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Earwigs are a familiar sight — or more often, a familiar discovery at night — in many Pacific Northwest gardens. The region’s cool, moist climate and abundant mulch, leaf litter, and sheltered hiding places create an ideal habitat for the most common species in the area, the European earwig (Forficula auricularia). Because they are conspicuous…

Seattle’s damp climate and many character-rich older houses make the city an ideal place for silverfish to thrive. These small, wingless insects — silvery-grey, carrot-shaped and fast-moving — aren’t dangerous to people or pets, but they can cause frustrating, sometimes costly damage. Silverfish feed on starchy and cellulosic materials such as book bindings, wallpaper paste,…

A basic pest inspection is a practical, do-it-yourself first step toward protecting your home, health, and belongings. By learning where pests like ants, cockroaches, rodents, termites, bed bugs, and stinging insects are likely to hide and what signs to look for, you can detect problems early, reduce the chance of costly damage, and decide whether…

Keeping your home free of pests starts long before you see a single ant trail or a moth fluttering in the pantry. The way you store food is one of the most powerful—and often overlooked—defenses against infestations. Proper food storage reduces attractants, removes easy access points, and limits conditions that allow insects and rodents to…

No one wants to share their kitchen with ants, cockroaches, rodents or pantry moths — but many people are understandably reluctant to spray harsh chemical pesticides around the places where they prepare food and feed their families. The good news is that you can create a highly pest-resistant kitchen using preventive design, everyday habits and…

When the days shorten and the first cold snaps arrive, many households start moving firewood close to the house for convenient winter warming. What seems like a simple, sensible step can, however, be the trigger for a bigger problem: pests. Firewood is not just fuel — it’s a ready-made habitat and food source for a…

Your landscaping does more than shape curb appeal — it creates the microenvironment that determines whether pests simply pass through your yard or move in permanently. Choices you make about plants, mulch, ground cover, grading and irrigation around the foundation change moisture levels, food availability, shelter and physical pathways that insects and rodents use to…

Basements are designed to store the things you don’t use every day — seasonal decorations, old furniture, boxes of papers — but when that storage becomes unmanaged clutter, the space quickly becomes an irresistible habitat for pests. Piles of cardboard, stacks of fabric, forgotten food containers and damp boxes create the perfect combination of shelter,…

Seattle’s wet, mild climate and dense urban-forest edges make garages prime real estate for unwanted wildlife and insects. From mice and rats seeking dry nesting sites to raccoons, opossums and bats looking for sheltered crevices, and stinging or nuisance insects such as ants, spiders, and cluster flies, pests exploit the shelter, food and moisture garages…

Your attic insulation is more than an energy-saving blanket; it’s a forensic archive that records the comings and goings of pests. Because attics are warm, sheltered and often undisturbed, they’re a favorite nesting and travel zone for rodents, bats, birds, raccoons, and even insects. By learning the signals hidden in the insulation—what’s been moved, chewed,…