Posts By: Home Defenders Termite and Pest Management

If your house could talk, what would it say? “Hey, homeowner,” it might say, “please don’t ignore the number one threat to my existence.” But what is that threat? It could be fire—we’ve all seen what that does to homes. But fire is a show-off and when it strikes, muscle-bound men and women riding big… Read more »

Today I’m going to write about something that adds great spice to life. It lives in many articles I’ve written, but I’ve never written about it, because I’ve never thought about it. I don’t generally think about what I don’t know.  What am I talking about? I’m talking about that sense of mystery—the fact that… Read more »

Help Wanted: Job duties include typing pest reports, scheduling service calls, answering the phone… and telling the boss he’s wrong. Apply at your own risk. Writing these weekly articles is fun, but it’s hard work too. I learned to write them the same way I learned to be a professional exterminator: being told I hadn’t gotten… Read more »

Those of us who put out sunflower seeds for squirrels have noticed that the critters rip through a pile of black oil sunflower seeds like a kindergarten class through a bowl of M&M’s. Have you ever wondered how squirrels eat so fast. Think about it. They pick up a seed, chew off the hull, let… Read more »

It was one of my first pest management lessons and it had nothing to do with pest management. It had to do with people management, and that’s more important. I was a rookie and my manager Bill and I were inspecting the exterior of a vacation cabin that had hundreds of bats in the attic…. Read more »

Hello again, readers, this is Home Defenders secretary Alejandra presenting another interview with my boss Mike. Enjoy! Question: What pest do you most fear invading your own home? Answer: Well, I would say powderpost beetles—they’re tiny wood-eating beetles that can only be eliminated by a very expensive fumigation—but they rarely infest mountain homes. So my… Read more »

 “Oh boy, a wild critter!” I glanced out the window to my back deck last week and saw only the backside of a furry animal—bigger than a breadbox—running down the steps. I quietly opened my sliding glass door, tip-toed to the handrail,  peered below, and immediately spotted the critter in question. “Oh, no,” I thought…. Read more »

Hi, everyone, my name is Alejandra and I’m a secretary here at Home Defenders. This week I’m interviewing my boss Mike: Question: What do you do when you see ants on your kitchen counter? Answer: I wipe them up with a sponge and soapy water, then wait to see if they come back. If they… Read more »

This week, I’ll go over the three most common mistakes homeowners make when doing their own pest control. You smart readers may wonder where I learned about this subject. The answer is that do-it-yourself folks call me when they don’t get the job done, so I’m just as much an expert on incorrect pest management… Read more »

Quick—what sound does a pest technician most hate to hear? Is it the hiss of a leaky hand-held sprayer spewing chemical all over his leg? Maybe. Is it the thump-thump-thump of a flat tire at the end of a tough work day? Could be. Is it the boss’s gruff voice bellowing, “I’m going out to… Read more »