Insects and other pests are a year round problem in the mild climate of Irvine, California. Some of these pests cause structural damage such as termites, some pests can cause personal damage such as black widow spiders and other pests such as house mouse are just a pain to have around.

Next time a bug or mouse scurries across the floor, visit Accurate’s gallery of pictures of common pests in Southern California to get a positive ID on the pest you’re dealing with.

If your pest isn’t listed in the gallery, try the University of California guidelines for pest management. This site allows you to choose your pest (i.e. mammals, insects, mollusks, etc…) or the plant in your yard or garden that is infested with the pest. This informative site also has information on pesticides, exotic pests and quick tips on how to manage pests.

Not all pests are bad, here is an interesting site with information about plants that attract beneficial insects and are helpful to have around.

Fumigation also known as tenting, is a method of pest control that completely gets rid of pests within the area being fumigated.

The pests are eradicated with the use of pesticides in gas form. Methyl bromide used to be the most widely used pesticide in tenting but has since been restricted because of its environmental damage. Nowadays there are several fumigants that can be used including formaldehyde, methyl isocyanate and hydrogen cyanide.

The structure is either sealed with plastic, tape or other materials or the entire structure is tented with the use of nylon tarps. See pic above. The length of fumigation or tenting can vary from a couple hours to a week; depending on the pest problem and the size of the structure.

It’s important to remember that the pesticides used to kill the termites can also kill or poison other living things. All people, pets (fish included), plants, etc… are to be removed. Also, it’s a good idea to remove or completely seal anything that will eventually be ingested (pills too!).

Proper precautions are taken when it comes to fumigation. For instance, the re-entry date, time and other information will posted on the house when the structure is safe to re-enter. But, if headaches, nausea or any other symptoms appear after re-entering the structure, leave immediately and contact a doctor or poison control.

For more in depth information about fumigation, view California’s Structural Pest Control Board’s FAQ about fumigation.

Fumigation is an aggressive method of pest control but it’s not flawless. Since the pesticide used is in gas form, there is no poison left behind so the termites or other pests can return. Also, the deadly dosage of pesticide for one pest may not be enough to kill another pest. But if fumigation is performed correctly, the target pest should be eradicated.

Slugs and snails won’t do any damage to the house or other structures, but they can do some serious damage to gardens. That damage can be just as devastating for those who spend hours every week in the garden or depend on the garden for fruits and veggies.

Both slugs and snails belong to the mollusk family and are similar in structure except snails have the outer shell. They move around with a muscular foot that releases a slimy substance that is often described as silvery or iridescent. The mollusks are most active at night and can also be seen during or after it rains.

Slugs and snails chew holes in leaves, fruit and veggies and will target both living and decaying plants. Their damage is often confused with the damage caused by caterpillars but can be easily confirmed once the mucus trail is identified.

Like many other pests, controlling slugs and snails needs consistent attention. Here are some of the most common ways to prevent snails and slugs from destroying the garden or flower beds.

• Hand picking – This method is actually picking out the snails and slugs by hand…regular picking is needed in the beginning but may decrease to weekly after the population starts to decrease. Using gloves makes the task less gross and the mollusks can just be thrown into a plastic bag and disposed of.
• Traps – There are many options when it comes to trapping snails…using a bowl filled with beer is one of the most common. Traps also make it easy to keep tabs on how many snails and slugs have been captured from the garden.
• Baits – These are exactly what it sounds like…baits are placed where slugs and snails are commonly seen and the goal is to get the mollusks to consume the bait. If using baits, be sure to read the directions carefully and another management method may be a better option if pets are present.
• Make them dinner – Toads love snails and slugs and the amphibians are actually good for the garden. Turtles, snakes and birds will also make a meal out of snails and slugs.

One thing to note, pouring salt on slugs and snails will kill them but the added salt may not be beneficial for the garden.

The maintenance of controlling pests varies depending on the pest, the location of the building and several other factors. But here in Southern California where the weather is warm year-round, pest maintenance is most beneficial when performed every month or two.

It’s important to remember maintenance. The pests are gone after the initial treatment but since insects and other pests are constantly breeding, they can come back. So just because the pests are gone right now doesn’t mean they wont return which is why controlling pests is a never ending job, especially in pest control in Orange County, California.

Did you know?

• Worker termites live between two and five years and queen termites can live up to 25 years
• It takes three to four months for an egg of a cockroach to develop into an adult cockroach
• For two to five years, a queen bee lays several thousand eggs a day
• Male black widow spiders are sometimes killed by the female black widow after they mate

Male black widow spiders are sometimes killed by the female black widow after they mate

the most venomous spider in the United States. But how can you tell if it’s a black widow and where do they usually dwell?

Luckily black widow spiders are fairly easy to ID. Mature black widow spiders are usually 1.5 inches long (about the size of a small paperclip) and .25 inches wide. Their bodies are jet black with a distinguishing feature, a red hourglass on the underside of their very round abdomens.

What most people don’t realize is that the name black widow is actually a general name for a group of spiders that include the western black widow, the northern black widow and the southern black widow. But because the three species are very similar it’s common to just refer to any of the three species as just black widow spiders.

The bite of a black widow is said to be 15 times stronger than the venomous bite of a rattlesnake and it’s interesting to note that only the female’s bite is dangerous. Contrary to popular belief only about 1% of black widow spider bites are fatal AND no one has died from a black widow bite in over 10 years. But here are some symptoms of black widow bites:

• Pain and redness at the bit site
• Muscle cramps
• Headache
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• High bloog pressure
• Weakness and/tremors
• Sweating

A regular inspection for black widows is often a good idea if the spiders are common in your area. Black widow spiders are often found in dark places such as attics, closets, woodpiles and garages.