Get matched with top pest control specialists in Smithland, KY

Termites are generally more destructive than carpenter ants, which is why it’s important to get rid of termites as quickly as possible. Termites will swarm your home to relentlessly feast on its wood frame, sheetrock, insulation, and carpet down to the studs.

While carpenter ants work surprisingly efficiently, they can still take years to damage your home significantly. It can also take termites several years to fully compromise a home's structure. However, the right colony can take down a full house in about a year. Overall, termites are far more diligent when it comes to destroying structures.

It’s not fast, but you can tightly seal items and store them away for at least a few months, preferably an entire year. Bed bugs can’t survive that long without eating. However, this method takes significantly longer than other common eradication methods like heat treatments, steaming, or fumigation, so it’s not a first choice for homeowners.

Roaches have a strong sense of smell and are repelled by a variety of potent aromas. Scents that can help deter them include citrus (such as lemon and orange), herbs like peppermint, mint, basil, thyme, and oregano, spices like bay leaves, cinnamon, clove, and garlic, as well as lavender, eucalyptus, citronella, tea tree oil, and vinegar.

You can use these scents in several ways to create an unwelcoming environment for roaches:

• Plants: Place mint or lavender plants in your home or garden.

• Powders and Leaves: Sprinkle garlic powder or place crushed bay leaves and citrus peels in high-risk areas like kitchens, bathrooms, and entry points.

• Sprays: Create a diluted solution with scents like lemon or vinegar to spray in your home. These can also be used in cleaning products or as room fresheners.

• Essential Oils: While essential oils of these scents can be used, be cautious as they can be toxic to pets if inhaled.

It is important to note that while these smells can help keep roaches away, they typically do not kill them and may not be enough to drive out an existing infestation entirely. For best results, combine these scent-based deterrents with regular cleaning. Be sure to clean up all food spills, crumbs, and dirty dishes promptly, and keep trash cans covered with a tight-fitting lid to remove potential food sources.

Sort of. Hornets are a subsection of wasps with some unique characteristics (along with yellowjackets and similar types of insects). Hornets are generally rare in the United States, with European and Asian hornets the two notable examples.

Hornets tend to be significantly larger than wasps, often larger than one inch. They are also typically white or brown striped instead of yellow like many wasps. They tend to be one of the more aggressive types of wasps, which when combined with their size makes them a priority for homeowners.