Residential & Commercial Pest Control Issues in Massachusetts
Over 90,000 people call Pembroke home, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts. Coastal regions with dense populations, along with other factors, attract pests that can make life challenging for businesses and homeowners.
Population density
Thousands of people living, working, eating, and shopping near one another create pest-friendly conditions. In cities like Pembroke, homes and businesses in close proximity provide rodents and insects with everything they need to survive and thrive.
Busy Business Sectors
Commercial spaces are prime real estate for pests. Restaurants, hotels, and retail shops around Pembroke provide cockroaches, mice, and rats with plenty of places to hide, find food and reproduce. Infestations are particularly common for foodservice providers, as crumbs, spills, and odors attract hungry pests.
Pembroke MA, has one of the most productive ports in America, and commercial fishing earns millions of dollars each year. Every part of harvesting, preparing, storing, and shipping seafood attracts pests. Rodents and insects can damage and contaminate products at any stage of the supply chain.
Massachusetts Climate
Cities near the New England coast like Weymouth, New Bedford, and Fall River have wet climates and warmer temperatures during the summer months. Mosquitoes, ticks, cockroaches, and earwigs all prosper in humid environments.
Common Pests in Our Area
- Termites - These destructive insects invade buildings with wood supports, like decks or fencing, that touch bare soil. Termites can also start colonies in Pembroke homes and businesses when winged swarmers get inside through open doors or windows. While the individual insects are tiny, large populations can cause serious structural damage over time.
- Bed Bugs - Bed bugs don't transmit diseases, but they do leave irritating bites on the skin. They enter homes by clinging to clothing, furniture, and other belongings. Hotels in Pembroke, Weymouth, New Bedford, and Fall River need a tough pest control plan to protect their guests from bed bug bites.
- Mosquitoes & Ticks - These biting insects become a major nuisance as soon as summer gets underway in New England. Bites from mosquitoes and ticks can transmit dangerous diseases in addition to causing itchy, swollen welts on the skin.
- Rodents - Rats and mice sneak into buildings looking for food and nesting sites. Rodents travel through sewers and hang out in dumpsters, which means they also transmit bacteria to every surface they touch.
- Cockroaches - Food crumbs, warmth, moisture, and darkness attract cockroaches. Much like their rodent counterparts, these insects contaminate countertops and tables as well as food in cupboards, cooling units, and pantries. Cast-off cockroach skins and their waste can also trigger reactions for those with allergies or asthma.
- Earwigs - Earwigs aren't harmful to humans, but their presence may be frightening for hotel guests, apartment tenants, and homeowners in the Pembroke area. These long, thin-bodied insects also damage plants in flower beds and gardens.
Pest Control for Pembroke Businesses
Restaurants, apartment complexes, and hotels are always at risk for pests. Insects and rodents are experts at finding hiding spots. Rats often nest unseen inside appliances, cockroaches lurk under icemakers and termites stay concealed as they consume wood supports from the inside out.
Illness is another concern when it comes to pests. Pembroke eateries and commercial kitchens with cockroach or rodent problems risk transmitting salmonellosis to their customers through contaminated surfaces and food. Even a few poor reviews and complaints are enough to do irreparable harm to a business's reputation.
Warehouses, seasonal cottages, and storage facilities with little foot-traffic attract rodents that are vectors for hantavirus. Deer and white-footed mice prefer isolated habitats, and contact with their saliva, urine, and feces is dangerous. When cleaning up disused warehouse areas or opening cabins for the summer, this dried waste can become airborne. Inhaling these particles is a common means of infection.
Signs of Infestation
Even if you haven't spotted the insects or rodents themselves, there are a few telltale signs that indicate a problem. Examine building interiors and exteriors for the following:
- Termite mud tubes stretching across foundations or basement walls
- Rodent droppings in pantries or rat and mouse poop found along baseboards or in corners
- Oily smudges left by rodent fur rubbing along walls
- Cast off skins, limbs, egg cases, and droppings left behind by cockroaches
- Tiny, rusty spots on mattresses, sheets, and comforters that indicate bed bugs
Strict cleaning schedules and regular building maintenance go a long way toward thwarting pests, but it's always an uphill battle. For professional assistance with rodent and insect infestations in your Pembroke home or business, contact Waltham Pest Services.