Home Insect Control

Home Insect Control

Our GoldPlan Home Insect Control service includes quarterly treatments that protect against the most common crawling insects and spiders. Should pest problems arise, we will retreat for no extra charge. Unlike many pest control methods, GoldenRule’s integrated pest management program uses multiple routes of prevention, and only the needed amount of chemicals, leaving you with a healthy home free of harmful chemicals and pests.

Top 5 Most Damaging Insects to Your Lawn

(Treated with Home Insect Control GoldPlan)

European Crane Fly

The European crane fly is a common pest in the Northwest. Adult insects resemble an oversized mosquito and often perch on lawns or the flat walls of a home. Larvae, called leatherjackets, hatch in the fall and feed on grass roots through the region’s mild winter.

Cutworm/Armyworm

Cutworm and armyworm larvae chew and cut blades around the crown. Damage begins in small, irregular spots and spreads to patches extending many feet in width.

Billbugs

Billbugs first feed on the inside of grass stems and crowns, then move to feed on roots. The affected area appears brown, thin, and dead in small, irregular spots. Damage can spread to patches extending many feet in width. Fine, white, sawdust-like grass can be observed on the soil surface. Damaged grass breaks at the crown and is easy to pull from the soil, but cannot be rolled up like sod damaged by white grubs.

Masked Chafer/ White Grubs

Masked Chafer/ White Grubs feed on the roots of grass. Damage appears in late summer or fall as irregular patches of brown, dying grass. The ground often feels spongy, and the lawn can be rolled up if heavily infested. Skunks, moles, and birds may be attracted to lawns with high grub populations.

Black Turf Grass Ataenius

Larvae feed on roots, causing irregular patches of brown or dead turf. Damaged turf can appear drought stressed, and the problem may be confused with damage due to grass root diseases such as summer patch. Lawns with extensive root damage can be easily peeled off the soil.

8 Most Common Pests Around Your Home

(Treated with Home Insect Control GoldPlan)

Wasps

Yellowjackets and paper wasps are the most common types of wasps encountered in Washington State. Wasps have slender bodies with a narrow waist and appear smooth and shiny. Nests are seen under your eves, and you most often would get stung by a wasp rather than a bee.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are little, flat insects that feed on our blood, typically at nighttime, while we are sleeping. Mature bed bugs are about 1/4 of an inch long, have flat, rusty-red-colored oval bodies, and look like an apple seed.

Fleas

Fleas can cause great pain to our pets and leave us with small itchy bites, frequently on our legs. Their bites can produce allergic reactions and scratching can lead to infection. Fleas are capable of picking up plagues from wild rodents and transmitting the bacterial disease to people.

Gypsy Moths

Gypsy moths are an invasive pest in Washington. As caterpillars, they can eat hundreds of different types of plants and trees. They lack native predators and diseases, so their populations can surge swiftly if they are not controlled.

Mosquitoes

Not only an annoyance, mosquitoes can pose a severe health threat. Disease can be spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. Over 30 different mosquito species can be found in Washington, and several are vectors for diseases.

Black Widow Spider

Black Widow spiders are found mainly in pockets of western Washington and eastern Washington. Adult female black widows have dangerous venom. Female black widows are normally shiny black with a red hourglass tatoo under their belly.

Yellow Sac Spider

Yellow Sac Spiders, which are often not yellow, are located in eastern Washington and in the Seattle area. They are mainly garden-dwellers in the warm season, but these active night hunters can make their way indoors in the fall.

Hobo Spider

Hobo Spiders are found in Washington. Adult hobo spiders are dark brown with distinct pattern of yellow markings on their abdomen. Unlike many other similar looking spiders, they do not have dark bands on their legs.