Mosquitoes are one of the most common pests, especially during Louisiana's warmest months. If you often find yourself swatting at these little pests, you might want to plan ahead for mosquito season. With a few precautionary measures and some professional assistance, you can enjoy your outdoor spaces in the spring and summer months, free from mosquitoes.

When Is Louisiana's Mosquito Season?
The season for mosquitoes occurs when the conditions for the invading insects are ideal. These flying pests love heat and moisture, so the season for them can last anywhere from spring to fall. If you want to stay on top of preparing your property, start your precautionary measures around April and plan to maintain them until October. The actual timing varies depending on the year, but it is a safe bet to say that the season for mosquitoes in Louisiana lasts about seven months.

How Can You Prepare for Mosquito Season?
Whether the season for these annoying insects is months away or right around the corner, you can take some simple, practical steps to prepare. Here are some easy ways to get started.

1. Remove Standing Water
Eliminating moisture is one of the first steps the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends when preparing for mosquito season. Since mosquitoes lay eggs near water, you can prevent potential infestations by draining standing water sources on your property. Keeping your outdoor spaces free of moist areas gives mosquitoes fewer places to lay eggs and multiply. 

2. Keep the Air Moving
Mosquitoes are notoriously weak fliers, so creating maximum ventilation in your outdoor space is an effective way to repel them. If you don't have a natural breeze that flows through your property, try keeping a few fans handy in areas that you use frequently. Not only will ventilation keep the mosquitoes away, but it also keeps you cool.

3. Check Your Gutters
If you need another excuse to keep your gutters clean, add mosquito prevention to the list. Your gutters are another common area where moisture can collect, attracting mosquitoes and giving them a place to lay eggs. Additionally, functional gutters should help keep water from pooling around the edges of your house and attracting further pests. Stay on top of your gutters by cleaning them regularly yourself or retaining a service to do this.

4. Hire an Exterminator
The most effective step you can take to protect yourself from mosquitoes is to enlist professional help. A trusted and experienced exterminator can treat your property for pests and give you advice on how to maintain your space during mosquito season. If you're serious about prevention, you can look into our mosquito misting system, which reduces the presence of mosquitoes by 98% in the first week of use. If you've taken precautionary measures and want to make sure all your bases are covered, an exterminator can make sure you're fully protected.

Take the Next Steps​
You're now prepared to take on Louisiana's mosquito season. Check out our services for mosquito control and enlist the help of southern Louisiana's most trusted exterminator.

Finding signs of a pest infestation on your property is upsetting and frightening. While you need to act quickly to resolve the problem, you also need to find pest control in Baton Rouge that is effective, reliable, and affordable. You do not want to pick the cheapest pest control company only to find that the work it does is inadequate. Here are some tips for locating the right pest control company to meet your needs.

Give Yourself Time To Find the Right Pest Control in Baton Rouge
It is true that a pest infestation is something that you need to address in a timely fashion. However, this emergency does not mean you should forego due diligence. Rather than call the first pest control company for which you find a phone number, take a few days to do some research into the companies in your area to choose the one you think will do the best job. A few days shouldn't be long enough for the problem to become significantly worse than it already is.

Learn To Recognize Red Flags
While most companies offering pest control in Baton Rouge are honest, there are some that try to take advantage of property owners' fears to make a dishonest profit. The following are red flags that a pest control company is not trustworthy:
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• Representatives That Come to You Instead of Waiting for You To Call: Be wary of pest control companies that solicit services door-to-door or that show up at your door claiming that they just found dangerous pests at a neighbor's house and think that your house might have an infestation as well.
• Companies That Claim To Have An Endorsement From a Governmental Agency: Federal agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency or the Department of Agriculture, do not endorse specific pesticides or individual pest control companies.
• Representatives That Try To Pressure You or Use Scare Tactics: Dishonest pest control companies may try to scare you by stating that your house is structurally unsound and if you do not take immediate action, it could collapse. Legitimate companies offering pest control in Baton Rouge will not try to pressure or frighten you.
• Companies That Claim To Have a Secret Formula: By law, manufacturers must place labels on pesticides that identify all their active ingredients and register the product with the Department of Agriculture and the EPA.
• Companies That Quote You a Price Per Gallon: Typically, only diluted pesticides are safe, meaning that treating your property could take several hundred gallons.
• Companies That Offer Pest Control as Part of a Package Deal: A dishonest company may offer pest control at a discount as part of a package deal with tree trimming or home repairs. The catch is that you have to have the treatment done immediately. Reputable companies that provide pest control in Baton Rouge concentrate on that and do not provide any other unrelated services.

Additionally, if a purported pest control company does not have a working phone number, or does not list a number at all, it is probably not legitimate.

Perform a Background Check
Once you have compiled a shortlist of companies, vet them by checking with third-party organizations such as the EPA, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, or the Better Business Bureau. If anyone has filed a complaint about a pest control company, those organizations should have a record of it.

Ask for Estimates for Pest Control in Baton Rouge
A reputable company will provide an estimate of what it will cost to treat your property. This not only gives you an idea of what the services will cost, but it also gives you an opportunity to speak with a representative of the company. The representative should be knowledgeable and competent. He or she should treat you with respect, listening to your concerns without trying to pressure you into anything. You should feel at ease when talking to him or her.

Ask the Right Questions
A conversation with a representative of a pest control company gives you the opportunity to ask questions. You should ask for copies of the labels from the pesticide products that the company uses, which should give you information about the precautions that the company should take and the methods used for application.

You should find out who will perform the services at your property, whether it will be a licensed technician or a certified applicator. You can call the Louisiana Department of Agriculture to verify licenses.

You should ask how long the company has been offering pest control in Baton Rouge from its current location. A new pest control company isn't necessarily illegitimate, but the more established a company is, the more trustworthy it is likely to be.

Ask about what sort of preparation you need to do at the property before the treatment takes place. Pest control companies often require that the property owner does some prep work beforehand in the interest of safety and to make sure the treatment is effective. Make sure that you know what you have to do beforehand and that you can follow the instructions exactly. You may have to do things such as moving large pieces of furniture or appliances away from the walls so the technician has access to places where pests may hide and removing food and dishes from your kitchen counters and cabinets to avoid contamination.

Check References
When you are considering hiring a company for pest control in Baton Rouge, ask for a list of references. Take some time to check these references and ask people who have worked with the company before about their experience and whether they felt satisfied with the service they received. You may not have to call all the references if you receive a long list, but you should contact at least three.

Make Sure the Company Offers What You Need
Bug Ninja Pest Control provides pest control in Baton Rouge for both commercial and residential properties. Find out more about the specific pest control services we offer.

Pest problems of any form can turn hazardous if not taken care of quickly. Termites, in particular, can cause extensive damage to wooden structures, potentially rendering them unstable. Whether the pest invasion consists of bed bugs, rodents or termite swarms, it's not usually recommended that you try to remedy the problem on your own. Learn more about how pest control specialists are best qualified to determine termite species and the means to eliminate them.

Termite Species
There are many different kinds of termites with distinctive behaviors and characteristics. While most species hold destructive potential, the ranges and degree of trouble vary widely.

Subterranean Termite Swarms
Many termites only inhabit tropical and subtropical regions due to their preference for warm, moist conditions. However, subterranean species can be found everywhere in the United States. Their diet consists largely of plants and especially trees or wood. Since these termites live underground, it can be challenging to detect their presence until the infestation has reached a more severe state.

Swarmers, or alates, are winged termites that leave their birthplace to start new colonies. They generally embark on their searches for a new home in the spring or early summer, when the weather begins to turn warmer and more humid. Once a colony is established, it can grow to number in the hundreds of thousands or even millions strong, and most of these insects work around the clock devouring wood. If a colony remains undetected for many years, it can eventually destroy entire buildings.

Drywood Termites
Drywood termites prefer to make themselves at home inside support timbers and furniture rather than underground. They are most common in the southern and coastal regions of the United States. As with subterranean termites, the drywood species produces swarmers that spread infestations.
Look out for winged termites and their discarded wings around your house or business. If you suspect a termite infestation, contact trusted pest control experts to perform an inspection.

Dampwood Termites
The dampwood species of termite is attracted to woods with high water content such as logs, dead trees, and wooden posts. Due to their persistent need for moisture, dampwood termites don't typically infest structures themselves. However, they can still cause damage. Not even telephone and electric wiring are safe from them.

Different termite species require distinct methods of removal. Contact professional pest control to determine the best way to take care of your pest problem.

Conehead Termites
Conehead termites are named for the pointed shape of their heads. While coneheads tend to prefer fences, trees, and open grassy areas, they may also invade buildings. This termite can also travel above ground, unlike other species relying on underground termite swarms to spread. Unfortunately, this enables coneheads to spread quickly and survive in a greater variety of environments. A distinguishing feature of coneheads that may help early detection is their tendency to build nests in trees or other structures above ground.

This termite species is a danger not only to manmade structures but to trees and shrubs, causing more destruction at a faster rate than other termites. If coneheads aren't properly eliminated, they may spread quickly due to their unique traveling capabilities. If you suspect a conehead invasion at your home or business, contact a licensed pest control agency immediately.

Formosan Termites 
Another invasive species, this subterranean termite is bigger and more destructive than other species. The swarmers from Formosan and other subterranean termite species can be mistaken for flying ants. To distinguish between the two in case swarmers are trying to establish colonies in your home or business, look for straight antennae on swarmers. In comparison, flying ants have curled antennae. Additionally, flying ants have different-sized wings, while flying termites have only one size of wings. Swarmers are also drawn to light around porches or other outdoor lighting areas and often shed their wings in those locations.

Stopping swarmers before they establish new colonies is essential to preventing more termite swarms, infestation and damage. The best way to prevent termite swarms is to hire a licensed pest control company to identify pests and termite-proof your home or business.

Signs of a Termite Problem
Termites cause billions of dollars in damage every year in the United States. Besides consuming wood, termites also create tiny tunnels called mud tubes to keep themselves moist and travel between their nests and food sources. These passages can sometimes be visible running along foundations or trailing down walls. While termites mainly eat cellulose, they are also capable of chewing through substances such as plastic or insulation in their efforts to construct mud tubes.

Termite nests and mud tubes may not be visible until affected wood is accidentally bumped or damaged, exposing the damaged structure. It is critical, therefore, to remain vigilant for other signs of termite infestation.

Watch out for these common indications of termite problems:

• Mud tubes
• Shedded termite wings
• Hollow-sounding wood
• Clicking sound from inside walls
• Feces resembling coarse sawdust
• Paint bubbles or blistered wood

Eliminating Termite Swarms for Good
The best way to prevent termites is to hire a trusted pest control agency to inspect and termite-proof your home or business. Ask family members or friends if they have any good recommendations for a pest control agency. Then, compare estimates and plans from among your chosen candidates. Always check that the company you select has a valid and active license.

There are also actions you can take to prevent infestations during the interval between pest control visits. Follow these tips to help prevent termites:

• Repair leaking outdoor water fixtures
• Store firewood away from residences
• Prevent water from pooling around foundations
• Reduce indoor humidity using dehumidifiers and proper ventilation

You may feel pressured to take care of a pest issue such as termite swarms yourself due to time or finances. However, misidentification of the pest may lead to incomplete removal and further damage. Licensed experts are the best solution to termites and other pest problems.

Bug Ninja Pest Control quickly takes care of termites, rodents, mosquitos and other pests. Contact us to transform your home or business into a pest-free location.