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Ticks are most commonly found behind (or even inside) ears, behind knees, in belly buttons, in the hair, and in your underarms. If you find a tick on your body or on your pet, use a pair of clean tweezers to grab the tick as close to the surface of your skin as possible. If you simply yank or twist it, you can leave the tick’s mouth parts lodged in your skin and will need to remove those carefully with the tweezers. 

Once you have removed the tick, flush it down the toilet and wash your skin with rubbing alcohol or soap and water. Know the signs of lyme disease such as fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a rash.

Not only are mice clever, they are also adept at squeezing in tiny cracks to get into your home. Figuring out how rodents are getting in is key to getting rid of mice quickly and humanely. Check these areas for entry points:

• Basement or crawl space

• The garage 

• Gaps in the foundation

• The roof or attic

• Underneath and around pipes, drains, electrical wiring, and gas lines

• Around doors and windows

• Baseboards

• Kitchen cabinets

• Behind appliances

• Air vents

Leaving lights on is not an effective or foolproof method for keeping cockroaches away. While roaches are nocturnal and prefer darkness, light alone is not enough to stop them, especially if they are seeking food, water, or shelter. A bright light might temporarily discourage them, but hungry or determined roaches will often adapt and venture into lit areas. For more effective cockroach control, it is better to focus on proven prevention methods. These include maintaining cleanliness by eliminating food crumbs, sealing cracks and entry points, reducing clutter that provides hiding spots, and fixing any moisture issues. Using traps or repellents can also be part of a comprehensive strategy.

Some species of bees (not to mention hornets) are aggressive and dangerous to have in your walls. If they swarm in anger or defense, they could badly hurt people in your home. Other species of bees are largely harmless and many people live in close proximity to them.

Either way, bees making hives in your walls usually causes damage. It can contribute to moisture problems, and attract other pests. Those problems get even worse if honeycombs build up. So we strongly suggest you find a way to keep bees from taking up permanent residence.