Maryland
Exterminators
The state of Maryland contains huge topographical variety, from marshes to pine forests to sandy beaches. With that variety comes a wide range of pest control challenges. Extermination professionals like Viking Pest state while many insects and animals in the state are beneficial to the natural ecosystem, others can cause severe problems to homes and businesses. Pests in Maryland can damage property, create disturbances, and carry diseases that are harmful to humans and pets. To protect your Maryland home or business from pests, you need to learn about the behavior of the pests, take steps for prevention, and find effective treatment options should an infestation occur.
Understanding Maryland’s Unique Pest Control Challenges
As mentioned, Maryland’s varied topography creates varied pest control challenges throughout the state. The pest control needs within a large city like Elkton are inevitably different from a fast-growing suburb like Gaithersburg or one of the Old Line State’s more remote, rural towns. For example, multifamily housing units within large cities carry more risk of stubborn cockroach or rodent infestations. It’s especially important to prevent these pests from entering your home in the first place, and then take decisive action when an incident does occur, which includes calling in pest control experts. On the other hand, new developments in suburban areas — both for businesses and for family homes — carry a high risk of outdoor insects and wild animals finding their way indoors, as they haven’t yet adjusted to the change in their habitat.
Maryland has numerous regulations in place to protect native plant and wildlife species. The Maryland pest control experts at Viking Pest explain many DIY pest control methods violate state and federal law. In fact, even a solution as seemingly harmless as relocation can put wildlife at great risk and requires a permit from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The best approach to rid your Maryland house or office building of any unwanted pests is to enlist the help of a certified pest control professional who uses an effective integrated preventive approach, Like Viking Pest Control.
Common Pests in Maryland
The Maryland pest control experts at Viking Pest state the following list, although not comprehensive, highlights some of the most common pests found in Maryland.
Rodents
Maryland experiences a variety of pest rodents, from groundhogs and bats to rats. The most common pest rodents both in Maryland and throughout the U.S are the Norway rat, the roof rat, and the house mouse.
Birds
Although birds aren’t usually the first thing you think of in relation to pest control, some Maryland pest birds create major disruptions for both homes and businesses. In urban areas, crows and pigeons can congregate in huge flocks that disrupt your usual activities. Rural areas often experience unwanted nesting within homes or perimeter buildings such as garages and sheds.
Ants
Pharaoh ants, carpenter ants, and pavement ants are all known to enter homes and businesses. Pharaoh ants are usually the most problematic, with huge colonies and persistent habits. Additionally, carpenter ants can cause damage to your home or place of business by chewing wood to turn into nesting areas.
Moths
Clothes moths and meal moths are both commonly found in Maryland. Both species love dark closets generously stocked with their favorite food sources: clothes and grains, respectively. Since eggs and larvae are difficult to locate and isolate, moth infestations are impossible to eradicate with DIY moth products. To effectively control a moth infestation at your Eastern Shore of Maryland home or business, call the pest control experts at Viking Pest.
Spiders
While most spiders are completely harmless to humans, it’s undeniable that having them in your home or office space can be unsettling. Spider species common to Maryland include wolf spiders, yellow house spiders, jumping spiders, Pennsylvania grass spiders, and black widows.
Bed Bugs
Several cities along the Eastern Shore of Maryland have made the news more than once for having a bed bug population. The state and local cities of Maryland provide tips for prevention and treatment in order to minimize this problem, but a bed bug infestation can be difficult to solve without professional help from bed bug extermination experts.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are another common problem in homes and businesses on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. While cockroaches are famous for their survival abilities, they can be eliminated from your business or home by the experienced pest control professionals at Viking Pest. In Maryland, the most common cockroach species are the Oriental cockroach, the American cockroach, the German cockroach, and the brown-banded cockroach.
Recommended Steps for Preventing Pests in Eastern Shore Maryland Home or Business
All pests want food and shelter. As such, infestations often occur because pests find plenty of both in or around your home or business. Limiting their potential access to food and shelter minimizes the appeal and greatly reduces your risk of an infestation of any pest. Here are some recommendations from the Eastern Shore, Maryland pest control experts at Viking Pest.
Regularly seal cracks, holes, or chips around your home or office building’s exterior
Before the cold weather hits each year, Maryland extermination experts at Viking Pest recommend sealing up potential entry points such as cracks in the foundation, or around entryways. You can close up cracks and holes with caulking. For larger holes created by utility cords or ventilation pipes, you may need to seal them with netting. Once the temperature drops, your house or building presents a welcome refuge from the chill. Vigilantly maintaining your perimeter can prevent animals from entering your home or business on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, or even settling within your attic or walls.
Keep your garbage sealed and tidy
Often, an infestation begins with a readily available food source. Pest control experts say both inside and outside of your home or business, garbage can easily attract rodents, cockroaches, and flies, alongside other native Maryland wildlife. Pest control professionals at Viking Pest recommend using garbage cans with lids and ensuring that all garbage is completely and properly stored at any given time. This greatly decreases the risk of a pest infestation in your home or business.
Be aware of standing water, damp wood, and other moisture-prone areas
Maryland’s Eastern Shore’s relatively mild temperatures and lush vegetation make it especially difficult to prevent damp areas and puddles around your home or business. However, it’s important to be aware of these trouble spots. Standing water can provide a prime egg-laying habitat for mosquitoes and other flying insects. The Maryland pest control experts at Viking Pest explain damp wood often attracts millipedes, beetles, and termites. Moist areas are also a preferred habitat for cockroaches, which can make their homes near pipes, under sinks, and in other household areas prone to dampness. While you may not be able to eliminate high-risk areas altogether, you can take special care to keep these areas tidy.
Trim branches and keep a clear circumference around your home or business
Tree branches that arch close to roofs and windows grant easy access to enterprising insects and rodents. If you keep a woodpile outside of your Eastern Shore of Maryland home or business, you may want to consider covering it to prevent damp and rot.
Seal off crawl spaces, attics, garages, sheds, and areas under porches
Though we seldom think about these areas, they’re the most likely zones to be infested by pests and wildlife, as they’re infrequently trafficked by humans, but still, provide all the benefits of shelter for pests.
Protecting Your Eastern Shore of Maryland Home or Business From Pests With Viking Pest Control
Viking Pest offers expert treatment designed to effectively and efficiently control and prevent pests from invading your home or business in Maryland. Our use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques focuses on finding the core of the pest concern and controlling it from the source. Through IPM, pest control materials are selected and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, pets, and the environment. Call Viking today for your FREE and NO OBLIGATION estimate at 1-800-618-2847 or schedule online today!
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