Five Common Fall Pests in the Pacific Northwest

With temperatures hovering in the 60s and the leaves changing on the trees, it’s official: fall has arrived in Portland. While this is a beautiful time of year in the Pacific Northwest, there are a few pests who are not deterred by the cooler weather. PestLock is your Top Rated Local® pest control company in the Portland and Vancouver area, and we are here to provide industry-leading rodent control, cockroach extermination, and more to ensure pests are locked out of your home this fall and winter. Check out some of the most common fall pests below and contact us for a free pest inspection!

Five Fall Pests

Cockroaches

These nocturnal pests love to live and feed in the dark, and that can make it challenging to know if you have an infestation or not. While seeing a live cockroach is most assuredly indicative of an infestation, it is uncommon. You are more likely to notice these less obvious signs of a cockroach infestation:

• Cockroach droppings: look similar to coffee grounds or black pepper
• Unusual odors: may be a strong oily smell, or a musty odor
• Egg casings: small, white, oval-shaped eggs in hidden locations

Rodents

Mice and rats can wreak havoc on your home in more ways than one. They love chewing through electrical wires and they contaminate food and water with their droppings and urine. How do you know it’s time for professional rodent control? Call us if you notice the following:

• Rodent droppings and nesting materials
• Signs of chewing or gnawing
• Holes chewed through walls and floors
• Stale smells with unknown origins

Spiders

Spiders are a year-long concern in the Pacific Northwest, and they are more likely to move indoors when the weather gets colder. This is not necessarily so that they can stay warm, but rather because food sources outside become limited in the fall. The warning signs of spiders are fairly common. Depending on the species, you may actually spot them around the inside and outside of your home. If you have noticed an increased amount of spiderwebs indoors or outdoors, it might be time to call an exterminator.

Ants

Ants love moisture, and there is surely plenty of that in the Portland and Vancouver area during the fall and winter. Odorous house ants will continue laying eggs until late fall, and moisture ants and carpenter ants remain active as well. The most obvious sign of an ant infestation is actually seeing the ants in your home. With a carpenter ant infestation, you may notice:

• Rustling noises inside your walls
• Piles of wood shavings under wooden items
• Large, winged ants emerging from hidden crevices

Pantry Pests

Drugstore beetles, cigarette beetles, and meal moths are some of the most common stored product pests in our region, and you definitely don’t want to find them in your pantry. The best way to avoid an infestation is to closely inspect food you bring home and store your dry goods wisely. If you discover beetles or moths in your pantry or in your dry goods, schedule pest control services right away to treat the infestation.

Schedule Rodent Control in Portland!

It is much easier to stop an infestation in its early stages than it is once it has become advanced, and PestLock is happy to help protect you, your home, and your family from unwanted pests. We use eco-friendly pest solutions whenever possible, and we provide routine inspections to confirm our pest and rodent control methods have been effective.

Ready to get started? Call us at 877-380-2839 today to schedule your free pest inspection!