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Clover mites are tiny, bright red plant-feeding arachnids that typically live on lawns and groundcovers and invade homes in large numbers without biting people, while spider mites are a diverse family of usually pale to brownish plant-sucking mites that produce fine silk webbing and cause stippling, yellowing, and bronzing of leaves. Clover mites are most…

Spiders often return to the same spot inside a house because that location consistently supplies the resources they need—steady prey traffic, shelter from predators and weather, favorable microclimate (temperature and humidity), and structural features that make web-building or retreat sites effective. Web-building species reuse frames and corners where insects concentrate or where artificial light draws…

Most spiders are not attracted to light itself; they are drawn to the insects that gather around lights, and different species exploit that concentration of prey in different ways. Web-building spiders such as orb weavers and common house spiders often anchor webs near porch and yard lights to intercept moths and flies, while active hunters…

Keeping wildlife out of a crawl space depends on three practical steps: physically excluding animals by sealing gaps and installing durable screens or barriers, removing or altering nearby habitat and food sources that attract them, and performing regular inspections and moisture control to make the space inhospitable to nesting. Effective exclusion includes repairing foundation breaches,…

Raccoons and opossums are attracted to yards in summer primarily by easy access to food, reliable water sources, and sheltered resting or denning sites. In warm months these omnivores exploit ripe fruit, birdseed and feeders, compost and garden produce, unsecured garbage, and pet food left outdoors; they also take advantage of irrigation, puddles, and other…

You should call a licensed wildlife control professional instead of attempting removal yourself when the animal is a protected species, is inside living spaces, appears sick or aggressive, is accompanied by dependent young, or when the job requires specialized equipment or structural repairs beyond typical homeowner skills. The Pacific Northwest’s mild, wet climate, dense tree…

Professionals handle nuisance wildlife humanely by prioritizing nonlethal measures—thorough site assessment, exclusion and proofing, targeted deterrents, live capture and relocation only when permitted, and coordination with wildlife rehabilitators or veterinarians when animals are injured or diseased. When lethal methods are used, they follow legal and ethical guidelines, employ the most humane techniques available, and document…

Pest control refers to the identification and reduction of nuisance or harmful insects and other small invertebrates—such as ants, termites, cockroaches, mosquitoes, and spiders—using targeted treatments, habitat modification, exclusion, and monitoring; wildlife management refers to the assessment, relocation, exclusion, population regulation, and legal compliance associated with larger vertebrates—such as rodents, bats, raccoons, birds, deer, and…

To vet a wildlife removal company’s credentials, confirm they hold the necessary state and local permits, appropriate commercial pest control or nuisance wildlife licenses where required, current liability and workers’ compensation insurance, documented training or certifications in humane wildlife handling, and verifiable client references or recent work records. Also check for clear written estimates and…

Rodents (mice, rats and voles), raccoons, skunks, opossums, squirrels and bats — and, in some areas, deer, coyotes and bears — commonly move toward homes in late summer in the Pacific Northwest, along with migratory and resident birds that seek food and nesting sites around buildings. These animals are attracted to food sources such as…