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PSI Pest Scene Investigations

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PSI Pest Scene Investigations
Mike Kennish
1095 McKenzie Avenue, Unit 300
Victoria, British Columbia V8P 2L5

250-727-1948 | phone

  Click here to email us
Payment Methods
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Hours of Operation
Monday:8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Tuesday:8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Wednesday:8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Thursday:8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Friday:8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Saturday:8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sunday:Closed
Our Memberships
Carpenter Ants

Wasp Because carpenter ants enter buildings, they are considered to be the most destructive common insect pest we have in Canada. Two common species are found, one is all black, the other is black with a rusty red mid section. They vary in size from one quarter inch to three quarters of an inch.

Carpenter ants can do considerable damage to wood structures. Initially, they establish a nest in decaying wood but, once established, they tunnel into good wood.

These ants usually have a parent colony in outdoor nests, typically living in dead trees, logs, stumps, firewood, or landscaping wood. Once the colony becomes larger it can expand into satellite colonies often in nearby warm buildings.

Many homes on the West Coast are adjacent to forested areas or clumps of trees such that there are well established ant colonies nearby which can attack these homes. Carpenter ants excavate in structural beams and wall studs, and can cause considerable damage to a dwelling, although not as serious as that done by termites.

Carpenter ants establish nests in both dry and moist wood, but prefer moist. Therefore, nests are most likely to be found in water damaged wood around sinks, bathtubs, window and door frames, roof leaks, and so on. Hollow moist spots in wall voids are common nest spots.

Killing only the visible ants does not cure the problem, as only 10% of the ants leave their nests in the dwelling. These hidden nests must be located and destroyed by professionals.

Termites

Termite Termites are Mother Natures way to break down wood and return it into the soil. Termites eat and work 24 hours a day to accomplish this goal, which is why you do not want them in your home. They cause more damage to North American homes than hail storms, tornadoes, winds, and hurricanes combined.

Termite infestation has steadily increased across Canada. They are native only to southern British Columbia, but appear across the country. In Toronto, for example, 10% of the houses have termite infestation.

Termites can go undetected for years, eating away at the wood until the structure is damaged. They normally build their nests in the walls where there is a good food supply. A colony of termites can reach more than a million. They can feed on wood until nothing is left but a shell.

Signs of termite damage include:

  1. pencil-wide mud tubes for above-ground travel on foundation walls, sill plates, or floor joists
  2. small holes in wood
  3. crumbling drywall
  4. sagging door frames or floors
  5. small piles of sawdust
  6. hollow-sounding or damaged-looking wood
  7. pinholes in walls
  8. piles of tiny wings
  9. hard oval fecal pellets

Rats

Rat British Columbia is home to at least 20 types of rodents. Norway rats are the most common species of rat, and are the ones most commonly found in British Columbia. Rat bodies are 7 to 9 inches long with the tail being an additional 6 to 8 inches long. Most rats weigh one-half to one pound.

Rats and other rodents can carry and transmit diseases via their feet, urine, feces, or through their bite. The average rat can produce up to 100 droppings and up to 2 teaspoons of urine in a single day. Rodents can carry ticks and fleas which also spread diseases.

Rodents cause building damage by chewing through wires, wallboard, siding, insulation, plumbing pipes, and woodwork. They will chew through storage boxes and food packages, leaving contamination and a mess.

Rodents are easier to detect because of the mess left behind by their chewing, and because of dark brown rodent droppings. Mouse droppings are about one-quarter inch long, rat droppings measure up to three-quarters inch.

Rodents will dig under sheds, garages, and foundations, and also in between walls. They breed rapidly, so it is important to get rid of them as soon as you become aware of their presence on your property. Generally, it is not a good idea to use poison.

Wasps

Wasp Paper wasps, boldfaced hornets, and yellowjackets are the most common types we encounter. Wasps have a slender body, a narrow waist, and are smooth-skinned and shiny. (Bees have heavier bodies, and black legs, and are very hairy compared with wasps.)

In early spring, a hibernating queen emerges from a crack, crevice, or tree bark to look for a new nesting site. There she builds the first few paper cells of the nest and lays a single egg in each cell. Future workers assume colony duties such as building and feeding. By late fall the colony reaches 1,000 to 30,000 individuals. As the weather turns colder, the nest is abandoned. The queen looks for a new hibernation site, but the workers all die. In late fall, after the nest has been abandoned, it can be removed and disposed of with minimal risk.

Wasps can be very aggressive, especially in warm weather. They may cause severe pain and swelling from their sting. Whereas bees can only sting once, the wasp can sting a number of times. Wasps are attracted to moving objects, therefore do not swat at them. The wasp likes to get inside soda cans and bottles outdoors, which is a good reason to never drink directly from a can or bottle outdoors. Use a straw or cup.

The best defense is to avoid nesting places, as wasps vigorously defend their colonies. The yellowjacket frequently nests in voids in walls and roofs of houses. A colony is begun each spring by reproductive female and can reach populations of up to 15,000 individual wasps.

The wasps build their nests of paper consisting of fibers scraped from wood and mixed with saliva. The nest has multiple cells enclosed by a paper jacket that usually contains a single entrance hole.

As mentioned, wasps become extremely aggressive when their nests are disturbed. It is best to call a professional to rid your property of their nests during the warm weather when the wasps are active.

Silverfish

Silverfish Silverfish are considered a household pest because of their destruction of property. They consume glue, paper, book bindings, photos, sugar, hair, coffee, carpet, dandruff, clothing, ear wax, tapestries, cotton, linen, silk, and even leather. Silverfish can live for more than a year without eating.

Silverfish require a relative humidity of 75% to 90%, and are found in bathrooms, basements, garages, closets, and attics.

Silverfish are nocturnal, long and flat insects between one-half and 1 inch in length. The abdomen tapers so that they have a fish-like appearance. Born whitish, they become gray and have a metallic shine as they mature. They have too small eyes, are wingless, and move in a side to side motion that resembles a fish. They live from 2 to 8 years.

Bedbugs

Bedbug Bedbugs are small, elusive insects who live strictly by feeding on the blood of humans and other warm-blooded animals. They are mainly active at night and are capable of feeding unnoticed on humans or animals. Their peak feeding period is about an hour before sunrise.

The bedbug pierces skin with two hollow tubes: one for injecting its saliva, the other for sucking blood. The bedbug feeds for about 5 minutes before returning to its hiding place. Bedbugs normally feed every 5 to 10 days, but can live for over a year without feeding.

Adult bedbugs are reddish-brown, flat, oval and wingless. They are shaped similar to an apple seed. They grow to 4 to 5 mm in length and 1.5 to 3 mm wide. They move slowly enough to be observed. Newly hatched nymphs are translucent and lighter in color.

Bites consist of a raised red bump or a flat welt and are often very itchy because of an allergic reaction to an anesthetic contained in the bedbug's saliva injected into the person. Bites may take over a week to become discernible.

Among other sources, bedbugs can be brought into the home from travel to hotels and motels, from second-hand or even new furniture, and via wild birds and household pets. Bedbug infestations in hotels and apartments can travel from room to room, eventually saturating every room.

Bedbugs may hide not only in beds, but along pipes and boards, furniture, carpeting, electrical outlets, inside walls, screw holes, and even room clutter. The most common hiding place is along the piping material on the edges of mattresses.


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