Walla Walla Valley Fall Pest Control

Though it is still August now September and the days are remain warm, you may have begun to notice the nights becoming cool and the days just a little bit shorter. It's very slight, almost imperceptible, but it's there. 

Several insect and arachnid species around here have noticed, and their changing behaviors clearly indicate that fall is coming. 

Call now!

Paul: (509) 540-7946

Jump to: Spiders ∙ Wasps ∙ Boxelder Bugs ∙ Ants ∙ Mice ∙ Pheasants

European paper wasps, several types of spiders, boxelder bugs, and other critters will begin shifting their focus from "out and about" to "in and hide out". Those species that do not overwinter in an egg or pupal stage are in need of shelter to wait out the cold, dark months ahead, and your home or business is high up on their list of real estate to evaluate. 

If you're reading this, it's probably because you're not planning on hosting an open house for them. 

Here's the most common Walla Walla Valley fall and winter invaders that Z Pest Control can help you with:

Spiders

By far the greatest number of fall service requests that Z Pest Control receives are for spiders. There are several kinds of them in the Walla Walla Valley area that have lifespans of several years, so when the cold months roll around they roll on over to your place. There are both ground dwelling and climbing varieties of spiders that do this, so you'll find them both high and low inside when our hemisphere tilts away from the sun. 

In the initial part of what we at Z Pest Control refer to as "spider migration season", typically in September, most of the effort focuses on the exterior of your home or business. We can do interior and exterior work, separately or together, at any time (service fee discounts kick in when multiple services are performed during the same visit), but most of the "bang" for your buck comes from outdoor applications in the early-to-mid part of this annual phase. 

If you're a Z Pest Control client on a pre-scheduled monthly or quarterly no-contract service plan, no worries! You're already benefitting from this coverage! We'll be there without you needing to remember to contact us.

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Wasps

At our latitude, all wasp species function as "annual" insects, as opposed to a "perennial" species like our fuzzy, buzzy little friends, honey bees. The former construct nests in the spring that are abandoned in the fall, while the latter have true colonies that persist year-round. This is true of European paper wasps, aerial and subterranean yellowjackets, and the born angry bald faced hornets (which are not true hornets; they're a type of yellowjacket... which are wasps. I know, weird, right?).

When those nests are abandoned, the youngest, gravid female wasps seek shelter to sleep off the winter within, they reemerge in the spring, and then they begin their specie's life cycle anew. So as fall approaches, they will begin cramming into any crack or crevice they can find.

That means they're coming to your place, from near and far.

Around structures, this can be places where exterior coverings have separations, gaps around vents or the vents themselves, broken door seals, open containers left outside, etc. If you have vinyl insert windows, the little "weep holes" on the outside of the frame are very popular with these gals, especially the European paper wasps. It is because of this hibernation behavior that you may have found wasps banging their heads against the inside of your windows on past unusually warm mid-winter days, or in the spring: when they wake up, they are often trapped indoors and try to follow the sun to get outside. 

Back-to-back exterior applications about 30 days apart in the fall during the start of the wasp hibernation cycle, when they begin seeking out places like your home to go to sleep, help to reduce or even eliminate their presence later on. This in turn decreases the incidents of wasp queens becoming trapped in your house, and greatly reduces the number that emerge from sleep on your property next spring that subsequently decide to establish nests there. 

(On that note: when spring comes again, we have ways of intercepting and disrupting wasp nest building behavior, such that you won't have nests in treated areas for the rest of the season.)

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Boxelder Bugs

Boxelder bugs, members of the "True Bug" order (Order Hemiptera), are one of several members of this grouping of insects that inhabit the Walla Walla Valley. The boxelder bug gets particular emphasis here though because they are easily the most numerous, and thereby the most annoying. 

The Boxelder bug is a bit unique in that two generations of the insect occur during each spring and summer. A generation of them emerge from their winter hiding spots in the spring and give rise to the "spring generation", which feasts on the varieties of maple trees we have around here that set seed in the first part of the warmer months. A few months later, the spring generation creates the "summer generation" of boxelder bugs, which feast together on the later-seeding maples. Staggered maple seed growth, matched by staggered boxelder bug hatching. Nature's pretty neat, isn't it?

Neat, up until flying boxelder bugs are crashing into your face every time you try to walk out your front door.

The summer generation of boxelder bugs is the one that will seek out places to spend the winter, which is why you may have experienced them swarming your home in the fall before. This is also why you may have found yourself vacuuming them up all over the inside on sunny days in late-winter to early-spring when they rapidly emerge from slumber: they find a way into the structure in the fall months, then become fixated on sunlight streaming through your windows when they wake up and try to go about their business again.

There's really no way to stop boxelder bugs from coming to your home or business in the first place, but Z Pest Control can provide exterior applications that will drastically reduce their numbers upon arrival, which will go a long way toward bringing their numbers down inside and out in the months ahead. We also have a comprehensive approach to massively reducing boxelder bug populations locally throughout the year, especially if your property is host to one or several maple trees of any variety. 

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Ants

Odorous House ants, one of several small ant species that inhabit the Walla Walla Valley, and easily the most numerous, are a common pest that Z Pest Control remedies throughout the year. It's common for us to receive calls from people who suddenly find their homes or offices inundated when outdoor temperatures drop.

It's not because the ants pulled on their snowshoes and trudged their way over to your place, it's because they were there already, probably since the prior spring. 

In the warmer months, these ants (and other types that colonize built structures) can do two things: keep nests near the outer perimeter of a structure and forage outdoors for food. This makes it less likely that you will notice their presence. During the colder months, they have to do both things differently: keep nests deep within a structure and forage for food indoors. 

Basically, when winter comes, ant colonies that are already within the perimeter of a structure will move further into it. This is because ant larvae require temperatures of at least 68º F or higher to develop, because ant foragers cannot move well when they're cold (or die in extreme cold), and because your nice, warm home or office is probably full of food and water (especially when dark, cold days prompt most people to bring in sugary "comfort foods")! 

Z Pest Control offers ant control throughout the year, both inside and out, which can both cure and prevent. Z Pest's outdoor ant control applications can prevent colony establishment within your home or place of business, but if they've already gotten inside, Z Pest has the means to trick them into destroying themselves, top to bottom. 

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Mice

Like ants, mice are a pest that may have been with you for quite some time, but in more pleasant weather will locate at the perimeters of your home or business rather than nearer the center and thus may escape notice until it gets cold out. 

Generally, mice will establish nests within 30-40 feet of food sources (both vertically and horizontally), and in locations where they can stay warm as their physiology makes them lose body heat rapidly. While they can and do operate outdoors during the winter months (especially if you keep a full bird feeder nearby!), the better bet for them is to go deeper into structures during winter.

The Z Pest Control approach to controlling mice begins with a key premise: in the "hierarchy of needs" of a mouse, shelter tops the list, so we take away shelter first. Even if your home or office is devoid of food, if a mouse can use it to solve its need for shelter, it will, and then it will solve its need for food later. 

Thus, the Z Pest Control rodent control process begins with inspection to identify likely rodent entry points and pathways. The effort then turns to eradication and on-going control by placement of rodenticide baits and various types of traps, which are maintained on a monthly or quarterly service plan (this can be as short in duration as just the first month; Z Pest Control does not stick clients with burdensome contracts!). The bait stations and traps deployed are sold to you so that at the end of the service there's no confusion about who owns what, also enabling you to maintain the rodent control Z Pest has established yourself, or with the help of another provider if you decide to go with someone else. 

The mice that get into your house make life harder, so I try to make this easier for you. 

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Pheasants

Just kidding, pheasants are not pests. 

Paul does have a current Washington small game license and a raging upland bird hunting habit though. The season is almost here, his 12 gauge is clean and ready, and he has a decent supply of his favorite shot shells on-hand. So, if you know of good "Feel Free to Hunt" locations, or you own property that pheasant, quail, partridge, or grouse call home and you wouldn't mind letting him hunt on it, please call, text, or email him with an invite!

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Thanks for reading! If you need help with any of the above creatures, or any of the other pests that Z Pest Control LLC handles, please call, text, or email:

For all services in Washington or Oregon, call Paul

(509) 540-7946

paul@zpestcontrol.com

That Makes Ten!

 On this day, one decade ago, Z Pest Control LLC was formed by me, Paul E. Zimmerman, the sole owner and operator of the business ever since. 

What a ride it has been...

Seven out of ten small businesses in the U.S. are typically gone by this point, so for Z Pest to still be around and going as strong as ever, that means there's something good going on here. This must be the case, because here on the 10th anniversary of the business, there are monthly and quarterly clients on the Z Pest roster who have been there from the very beginning. Clients don't stick around for a decade if they're not getting results. 

A special thanks is in order to those Z Pest long timers, as they've not only been a foundation upon which the business has been built, but often are the ones who have helped it to grow through word-of-mouth referrals. 

Also thanks to these folks and those that have followed, the Z Pest roster is quite tight these days! A persistent challenge the business has faced over this past decade is expansion, which for lack of the right people looking for an opportunity at the right time has proven insurmountable thus far. When it comes down to it, pest control is a so-called "dirty job" and frequently visits numerous discomforts throughout the working day upon those of us who provide these services. It's hard to blame people for taking a look at what this entails and then pursuing other careers! Pest control is about as recession proof as an industry can get, however, which I experienced during the 2008-2009 financial crisis, and then recently during the virus-induced turbulence of 2020. During both periods, things just chugged right along regardless; as we say in this industry: "pests don't do recessions". For competent, talented, honest and motivated people, in this industry work will always be there. If you're looking for opportunity and you're not afraid of a little dirt and sweat (and spiders...), maybe you're the person that could join this now decade-old brand and help Z Pest expand.

For all of you just looking to get some of these time-tested and proven services, again thanks to the Z Pest clients who have opted for regularly scheduled, repeat services, and the above, it's actually fairly difficult to get scheduled these days. The reason for this is that those seeking one-off services have to wait until monthly and quarterly clients have been serviced first, and all of us have to contend with nature and the fact that there are only so many hours in a day. Those with reserved spots on the Z Pest calendar get serviced first, period, and they keep their places in line when weather or other events push everyones' appointments back. This isn't to say that it's impossible for those needing just one or two things done one time to get in the door, but it is increasingly difficult as the years go by and both old and new customers remain loyal to Z Pest. All that said, for potential new clients reading this, your best bet is to join the folks who opted for regularly scheduled services, which is handled without burdensome, expensive contracts.

Thanks for stopping by and reading, and again, thanks to all who have supported Z Pest on the path to this milestone! Onward into year eleven!

How Often Should Pest Control Be Done?

The busy season for pest control in the Walla Walla valley is in full swing now, with just about every variety of pest that Z Pest Control remedies making themselves known in our homes and yards.

The markedly increased activity that comes around at this time of the year has been putting me into touch with lots of new customers almost daily. A question that comes up frequently when I meet a client for the first time is:

 "When should this treatment be done again?" 

I decided to write a little about that topic since I've never covered it on my site before.

The short answer: pest control treatments should be repeated as often as necessary to reduce pests to the level you're comfortable with.

That's how I do it: you tell me when you're feeling good about the number of pests that are around (if any), and then the service(s) can be stopped if you want. I don't do contracts, so you're never on the hook for services you may not need any longer once your pests are gone.

There is a minimum amount of time that I must wait before some treatments can be repeated, which is basically once per month. Some of my clients, the ones who feel the most uncomfortable when insects and spiders are around, generally select this frequency. Several of those clients purchase monthly service only during the months of April through October. Others are fine with quarterly visits, and a handful of clients I only see once per year. All others I help out if and when a pest problem arises, and that's all. Everyone's situation is different, so I accommodate that as best I can.

The type of pest being treated also determines how often treatments need to be done for the best results, and when. Some examples:

European paper wasps on a Z Pest client's mail box.
I bet the mail carrier prefers mean dogs to this!

European Paper Wasps: treatments during early to late spring, typically at least two spaced one month apart, do a lot to suppress paper wasp numbers for the rest of the season. This is because at the start of their nesting cycle, the only wasps out and about are queens. If they die, an entire nest will never exist. A maintenance application a few months later in the summer can help to keep them away, and a final fall application can potentially kill off newly hatched queens that come around your house looking for places to hibernate.

A cluster of boxelder bugs. A small cluster...

Boxelder bugs: keep hitting them until they're gone, starting around April and continuing through October. The earlier they are treated, the better, but it's never too late in the season to begin attacking them. Boxelder bugs are simply everywhere around here, so more will arrive in the treatment area all the time. Removing things like leaf litter, bark, gravel, etc. can reduce their harborage and thereby their numbers locally, but generally it takes a couple of insecticide applications spaced roughly one month apart to really knock them down.

Odorous House ants feeding on something sweet.

Ants: it depends on the type of ant, how long the infestation has been present, and what kinds of remedies someone may have tried in the past to deal with them. Generally, control of ants can be brought about in a month or two, as long as any conditions that might be favoring the ants are corrected (things like plants touching the outside of your house, exposed food inside, etc.). Ants can be active all year long, depending on where their nests are located, meaning that addressing them is in part a matter of adjusting treatment sites seasonally.

Don't worry, we don't have these around
the Walla Walla valley. :)

Spiders: monthly treatments go a long way toward keeping spiders down, with exterior applications providing the most benefit from April through October, and interior treatments being typically all that's necessary from November through March. Crawl spaces can also be "dusted" with dry formulation insecticides to kill spiders and keep them out, a treatment that's typically effective for six to eight months. If nothing else, have the outside of your home treated in the fall, which will kill off many spiders attempting to come inside to snuggle with you during the winter.

A mouse that ate its last meal
 in the Z Pest office.

Mice: rodents are a year-round pest, potentially becoming somewhat more bothersome in and around structures during the winter months. Treating them is a matter of placing baits and traps and keeping them up for as long as mice continue to get caught and nibble the baits. Sometimes a mouse issue will end quickly (such as the handful of times I've trapped a single male mouse for a client, which ended all of their problems), and other times the presence of rodents is an on-going issue, necessitating a regular monthly service. If their activity begins to slow down, but not quite stop, visits can be spaced out to every-other month, quarterly, etc., which reduces your cost for the service.

Buckhorn plantain in the Dixie, Washington cemetery
before I began volunteering to treat the weeds there.

Weeds: there are two weed cycles that are important to address early on to keep a given area relatively weed-free all year long: the spring annual and perennial weed cycles, and the fall annual weed cycle. The first type begin growing in the spring and complete their life cycle before fall. The latter type begin growing in the fall, sit dormant for the winter, and then complete their life cycle in the spring. Any kind of weed is best treated when it first begins to grow, meaning that the most effective weed control is achieved with a properly-timed spring application, and then another application in the fall. This is true of selective weed control in lawns, or total weed control in places like driveways, gravel parking lots, etc. Along with your weed control, I can do some fertilizing if you would like, too.

These are just a few examples of the pest services that I offer. If you need help with something, give me a call and ask about it. There's a pretty good chance that what is bothering you is something that I do work on.

So then, to sum up:

Pest Control Frequency: When you're ready for it.

Time of the Year: Depends on the pest.

Termination of Services: When you want to.

Contract Commitments: NONE.

Sound good? Give me a call!

Z PEST CONTROL LLC

509-540-7946

paul@zpestcontrol.com

Pests in Christmas Trees: The Gift That Keeps On Crawling

Photo credit: Iron Oak Farm

Winter is a pretty quiet time for pest control operators. There's not as much for us to do for people because when it's cold and the days are short, a lot of pests are hibernating and not bothering anyone.

Every now and then, however, people do things that wake the bugs up, and then it can seem like July in January.

Did you decorate your home for Christmas with a real tree this holiday season?

I was out and about doing a little pest control work the other day and caught this bit of news on the radio:

International Business Times: Christmas Trees 'Harbour Thousands of Bugs'

"Christmas trees could be hiding up to 25,000 bugs and insects, new research reveals.

According to a scientific study by researchers at the University Museum of Bergen in Norway, thousands of lice, mites, moths and spiders lurk in Christmas trees, where they hibernate in the winter.

When trees are brought indoors from the cold, the bugs believe that spring has arrived and awaken to take their place among the tinsel and other Christmas decorations."

If you're seeing some uninvited holiday party guests that are overstaying their welcome around your house, and if you brought a real tree into your home, the two things could be related.

There's a simple solution for that: just give me a call. Some basic interior crack, crevice, and spot treatments with people and pet-safe specialty insecticides will mop up your lingering Yuletide invaders in short order, and for a price that won't bust a strained post-holiday budget. For most homes in the Walla Walla valley area, the price averages $40 plus the applicable sales tax.

509-540-7946

 paul@zpestcontrol.com

Fall Spider Barrier Treatments

It's that time of the year again! Every fall as temperatures begin to decline and the days grow shorter, the guest list at your house starts growing. The problem is, all of your new acquaintances have eight legs...

For various reasons, a variety of spiders begin turning up in homes and offices in increasing numbers. For the most part, it's the same reason that you go inside: to stay out of the cold.

With very few exceptions, the spiders that tend to turn up in our homes around here are not harmful. Physically speaking, that is. How they affect your enjoyment of your home is another matter. 

I can help! With some simple and thorough spraying around the perimeter of your home or office, most spiders can be prevented from entering the structure and snuggling with you all winter. These applications also affect insects that enter the treated area - a nice bonus.

The products I've selected for this type of application have been chosen because of their longevity, which will allow them to continue working around your home well past first frost, after which nothing much will be crawling around outside. I also mix in an additive product that helps the mix stick to the surfaces it lands on, further enhancing the effect of the treatment. 

Interior work can be combined with an exterior treatment if you want more comprehensive spider control, or if you already have quite a few of them running around inside.

In the Walla Walla area, these treatments run $40 for either an inside or an outside treatment, or $60 for both if performed during the same visit. For places outside of this area, there's only a slight increase in the cost to cover fuel ($5 more in the Milton Freewater area, for example). In most cases these jobs take no longer than 30 minutes (and if it's outside only, you may not even need to be there when I do the work), so it won't take much time out of your day, but it will save you from many days spent with your new spider buddies.

If you're not interested in sharing your home with dozens of arachnid friends this fall and winter, give me a call! You won't regret it... but the spiders will.

509-540-7946

paul@zpestcontrol.com

Earwigs here, earwigs there...

...earwigs everywhere!

Perhaps because of rapidly improving summer weather and the desire of people here in the Walla Walla valley to spend time outdoors enjoying it, more people lately are encountering earwigs. We've all experienced the usual scenario when it comes to these - you move something on your deck or in your yard that has been sitting for a while, and suddenly earwigs are running everywhere!

Why are these earwigs here?!

Primarily, the reason you have a bunch of earwigs around your home and yard is moisture. Earwigs are mostly nocturnal creatures that seek out moist, shaded spots to spend the day - get them in the sun for very long and they dry up and die. Popular earwig hangouts include objects placed outside (coolers, planters, folded-up lawn furniture; just about anything), crack and crevice areas such as broken pavement slabs, the point where a lawn meets a patio or the foundation of your house, or in the cool, moisture-retaining environment found underneath leaf litter, mulch, decorative rock, etc.

What are these earwigs doing?

Earwigs are out there feeding on other insects, decaying plant and animal matter, and at times damaging living  plants in your landscape. One thing that they're definitely NOT doing is seeking out your ears - that's a popular myth that makes a somewhat scary looking insect more scary to people than it ought to be. Other than the occasional defensive pinch (which an earwig did to my foot last night while I was enjoying my backyard fire pit), earwigs are not going to seek out interactions with you very much, or at all.

How do I get rid of my earwigs?

Since moisture is key to an earwig's needs, eliminate sources of moisture in your home and around your yard. For the most part this will be an outdoor effort, as much of the earwig activity in your home is likely due to them accidentally wandering inside (however, be on the lookout for moisture in your home, which can be a sign of a structural problem that should be corrected). Remove leaf litter, grass clippings, etc. from the yard; move decorative rocks, paving stones, etc. away from the structure; store lawn furnishings in high and dry places when possible; clean and clear gutters and ensure that your downspouts are directing water away from your foundation, and so forth. Basically, whatever you can alter in and around your home to dry out the environment will help a great deal.

Chemical control is highly effective against earwigs, and in cases where an environment that favors earwigs cannot be altered - such as the point where your yard meets your foundation - it is necessary. A commonly available product that is effective against earwigs is Ortho's Home Defense:

This can be sprayed around the foundation of your home to provide some relief from earwigs. I say "some," however, because what this product lacks is the ability to deliver a high volume of spray deep into the places where earwigs find harborage (this is due to the relatively limited quantity of spray and the limitations of the application device it comes with, not the active ingredient). That's what I use my powered spraying equipment to do:

My equipment allows me to project the insecticides I use for this type of work deep into the places that earwigs hide, which not only kills the earwigs that are there at the time, but prevents other earwigs from moving into the space for a period of around four to six weeks.

The over-the-counter product I've mentioned here will help you to get a bit more of a handle on your earwigs, but if you would like a more thorough, penetrating knock-down of their numbers around your home and yard to get you ahead of the game, I can help. To treat directly around an average house in the Walla Walla valley area, I charge between $40-$45, plus tax when applicable (I work in both Washington and Oregon). While I'm at it I keep an eye out for other things I can treat for you, such as paper wasps, spiders, etc., which I generally throw in at no extra charge. If you like, I can also expand the treatment further out into your yard, which typically adds 50% to the total price for the job (the exact pricing depends on the size of the yard and the extent of the treated area, but the "average" house and yard around here would bring the total to somewhere around $60 before tax). If this sounds good to you, please email me or give me a call! I can typically respond very rapidly to this kind of work, often on the same day.

509-540-7946

paul@zpestcontrol.com

Ants on the march!

Featured in this post - read
on to discover why!

In the last couple of days, calls for ant control have ticked upward significantly. This is no surprise after the recent heavy rains we've experienced here in the Walla Walla valley. The types making themselves known are our two most common pest ants here, the Odorous House ant and the Pavement ant. Look at it from their perspective: if you were only about a millimeter in height and had a home at or below ground level, you would probably be looking to set up shop on higher ground now, too.

This isn't the only time that these ants will make their appearance in your home or business, however, as there are plenty of other reasons for them to do so. Narrowing down those reasons and finding an extermination solution is first a matter of answering one simple question: did the ants begin turning up after the weather warmed up, or have they been present inside your home when it was cold outside (roughly 50º F or below)?

The answer to that question helps to determine if your ants are living primarily outside in the soil and wandering in looking for a snack, or if they and their queens (that's right -- plural) have made their home in the walls of your home. It doesn't make much of a difference in terms of how the ants will be treated (that's mainly a question of climate conditions at the time), but it does help to determine how intense the inside vs. outside effort should likely be.

The method is a two-part method, exclude, and sabotage:

Exclude: excluding these pests from a structure is a matter of treating the outside of it such that it's not possible for the ants to gain a foothold inside. This is done with spray applications that are not detectable by the ants, that kill the ants slowly, and that the individual ants can spread to each other through physical contact. A spray of this type "excludes" ants from a structure in that it becomes an environment that will destroy an entire colony, not just individual ants. All common over-the-counter sprays lack virtually all of these features. As such, they are the opposite, and will tend to produce the opposite of the desired result (in fact, many of these sprays can prompt the ants to defend themselves by spreading their colonies out all over your house - the problem actually gets worse!).

Sabotage: ants love a free meal. Using ant baits is the best way to deal with them indoors; it's the Trojan Horse of ant control. The advantage of a bait over a spray is that a spray will only work if the ants are in the treated spot (and only if the spray matches the characteristics I described above), but a bait will go to where the ants are because the ants themselves will take it there! Further, the ants you can see are only workers, which if killed will be rapidly replaced by the queens. Those queens are your true targets, and it is with bait ferried to them by their workers that they can be most easily attacked and destroyed. Not all baits are created equal, however. As a rule of thumb of using bait for ants, if the ants don't respond to your bait like these ants did to mine...

...then your bait does not work. Those little plastic domes with solid form baits inside that people constantly buy, they're garbage. Throw them out, or better yet return them for a refund if you can. The reason those "work" is typically that someone sees some ants feeding on something, they run to the grocery/hardware store and spend their money on little plastic domes, they put those domes out... and then they clean. Suddenly, the ants are gone and they credit the little plastic domes. What actually happened is that cleaning took away whatever it was that was of interest to the ants, so the ants hid away again. The next time one of their scouts finds a dropped crumb, however, they'll come back out in full force as they were never really gone.

There is one kind of over-the-counter bait that works. It's a liquid bait, not a solid: Terro Liquid Ant Bait: 

  This is the only OTC ant bait product I recommend to my clients as a stop-gap measure for those times I can't get to them right away, or for clearing up small ant incursions that may not warrant the cost of a full treatment. Terro is not as good as the products I use in my work, but it is adequate for keeping an ant issue down to a dull roar until the cavalry arrives.  If you are dealing with a new or on-going ant infestation, you can try the product I'm recommending, or if you would like my help getting you ahead of the ants' game, give me a call! Treatments typically run around $60 to treat an average house inside and out in the Walla Walla valley area (more if the structure is larger, of course), dropping to $40 for follow-on 30 day periods if additional maintenance is necessary. I will also point out things in and around your home or place of business that may be encouraging ants to constantly invite themselves over for a picnic. My help is just a phone call or an email away!

509-540-7946 paul@zpestcontrol.com

Wasp Season!

Finally warm weather is here in the Walla Walla valley! It's time to get outside and enjoy it.

Unfortunately, we humans won't be the only ones doing so.

Calls are coming in daily now for control of paper wasps, the flying-stinging variety of nastiness that seeks out the eaves of our homes, decks and railings, the gaps between panels of parked vehicles, even our mailboxes:

If you have these around your house and yard, you're not alone. Many Z Pest customers, both old and new, are seeking and receiving assistance with these critters currently. This is a great time of the year to do it, too, as attacking the wasps now prevents them from establishing quite so many nests, breeding, and multiplying. Done correctly and with residual insecticide treatments, one treatment can kill off established wasp nests and continue to kill newly-arrived wasps for potentially four to six weeks after.

If you're new to Z Pest and you would like help with these or other creatures, here's a little something to say welcome and to sweeten the deal for you:

Simply click on the coupon, print it out, give Z Pest a call, save some money, and save yourself from some stings!

Z PEST CONTROL LLC - 509-540-7946

Veteran-owned, locally operated

Expanded Weed Control Services

This is what growth looks like! Since its inception, Z Pest has offered weed control services, but those offerings initially were limited to smaller projects due limitations imposed by the available equipment. No longer! 

The larger skid in this photo, the one positioned directly behind the cab, that is Z Pest's new 200 gallon weed control skid, which is capable of delivering treatment over an area of approximately 2.25 acres per tank load! Whether you have a small lawn or a large field that needs selective weed control, Z Pest is ready to help!

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

-- Motto of the U.S. Postal Service

Nothing in that motto about killing paper wasps!

For that, Z Pest delivers. 

European Paper Wasps: The Battle for Your Backyard!

It is once again the time of the year when these unwelcome guests begin to make themselves known around your home or business:

This is the European Paper Wasp, an invasive species in these parts that really puts the "invasive" in the term.  Right now they're flying around all over the place, looking for suitable sites to build nests. Their preference is for eastern/southern exposed areas with nearby food (shrubs and trees that harbor aphids are a favorite), water (yours and your neighbor's sprinkler systems), and a nearby source of raw wood they can take strips from to make paper (got a wooden fence?). These things put together ping this wasp's instinctual radar, and you will find them calling your home their home year after year.

Before you completely tear down your home and reorganize it to make it less appealing to these wasps, try giving me a call! Well-timed and properly placed insecticide treatments can greatly reduce the presence of these pests in your yard, restoring it to its proper function: your enjoyment. I've been ruining the party for these wasps for years, and it's something that I enjoy doing. Give me a call at 509-540-7946 and ask me to come by for a free quote. You won't regret it, but the wasps will!

New Radio Ad, 1490 KTEL Walla Walla

Just did this one on Tuesday the 6th and it hit the air the following day:



There's a primary focus on weed issues in this one, but like the ad says, I take care of insect, rodent, and other issues, too. The weather is FINALLY turning nice again, and that's when the kinds of problems I handle start to appear more often, too. Give me a call, let me help you sort them out, and your home and yard will be for your enjoyment, not some pest's. 

Here they come!

With the ice and snow seemingly behind us, it's getting closer to the time of the year where various creatures spring back into action! Already there are ants on the march, spiders on patrol, and soon various flying insect pests will make themselves known. This is also the point in the year where the retreating snow sometimes reveals that gophers, moles, and voles have been hard at work destroying your lawn under all of that white stuff.

That's all OK though, because this is also the time of the year that I start stirring again, too. I've been active all winter long (mainly ant and rodent stuff), but as the days slowly grow longer and the temperature outside gradually climbs back up toward nice, I start unpacking all of my gear to get it ready for the busy season.

If you're here after hearing about me for the first time on KTEL 1490, welcome! If you need my help with a pest issue, just let me know if you heard the radio ad and I'll knock 10% off of your first pest control service (cannot be combined with other offers).

New gear!

A recent addition to the Z Pest tool kit:

With the addition of this spray skid to the Z Pest operation, nearly all types of insect pest treatments can be performed. If what's bugging you is up high, no problem! With this piece of equipment, I can treat it. If you need help with something that's just out of reach, but still too close for comfort, give me a call at 509-540-7946.

Paper Wasps

I got rid of several batches of these critters for a client recently:

These are European Paper Wasps, a flying insect with a particularly painful sting, but (thankfully) a fairly mild demeanor. Most of the time they'll leave you alone if you leave them alone, but left untreated on your house or in your yard, they can get out of hand quickly. As their numbers rise, so does the chance that you'll cross paths with one or several, and that's when the stingers come out! Fortunately, they're easy to get rid of and with regular follow-up treatments they can be kept away. If you need help with these, please call! 509-540-7946.

Let's get this party started!

Welcome to Z Pest Control LLC's web page! Things are just getting started around here, so check back often for changes, service updates (capability expansion), and special offers!

Please browse through the tabs above to get a better idea of what all I'll be up to, and if there's something you need help with, please give me a call: 509-540-7946.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to hear from you soon!