Published August 2003

Pest problem best solved before it begins

I found a dead rat behind my washing machine in the first house I bought years ago. That’s when I met Dana Pratt of Pratt Pest Management, an extermination company.

“The rat is really a fascinating animal,” Pratt told me with a dead serious look while we were rummaging around my basement with a flashlight looking for signs of rats — like some sort of domestic version of deer hunting.

Sometime during our small talk and crawling around I discovered he had an advanced degree in something related to insects and pests, so I figured I had better pay close attention to what he said. I was in the early years of my property management business and figured whatever I could glean from this visit to my house might help me in my business.

It was clear he knew his work well.

“For starters,” he said, “if a rat can fit their head through a hole, they can squeeze their whole body through it. Their ribs are double-jointed, you know.”

No, I didn’t know that. That is fascinating, I thought.

“Hold it!” he barked as he flashed his light under a crawl space and saw what I would later describe to my wife as “a couple of other tiny rats,” but which clearly was some sort of medieval rat village of sorts with tunnels and more.

“We’ll have to outsmart them — and that’s not easy,” he concluded. Then he left me with clear instructions, a dozen or so of what he called “glue boards,” some traps, poison, bait and more.

In a week, they were all gone. Another job well done, though I still couldn’t explain to my wife what all the commotion was under the house during the night as, one by one, the poison, glue boards and traps started slowly and somewhat loudly picking them off. “Probably cats again, honey. Go back to sleep.”

Pest management is no glorious subject, but not knowing the basics can potentially get you in trouble.

Consider, for one, the carpenter ant. These are the big black ants that often live in moist, warm wood environments. That description alone ought to get the attention of just about any property owner in Western Washington.

In about April each year, it’s time to be particularly interested in them, though. That’s when the ones with wings start showing up. If you see one, you’d better call your pest-control specialist right away. The sight of flying versions is an indication that the colony is large now and mature enough that it is sending out a winged effort to colonize another location.

Carpenter ants are a problem for many reasons, not the least of which is the degradation of the wood studs in your walls. Treating them is a bit tricky, but has good outcomes.

Roaches aren’t a big problem in this area of the country, but people moving in from other areas can bring roaches with them and infest a property pretty quickly — usually without being aware they brought them in. Often, roaches like to travel in cardboard, making it easy for them to go undetected during a move.

Here, too, treating them is productive. But eliminating the conditions that encourage them is the other half of the battle. Greasy foods and unclean households tend to feed roaches.

Termites, bees, wasps, mice and more are all present in our climate. Each requires a specialized approach to treat properly. You’re not allowed, for example, to kill bees as a treatment solution.

Pest control is best done with a preventative program, regardless of the type of infestation you are trying to address. But if you do find a hot spot in your property, it’s wise not to ignore it long. You don’t need a Ph.D. to know that these creatures have survived on this planet probably longer than we have, so they have the survival game pretty well nailed down if left untreated.

Tom Hoban is CEO of Everett-based Coast Real Estate Services, a property management and real estate advisory company specializing in multi-family and commercial investment properties. He can be contacted by phone at 425-339-3638 or send e-mail to tomhoban@coastmgt.com.

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