you can count on us. Call Summit Pest Management  (503) 639 – 2500.Our company was built upon 3 core values:  Honesty, Experience and Reliability. That means that we will never seek out more work than what is required and that we will treat you with the respect and care that you deserve.

Summer is a popular time for household fix-ups and renovations.  Roof repairs and kitchen and bath remodeling are just a few of the projects that get scheduled during the warmer months. While these are great improvements that deliver value and increased quality of living, they can also create new opportunities for pests to find ways into our homes.  This is especially true when we poke holes in walls, ceilings and rooftops.  If care is not taken, these places become exposed while the job is in progress and can remain that way after the job is completed.  That said, here are a few common examples and some suggestions for maintaining a pest-free environment through the course of home renovation.

COMMON CAUSES

• Cabinetry, Molding and Trim – Ripping out and replacing these items can open up areas that were previously sealed and leave them exposed.
• Bathroom Exhaust Fans  – Bathroom exhaust fan installations usually require a hole to the roof or attic if there is not one pre-existing.
• Landscaping / Tree Removal – Landscaping projects can disturb existing habitats and send pests searching for new living space.

POST-RENOVATION PREVENTION TIPS

• Cabinetry, Molding and Trim – Check all new installations and make sure that they have been properly caulked and sealed.
• Bathroom Exhaust Fans – Inspect roof opening and vent installation after completion to make sure there are no exposed areas.
• Remove all debris and make sure any deliberate leave-behinds (firewood stacks, etc.) are far removed from your structure.

Using these pre-cautions, communicating them to your contractors (or yourself if it’s a DIY project) and doing proper follow up will ensure that renovations deliver the intended value without creating new risks.

Spring is just around the corner and the higher temperatures will mean the emergence of insects that have been dormant over the last few months.

One of these insects is the carpenter ant, a wood-destroying insect!

When the outside temps start to climb consistently above 50 degrees, ants will come out of a deep sleep and start to look for water and old trails that lead them around your home or business. This time of year, if you see larger black ants – or in some cases brown – in your structure, especially around the sink areas, it is an indicator that you have carpenter ants nesting in the walls, subfloors, or anywhere in your structure that is warm, dry, and wood is available. Carpenter ants don’t damage wood by eating it. They do their damage by mining out tunnels inside the wood to use as a nesting site. Keep in mind, that the outside temperature has not yet been warm enough to allow them to forage outside. This time of year, we tend to see carpenter ants inside structures but not on the exterior of buildings. For this reason, we know that they have been in your home or business for some time and you just had no idea.

The carpenter ant is the number one wood-destroying insect in the Pacific Northwest, and even if you only see one or two this time of year, you should be concerned. If you find ants inside your structure this time of year, call a professional pest control company to come out and perform an inspection to determine if you have a problem.

This week we are launching our new website. For our team, it’s not just a new website, it’s a new direction for our company to become all that we can be to ourselves and our customers. Building our new website forced us to revisit very basic questions of who we are, what we do and why do we do it. As companies grow, these critical items can get lost in the mix and customer lists, employee teams and work territories expand. The redevelopment of our website renewed our commitment to the core values (Honest, Experienced, Reliable) that started our company and to our greatest asset of all, our customers. We hope this is transmitted clearly as you navigate through the pages of the site. We also hope you will find information that is helpful to you. In the months ahead, we will be expanding our pest library, posting blogs and articles and a free resource libray of information designed to help home owners, business owners, property managers and employees deal with and prevent pest and wildlife problems. It is our goal to make this website much more than just a promotional tool. We want it to be a resource that viewers can use on a regular basis, that educates, informs and helps people protect their homes, properties, health and quality of life. Enjoy and thank you from everyone at Summit Pest Management!