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When we enter Autumn and Winter, many of our pest insects either go into hibernation or die off. Many people love the Fall for this reason! However, when the flying and crawling pests go away, we find ourselves fighting yet another battle. Rodents of all shapes and sizes begin the attempt to make their way indoors to seek refuge from the snow and cold. We receive the majority of our rodent related calls around this time of year, going into to the Winter season. Rodents will burrow and built their nests anywhere that offers warmth and dryness. Sheds, garages, attics, basements, homes and yes, you guessed it! Even our vehicles! Rats and mice gaining access to vehicles and causing damage to them is an age-old problem. Back in the steam age many farmers and commercial workers had an ongoing battle with rodents in an attempt to keep them at bay and away from their precious machinery. They came up with all sorts of tactics to save their machinery from rodent damage. Nowadays, rodents are even more attracted to our cars and trucks because automakers have attempted in many ways to “Go Green” including adding soy wiring to vehicles! This organic material attracts rodents of all shapes and sizes and essentially puts your car at a higher risk of being damaged.

Most Common Rodent Damage Found in Vehicles

This problem has become so common that may automakers have even trained their mechanics on how to remedy chewed wiring under the hood. The vehicles most at risk are those that get parked for days or weeks at a time, vehicles parked next to grassy areas, open fields or areas next to trees and shrubs. Your vehicle’s wiring is at risk as they tend to chew the insulation around the wiring under your hood but other things they damage are belts, hoses, plastic, water reservoirs, brake lines and other critical car parts. Rodents will make nests and plug up air conditioning ducts and have also been known to store acorns and other food sources in engine intakes. If a rodent is able to gain entry to the inside of your vehicle, they will most definitely tunnel into your seats to build their nests as well.

How to Keep Mice & Rats Out of Your Car in Fall & Winter

People have come up with some pretty clever tactics to keep rodents out of their vehicles. This is easy to understand if you’re the one who had to foot $1,000 bill in damages. Some of the cleverest tactics we’ve come across are;
– Installing a metal mesh around wiring harnesses, rubber hoses and across any opening where rodents could gain entry to ventilation or intake systems
– Applying bitter apple spray (available at pet stores) to all wiring harnesses, hoses and other critical car parts
– Applying rodent-deterrent tape which is an electrical tape that has super-spicy capsaicin applied to the outer layer to wiring harnesses and rubber hoses (available online)

Rodent Control

Rodents breed faster than most other mammals, with some being able to breed as young as two months of age. We offer many different rodent control tactics to suit your needs. If you have rodents in or around your home, early intervention is your best chance at keeping them away from you home and vehicles! Before starting your vehicle that has been parked for a few days or more, we recommend lifting your hood before operating your vehicle to inspect for rodent nests or damage. This will ensure you and your family’s safety! If you have further questions, or need assistance with a rodent problem, call our office and we will send a technician to your home as soon as possible!

Throughout the world, there are more than 12,000 known ant species. Not all of the species are found in Colorado, but there are several species that thrive in our borders. Ants are one of the most difficult pests to control with their abilities to adapt and survive in addition to the thousands of members in their colonies. Ants are better exterminated with the investment of a professional. With professional expertise and effective products, ants are efficiently terminated. In Colorado, there are a few ant species known more commonly to invade homes. These ant species are Pavement Ants, Field Ants, Odorous Ants, and Carpenter Ants. Today, we at Ram Pest Control would like to briefly relate the fundamentals of these ant species.

Types of Ants Found in Colorado

1) Pavement Ants. Pavement ants are the most common species of ant in Colorado according to most experts in the industry. These ants give themselves away by leaving a small mound of dirt at the entrance to their colony which they typically chose to construct under pavement, sidewalks and rock beds. Pavement ants are relatively small and dark brown in color. When these ants invade homes, they typically nest in the walls or under the floors.
2) Field Ants. Field ants prefer habitats like your lawn or garden areas. Field ants have a weakness for feasting on sweet honeydew excreted by aphids, and as a result, they can be beneficial from keeping these harmful pests away from your plants. However, the downside of a field ant infestation in your lawn or garden can make it unpleasant to walk around or spend time in your yard or garden. These ants look similar to carpenter ants and are often confused with them. Field ants are often black or very dark red and can reach up 1/3” long.
3) Odorous House Ants. These ants frequently invade houses and businesses in their endless search for sweet foods. Because of their fondness for sweet foods, they are often referred to as sugar ants as well. They will look an entrance into the home in an effort to forage for food and are typically found building their nest in dirt, rocks, and debris adjacent to a home’s foundation. Being omnivours however, they will eat anything but are immediately attracted to leftover crumbs and readily available pet food. Odorous ants are small and are typically dark brown or black in color.
4) Carpenter Ants. These ants are the most detrimental to Colorado homes and businesses. Carpenter ants burrow into soft, moist, and decaying wood used inside and outside your home. Much like termites, they cause costly damages to homes and business owners. Though they do not eat the wood they burrow through like a termite, their excavating habits are a major problem as the weaken the wood they tunnel through. They will construct the nests in the wood surrounding window ledges, under entrance thresholds, roof eaves, decks and porches as well as outdoor structures like fences and sheds. Carpenter ants are one of the larger ant species in the U.S. These ants are typically black but can have yellowish or reddish coloration as well.

Ant Control

No matter what species of ants are invading your Colorado home, Ram Pest Control Service has the expertise and effective products to dispatch their colonies and terminate their presence. Call us today to take care of your ant infestation as well as preventative treatments.

“The ants go marching one by one. Hurrah, hurrah … the ants go marching ten by ten. Hurrah, hurrah” are the words to a timeless children’s song. When adorable toddlers are singing these lyrics everyone near them is smitten with their newly developed counting abilities, but when you see ants marching one by one inside your home or in your backyard it is hard be smitten by their charm. Let’s learn more about these ants that we may find in and around our home and what we can do to get rid of them.

Ant Colony Caste System; Queen, King, Soldier & Worker

Ants are truly fascinating creatures! Ants are social insects that live in large colonies or groups. Certain species of ants live in colonies where there are millions of ants in the colony. Each colony has three different types of ants – the queen, the female workers, and the males. The queen and male ants have wings, but the workers do not. These different ants all have their own responsibilities. The queen is the only ant that can lay eggs. Queen ants spend their entire adult life lying eggs. Some queen ants live for many years and have millions of babies. The male ant’s job is to mate with future queen ants. Female ants are the workers of the colony. Their job is to help build their ant colony by building long, connecting tunnels for their fellow ants. They can also be sent out to find food and bring it back for the colony.

Ant Identification

Ants’ physical characteristics can be interesting to learn about. Ants don’t have ears. They “hear” by feeling vibrations in the ground through their feet. They also don’t have lungs. They have holes all over their body that oxygen enters their body through. Carbon dioxide leaves through the very same holes in their body. Ants are extremely strong. They are able to life 20 times their own body weight. When a fight erupts among two ants, they usually fight to the death!

Interesting Facts About Carpenter Ants

There are more than 12,000 species of ants all over the world. We are going to talk about the carpenter ant. Carpenter ants can be found in forested parts of the world. They range in size from 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. Dead, damp wood is their preferred place to build their nests. They will hollow out sections of trees to live. They also come into human habitation and infest wooden buildings and structures. Carpenter ants can frequently be found under windows, roof eaves, and decks and porches. Foraging for food is typically done at night. They eat parts of other dead insects and they love sugary liquids such a honey, syrup, or juices. Despite what is said, carpenter ants do not actually eat wood. Their digestive system can’t process it.

What Do Carpenter Ants Look Like?

If you find ants in or around your home how can you tell if it’s a carpenter ant? Carpenter ants are large and black in color. Each type of ant has their own physical characteristics. If you do indeed have carpenter ants you will want to get rid of them as quickly as possible so that they don’t ruin the wood in your home. They prefer damp or dead wood which can more often be found in the inner walls and structural work of your home. You can try and follow the trail of frass to find you ants. Frass is a combination of the wood debris left behind from the wood the ants are hollowing out and dead ants. The ants leave it behind as they build their colony.

Ant Control

If you are able to locate where the carpenter ants seem to be coming from the next step is to get rid of them before do permanent damage to your home. You can try to get rid of carpenter ants with DIY over the counter solutions but the problem with this route is that they only kill the ants that come in direct contact with the product. In order to truly get rid of your any infestation you will need to find the next and treat that area. The best way to do that is to hire a professional exterminator. RAM Pest Control would be happy to send out a professional exterminator to your home and set up a customized pest control solution that will help rid your home of these damaging carpenter ants. Give us a call today at 970-620-3541!

Wasps are notorious for ending pool parties and outdoor BBQs real quick. Their dominating presence can make even the burliest of men respect their boundaries. Wasps are often looking to pilfer sugary substances and meats left behind and are quick to defend their nests. Most wasp species live socially, meaning they live together in colony within a nest; fulfilling their duties to make the unit flourish. Seeing a wasp often indicated their nest is relatively close by. In order to clear the wasps out means the nest needs to be removed. However, confronting thousands of aggressive wasps capable of delivering multiple stings to defend their nest until the threat is neutralized is something that should make you reconsider if you contemplate dealing with the nest on your own accord. With that in mind, we at Ram Pest Control would like to relate as to why removing the wasp nest is better left to the professionals.

Wasp Nests Can Be Found in an Exterior Wall, Roof & More

Wasps are not like bees in the regard that they will sting once and fly off. Wasps will continue to sting the perceived threats over and over again. The wasp nest removal is not as simple as one may suppose because as wasps can nest in a remarkable range of locations. Therefore, removal of wasp nests often poses a serious logistical challenge. A wasp nest in reach that is fully exposed can be easier done by an untrained homeowner wearing protective clothing and using the right aerosol products; in theory. But there is still a likely risk of getting stung. Other major problems are hard to reach nests and/or nests that are partially concealed. In any situation, calling for professional assistance is well worth the investment to prevent the painful stings that are most likely to occur during poor execution from someone not properly trained.

Wasp Sting Swelling & Other Symptoms

Mistakes can, and will likely be made, even when the untrained person is well protected in the right clothes and armed with wasp killer products from the local department store. Even if the treatment is completed without a painful attack, the odds of the effective elimination of the colony are actually rather slim. The surviving wasps will simply rebuild the colony. If the homeowner was assaulted, a number of painful stings are delivered. The stings swell at the origin site, and quite a few can have varying degrees of allergies that are triggered from these stings. In a few extreme cases, the allergies can prove fatal if not quickly treated by medical professionals.

Wasp Nest Removal

Without proper training, taking care of a wasp nest is simply not worth the risk of your own health. Professionals apply our skills, knowledge, and effective and proven products to ensure the wasp nest is completely taken care of. If you want to make certain the wasps are clear from your property, trust professionals to conduct wasp nest removals. Ram Pest Control is the leading expert in wasp nest removal. Our technicians are properly trained, experienced, and can get rid of the wasps terrorizing your property quickly. Call us today to get started!

Pests come in all shapes and sizes. Most are unmistakably grotesque and something no one wants to deal with, where a few selected few can be almost cute, to some. Whether they are a health risk or cause destruction on the structure or property, pests are unwelcomed guests no matter what they are. When it comes to squirrels, the good people of Colorado are fairly familiar with their pilfering ways. We at Ram Pet Control would like to share some of the basics concerning ground squirrels.

Ground Squirrel Facts

Ground squirrels are small burrowers found not only Colorado, but across the United States, though their numbers are increasingly so among farm land. Where they may be different in various parts of the country, ground squirrels share quite a few habits and characteristics. Due to their burrowing habits, ground squirrels disturb crop fields and home gardens. To control the length of their teeth, ground squirrels need to constantly chew, which commonly results in the structural or cosmetic damage of a building or other property.

Identification of Ground Squirrels

Ground squirrels are often mistaken for chipmunks. They average 12 inches in length and typically weigh just over 5 ounces. They range in shades of brown and gray and will either have spots or stripes on their back along short bushy tails and small ears.

Where Do Ground Squirrels Live?

Ground squirrels tend to favor the grassy areas like meadows and prairies, but they really love areas where the ground is easy to dig such as land close to riverbanks as well as ponds. To live comfortably, they draw to the tall grasses and open spaces, where they often congregate in suburban and rural areas; avoiding the urban centers. When ground squirrels do find suburban locations to live, they often choose places such as public parks, grazing pastures, golf courses, and lawns. However, these rodents will generally avoid the woodland areas whenever possible.

Ground Squirrel Damage

As previously mentioned, ground squirrels are frequently found by property owners infesting farmlands, gardens, and yards. They are notorious among farmers due to their reputation for prominent diets including bulbs of plants and seeds. Ground squirrels can easily squeeze through tiny cavities of chimneys, vents, torn door or window screens, broken or open windows, and other such openings to gain entry to buildings, but they are rarely interested in coming indoors. If they do, it is likely because food or water is scarce or extreme weather conditions but they can cause extensive property damage when they burrow under patios and foundations for example. Ground squirrels also harbor bacteria and diseases that are dangerous to humans.

Are Ground Squirrels Beneficial or a Pest?

In some scenarios, ground squirrels can be thought of as beneficial because their diet also includes eating harmful insects, but they still are classified as a pest because they will destroy both cash crops and ornamental plants. Tree roots can dehydrate, mowing can be problematic, and the structure’s foundation can be left weakened by the ground squirrel’s burrowing habits and the abundant holes left behind. Additionally, parasitic ticks, lice, mites, and fleas often choose ground squirrels as their host.

Squirrel Wildlife Control

To help minimize ground squirrel infestation, remove any brush piles, keep the grass well manicured and control the debris in the yard to limit their hiding places. If you are having a problem ground squirrels, call in the experts of Ram Pest Control and let our experts help you get rid of ground squirrel infestations and save your property from their infestation.