Thanksgiving: that time of the year for family and friends to get together for deliciously good food. Not the time of year you want to be dealing with a rodent or pest problem in your kitchen. A stray mouse or an untimely cockroach infestation can ruin your Thanksgiving meal in an instant.

Don’t invite rodents and other pests into your kitchen this holiday season! Below are a few ways to help prevent pests from making their way into your food and kitchen. For complete pest and rodent control in Lehi, American Fork and surrounding areas, call H2 Pest Control for our rodent and pest control services.

1. Seal Trash Containers
   Rats are notorious for digging through trash, having a feast of their own on your food scraps. But other rodents and pests would also be happy to make your home their own with easy access to an open trash can. The fact of the matter is, any pest is looking for a place to settle with a sufficient supply of food and shelter from the elements. When you give them both, removing those pests becomes difficult. Seal trash containers inside and out to help prevent pests from nesting in your residence. Use a trash can inside with a secure lid, and don’t wait too long to take it out if you throw a lot of food away. When possible, leave large trash cans outside your garage. But always be sure to keep these sealed securely as well.
2. Properly Store Food
   The same goes for food in cupboards and pantries. Try putting food in plastic containers that secure tightly like your trash cans. Even food you think is safe in its box or plastic wrapping could be a recipe for disaster if mice come marching into town. Their strong bite allows them to gnaw through cardboard or plastic bags easily.If you notice gnawed holes on food containers or around your house, mice or other rodents may have already made their way inside. Watch for this and other signs of rodents, and don’t wait to call for professional rodent control services. If you can, don’t leave food on the floor level of your pantry. You may even want to store extra Thanksgiving ingredients inside the fridge or freezer until you need them.


3. Don’t Leave the Dishes for Later!
   After a big Thanksgiving dinner, who wants to do the dishes? This is a holiday, you just want to relax in front of the TV or, better yet, take a long-awaited nap. But leaving dirty dishes in the sink or on your kitchen counters can also invite unwanted pests in. That’s fresh food for the taking!If you’ve previously had a pest problem but haven’t sought out professional pest control, your DIY traps and bait may not be enough to keep pests away from this vast display of food. Put dirty dishes directly in the dishwasher, or even place them in soapy water to sit. Let rodents and pests know that they’re not welcome in your kitchen.
4. Clean, Clean, Clean
   We can’t stress this enough. Do what you can before and after Thanksgiving to keep your kitchen tidy and free of crumbs, spills and other traces of food. These are like invitations for pests to come over for dinner. This may mean cleaning as you cook so that no remains of the day are left forgotten on the counters or under the cabinets.If that isn’t you, just be sure that you do a thorough clean of the kitchen afterward. Sweep up fallen crumbs, run a damp rag over those sticky spots or do whatever is necessary to remove any food particles. This also includes an occasional deep clean of your pantry space and those hard-to-reach spots under appliances

Professional Cockroach, Rat, and Mice Control Services in Utah

Spend Thanksgiving worrying less about pest infestations and more about cooking that perfect turkey and pumpkin pie. Follow the above precautions to help prevent rodents and other pests from wrecking this holiday season. Go the extra mile and protect your home with professional pest control treatments for an even greater defense.

For comprehensive residential pest control, contact H2 Pest Control. We’ve been serving Utah homes for years, from Eagle Mountain and Lehi to South Jordan, Orem, and everywhere in between. We offer complete pest control services so your holiday festivities won’t skip a beat. And because we use eco-friendly treatments, you won’t even need to leave your house while we apply treatments and sprays. Request your free estimate for our mice control, rodent control, cockroach control, and more!

Finally! The weather is cooling down. Curling up with a blanket by the fire is socially acceptable again. The leaves are changing into those gorgeous colors we all love. Oh, and did we mention a little thing called pumpkin spice?

We love fall. But even our favorite season comes with its drawbacks, perhaps the biggest being a large influx of pests. Worst of all, these pests don’t just keep to the outdoors. They like to make their way into our homes, overstaying their welcome throughout the season.

What Draws Pests into Your Home in Autumn?

Pests seek the same necessities that humans do: food and shelter. In harsh and cold environments, pests find it more difficult to find these basics. But your home may offer a haven to them.

With its warmth against the cold and food crumbs or other pests lying around, residential homes seem like the perfect retreat for the bleak months ahead. Many pests will lay eggs in your house’s safe environment during the fall. This gives their offspring a greater chance for survival but provides you with greater challenges for managing pests.

What Can You Do to Protect Against Pests this Season?

The first step you can take to keep pests from taking shelter in your home is sealing up points of entry. Insects, bugs, and even rodents can squeeze into even the tiniest of holes. A local pest control company can help you to find all these small holes, cracks, and other possible entry sites. They’ll also provide sealant for closing any gaps and keeping pests out.

You’ll also want to keep your home clean and free of debris and trash, inside and out. Take out the trash regularly and keep it in containers that will shut tightly. Place food in plastic, airtight containers as well to discourage pests in cupboards or pantries.

Try some of these other pest preventative measures during autumn:

• Install or replace weatherstrips around doors and windows for a stronger seal. Applying caulk along door frames and other cracks can also help.
• Repair or replace door and window screens.
• Keep your home free of excess moisture (another element that attracts some pests) using dehumidifiers or fans in damper areas of your house, such as basements.
• Fix leaking pipes and check for leaks often.
• Turn off any faucets outside and insulate them well. Insulate other systems or pipes that can be seen from the exterior of your home.
• Clean yards and gardens of debris. Pests are more likely to enter your home if they can first seek shelter somewhere in your yard. Fallen leaves are a great cover for pests, so be sure to rake them up!
• Prune or cut down overgrown plants close to your home. Keep a reasonable distance between the exterior walls of your home and any foliage.
• Place firewood piles along the perimeter of your property rather than along the side of your house.

Which Pests Will Be Most Prevalent in the Fall?

Even with your pest control measures in place, keep an eye out for these pests that appear more abundantly in the fall:

• Mice and other rodents: Autumn may be the worst time of year for homeowners trying to keep out mice. Open food containers and lingering crumbs will especially draw in rodents, scurrying to find warm shelter and ample food in the months leading up to winter. Sealing holes or cracks in your home’s foundation, walls, and more will be important precautions to take for managing mice this season. Call for rodent and mice control before your family is put in harm’s way from diseases carried by mice.

• Spiders: The late summer and early fall months are mating season for spiders. Male spiders will come out from seclusion looking for females, but the real infestation happens when females start laying eggs in or around your property. Putting up a protective barrier and other spider control treatments will make a great difference in keeping spiders out so they can’t mate and lay their eggs inside the walls of your home.

Enjoy Fall, Without the Pests

This autumn, bring on the fall weather you love but keep out the pests you hate. Give your home the best pest protection with professional pest control services. At H2 Pest Control, our licensed experts know the behaviors of mice, spiders, and other pests more prone to invade your home during fall. They’ll create a personalized treatment plan to target these specific intruders. If you aren’t happy with our service, we’ll re-service your entire property for free!

Call or contact H2 Pest Control to learn more about our complete pest control services available in Utah County, including Lehi and Eagle Mountain. New customers can get 50% off their initial service with H2 Pest Control to fight off unwanted fall visitors. Just mention this ad when contacting us! Let us help you enjoy the season in a pest-free home.

Types of Spiders Commonly Found in Utah Homes

Look out for these 5 spiders in particular that are abundant in Utah County. But be careful! These spiders can have dangerous or painful bites.

• Woodlouse Spiders
  • These spiders are easy to pick out with their red/reddish-brown body and legs. Their abdomen is a dark tan color.
  • Their name comes from their choice of diet: the woodlouse, small bugs also known as pill bugs or roly-poly bugs.
  • Woodlouse spiders are not dangerous to humans, but they do have a painful bite from their large fangs.

• Yellow Sac Spiders
  • Yellow sac spiders can be recognized by their yellow, semitransparent appearance.
  • Their webs look like small sacs found in corners, especially along ceilings. You may find yellow sac spiders in these high corners or hidden spaces, such as under clothes or leaves.
  • A bite from a yellow sac spider and its venom are not harmful but painful. These spiders are more aggressive than some species and will bite more than once if threatened.

• Wolf Spiders
  • Rather than spin webs, wolf spiders capture their prey by pouncing on them. They move quickly for such hunting purpose
  • Wolf spiders may be mistaken for a smaller tarantula. They have a unique tan and black design on their backs that make them identifiable.
  • A bite from a wolf spider may leave fang marks and take some time to heal but is not poisonous. Left untreated, though, these bites may cause additional health complications. If bitten, seek attention from a medical professional.

• Hobo Spiders
  • One of the most common (and most dangerous) spiders in the Utah County area is the hobo spider. They are extremely troublesome in the months leading up to winter when they mate and migrate into homes to lay eggs. Protecting your home with reliable spider control becomes even more vital during these critical months for the hobo spider.
  • Hobo spiders are brown/dark brown. They are often confused with other brown house spiders but have a distinct yellow and grey pattern on their abdomen that can be seen with a magnifying glass.
  • Their webs resemble funnels found relatively lower than other spider webs. Because hobo spiders do not climb well, they stay closer to the ground and on the lower levels of a home.

• Black Widows
  • Black widows are another spider with a dangerous bite, especially for older adults and younger children. Their bite may cause increased heart rate and body temperature, problems breathing, involuntary muscle twitches, and other symptoms.
  • They are one of the most recognized spiders with their black body and the red hourglass pattern found on their abdomen.
  • While feared, black widows are not hostile to humans unless they feel in danger. When cleaning in dark, secluded areas in and around your home, wear closed gloves to protect yourself from black widow bites. Seek immediate help if bitten.