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Mount Baker country—nestled in the North Cascades of northwest Washington and stretching from the forested slopes of the mountain down into the towns of Whatcom County—has a climate and housing stock that combine to make fireplaces a central feature in winter homes. Long, cool, damp autumns and heavy snowfall prompt many households to fire up…

Phinney Ridge’s tree-lined streets, pocket gardens and tightly packed yards make it one of Seattle’s most charming neighborhoods — and also a place where outdoor storage can easily become attractive to rats. Outdoor sheds, stacked wood, garden beds, compost piles, unused furniture and cluttered alcoves provide shelter, food and nesting materials that rodents need to…

In Ballard, as in many urban and suburban neighborhoods, the quiet comfort of attics and crawlspaces can hide a persistent and unwelcome tenant: mice. These small rodents are highly adaptable and, especially during colder months or breeding seasons, seek out sheltered, warm locations to raise litters. Attic spaces, often overlooked until a problem becomes obvious,…

Shoreline basement suites sit at a unique intersection of urban living and coastal ecology, offering affordable space and waterfront appeal but also exposing residents to particular environmental pressures. During heavy storms—when tides surge, drainage systems back up, and landscaping becomes a chaotic mix of debris and runoff—wildlife that normally keeps to drier ground or more…

Hosting guests in Wallingford — whether you run a small bed-and-breakfast, a vacation rental, or a private guest room — brings rewards and responsibilities. Among the most damaging and stressful risks to reputation and comfort are bed bug infestations. These tiny, elusive pests can quickly erode guest trust, lead to negative reviews, and create costly…

It began as a quintessential holiday scene: platters of homemade cookies arranged on festive trays for office parties, family gatherings and neighborhood potlucks at the Laurelhurst Dining Rooms. What should have been small moments of seasonal cheer instead became a flashpoint when customers noticed tiny black ants crawling over the baked goods, photographed the trays…

West Seattle’s temperate, rainy winters make the neighborhood a comfortable place for people — and an attractive season for many pests seeking warmth, shelter, and food. Townhomes, with shared walls, compact yards, and multi-level attics and basements, present particular challenges: gaps between units and shared rooflines give rodents, ants, and moisture-loving insects easy pathways, while…

December brings more than holiday lights to Madrona; it brings a spike in roof-related problems as rodents look for warm, dry places to nest. The neighborhood’s mature trees, older wood-frame homes, and Seattle’s damp, cool winter climate create perfect conditions for mice, rats, and tree squirrels to move from yards and trees into attics and…

In many Fremont apartments, tenants are puzzled to find roaches congregating not in cupboards or drains but around radiators and baseboard heaters. What looks like an odd coincidence is actually a predictable consequence of how these heating systems interact with cockroach biology and the typical layout of older multiunit buildings. Radiators create small, stable microenvironments—warm,…

Queen Anne’s steep slopes, dense tree canopy, and many turn-of-the-century homes give the neighborhood its character — and a persistent crawlspace problem: recurring flooding and the attendant “moisture ant” infestations. When a crawlspace collects water, materials that should be dry become breeding grounds for mold, wood decay and opportunistic insects that thrive in damp conditions….