Exterminator/Landscaper

Hi everyone! 4 year long Broadlands resident who needs some help.

It seem that some sort of rodent has taken resdence within our bedroom walls or something, we hear scratching incessently all night. Needless to say it's very annoying and making it difficult to sleep. Can anyone suggest a good local exterminator?

Also, does anyone know of any good, afforable landscaping/lawn care companies locally?

Thanks so much!

 

just something to check from our experience

first house, late at night, all is quiet, we hear this scatching, gnawing noise. We were mortified -- we have something alive in the walls!!! what to do?!!! next day I scour the house for evidence. While outside looking around the outside wall to our bedroom... I hear it again! search, search, getting closer.... it was a metal tag on the gas meter blowing in the wind, scraping against the meter. The next night, we heard it again and slept well.

 

Good thought Wahoo, thanks! This (whatever it is) has been on the move however. it was on one side one night and another the next.

 

I put some tape on the metal tag on the gas meter to keep it from moving That sound is annoying.

Have you been up in the attic yet to look for evidence? If it's upstairs you could try placing mouse traps up in the attic.

 

we used Superior Pest Control to get rid of a HUGE wasp nest when we moved in last year, and I've used them in the past in my last home. Always satisfied with their work- I've never had a problem with any 4-plus legged creatures...

reasonable prices, quick response times, and they show up when they say they will.

http://www.superiortermite.com/about.htm

 

Ditto redon1's comments.

 

I am new to Southern Walk. I noticed there is common area pesticide application in process this week. My question - do they treat our front/back yards as well?

Also Related - has anyone noticed these tiny, slow-moving, red (pepper size) mites in your homes? I noticed some near my dog's food bowl by our back door. I thought it was dirt when I noticed these almost microscopic things moving slowly across my tile and door. If you smash them they smear a red tint - blood? If anyone know what these are, please let me know! I am grossed out.

 

I thought that the common area's were treated almost a week and a half ago. Are they treating them again?

I've seen these little red things as well. I have no clue what they are. I've not seen them this year yet though. I'll have to look for them when I get home. Usually around this time of the year I spray the foundation of our house with that home defence pest stuff. We've not had problems with any other pests other than these red things. Not even really spiders.

 

Hey LosSoul.... I think I just read another one of your posts. Were you the one that recommended the Home Depot Home Defense spray? Do you have the name and brand? I just srinkled some Ortho granules around the perimeter of my house today (from Home Depot). Those tiny red bugs are annoying me - at least I am not the only one with this problem. I just moved in last week so I wanted to get some info for other neighbors. My street is being sprayed 3/20-3/22. I live on Milford Drive.

 

I'll check the name when I get home. I have a few bottles of it. I know it comes in a rather large red bottle with a built in sprayer. It's worked well for us. I got it from the local home depot.

 

We use SafeGuard Pest Control for over a year- (out of Fairfax VA - Dorr Ave). Also instead of pine mulch, we opted to upgrade to Cedar mulch which naturally keeps the bugs away, as per our landscaper's advice

 

We use SafeGuard as well. I liked that they claim to use "environmentally friendly" products. We use an organic approach to lawn care and I didn't want to add a bunch of chemicals on top. (they treat the lawn for ticks) We also have young children and pets and didn't want harsh chemicals in the house. They clean spider webs off the porch at each visit. They gave us our initial treatment for free since we already had a pest control contract with another company.

PS: I think the little red bugs could be spider mites. We used to get them in the spring in our master bathroom, but I haven't seen any in a couple of years.

 

As for the scratching sounds- it is probably birds. We have had this problem with Starlings- they like to come through the vents for the bath fans and then get into the attic. We fixed a huge hole in our attic this weekend as they chewed through the vent/aluminum tape. If you turn your fan on and then off again, you should hear the flap close when it goes off. If you don't, you are likely to have a hole. Good luck!

 

We had a scratching sound in our walls at our last house. Ended up being a squirrel that got into the attic and had been burrowing down into the walls. Good luck finding the culprit.

 

Thanks everyone! I assume an exterminator is the answer correct? I don't know who else to call. We really don't even have an "attic" so I'm not sure how whatever it is got in there.

 

If you're looking for a very reasonable landscaper, a friend of mine just started his own company, Rockwaterfarm Landscapes & Hardscapes. Right now he just works late afternoon/nights and weekends, but he's really good and honest. His name is Todd Thomasson and I don't have his work e-mail, but his personal e-mail address is toddt_02@yahoo.com.

 

Yes, they're clover mites - they come from mulch. We had the side of our house landscaped and they're on the inside window sills. We're really annoyed - will either spray the outside foundation ourselves or get a pest control company. Evidently I hear they do not go away - they just get worse.