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December brings holiday cheer to Downtown Seattle — crowded hotels, packed transit, extra visitors and packages — but it also raises the risk that unwelcome hitchhikers will arrive with you: bed bugs. Although these insects are not seasonal in the strict sense, the travel and social patterns of the holidays create more opportunities for bed…

If you own a home in Laurelhurst, you already know this neighborhood’s charms — mature trees, classic craftsman and mid‑century homes, and a climate that keeps yards lush most of the year. That same damp, leafy setting, however, can also hide a subtle and persistent threat: moisture ants. Unlike large, dramatic invaders, these small, secretive…

Rats in crawl spaces are one of those slow-burning home problems that can quickly escalate from a nuisance to a costly hazard — and for homeowners in West Seattle, the combination of older houses, abundant green space, and a wet climate makes crawl-space invasions a common seasonal problem. Rats are attracted to the shelter, warmth,…

The holidays bring a steady stream of visitors to Capitol Hill condos — family arriving for celebrations, out-of-town friends coming in for the ball drop, and neighbors stopping by for a last-minute toast. Those welcome footsteps can also mean unwelcome guests if you haven’t taken steps to pest-proof your home. Capitol Hill’s mix of historic…

Ballard’s mild, wet winters create near-ideal conditions for carpenter ants to move from outdoor nests into the warm, protected cavities of homes and buildings. Unlike termites, carpenter ants don’t eat wood for nutrition, but they carve extensive galleries in damp or decayed timber to build their nests — and once established inside a structure, a…

As daylight shortens and temperatures dip, Rainier Valley homeowners and property managers often notice a recurring, unwelcome pattern: a rise in attic rodent activity. December marks a turning point each year when mice and rats increasingly seek warmth and shelter, turning attics from underused spaces into hubs of nesting, gnawing and nocturnal commotion. This seasonal…

If you live in the Green Lake area, your basement is more than extra storage — it’s the first place moisture, mold and pests show up when the seasons shift. This month many homeowners report musty smells, discoloration on foundation walls, and the unwelcome sight of insects or rodents slipping into cracks and crawlspaces. Those…

Phinney Ridge’s tree-lined streets and historic early-20th-century bungalows are part of what makes the neighborhood so appealing — but those mature trees and older construction details also create ideal conditions for squirrels to find shelter and make trouble. In older homes, gaps in eaves, worn wooden trim, unprotected chimneys and vents, and rotted soffits are…

For Roosevelt homeowners, December brings more than chilly evenings and holiday lights — it ushers in a seasonal shift that sends many pests looking for warmth, food and shelter. As temperatures drop, creatures that spend the warmer months outdoors increasingly test foundations, gaps around windows and doors, attics, basements and crawlspaces to gain entry. Whether…

If you live in Wallingford, you may have noticed a familiar pattern: after a few days of heavy rain, sightings of rats, mice and other rodents seem to spike. That sudden appearance is rarely random. Rainstorms change the physical landscape, the behavior of wildlife, and the availability of food and shelter in ways that push…