LongPro Pest Control Pest Library

What You Need To Know About Pests In Cleveland, Ohio

Many different kinds of pests call Cleveland, Ohio, home. These pests all compete for resources, and our properties often provide them with what they need to survive. Use this library to learn about our area’s common invaders and some helpful prevention tips. At LongPro Pest Control, we are here to protect your family and home from the problems pests can cause through our home pest control services.

Ants

Ants are scavenging social insects. Our yards often attract their attention because of the many food, water, and shelter sources they provide. Once ants are comfortable in our outdoor spaces, it's only a matter of time before they find their way indoors. Because ants are so tiny, they can easily move into our homes through small cracks they find in the exterior. Moisture and food odors are most likely to attract ants to your property. 

While most household ants aren’t dangerous, they are problematic. Ants spread bacteria, contaminate surfaces and food, and take over our indoor spaces in large numbers. Ants that bite, spread pathogens, and cause structural damage are considered dangerous. The best way to identify the types of ants on your property, eliminate them, and prevent a future ant infestation is to implement year-round pest control services. 

The following tips will help you avoid an ant infestation:

• Remove sources of excess moisture to eliminate their reliable water source. 
• Regularly vacuum and clean counters and other surfaces to remove crumbs and sticky spills.
• Routinely inspect your home’s exterior, sealing any small cracks or crevices you discover. 

For professional ant control, call today.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are blood-feeding insects that move by hitchhiking from place to place. It is common for people to come into contact with bed bugs in public places where large groups of people spend time. Hotels, movie theaters, schools, dormitories, and airports are places where large bed bug infestations can develop, and you can accidentally come into contact with these biting pests. 

Since bed bugs are primarily nocturnal and are most active while you sleep, knowing their most common signs is important so you can identify and treat an infestation sooner than later.

Signs of a potential bed bug infestation include finding the following:

• Drops or streaks of blood or excrement on your mattresses, bedding, or upholstered furniture
• Bug bites in lines or clusters on your or a member of your household's skin
• Piles of bed bug exoskeletons or dead bed bugs in your home

For exceptional bed bug control in Cleveland, call now. 

To help prevent bed bugs from taking over your home, limit their hiding spots by reducing clutter. It is also helpful to regularly wash and dry your home’s bedsheets and routinely vacuum your home’s floors and upholstered furniture. Additionally, take care when bringing secondhand items into your house; thoroughly clean them and inspect them for bed bugs. If these preventative measure are still not enough, contact us for professional bed bug control!

Cockroaches

Cockroaches are one of the most dangerous and unpleasant insects to discover inside our homes. Cockroaches carry and spread human pathogens, parasites, bacteria, and allergens. They contaminate large amounts of food, stain surfaces with excrement, and produce foul odors. These insects can enter any of our homes on their own or move inside by hitchhiking. 

These nocturnal pests hide in dark cracks and crevices during the day. Some of their most common hideouts are spaces behind trim and backsplashes, inside cardboard boxes, and in cracks in walls or floors. Cockroach infestations are often discovered by a homeowner after they turn on a light in the middle of the night and see these nocturnal pests scatter back to their hideouts. At first notice of cockroaches, immediately contact a professional for help. 

Use these easy cockroach prevention tips to help avoid a cockroach infestation:

• Store pantry items in airtight containers.
• Wash dishes daily.
• Remove trash from your home regularly and place trash bags outside in containers with locking lids. 

If you are dealing with a frustrating cockroach infestation, call now. We can provide you with local cockroach control you can trust. 

Fleas

Fleas are tiny, external parasites that solely feed on the blood of their animal hosts. Though fleas will feed on people's blood, we are not their preferred hosts. Fleas are so challenging to control because they can live successfully in indoor or outdoor spaces, move from place to place on the backs of their animal hosts, and, if necessary, lie dormant for many months. 

Fleas typically move inside your home from your yard after jumping onto you or a pet. Once inside, they make themselves at home and quickly create large populations. While fleas are closely associated with pet owners, flea infestations can occur in any home. These pests can also enter homes on the backs of rodents and other wildlife intruders or inside secondhand items like rugs or upholstered furniture. 

Here are our most helpful flea prevention tips:

• After spending time outside, inspect yourself and your pets for hitchhiking fleas before entering your home.
• Regularly vacuum floors and wash your family’s and pet’s bedding.
• Make your property less attractive to wild animals by keeping lids on trash cans, removing bird feeders, and keeping outdoor eating areas clear of leftover food.

Contact us today to maintain a flea-free property and learn about our flea control solutions!

Spiders

Cleveland is home to many different types of spiders. Though each species varies in size, shape, and behavior, we generally identify spiders by their eight legs, many eyes, and two body segments. Spiders are familiar visitors to our properties because our yards, gardens, and outbuildings offer them plenty of shelter, access to insect prey, and reliable water sources. 

Spiders prefer to live outside. However, if you spot large numbers of spiders scurrying around your home, these outdoor pests have found their way into your home. The most common way spiders enter houses is by following their insect prey indoors. Spider and insect infestations tend to go together. Partnering with a pest control professional is the best way to eliminate and control spiders and the insects that attract them. 

Here are some practical spider prevention tips:

• Remove spider webs as you spot them in and around your home.
• Reduce the use of exterior white lights that attract insects to your home.
• Make sure weatherstripping is secure around windows and doors.

If you regularly spot spiders in your home, reach out today for effective spider control.

VA Home Loan Inspection

Many loan programs are available to people purchasing a new home. One of the more common is the VA loan program. The VA has strict eligibility minimums for the houses it’s willing to lend against. When purchasing a home using a VA loan, they have Minimum Property Requirements (MPRs) to ensure the property is safe, sound, and a good investment. 

One of the Minimum Property Requirements for a VA loan is that the home is free of wood-destroying insects. Wood-destroying insects can tunnel through, nest within, and feed on a home’s structural wood, causing significant damage that is costly and difficult to repair. Ensuring a home is free of destructive pests is key to maintaining its structural integrity and your investment. 

Here at LongPro Pest Control, we perform VA home loan property inspections to determine if any wood-destroying insects are present. Examples of wood-destroying insects include:

• Termites
• Carpenter ants
• Carpenter bees

After contacting us to perform an inspection, our professionals will check your property to determine whether wood-destroying insects are present. Having a professional pest control expert inspect your home for the presence of wood-destroying pests will help you secure your loan and provide you with peace of mind.