How to Get Rid of a Wasp Nest for Pest-Free Home

A large hornet's nest in the top of a house

Like most insects, wasps can be annoying, but they’re usually peaceful. The problem arises when they feel threatened or think you might attack their nests.

In order to protect themselves and their homes, wasps use their stings and “revenge” on intruders, which can be painful.

Read on to learn how to get rid of a wasp nest from your yard safely. For a more comprehensive plan in pest control, contact Environmental Pest Management.

Where Wasps Nest in Your Home

If you spot a couple of wasps once in a while, that shouldn’t be a problem. But if you start seeing swarms of these insects buzzing around your house, it’s sure there is a nest nearby.

Look for nests where wasps usually make them, such as around the roofs and gutters, in sheds, on trees, and in the attic. Pay particular attention to areas like AC openings, windows, and cracks in walls, as nests can be hidden in corners.

Sometimes, wasps can make nests in the ground. That can be especially problematic during the fall, when the leaves fall and cover these small forts. Then there is a great chance to step on them and cause a real wasp revolution.

After spotting the wasp nest, you should look for the best way to remove it and thus make these insects emigrate from your yard. You’re always free to try some DIY, but for best results, call an expert for wasp nest removal.

Best Methods for Wasp Nest Removal

Destroying wasp nests in your garden or yard will help you reduce the number of these insects and prevent them from hurting you. The nest location will tell you a lot about the wasp species you’ll be fighting, so you can find the best removal method.

Physical Removal

This method doesn’t require special tools or chemicals and is suitable exclusively for paper wasps nests. These insects aren’t too aggressive, so the nest is relatively easy to remove. But, of course, this doesn’t mean that caution isn’t necessary.

You’ll easily recognize paper nests by their umbrella shape and large openings. They’re mostly small, but if you don’t remove them in time, they can grow quite a bit during spring and summer, when wasps are most active.

Here’s how to get rid of a wasp nest that hosts paper wasps:

Put some protective clothes on, and don’t forget gloves and glasses (use a beekeeper suit if you have one).
Locate the wasp nest in your yard.
Prepare the tools: a broom or mop handle or anything you can put on a long stick; a can of compressed air or a water jet will do, too, as these nests are light and fall off easily.
Hit the nest with a stick, spray it, or hit it with a water jet.
When the nest falls off, smash it with your safety boots or spray it with an over-the-counter pesticide.

If the paper nest hangs from a branch or porch, you can drown it this way:

Approach the free-hanging nest quietly.
Spray it with some wasp control product.
Use a trash bag or sack and wrap the nest with minimal disruption.
Slowly detach the nest from the roof or tree.
Close the bag as soon as possible, tie it tightly, and put it into an enclosed trash can.

Use DIY Wasp Nest Removal Treatments

As effective as commercial wasp sprays are, we can’t help but mention their possible side effects and potential toxicity. Substances from these products can be harmful to people and small animals. And if you use these sprays in the garden, they can also adversely affect the plants.

That’s where DIY wasp removal treatments come in handy. You can try a natural wasp trap and then proceed to DIY killer sprays and repellents.

Vinegar and Soap Wasp Trap

For this trap, you need the following:

Two cups of vinegar
Two cups of sugar
One cup of warm water
A quarter cup of a dish soap

Mix all ingredients except soap until the sugar dissolves. Add the soap and mix to combine everything well. If the bubbles pop up, let the mixture sit until they settle.

During this time, make a trap. You need one small bottle to cut off its top to about one-third. Turn this piece over and place it so the bottle opening is now inside. Tape the edges to hold everything in place. Pour the prepared mixture into a bottle and hang it near the wasp nest.

Attracted by the smell of vinegar and sugar, wasps will enter the trap but won’t easily find their way out. Eventually, in the struggle to get outside, they’ll suffocate from the soap fumes. Shortly, you’ll see the reduced presence of wasps, making it a perfect chance to remove the nest.

Use Pesticides

DIY treatments may not give the desired result, especially when you deal with large colonies of wasps with several queens. You can’t kill them easily, and if they survive, they can rebuild and increase their colonies many times over. Thus the start of your pest problem.

So if natural traps and killer sprays didn’t work, you should try store-bought pesticides. Use them before physically removing the hive several times if necessary to ensure they have effectively reduced the number of insects and sting risks before destroying the nest.

If you’ve noticed ground nests in your garden, traditional spray pesticides can’t help you. What you need is insecticidal dust that penetrates through the soil to the nest interior and kills wasps almost immediately. Use this product according to the instructions and ensure no kids and pets are around. Be sure to wear a protective mask to avoid inhaling fumes.

Call Professionals

If you can’t handle wasp nest removal alone or might have an allergy to these insects (or don’t know your allergy status), calling exterminators is the best thing you can do. They have all the skills and experience in these situations. Not to mention they’re fully equipped with safety gear and wasp nest removal tools.

Calling professionals is a must if you deal with hornets or yellowjacket wasps, which are more dangerous than paper wasps. Also, you might need their help if you have a large or inaccessible hive around or recurring wasp issues. These experts can help you find the source of this problem and manage it successfully.

How Not to Remove Wasp Nest

Now that you know how to get rid of a wasp nest safely, you should pay attention to methods that can be counter-effective or even dangerous and avoid them.

Using Fire

Paper nests are relatively easy to destroy, so many people think not to hit them but simply set them on fire and watch them burn together with their buzzing residents. Another method is to light the fire underneath the nest and let the smoke chase the wasps away.

Both ideas seem good, but the implementation will most likely fail.

First, lighting a fire near the house and trees is by no means safe because even the slightest carelessness can lead to a fire.

Second, fire and smoke won’t kill all the wasps but only disorient some. Those that survive will become very aggressive and sting anyone they come across.

Using Water

Just like with fire, water is a bad choice for wasp nest removal. You might benefit from a water jet to knock down the nest from the roof edge or tree, but you shouldn’t use water jets if you spot the nest inside your attic, on your porch, or in a garden shed, as you might damage your property.

Flooding the hive and thus suffocating the wasps won’t work as you might think it should. Trying to kill the pests this way will leave them vicious and aggressive. As they’re quite intelligent insects, they’ll put themselves together very fast and prepare for revenge with their sharp pricks.

Smashing the Nest

Hitting the nest with a short stick or a baseball bat is probably the worst idea you can have.

First, you won’t kill the wasps that way, as they’re small and can easily get away while you hit the hive.

Second, smashing the wasp nest on the spot is dangerous and can leave you with dozens of stings. That can be harmful to your health if you’re allergic to these insects and potentially risky if you don’t know whether you’re allergic to them.

Dos and Don’ts of Wasp Nest Removal

If you ask how to get rid of a wasp nest but haven’t done that before, here are some helpful tips and beginners’ mistakes to avoid.

Dos

Wear protective equipment: You need protective clothing for this job. It’s important to cover your face, especially the eye and neck, because a wasp bite in these areas can be very painful and dangerous.
Evacuate the area: Wasp nest removal usually doesn’t take long, but it’s advisable to keep your kids and pets away during this time. Tell them to stay in the house, or better yet, to go for a walk while you finish your work.
Have a first aid kit on hand: Wasp stings aren’t dangerous if you’re not allergic, but they can be painful. An ice pack, an anti-inflammatory remedy, and some antihistamines will ease the pain, but pay attention to the wound for the next 24 hours in case of an allergic reaction.

Don’ts

Avoid using ladders: If the wasp nest is too high or inaccessible, stepping on ladders to reach the hive is a bad idea. Not only do you risk being stubbed, but you also risk falling from the height when a wasp swamp attacks.
Don’t use electric tools: Wasp nest removal should be done quietly and discreetly to not disturb its buzzing residents. Electric tools like drills, chainsaws, and the like aren’t a good choice for this job because they’re loud and produce vibrations that make the wasps go crazy. Plus, they won’t be of use if a hive is high up.
Avoid flashlights: When a nest is in a hidden corner, or you remove it in the evening, you need some extra lighting. Wasps find flashing and LED lights irritating, so pointing a flashlight into their nest greatly disturbs them. To avoid that, use red light that’s far more discreet.

How to Perform Wasp Control

Whenever you can, try not to kill the wasps, as they’re excellent pollinators; instead, try to deter them with insect repellents and prevent them from nesting in your yard.

Other methods you can use for wasp control include the following:

Apply insect repellents to areas where these insects can build nests; good natural remedies are essential oils, such as mint, lemongrass, and sage.
Use insect traps.
Seal large cracks in your walls and house openings.
Throw garbage away and remove rotten fruits from the ground.
Don’t leave food leftovers outside.

Frequently Asked Questions

When Is the Best Time to Remove Wasp Nest?

It’s best to remove the hive in spring or early summer before the wasps form a colony. It’s best to do it early in the morning or at dusk because then these insects are less active and aggressive.

How to Get Rid of Wasps in Your House?

If a wasp wanders into the house, you should open windows or doors and use directed airflow to drive them away; a portable fan or hairdryer will work. Don’t swat them as a dying wasp releases poison that signals other wasps to come.

Bottom Line

For those wondering how to get rid of a wasp nest, several solutions are listed above at your disposal.

Remember, however, to not kill these insects. Instead, drive them away by destroying their hive whenever you can.

And if you can’t do it yourself, it’s always best to call the experts from Environmental Pest Management, who’ll help solve your wasp and other pest problems quickly and efficiently.

April 24, 2023December 15, 2025

How to Get Rid of Grubs in Lawn Effectively

Are raccoons and skunks digging up your lawn for a tasty meal? Is your lawn becoming brown?

We at Environmental Pest Management are experts in dealing with grubs in lawns. Learn how to identify a grub infestation and eliminate grubs in the lawn if you want to save your little haven from utter decay!

What Are Grubs in Lawn?

Known as lawn grubs or white grubs, grubs are pale white and squirmy larvae with brown heads. They’re about an inch long and curl into a C-shape when bothered. Larval is the immature form of various adult chafers and beetle species, including June bugs, European chafers, and Japanese beetles. You’ll find them emerging from underground in spring and early fall.

Lawn grubs are a natural part of the ecosystem, and healthy grass can support some grub feeding. But damage occurs when the population gets out of hand, as these pests feed on the roots of your grass, damaging your lawn.

Specifically, grubs feed on the thatch in lawns, an organic layer of dead and living shoots, roots, and stems. So they help manage lawn thatch, reduce its build-up, and, ironically, prevent pest problems.

The only issue is that they don’t stop at the thatch and feed on the turfgrass roots and crowns, killing your plants. Luckily, control methods will save your turf, so make sure you get the help of a pest control company like Environmental Pest Management. Professionals will inspect your lawn and consider your budget and safety when conducting their services in its infested areas.

How to Identify the Problem

Identifying the problem is the first step. It’s tricky because many pests cause the same lawn problems, so you should follow these two steps.

1. Look for the Signs

The signs of a grub infestation are:

Patches of Thinning Turf: Do dead patches keep appearing and growing on your turf weekly?
Yellowing Grass: This grass will eventually become a brown patch.
Grass Pulling Out Easily: It may be unusually easy for you to pull out plants from their roots. As a result, more skunks, moles, raccoons, and crows start packing and digging in the lawn for food, leaving holes behind.
Spongy Grass: The spongy texture of the grass makes for a soft underfoot and a bouncy step.
Beetles and Moths: Infested areas invite beetles and moths to lay their eggs, so they’ll start flying over the turf.
Grass Drought: You might notice signs of drought despite water availability.

2. Test Your Lawn

Now that you’ve seen the signs, you should confirm the existence of grub. Because they live underneath, you’ll have to do a little digging to see the pests. To conduct the following test:

Locate the browning or dead patches.
Use a shovel or lawn edger to dig up a hole, which should be one square foot large and two to three inches deep.
Sift around the soil, looking for grub, and count them.
Put back the grass you’ve cut out to avoid further damage.
Repeat the steps in other patches that you suspect for grub infestations, and make a note of which areas have more grubs than others.

When you conduct this test, you’ll almost always find grub.

If they’re five or fewer, you have nothing to worry about. Five to ten grubs are only a concern if your lawn is unhealthy, as its ability to handle the grub feedings will be below normal. However, ten or more grubs is a sign of a serious infestation, and you must immediately implement pest control measures.

How to Treat Grubs on Lawn

Let’s go over how to chemically or naturally kill grubs in the lawn.

The Chemical Way

By far, the most effective control method is using chemical insecticides, which is necessary if you have a serious grub infestation.

So what do pest control services include? Well, you can expect professional exterminators to eliminate the existing infestation and prevent it from resurfacing, which is why they might use two types of insecticides.

Firstly, curative pesticides are short-lived chemicals (carbonyl and trichlorfon) that eliminate existing grubs immediately. They eliminate the active pests in your lawn but don’t affect future grubs. Curative pesticides are especially effective during August and September, as the grubs leave their eggs and are fragile. Otherwise, spring grips are more developed, putting up more resistance to the pesticide.

As for specific types of grubs, carbonyl is slightly more effective on European chafer grubs than trichlorfon. The two curative insecticides are great for getting rid of Japanese beetle grubs.

Secondly, experts use preventative insecticides to prevent future generations of grubs from infesting your lawn the next fall or spring, preferably ones containing thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, and clothianidin.

If they’re neonicotinoids, the grass absorbs the pesticides, killing grubs when they’re old enough to feed on the roots of the treated plants. Accordingly, they aren’t effective on grubs in lawns from mid-October to May.

When you find a grub infestation, you should use preventative insecticides for a year or two to prevent a reinfestation before stopping. However, don’t use these chemicals merely because the general area is known to have Japanese beetles or European chafers.

Remember that it’s better to let experts handle this because each preventative chemical has a slightly different application time, enabling it to target grubs when active. Not to mention, some products on the market are ineffective altogether, such as ones that contain only bifenthrin, gamma-cyhalothrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, and permethrin.

The Natural Way

If you’re wondering how to get rid of grubs in the lawn naturally, we’ll cover some natural or organic treatments for these pests.

The first method is milky spores. These bacteria kill Japanese beetle grubs if the spring soil is warm enough. It’s safe for use; sprinkle the powder onto your turf to control the infestation.

The drawback is that it can be three years before you completely eliminate the grub population. Another complication that comes with using milky spores is that it works only on a specific species, so you must confirm that the grubs in your lawn are Japanese beetles via hand lens.

The second organic treatment for grubs uses beneficial nematodes. They’re microscopic parasitic worms that feed on and release enough bacteria to kill grubs off.

In terms of usage, you can apply nematodes in the afternoon. Start by watering the soil because these living organisms love moisture. Then, use the substance before watering again.

Note that nematode products should be used instantly after you purchase them. If not, the worms die and are unable to do the job.

Like milky spores, nematodes can get rid of grubs completely in up to three years. What makes them a long-term solution is that they reproduce, and their population feeds on grubs, among other pests, for several years.

How Dangerous Are Grubs?

If you’re tempted to let your grub infestation problem sort itself out, think again. Grubs live deep in the soil during winter and emerge in a few months, wreaking havoc on your plants and grass.

Aside from your lawn looking sad, the turf will get thinner, and the dead patches will increase gradually. It’ll become easy to pull out the damaged grass at its roots, and animals will start digging in for food. Moles will be attracted to your yard, especially if it has beetle grubs. These feedings are detrimental to the health of your grass and plants.

Final Words

Grubs are pale white larvae that live underneath the soil and feed on the grass thatch, roots, and crowns. They make your grass thin, yellow, and spongy, eventually killing it. You can take either the natural or chemical route to kill grubs in the lawn.

The natural one involves milky spores or nematodes, but it’ll be years before these treatments take full effect. As for the chemical route, pest management professionals use curative pesticides to kill active grubs and preventative pesticides to protect your grass against future grub infestations.

You have a serious infestation if you find ten or more grubs when digging a square foot hole in your lawn. So contact a pest control company like Environmental Pest Management. We, the experts, use safe control methods with little to no odor and only the best products to save your precious turf and lively plants.

March 25, 2023December 15, 2025

Are Mice Repellent Helpful in Rodent Infestations?

Common house mouse looks out from a mink in the wall

Getting mice in your home is not what you’d call an enjoyable experience. They can leave your home in tatters, gnawing through your walls, screens, and containers. And for this, most people look to mice repellent.

But what are the best mice repellent to use? Are there safe, natural repellents, or are they all toxic? Read on to find out.

But for a more immediate plan of action, you can visit Environmental Pest Management for all your pest control needs.

What Are Mice Repellents?

A mice repellent is any substance with the ability to deter rats from entering and nesting in your home. It can be the perfect solution for any homeowner wishing to deal with mice humanely without resorting to traps and poison.

There are natural mice repellents and artificial ones as well. Some are more effective than others, and some can be somewhat useless. The trick lies in knowing which repellent to choose and where to apply it.

What Is a Natural Repellent for Mice?

Natural mice repellents have an inherent ability to keep mice away due to their potent smell. They’re generally non-toxic, which makes them great for homes with pets or small children.

Here are a few examples of natural mice repellents:

Cats

Owning a cat is one of the best natural mice repellent. Just by smelling a cat’s scent, most mice tend to retreat to avoid danger.

Peppermint Oil

Multiple studies have shown that essential oils with strong odors, particularly peppermint oil, are terrific mice repellents.

Rodents abhor strong minty scents, resulting in fewer visits to your house. You can place a few drops of peppermint oil in sites you’ve seen rodents frequenting. And you can also use a diffuser for an easier and more-thorough application. Just ensure undiluted peppermint oil doesn’t come in contact with your skin, as it may be irritating.

Note: Other essential oils that work as mice repellents include wintergreen oil, eucalyptus oil, bergamot oil, and geranium oil.

Chilli

Similar to essential oils, chili has a repulsive effect on rodents thanks to its sharp characteristics. It was proven to decrease their approach when tested on rodents, making them a good repellant.

But be careful when using chili, cayenne pepper, and other spicy items when pets and children are present. While they aren’t toxic, they can irritate the respiratory system.

Vinegar

Vinegar can also be used to repel rodents thanks to its pungent scent. It can also clean after rodents, removing any sign of their scent.

White vinegar and apple cider vinegar are both okay to use. All you need to do is soak some cotton with vinegar, place them near possible entry points and nests, and then replace them when dried out.

Artificial Mice Repellents

Artificial mice repellents are man-made chemicals or devices designed to keep mice away. Here is a couple to look into.

Ultrasonic Repellents

Ultrasonic repellents work by producing ultrasounds bothersome to rodents. Rodents are repelled enough to leave your house by constant exposure to the noise.

Some ultrasonic repellents regularly change the produced sound to disturb the mice continuously. Some even use LED lights to scare them as they’re scuttling in the dark.

While many individuals have found ultrasonic repellents to be effective, keep in mind that that’s not the case for everyone. A few users find them to be useless, and others say they take a week or more to show an effect.

Still, most people love them since they’re so low maintenance and easy on the nose.

Mothballs

Mothballs contain naphthalene, a chemical typically used to chase away moths and other insects.

When naphthalene is eaten or inhaled, it prevents red blood cells from carrying oxygen to the tissues, ultimately resulting in the death of the creature.

As such, many people use mothballs as mice repellents. However, while the amount of naphthalene in mothballs is good enough for insects, it’s not nearly enough for mice.

But you can slightly increase their effectiveness as mice repellents by soaking multiple mothballs in water and using the resultant mixture as a spray.

Can Mice Repellents Get Rid of Rodent Infestations?

Mice repellents are better options for dealing with house mice.

They can decrease the number of rats, but this only lasts for a short while. But after some time, the rodents can get used to the disturbing smells and sounds and start coming back.

Mice repellents are generally not the best idea for an ongoing rodent infestation. They can be a means of prevention, but they won’t permanently resolve the issue.

How to Keep Mice Away

To effectively get rid of mice, sanitation should be your primary goal. By preventing mice from obtaining food and shelter, they’ll eventually move on in search of a new home. However, if your house remains a good nesting ground for them, they may always stay.

Apart from thoroughly cleaning your home, you also need to seal away any points of entry. That includes checking your floor drains, pipes, doors, windows, screens, and walls.

Conclusion

Rodent control can be difficult if you don’t know what you’re doing.

While many people will advise you to use rodent repellents simply, you’ll find that they only serve as a temporary solution.

If you’ve tried your best, but the mice keep coming back, it’s time to give us a call. We at Environmental Pest Management can deal with the pests swiftly, leaving your home mouse and rat-free in no time.

February 15, 2023December 15, 2025

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Safely & Permanently

Bedbugs colony on the matress cloth macro.

Having a bed bug infestation is annoying and uncomfortable. You wake up with tiny, red, and itchy bumps on your skin that seem to appear out of nowhere.

These tiny pests can also make you dread having guests over. Who wants the embarrassment or explanations?

And to make matters worse, bed bugs are excellent at hiding in tiny cracks and crevices, making them incredibly difficult to eliminate permanently. You can turn your room upside down today to treat these bloodsuckers, only to have them reappear the next day.

So, below, we’ll walk you through how to get rid of bed bugs in proven steps.

What Are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are reddish-brown, flat insects that feed on human blood. They’re about the size of apple seeds and don’t carry any known diseases. However, their bites can be itchy and cause skin irritation in some people.

The favorite spots for bed bugs are areas where we sleep or rest, such as beds, sofas, and chairs. However, you can also find them in other areas of the home or building, such as behind baseboards, wall voids, carpets, and electrical outlets.

A bed bug infestation doesn’t mean the place is unhygienic—it’s one of the several myths about bed bugs. Bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers and can easily be transported from one place to another via clothing, luggage, or other personal belongings.

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Permanently: A Step-By-Step Guide

Getting rid of bed bugs is a process that takes effort and persistence. You might need to repeat some steps for a few weeks to eliminate the blood-sucking insects completely.

Here are the most practical and effective steps to achieve a bed bug-free space.

1. Conduct a Bed Bug Inspection

If you wake up with red bumps and suspect that bed bugs may be the cause, conducting an inspection will help to confirm their presence.

You should also carefully analyze whether the pests you find are bed bugs. It’s easy to mistake several household pests (like baby cockroaches, carpet beetles, ticks, spider beetles, and bat bugs) for bed bugs.

If you’re unsure about the household pest you’re dealing with, you can take a sample to experts or request a professional bed bug inspection.

Here’s what you should look out for when conducting a bed bug inspection:

Live or dead bed bugs (oval in shape)
Rust-colored droppings
Empty skins
Small pale yellow eggs
Reddish stains on beddings

2. Identify All the Bed Bug Infested Areas

Where do you look? Most bed bugs will be within five feet of the bed, but you can also find them in other rooms. Here are the areas you should examine carefully:

Bedding, including the mattress, box spring, and pillows
Underneath wall paintings, posters, and other decorations
Closets, nightstands, and dresser drawers
Along seams of carpets and cushions
Any dark cracks within your bed
Inside electrical outlets
Furniture joints

This process can be time-consuming but crucial. You’ll know which areas of your home to treat and the extent of the infestation. As a result, you can create an effective bed bug treatment plan.

Use a bright flashlight to inspect cracks and crevices where bed bugs may hide. Crush or vacuum any bed bugs you come across in the process. If you need help, hire a pest control professional to carry out a pest inspection.

3. Declutter and Clean

Decluttering the infested room will make detecting and treating bed bugs easier. Remove unnecessary items, such as old magazines, newspapers, and cardboard boxes. Bed bugs can hide in such materials.

Once you’ve removed the clutter, wash all infested linen, clothing, carpet, and personal items in hot water. Bed bugs cannot survive in temperatures above 120 degrees, so use the hottest setting on your washing machine. Dry your items on the hottest setting as well.

Place the items you can’t wash, such as books or electronics, in a sealed plastic bag without air holes to avoid spreading the pests.

4. Vacuum Everything

Simply use a vacuum cleaner to suck up the bed bugs and their eggs from mattresses, carpets, furniture, and other areas where they may be hiding. You can use a crevice tool to reach into cracks, small spaces, and crevices where bed bugs may hide.

Some of the areas to pay attention to include the following:

All surfaces of your mattress and box springs
Inside and under drawers of furniture
Underneath loose wallpapers
Cracks and folds in upholstered furniture

After vacuuming:

Remove the vacuum bag or debris container, put the contents into a plastic bag, and seal it.
Dispose of the sealed bag appropriately.
Wash the debris container and vacuum brush attachment with hot water and detergent, then store the parts in large plastic garbage bags.
Use Steam or Heat Treatment

One of the best tips on how to get rid of bed bugs fast is to use heat treatment. Heat is a non-toxic and effective bug killer that works on all bed bug life stages.

You can use heat treatment in different ways, for instance:

Steam (for carpets, furniture, baseboards, etc.)
Hot dryers and portable heat chambers (for infested personal items)

Bed bugs will generally die in 20 minutes if exposed to 118°F and 90 minutes if exposed to 113°F. The only downside to heat treatment is that it doesn’t leave any residual activity, and bed bugs can return soon. That’s why you must use it as part of the process, not a stand-alone treatment for bed bugs.

5. Treat the Infested Area With Insecticides

The most important factor in this step is to search for insecticides that are marked for use on bed bugs. So ensure you read the product’s label and follow its instructions for safe use.

Here’s what to look out for on an insecticide label:

Has bed bugs on the list of pests it helps to control
Designed for indoor use
It has clear instructions for the use

Most people think insecticides are sufficient to kill bugs, but that’s not the case. While this is an important step in a bed bug control strategy, you need to combine it with other strategies in this guide.

6. Assess the Effectiveness of the Bed Bug Treatment

Bed bug treatment requires patience and persistence when doing it yourself. After following the steps outlined in this guide, the bed bug count should reduce significantly.

However, to completely eliminate bed bugs, you should repeat the steps several times over the next few weeks. Don’t let that discourage you! Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to remove. But eventually, they’ll be gone if you keep up with the bed bug control measures outlined in this guide.

7. Hire Pest Control Experts

Struggling to get rid of bed bugs after several attempts? It’s time to stop scratching your head on how to get rid of bed bugs at home and hire professional pest control experts.

Pest control professionals have the experience, knowledge, and tools to effectively and safely eradicate bed bugs from your home. They can conduct a thorough inspection, identify the extent of the infestation, and develop a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs/situation.

The experts can also offer advice and guidance on preventing future bed bug infestations.

How to Prevent Bed Bugs

Once you’ve kicked out the unwanted guests, you should take several measures to ensure they don’t return.

Here are a few tips on how to do so:

Inspect second-hand furniture before bringing it into your home
Use protective covers on mattresses and box springs
Reduce the clutter in your home
Avoid placing luggage on the floor or bed in hotels
Vacuum frequently and dispose of the vacuum bag or contents immediately
Wash and dry bedding, clothing, and other similar items in the highest heat setting
Seal cracks and crevices in walls and floors

Conclusion

Learning how to get rid of bed bugs can help you regain your peace of mind and enjoy a bed bug-free environment. However, you might not eliminate bed bugs completely in one or two attempts.

It’s best to hire experts to save yourself the headache and time. If you’re in the Twin Cities area and surrounding suburbs, look no further than Environmental Pest Management. We offer pest control services for residential, commercial, and multi-family services and TAP insulation.

October 30, 2022December 15, 2025

Why Ladybugs are Beneficial Insects for Your Garden

When you start a garden, it won’t be long before pests arrive. Don’t panic; insects that feed on your plants can never be fully eradicated. They’re part of the ecosystem, and that’s okay!

A healthy ecosystem also includes natural predators of plant-eating bugs.

Ladybugs are beneficial insects– perhaps the most beneficial insects you can introduce to your garden. Learn more about these naturally beneficial insects and discover how BugTech can help you with pest management!

Natural Aphid Control

Aphids are a common pest in gardens. They reproduce rapidly and feast on plant sap. This can weaken your garden plants and cause illness or infection. Aphids are soft-bodied, which means they can be treated with soapy water.

However, introducing ladybugs is a much easier and more eco-friendly solution. These beneficial insects’ favorite food is aphids. They’ll munch through aphid populations swiftly and deter other aphids from arriving. An adult ladybug will consume green, black, and wooly aphids cheerfully.

Once you establish a nesting ladybug population in your garden, their larvae will feast on aphids like there’s no tomorrow. Ladybug larvae can consume dozens of aphids each day. Once they grow up, they’ll keep eating!

Dealing with Mites and Other Hard-to-Treat Pests

Ladybugs are beneficial insects and are among the few natural predators of spider mites and other resilient pests. A healthy ladybug population will happily feast on tough mites and even tiny spiders, so you won’t have to resort to insecticides.

Mites and small flies avoid areas where ladybug larvae grow, so cultivating a population in your backyard is a great idea. These pests are difficult to treat with homemade solutions, and ladybugs are often your best bet.

How to Introduce Ladybugs To Your Garden

When you start a garden, the best outcome is that pests and their natural predators arrive independently. You may not need to do anything. However, if you’ve noticed an abundance of aphids on your plants and not a ladybug in sight, you can introduce a population.

Here’s how:

Ensure that there’s a flourishing population of aphids. They’ll only stay if there’s food!
Introduce ladybugs in the evening or early morning to help them establish themselves.
Mist the plants before introducing a ladybug population.

Ladybugs are beneficial insects but they may not always stick around. They’ll typically feast on the aphid population if introduced properly, but there’s no guarantee they’ll nest in the same area.

The best way to encourage ladybugs to nest is with a diverse, vibrant garden. This gives them options for nesting away from their feeding grounds.

Identifying Visiting Ladybugs

Note that not all visiting ladybugs are welcome visitors. While they still eat aphids, the Asian Lady Beetle or Harlequin Ladybird can rapidly become a household pest and even kill native ladybugs.

If you notice an abundance of new ladybugs in your yard, check the markings on their backs to help you identify them!

Create a Healthy Garden Ecosystem by Introducing Ladybugs!

Introducing a flourishing ladybug population to your garden is a great way to control pests naturally. Introduce these beneficial insects to keep your garden balanced and healthy!

Where Wasps Nest in Your Home

Best Methods for Wasp Nest Removal

Physical Removal

Use DIY Wasp Nest Removal Treatments

Vinegar and Soap Wasp Trap

Use Pesticides

Call Professionals

How Not to Remove Wasp Nest

Using Fire

Using Water

Smashing the Nest

Dos and Don’ts of Wasp Nest Removal

Dos

Don’ts

How to Perform Wasp Control

Frequently Asked Questions

When Is the Best Time to Remove Wasp Nest?

How to Get Rid of Wasps in Your House?

Bottom Line

What Are Grubs in Lawn?

How to Identify the Problem

How to Treat Grubs on Lawn

The Chemical Way

The Natural Way

How Dangerous Are Grubs?

Final Words

What Are Mice Repellents?

What Is a Natural Repellent for Mice?

Cats

Peppermint Oil

Chilli

Vinegar

Artificial Mice Repellents

Ultrasonic Repellents

Mothballs

Can Mice Repellents Get Rid of Rodent Infestations?

How to Keep Mice Away

Conclusion

What Are Bed Bugs?

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Permanently: A Step-By-Step Guide

How to Prevent Bed Bugs

Conclusion

Natural Aphid Control

Dealing with Mites and Other Hard-to-Treat Pests

How to Introduce Ladybugs To Your Garden

Identifying Visiting Ladybugs

Create a Healthy Garden Ecosystem by Introducing Ladybugs!

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