Penticton company keeping pests at bay in the Okanagan
When it comes to protecting your property against unwanted insects and rodents, your best defense is Your Pest Defense. The Okanagan-based structural pest management company, Your Pest Defense is a family-owned and operated business that works in the residential, commercial, industrial, food processing and health industries.
If you have problems with ants, wasps, spiders, mice or other pests, including bedbugs, the company can help. They can also rent out the traps needed for live removal of larger animals like raccoons and skunks. With more than 15 years of experience – being one of the few female owners in the pest management industry in North America - owner Phillis (Tashia) Zella says her company tries to use environmentally-friendly products to deal with infestation problems. The company also offers education and preventative pest management plans.
Zella uses sprays or bait traps depending on the situation and tries to tailor her treatment plans to the requirements of the home or business owner. Using an integrated pest management approach, she will develop a plan that will use methods and products that minimize the impact on the environment, as well as on her clients, their families and their pets.
According to Zella, one of the biggest problems in the Okanagan is ants. Carpenter ants are more of an issue in the Lower Mainland; however Zella states that she receives more calls in the Okanagan concerning Velvet Tree and Odorous House ants. This is especially true south of Peachland, due to the drier conditions in the southern part of the Valley. Zella says that these species are a particular problem in and near forested areas, in proximity to evergreen trees.
Other prevalent pests found in the Okanagan are mice, rats, wasps, and termites. Most can cause health issues as well as damages to one’s living space.
After her many years in the business, Zella is concerned when clients are misinformed about how to deal with a pest problem. She says anyone experiencing a problem with pests “should call a professional first and let them devise a proper plan and a treatment program to manage the problem". “Avoid going on the Internet or Facebook to diagnose the issue on your own”, she says. “This can lead to other problems and not stop the infestation spread.”
One of the most common suggestions she has heard for dealing with ants is to throw boiling water on them. But she says that does not work. “It only deals with the ants that the water hits. Not the queen or worker ants in the colony and/or other locations.”
Your Pest Defense does not live trap larger pests such as raccoons, but does rent equipment and offers education on how best to use it — so home and business owners can do the trapping themselves. Birds can be a problem and cause expensive property damage as well as pose potential health hazards to humans through their droppings. Zella is a certified Bird Barrier installer.
The company is fully licensed and insured. Some benefits the company offers: warranties on work done; unmarked vehicles to maintain discretion when working at a home or business; and the use of trusted quality and insured contractors.
So, if creepy crawlies or other pests are “bugging” you, call or text Phillis (Tashia) Zella at Your Pest Defense at 250-328-3060, contact by email at pestdefense911@gmail.com or go to the website at www.yourpestdefense.ca where you can find more information.
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