FAQ

Ants are pests that have an almost constant presence in our lives. You can find them in virtually any indoor or outdoor space. These social insects live in large colonies, and their small size allows them to easily move into any space that meets their needs, including our Framingham homes. Once ants discover your property has what they are looking for, getting them to leave is a trying task. Effective ant control is best completed by a professional.

Carpenter ants, sugar ants, and pavement ants are three species that live in our area and often invade our properties. Large carpenter ants pose the biggest threat; they like to nest inside wood, and when nesting in homes, they cause structural damage. Pavement ants are those tiny black ants you see emerging from cracks in sidewalks, the pavement, and foundation walls. Sugar ants are another small black ant species that invade our homes primarily while foraging for food.

Food and moisture are the primary attractants for ants. Use the following tips to keep help deter ant activity on your property.

• Keep lids on all trash cans.
• Regularly empty, clean out, and sanitize trash cans.
• Regularly harvest gardens and practice pest control to reduce insect activity in gardens; ants like to feed on the honeydew that many garden pests produce.
• Address moisture issues.
• Maintain a clean kitchen and store your family's food properly to keep it out of the reach of foraging ants.

Please call today for more information about Framingham home pest control.

The most common cockroach to find in our homes and businesses is the German cockroach. These small, fast-moving cockroaches are prolific breeders and know how to take advantage of the food and shelter our homes offer. The oriental cockroach is another common household pest in our region. They have incredibly high moisture needs and hang out in drains, sewers, garbage piles, and other damp, dark areas within and around our homes.

Cockroaches are an ancient species that have withstood the test of time. These hearty, scavenging pests can adapt to almost any habitat, and several species have adapted to living with people. While they may have adapted to living with us, we have not done the same, and for good reason. Cockroaches feed on decaying organic matter and come into constant contact with bacteria, human pathogens, and parasites. They are unsanitary pests that pose health risks, contaminate food, and produce foul odors.

To help you keep cockroaches away from your home, we would suggest you implement the following tips:

• Don't allow garbage to build up in or outside of your home.
• Regularly and thoroughly clean your house, paying particular attention to its kitchen and dining areas.
• Store your family's food out of reach of cockroaches either in the fridge or airtight containers.
• Solve moisture issues inside and outside your home that attract moisture-loving cockroaches.

In addition to the above prevention steps, partner with an experienced professional and implement regular cockroach control services to avoid problems with these pests.

Rodents are small mammals that all share one characteristic; they have front incisors that grow continuously throughout their lives. Unfortunately, when rodents like mice and rats get into our homes, they use their front incisors to damage structural elements, food containers, and personal belongings. They also spread bacteria and other pathogens through their excrement and saliva. Mice and rats are dangerous and destructive pests that don't belong in our homes.

The unfortunate truth is that our backyards, homes, garages, and sheds offer rodents everything they need; food, water, and shelter. Things like trash cans, gardens, pet food, leaky hoses, and sheltered nesting spots are too much for mice and rats to resist. Mice and rats have adapted to living with people, which makes keeping them away from our properties quite tricky. Working to prevent problems with rodents is a year-round commitment and is most successful when partnering with a local and experienced professional.

Use the following tips in conjunction with our professional services to prevent problems with rodents in your home.

• Cut back trees and shrubs away from your home's exterior.
• Inspect your home's exterior and repair defects using silicone caulk, mesh screens, and other appropriate materials to eliminate entry points.
• Store trash cans away from your home's exterior, and keep locking lids on them.
• Repair leaky pipes and fixtures.

For rodent control in Framingham, MA, reach out today!

Having your property taken over by any insect is unpleasant, but insects that sting are even worse. The most common types of stinging insects in our area of Massachusetts are bees, bald-faced hornets, wasps, and yellow jackets. Any of these species could find their way onto your yard because our outdoor spaces offer them what they need to survive. Stinging insects won't hesitate to take advantage of the sheltered nesting spots, multiple food sources, and access to water that our yards provide.

Stinging insects nesting or swarming your property while foraging for food will make you think twice about spending time outside. No one wants to be on the receiving end of a painful sting or experience a life-threatening allergic reaction because of a stinging insect sting. Unfortunately, the more contact you have with these pests, the more likely one or more stings will occur. Take back your yard from insects that sting with the help of a local pest control professional.

Along with our professional pest control services, you can use the following tips to reduce insect activity on your property.

• Keep outdoor eating areas free of food debris and sugary drinks.
• Avoid planting flowers and vegetation near outdoor sitting and eating areas; the same goes for your home's entrances.
• Reduce nesting spots by cutting back trees, filling ground holes, and removing yard debris. 
• Repair leaky air conditioners, hoses, and outdoor fixtures.

Contact us today for safe, guaranteed protection against stinging insects.

Termites are wood-eating pests in our homes; they are among the most feared pests to find because of the destruction they can cause. The most common type of termite in Framingham is the subterranean termite. Characteristics unique to these termites include their high moisture needs, preference for feeding on water-damaged or decaying wood, and nesting underground. As subterranean termites travel through the soil, it is common for them to end up in our homes, moving through cracks in the foundation.

Termites are attracted to our Massachusetts structures because their structural wood provides them with a reliable food source. Older homes or homes not adequately sealed are most likely to have moisture issues and experience problems with subterranean termites. The structural wood in houses most likely to be invaded and used by termites as a food source is normally near drains, windows, doors, the roofline, and other moist areas.

Termites are difficult to prevent because they move silently through the soil and into wooden structures in our homes. However, you can take several preventative measures to help avoid issues with these pests.

• Remove fallen trees, wood piles, and tree stumps from your yard.
• Don't pile firewood or construction debris near your home. 
• Eliminate as much wood-to-soil contact on your property as possible.
• Create a barrier between soil or mulch and your foundation. 
• Seal cracks and crevices that develop in your home's exterior.

Contact us today to partner with a local termite company and get the best year-round termite control for your Framingham property.

Deer ticks, brown dog ticks, and Asian tiger mosquitoes are examples of outdoor pests that regularly take over our Massachusetts yards. Ticks and mosquitoes have in common that they feed on the blood of people and animals to complete their lifecycles. Another commonality is that fleas and ticks spread disease, so avoiding contact with either species is always best!

Ticks are arachnids and move passively from place to place on the backs of their animal hosts. The more wild animal activity you have on your property, the more likely you will experience problems with biting ticks. On the other hand, mosquitoes are winged insects and actively fly to properties that offer foraging and breeding sites. Because female mosquitoes lay their eggs on top of standing water, properties with or near standing water are most likely to experience significant problems with these biting pests.

Controlling outdoor pests like mosquitoes and ticks from finding their way to our yards is frustrating since they can come and go as they please. Below are some of the easiest ways to help prevent problems with ticks and mosquitoes.

• Reduce sources of standing water on your property.
• Reduce shady areas on your property by cutting the grass short and cutting back overgrown vegetation.
• Deter wildlife activity by keeping lids on trash cans, removing bird feeders, and picking up uneaten pet food. 
• Implement regular outdoor pest control treatments to keep their populations in check. 

Partnering with a professional is the most effective way to control ticks and mosquitoes; call today to learn more! Here at WPC Pest and Termite Control, we want to help you protect your home from damaging and dangerous pests. Never feel like you have to tolerate pests in your home; call today and learn more about pest control in Framingham, MA.

Yes! Before your floors are poured, WPC Pest and Termite Control will apply liquid products around the footing of your structure and pipe chases. Our services come with a 10-year warranty that is transferable to new homeowners. Call today to learn more.

WPC Pest and Termite Control offers WDO, and WDI reports to every homeowner in Framingham. All homes are different, and we must customize every approach, so the price you pay will look different depending on personal factors. Contact WPC Pest and Termite Control to learn more.

Rodents are known to spread hantavirus, salmonellosis, and leptospirosis, among other diseases. They transmit bacterial and pathogens to humans by contaminating surfaces and food with droppings. Diseases spread by rodents can be serious, so it's important to address the problem as soon as possible.

Every situation is different, but our goal is to eliminate your problem as quickly as possible. We will work with you to develop a plan that gets results in the shortest amount of time. In most cases, we will return in two-week intervals until the problem is solved. 

Cockroaches are extremely dangerous, not because they can sting or pack a venomous bite, but because of the diseases they spread. Roaches hang out in some pretty disgusting spots and eat some horrifying things, like feces and rotting corpses. These little bugs are chock-full of pathogens that can make you very sick. Living with a houseful of cockroaches means constant exposure to dangerous diseases, which is why it's so vital to kick the cockroaches out of your home as soon as you realize you have them. 

Cockroaches are highly motivated to get into just about all human habitations because we have virtually everything they need to thrive. However, if you're finding that cockroaches are particularly attracted to your home, it could be because you are inadvertently rolling out the red carpet for them. You might be leaving dirty dishes in the sink that they take advantage of or keeping pet food outdoors all the time. Innocuous actions that you might not even consider problematic can attract a horde of roaches.

If you have a cockroach infestation already active in your home, your efforts to eradicate it will virtually always fail. It's important to hire experts, like the kind here at WPC Pest and Termite Control, as soon as possible to protect yourself from these disgusting and dangerous pests.

However, you don't have to wait for an infestation to do something about cockroaches. In fact, the best home and commercial pest control method is cockroach prevention. The easiest way to go about this is to reduce attractants in your house that can draw cockroaches in. To make your home a more hostile place for all cockroach species:

• Always clean up after meals immediately, and never leave dirty dishes in the sink or anywhere else. 
• Vacuum and wipe surfaces frequently to clean up smears and crumbs that cockroaches could feed on.
• Store all pantry foods, including pet foods, in airtight containers to mask smells.
• Keep all indoor and outdoor trash and compost covered with tight-fitting lids at all times.
• Take care of moisture issues like poor drainage, condensation, or leaky pipes to eliminate water sources for roaches.

Making it inconvenient for roaches to access food and moisture will cause them to move on to greener pastures.

Ants vary in the potential risk they pose to your family. All ants bite, and certain ants, like fire ants, will sting as well. While an individual ant bite won’t hurt very much, getting bitten by a large number at once (such as by accidentally stepping in an anthill) can be very painful. Ants also carry the risk of food contamination: as they move from surfaces across your home, they carry microscopic bacteria along with them. Ants are always on the hunt for food around your home, and if they end up finding any, they run the risk of contaminating it with the bacteria they picked up from any number of unsanitary places. Finally, while they rarely bite humans and are not outright dangerous to your health, carpenter ants can leave extensive damage to vulnerable areas of your home if left untreated. 

In many ways, ants are a part of life around the Metro West area. It is not uncommon to see ant hills springing up across yards during warmer months of the year. However, ants are most commonly seen entering properties that contain lots of resources: food, water, and shelter. This can mean getting into your garden in search of carbohydrates in the form of honeydew and plant nectar, invading your kitchen in search of meats and sugars, hanging out in your bathroom in search of water, or getting into your trash in search of fats, oils, and greasy leftovers.

In general, the best way to prevent ants from infesting your home is to remove any resources that can attract them. This includes:

• Cleaning up spilled food and drinks
• Washing dishes promptly and not leaving dirty dishes in the sink
• Vacuuming often 
• Wiping down countertops frequently 
• Eliminating other pests and insects that could serve as food sources

As always, the only surefire way to prevent ants from becoming a problem is through professional ongoing pest management from a quality pest control provider. For that, look no further than WPC Pest and Termite Control!