FAQS ABOUT PESTS AND RODENT CONTROL

WHEN SHOULD I CALL A PROFESSIONAL EXTERMINATOR?

It is important to call a professional exterminator at the first sign of rodents as most rodents such as, mice and rats, reproduce at a rapid rate.

Signs you may have rodents include:

• Feces droppings ‐ Rat droppings are approximately 3/4‐inch long with blunt ends, and Mice droppings are approximately 1/4 inch long and oval shaped.
• Gnaw marks in walls, baseboards, attic, food boxes, fruit.
• Nesting materials such as paper, stuffing from your furniture, insulation, burrowing in the soil around your home.
• Hearing rodents running around in your ceiling or walls when the house is quiet. You may also hear them chewing and gnawing at the wood, drywall and their food. 

At ABC Pest Control, we specialize in controlling a large variety of common pests.

CAN I USE RAT POISON TO GET RID OF RODENTS?

We do not advise you putting down any poison in or around your home, as this can be harmful to your children and pets. Also, when the rodent eats the poison, they can then crawl back into your ceilings or walls where they will die, leaving you to deal with the foul odour of a decaying rodent for weeks on end. It is best to allow a professional to bait and remove any dead rodents. At ABC Pest Control, we protect your health and property by using Integrated Pest Management techniques, which are environmentally responsible.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR THE EXTERMINATION TO WORK?

Which type of pest control you require and the amount of infestation, will determine how long it takes for the extermination to be successful. Different rodents and pests require different forms of pest control and preparation for extermination. For example, bed bugs require a stripping of all your linens, whereas rodent removal requires no preparation on your behalf. 

 ABC Pest Control has a full‐time Entomologist and Registered Professional Biologist on staff who can answer any of your Pest Management related questions.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE BED BUGS? 

Bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed exclusively on blood.  The common bed beg prefers human blood and is found in warm houses usually near or inside beds and bedding.  Adult bed bugs are light brown to reddish brown, flattened, oval shaped and have no hind wings.  The front wings are vestigial and reduced to pad‐like structures.  These insects have segmented abdomens with microscopic hairs giving them a banded appearance.  Adults grow to between 4 and 5 millimeters long and 1.5 to 3 millimeters wide.

Common signs that you have bed bugs include:

• Blood stains on your sheets or pillowcases.
• Dark or rusty spots of bedbug excrement on sheets and mattresses, bed clothes, and walls.
• Bedbug fecal spots, egg shells, or shed skins in areas where bedbugs hide.
• An offensive, musty odor from the bugs' scent glands.
• Experiencing the symptoms of bed bug bites which can lead to a range of skin manifestations from no visible effects to prominent blisters and itchiness.

HOW DO I IDENTIFY INSECTS IN AND AROUND MY HOME?

Living in the balmy Vancouver climate can result in a variety of insects that can infest your home year‐round.  Identifying these common insects can help you determine if they are harmful to you and your family and require professional pest control and pest management.

Common insects include:

• Carpenter Ants ‐ Carpenter ants have six legs, segmented and oval shaped body, 5/8‐inch long and color varies depending on species, from red to black or a combination.
• Cockroaches ‐ About 5/8‐inch long. Light to medium brown with two dark longitudinal streaks on the thorax.
• Silverfish ‐  About 1/2‐inch long, with a uniform silvery color over the upper surface. Their bodies are long and slender, flattened. The bodies are broad at the front, and gradually tapering toward the rear.
• Fleas ‐Fleas are dark reddish brown, flat 1/12 to 1/6‐inch in size and having 6 legs.
• Moths ‐ Indian meal moth has an elongated oval shape, 5/8‐inch in size, six legs and copper reddish coloring on outer part of wings.
• Wasps / Bees ‐ Yellowjackets, Hornets, Bumble Bees, & Honey Bees are the stinging insects which quickly come to mind as a risk.  More information on the individual Stinging insects can be found here. 
• Bed Bugs ‐  Bed Bugs are mahogany to rusty brown in color.  They are flat, broad oval, having six legs and ¼ inches long.

WHAT DO I DO IF I HAVE RATS OR MICE?

Rats and Mice reproduce often, and both present their own dangers including disease and property damage. Once you know which rodent you are dealing with, it is important that you hire a professional exterminator to trap, kill and remove the rodents. 

WHAT AREAS OF THE LOWER MAINLAND DO YOU SERVICE?

ABC Pest Control services the entire Lower Mainland.  Contact one of our expert exterminators at a location nearest you. ABC Pest Control is here to help you with your pest control problem. 

Vancouver, Surrey, Langley, Richmond, Delta, Burnaby, Coquitlam, North Vancouver, West Vancouver and The Fraser Valley

I LIVE IN A STRATA complex, SHOULD WE GO ON A PEST CONTROL CONTRACT? 

ABC Pest Control can provide your strata with an IPM ‐ Integrated Pest Management program. This will not only get any insect, rodent or other pests under control, it will also aid in prevent a further infestation from occurring. 

A 6 Step program that includes:

1. Monitoring 
2. Identification
3. Sanitation 
4. Exclusion 
5. Extermination 
6. Evaluation/Verification 

WHAT TYPES OF PEST CONTROL DO YOU OFFER?

• Commercial Pest Control ABC Pest Management Consulting provides the experience and expertise needed to protect your business, employees and customers from pest threats.
• Residential Pest Control ‐ Bed Bugs. Spiders. Carpenter Ants. Fleas. Ticks. Silverfish. Cockroaches. Bees. Mice. Rats. Household pests can be much more than a nuisance‐they can become a threat to your property and potentially your health. In fact, one household mouse can contaminate ten times more food than it eats. That’s why pest and bug control is so important around your home. 
•  Institutional Pest Control ‐ If public health is top priority for communities across the country, then so should pest and rodent control. ABC Pest Control provides Pest Management Services to institutions such as, Universities, Schools, Hospitals and Nursing Homes. 
• Industrial Pest Control ‐  ABC Pest Control helps large facilities maintain a pest free environment including, Manufacturing Plants, Warehouses, Ferries, Cruise Ships and Airplanes.
• IPM ‐ Integrated Pest Management ‐  ABC’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program relies on intelligence, not chemicals. We focus on the Least Toxic Approach combining effect yet non‐traditional techniques and technologies to kill pests. Not only does this bring the problem under control, but also it helps to preserve indoor air quality of your premises and protect the environment.