Although Los Angeles is a rare desert-meets-the-sea region that sees sparse rainfall, water is piped in to keep lawns green and landscaping lush. While the surroundings and mild temperatures create a paradise for residents, they create an ideal pest environment. Some pests are attracted to food in residential areas, some are attracted to insects in gardens and others are attracted to humans. Here are examples of each type.
Ants
Ants are attracted to food in your home or other insects outdoors. For example, carpenter ants will eat aphids but will also eat anything in your home. Carpenter ants build their colonies in wood. They create tunnels and cavities to do this. These pests can cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars in damages when they destroy eaves, wood in garages and trees.
Fire ants eat whatever they can find, and they will sting you if you approach them. Their stings deliver venom. Some people have severe allergic reactions to the venom, and the stings are very painful. Argentine ants have been invading Southern California lately. They are not after you but will attack all other ant colonies in your yard. Argentine ants also kill helpful ants. This allows harmful insects to take over and destroy your garden or landscaping.
Bedbugs
These tiny brown bugs are often mistaken for beetles. However, they have distinct flat and round bodies. Bedbugs feed on human blood and usually bite when you are sleeping. Their thin bodies give them the ability to hide in seams or other tiny crevices in textiles. This makes them hard to kill with DIY pest control but easy to spread to other places. You can pick them up at a store, in a gym locker, at school, at a friend’s home or nearly anywhere.
If you see red bumps on your skin in a straight row, they may be bedbug bites. Look at your mattress or furniture for small blood streaks, reddish dirt or translucent exoskeletons. There may also be a strong odor near the site of an infestation. Bedbug bites can cause people who are allergic to them to develop painful hives or have a severe allergic reaction. These pests may live over a month without blood and multiply fast.
Spiders
One of the most common poisonous spiders in Los Angeles is the hobo spider. It is often mistaken for a brown recluse. Hobo spiders lack the violin shape of a recluse, and they have additional markings on the lower abdomen. A hobo spider’s bite will cause a blister that turns into an ulcerous skin sore. You may feel weak and nauseous after you are bitten.
Black widows bite and deliver a neurotoxin that makes your muscles ache. You may also feel dizzy, weak and ill. Black widows are found in dark places indoors or outdoors. They are shiny, black and have a distinct red hourglass on the underside. Since spiders eat insects, any type of spider infestation is usually a sign that you have another pest problem.
For prompt removal of pests in Los Angeles, call Vertex Pest Solutions. Our company addresses all of your pest control needs whether you own a home or business. We provide quality service and affordable preventative treatments to keep pests away in the future.
