Questions tagged [pest-control]
The pest-control tag has no usage guidance.
329
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How to get this fencing wire at a [somewhat] equal tension
I'm trying to keep deer from eating our young apple trees. It is generally a losing battle. The current plan is to use these 1" stakes (6' tall) and 18 guage wire to build a little fence around ...
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Why is there a channel cut into the bottom of this door? How to seal the gap?
I have a fairly large gap between my door and the threshold (picture 1). Additionally, there's a gap between the door and the side frame (picture 2). Also there's this large channel in the bottom of ...
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Strange specks by the door trim, are these termites or pests?
My den door (faces outside) has a small gap under the door trim and I've noticed a gradual accumulation of small specks. I vacuumed this awhile back which is why it's strange that it's back again. No ...
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How/where to attach bird deterrent on outside corner of overhanging eave
This woodpecker is pecking on the gutter every morning at 4:30. Always at the extreme outside corner, as shown.
I want to try attaching a plastic decoy woodpecker at that corner. Not sure of the ...
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How to close up this barn attic from birds and carpenter bees? Exposed joists and open soffits
There's an old barn, neglected for well over 3 years, used to be for livestock. Only used for farm storage for now (hay, tools and equipment), but it's getting full of bird nests, bird poop piles, and ...
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Why are there square holes in the stem wall on either side of my sliding door? I'd like to seal them to prevent pests inside my house
We just bought this house in January, and while touring we noticed a small square hole on each side of the basement sliding door. I figured I'd come back and seal it up at some point. Well, we just ...
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Cleaning rat poison? (UK) [closed]
So i rent a studio in an old house, carpets everywhere, barely got through to the landlord to change the kitchen to anything but carpet....
Been here for like 5 years, about 2 years ago i though i had ...
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How to best handle mold in unused fireplace with heater?
I have a wood fireplace that's currently unused and I put an electric heater in it like this:
Note I am not using this heater very often.
I was careful to use legs and leave sufficient room on each ...
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How to get rid of rats in subfloor [duplicate]
We have what others have referred to as roof rats that come and go into the subfloor space between our 1st and 2nd floors. Very little to no recent evidence of them in the attic, and quite literally ...
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How can I deter rats from entering my home's structure?
We have what others have referred to as roof rats that come and go into the subfloor space between our 1st and 2nd floors. Very little to no recent evidence of them in the attic, and quite literally ...
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Which bait(s) are most likely to attract rats?
I know this is a weird question but I am looking for the most probably way to attract rats in my attic and have a camera with motion sensor pointing right onto it. I believe it's roof rats. Location: ...
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How can I clean a gas oven's cabinet of rodent debris?
We found mouse droppings in the house and got a pest control company to use poison baits to get rid of it. We have cleared the house of the droppings. However, we found droppings in the gas oven ...
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How to keep squirrels off of a 4x4 post that's already in the ground?
I have a 4x4 wood post that's quite tall (probably 8 - 10 feet) that's used to hang lights and bird feeders. In particular, I have a suet feeder hanging from a hook about 4 feet off the ground. ...
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Will moldy washrooms attract rats to invade my basement?
I'm concerned about a possible rat infestation in my basement, as I haven't been there since August 30th, 2023. The bathroom drywall is peeling from hot showers, there is mold in the shower, and I've ...
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What is the cause of rotted exterior wall framing behind concrete steps?
While demolishing front steps in our house we noticed moisture damage. Can someone help identify if this looks like termite damage?
There is also damage on the other side, but it doesn't look as ...
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Does this look like termite/carpenter ant leftovers?
I’m in suburban New England. House has had termites a few years ago but had treatment. Noticed this … stuff in the opening near where I had heating system installed. I can’t tell if it’s a sign the ...
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Find mouse entrance in cavity walls
We moved into a newly built house about half a year ago. A few months back we started noticing a (rodent) urine smell coming from a specific point at the floow near an outer wall. We also started ...
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Is this persistent termite damage or could it be caused by wasps?
We've had some visible damage through a ceiling joint, and the attached picture is what it looks like in the attic. We had a pest control company come out and treat for termites with termidor by ...
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Should I Tape These Interior Foam Board Seams?
As you can see in the picture, I’ve begun opening up the walls in my garage. Plan is to insulate with Rockwool and eventually add a mini split. I live in a dry, hot climate and hope to cool the space ...
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Is there supposed to be a gap between soffit and roof?
We had rats on our roof and atop is a bunch of nesting material. I don't know if this roof is setup correctly, but there are gaps between the soffit and the roof into the attic which are an inch thick....
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Attic subfloor, venting, and mice
I am trying to evaluate what my exterminator/remediation company is telling me, and would like some help, please.
I recently added a subfloor to my attic. I sought advice from a contractor I know, and ...
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What are these bugs on my kitchen ceiling?
I hope someone can help me identify this bug. They are black, really small and have wings.
They are not love bugs, but they are fond of attaching to one another the way love bugs do, and they keep ...
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How to get rid of fruit flies on front porch
I think they are fruit flies since they are small. They move at regular speed like a fly but they keep hovering all day on my front porch.
I do have a waterbody (small fountain) there now, but it was ...
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Sunroom construction completion checklist [Toronto]
I have a sunroom underway using a contractor with a city reviewed permit. the city does the structural inspection.
Some of the features of the sunroom are:
there will be a skylight and a heat pump
...
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Alternatives to 3mm welded mesh for mice protection?
One room of my house is below a slanted roof. The tiles on the roof are quite old, so mice can probably enter through the tiles. I want to use a classic design for insulation. (From top to bottom). ...
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Pest-proof and air-seal electrical wire penetrations in stud walls
I'm replacing all the wiring in my house, and I've decided that I would like to make it as difficult as possible for any bugs or rodents to travel inside my wall cavities through the holes that ...
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Can mice chew through fine grade steel wool?
I found conflicting information regarding this topic.
This steel wool manufacturer states that:
Use stainless steel wool grade MEDIUM so that mice, rats and other rodents do not make them larger.
...
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What's the best way to plug up a huge hole in a rim joist
Every time it rains heavily I get some water inside my crawlspace. Checked outside and crawled under my deck to find this huge hole which is about 10 x 4 cm.
It appeared that there used to be a piece ...
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Does anyone recognize this bug?
We have had this type of bug in our house every year during the summer only. They like to stay in the dining room and kitchen only. They stay only on the ceiling and walls until they are disturbed. ...
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Use a 1/8 inch mesh to keep out roaches?
Can I put a 1/8th inch mesh over the unused chimney and chimney cap to keep roaches and other large insects from entering?
Somehow a few get every once in a while, and I find them on the bench or base,...
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Treated Lumber for Bathroom Half walls?
We are doing a bathroom remodel of a Florida home built in 1995. For the walls in the tub area, they used treated lumber along the concrete slab and regular 2X4 for the wall frames. We have a large ...
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How can I get rid of Wasps in/above soffit?
So we have some wasps/mud dobbers going into our eves where the soffit meets the siding. I purchased some long term spray which would hopefully get rid of the lady bugs that come in as well. Just want ...
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Securing steel mesh to the outside of concrete foundation
Context
Mice are coming in an opening between my concrete foundation and the rim joist.
I bought some steel wool to stuff into the holes and some 1/4 " steel mesh to block access.
From within my ...
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What kind of nest is this in my attic?
I heard some noise coming from the attic last night. Went up today and found this.
There is another like this about 12ft away.
Isn't it too big to be a mice nest?
I couldn't take a closer look because ...
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Identification of droppings found in kitchen
Can anyone identify these droppings, which appeared in a kitchen drawer and under the sink? They're hard, jet-black, and about the size of grains of rice.
They look too dark to be from a mouse, and ...
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What kind of non-toxic bait can be used an alternative to mouse baits or pellets?
I recently purchased a mouse trap. The instructions said to use bait pellets. However, what is a cheaper, more readily available alternative to bait pellets which will not kill the mice?
Maybe peanut ...
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What are these small white bugs all over my house and how do I get rid of them? [closed]
What are the small white bugs that are often found on black surfaces in my house? They are very smaller than ants. They seem to be all over the items in the house (Not only on black surfaces but ...
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Fruit Fly in my condo
Every weekend we leave the condo to go back to our main house in the province. Every time we come back in the condo after less than 2 days, there will always be a LOT of DEAD flies (maybe fruit flies ...
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What is this black bug with wings (pictured) coming out of my A/C condensate line floor drain, and how do I get rid of it?
I observed hundreds of this small insect outside and inside my laundry room on the ground level. They appear to be coming from a floor drain in the laundry room (more detail below).
I am confused ...
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Question about air sealing soffit/eave area for bugs and temperature
I have a 2006 house, which is not a great vintage, but generally very solid. In the rumpus room above my garage, there are two knee-wall closets. Despite having ample fiberglass insulation, these ...
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What type of wood-boring insect cause this type of damage in a rafter?
I recently discovered the following damages in a rafter. Location is California.
What type of wood-boring insect cause this type of damage?
What are some treatments to stop the cause?
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Wasps into the house from the attic
3 wasps suddenly appeared in our bathroom. We killed them. Some time later, another one appeared. We killed it. We stuffed the area around the inset light fixture in the ceiling with paper and blocked ...
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How should I terminate a range hood exhaust duct through a wall?
I discovered that my home's overhead stove vent doesn't actually vent to anywhere. So I've pulled out the old fan, purchased a new, more powerful fan with 1000 CFM, and then added 8" pipes ...
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Ants, this means war! Terro bait yum yum [closed]
I have been dealing with ants that just wont go away. Found a mound near the foundation and killed it with poison. These little boogers that are back now, I see where they are coming/going through a ...
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What's eating my chopping board?
I live in the UK. Recently my kitchen got very damp for a period after there was a leak in the roof, and I've noticed these little grubs eating a couple of my wooden items.
What are they, and how ...
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Increase water flow but keep mosquitos out of dry well
I have a dry well to prevent my yard and studio/office from flooding. It has a rim of bricks, which rise above the ground a little to stop too much garden waste entering the well (I guess). I want to ...
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How to heat treat the back of a moving truck to kill bed bugs [closed]
I'm moving. My current place has bed bugs. I don't want to bring them to my new place. Chemicals take months to kill bed bugs. Heat treatment takes hours.
If I rent a box truck from U-Haul and ...
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Scare off snakes from a weed full land [closed]
I have just inherited an acre of residential land. The land is full of weeds and some trees. It is 2-3 metres below the road that lies near it. It is as I believe infested with snakes.
How can I scare ...
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Can a 'bug bomb' (pesticide fogger) kill a wasp nest in my attic?
I have a wasp nest in the very peak of my roof inside my attic. The location and building design means I cannot get close enough to use either powder or foam spray products which I have done in the ...
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Is there a surefire method to determine if I have an ant infestation?
I'm kind of in an inbetween land right now where I can't determine if I have an ant infestation or not.
Every morning when I leave for work I find half a dozen dead winged ants near my front door. ...
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