Pest Library

Which Pest Is Bugging You?

We treat them all. From carpenter ants and bed bugs to termites and rodents, our team handles the most common pest problems facing Omaha and Lincoln homeowners and businesses. Find your pest below to learn what you are dealing with and how we get rid of it.

Pest Library

Ants

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Carpenter ants are one of the most destructive ant species found in Omaha and Lincoln homes. They do not eat wood, but they tunnel through it to build their nests, and they specifically target wood that has been softened by moisture damage. Over time, an untreated carpenter ant infestation can cause serious structural damage.

Look for large black ants near windows, doors, bathrooms, or any area with a history of water damage. Small piles of sawdust-like material near baseboards, wood trim, or wall voids are a strong sign that a nest is nearby.

Treatment targets both the nest and the surrounding areas of activity. Correcting moisture problems in the home speeds up elimination significantly. It may take several months of consistent treatment before the colony is fully eliminated. Call Omaha SEO Company today to schedule a carpenter ant inspection.

Carpenter Ant

Odorous house ants get their name from the strong, rotten coconut smell they release when crushed. They are small, dark brown to black ants, typically around 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch long, and they are among the most common ants found inside Omaha and Lincoln homes.

These ants are drawn indoors by moisture and food sources. You will typically find them trailing along countertops, near sinks, under floors, or anywhere a water leak has occurred. Colonies can be extremely large, with multiple queens, which makes them difficult to eliminate without a targeted treatment plan.
Over-the-counter sprays often split the colony and make the problem worse. Professional treatment uses non-repellent products that ants carry back to the nest, eliminating the source. Contact us today to get ahead of an odorous house ant problem before it spreads further.

Odorous Ant

Pavement ants are small brown or black ants, about 1/8 of an inch long, that typically nest under sidewalks, driveways, foundations, and concrete slabs. In Omaha and Lincoln, they are most active in the spring and summer, and they commonly enter homes through cracks in the foundation while foraging for food.

Inside, pavement ants are found near floors, in walls, and under floors near heat sources. They eat almost anything, including grease, sweets, and other insects, which makes kitchens and pantries frequent targets.
Treatment focuses on locating entry points and applying a perimeter barrier to prevent re-entry. Nests under concrete slabs can require targeted bait treatment to fully eliminate the colony. Give us a call and we will identify where they are coming from and stop them at the source.

Pavement Ant

Pharaoh ants are one of the most difficult ant species to control and are a serious problem in multi-unit housing, hospitals, restaurants, and commercial buildings throughout Omaha and Lincoln. They are tiny, pale yellow or light brown ants, barely 1/16 of an inch long, and they form massive colonies with multiple queens that can number in the hundreds of thousands.

Unlike most ant species, Pharaoh ants spread when threatened. Spraying them with a repellent product causes the colony to split and scatter, multiplying the problem across the building. They are known to spread disease in healthcare settings and contaminate food in commercial kitchens.

Effective treatment requires a slow-acting bait program that worker ants carry back to the queens. This process takes time and must be managed carefully. Do not attempt to treat Pharaoh ants on your own. Call our team today for a professional assessment.

Pavement Ant

Bed Bugs

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Bed bugs are small, reddish-brown, flat insects about the size of an apple seed. They feed exclusively on blood, typically at night while people sleep, and they are expert hiders, making them one of the most challenging pest infestations to detect and eliminate in Omaha and Lincoln homes and hotels.

Bed bugs do not jump or fly. They travel by hitching rides on luggage, clothing, used furniture, and bedding. Signs of an infestation include small rust-colored stains on mattress seams, tiny shed skins, a sweet musty odor, and clusters of small red bites on the skin.

Treatment requires a thorough inspection of mattresses, box springs, bed frames, baseboards, furniture, and wall voids. Heat treatment and targeted chemical application are the most effective methods. A single missed harborage site can allow an infestation to rebound. Contact us immediately if you suspect bed bugs. Early action makes a significant difference.


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Mosquitoes

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Mosquitoes are one of the most common warm-weather pests in the Omaha and Lincoln area. They breed in standing water, including birdbaths, clogged gutters, low-lying areas in yards, and any container that holds water for more than a few days. Even a small amount of standing water is enough to produce hundreds of mosquitoes.

Beyond being a nuisance, mosquitoes in Nebraska can carry West Nile Virus and other pathogens. Peak activity is at dawn and dusk from late spring through early fall, and heavy vegetation, shade, and nearby water sources increase the population around your property significantly.
A seasonal mosquito program treats breeding areas and resting spots around your home or business to dramatically reduce mosquito activity throughout the summer. Call us today to schedule a mosquito service and take back your yard.


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Rodents

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Norway rats, the most common rat species in Omaha and Lincoln, are burrowing rodents that nest in the ground, under concrete, and near foundations. They are large, heavy-bodied rodents with blunt snouts and small ears, and they can cause serious damage by gnawing through electrical wiring, insulation, plumbing, and structural wood.

Rats are most active at night and are cautious of new objects in their environment, which makes trap placement and bait strategy critical to effective control. Signs of a rat problem include droppings near food storage areas, gnaw marks on walls or pipes, burrows along the foundation, and grease marks along walls where rats travel regularly.

Effective rat control requires locating entry points, eliminating food and harborage sources, and placing bait or traps in the right locations. Sealing entry points is essential to prevent re-infestation. Call our team today for a professional rat inspection.

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House mice are the most common rodent pest in Omaha and Lincoln homes. They are small, gray-brown rodents with pointed snouts, large ears, and long tails. A mouse can squeeze through a gap as small as a dime, which means even a well-maintained home can develop a mouse problem as temperatures drop in the fall.
Mice contaminate food, damage insulation and wiring, and can carry disease. A single pair of mice can produce dozens of offspring in a matter of months, so early intervention is important. Signs of a mouse infestation include small dark droppings, gnaw marks, nesting material behind appliances, and scratching sounds inside walls.

 


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Cockroaches

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German cockroaches are the most common and most problematic cockroach species found in Omaha and Lincoln homes, restaurants, and commercial kitchens. They are small, light brown roaches with two dark stripes running behind the head, and they reproduce at an extraordinary rate. A single female German cockroach and her offspring can produce tens of thousands of roaches in a year under the right conditions.

German cockroaches prefer warm, humid environments near food and water sources. They are most commonly found in kitchens and bathrooms, behind appliances, under sinks, inside cabinet hinges, and in the cracks and voids near plumbing. They contaminate food, trigger asthma and allergies, and carry pathogens on their bodies.
Over-the-counter sprays typically scatter the population without eliminating it. Professional treatment uses targeted gel baits and growth regulators to break the reproductive cycle. Contact our team today for a German cockroach treatment plan.

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Oriental cockroaches, sometimes called water bugs or black beetles, are large, shiny, dark brown to black roaches commonly found in basements, crawl spaces, floor drains, and damp areas of Omaha and Lincoln homes and commercial buildings.They prefer cool, moist environments and are less commonly found in kitchens than German cockroaches.
Oriental cockroaches are slow-moving and tend to stay on the ground level. They feed on decaying organic matter and are often found near garbage areas, under sinks, and around floor drains. They are considered one of the dirtiest cockroach species and are known to spread bacteria and disease.

Treatment addresses moisture issues alongside chemical application, as eliminating the damp conditions they prefer is critical to long-term control. Call us today if you are seeing Oriental cockroaches in your home or facility.

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Wood cockroaches are native to Nebraska and are a common accidental invader in homes throughout the Omaha and Lincoln area. They live primarily outdoors under bark, in wood piles, and in decaying wood, and they are most commonly brought inside on firewood or by wandering in through gaps around doors and windows.

Unlike German cockroaches, wood cockroaches cannot establish an indoor colony. Males are particularly attracted to light and are often found near outdoor light fixtures in the summer months. Finding a wood cockroach inside is typically an isolated occurrence rather than a sign of an indoor infestation.

Prevention focuses on reducing outdoor harborage near the home, storing firewood away from the structure, and sealing gaps around doors and windows. If you are seeing repeated cockroach activity, contact us to confirm the species and recommend the right course of action.

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Silverfish

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Silverfish are small, wingless insects with a silvery metallic appearance and a distinctive fish-like wriggling movement. They are fast, nocturnal, and rarely seen during the day, making them easy to overlook until an infestation has grown. In Omaha and Lincoln homes, silverfish are most commonly found in bathrooms, basements, attics, and any area with high humidity.

Silverfish feed on starchy materials including paper, book bindings, wallpaper glue, fabric, and dried food. They can damage books, documents, clothing, and wallpaper over time, and they can survive for months without food as long as moisture is present.

Treatment targets both the silverfish directly and the moisture conditions that allow them to thrive. Reducing humidity through ventilation and dehumidification is an important part of long-term control. Call us today if you are finding silverfish in your home.

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Stinging Insects

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Several species of bees are found in the Omaha and Lincoln area, including honey bees, bumble bees, and sweat bees. Most bees are beneficial pollinators and are not aggressive unless they feel threatened or their colony is disturbed. However, when a hive is established inside a wall void, soffit, or structure on your property, removal becomes necessary.

Honey bee swarms, which occur in spring when a colony splits, can appear suddenly on a tree branch, fence post, or structure. Swarms are typically temporary and will move on within a day or two, but established hives require professional removal to prevent wax, honey, and bee by-products from attracting other pests after the colony is gone.

We recommend contacting a local beekeeper for live honey bee removal when possible. For other bee species or structural infestations, call our team for a safe and effective treatment plan.

Cicada killers are large, solitary wasps found throughout Nebraska that are active in late summer. They are intimidating in appearance, measuring up to two inches long with yellow and black markings, but they are generally non-aggressive toward humans. Female cicada killers dig burrows in dry, loose soil to lay their eggs and provision them with paralyzed cicadas as a food source for their larvae.

While cicada killers are not dangerous, large numbers of burrows in a lawn, garden bed, or sandy area can be destructive to the landscape and unsettling for property owners. Males are territorial and may hover aggressively near their burrow areas, though they lack stingers and cannot sting.

Treatment is most effective when applied directly to burrow entrances in the early morning or evening when the wasps are least active. Call us if cicada killers are damaging your lawn or creating problems around your property.

Yellow jackets are aggressive wasps that are responsible for the majority of stinging insect incidents in Omaha and Lincoln. They nest in the ground, inside wall voids, under eaves, and in hollow trees. Unlike bees, yellow jackets can sting multiple times and will defend their nest aggressively when disturbed, making them a serious risk for anyone who encounters a nest accidentally.

Yellow jacket activity peaks in late summer and early fall when colonies reach their largest size and food competition increases. They are attracted to outdoor food, sugary drinks, and garbage, which makes patios, picnic areas, and trash containers common problem spots.

Ground nests are particularly dangerous because they can be disturbed unknowingly by lawn mowing or foot traffic. Do not attempt to treat a yellow jacket nest on your own. Call our team for safe, professional yellow jacket removal.

Termites

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Termites are the most destructive pest found in Nebraska homes, causing billions of dollars in structural damage across the country each year. The Eastern Subterranean Termite is the species most commonly found in Omaha and Lincoln. They live in underground colonies and build mud tubes to travel between the soil and the wood they feed on, making them difficult to detect until significant damage has already occurred.

Termites feed on cellulose in wood and can be active inside walls, floor joists, and structural framing for years without any visible signs on the surface. Indicators of a termite problem include mud tubes on foundation walls, hollow-sounding wood, bubbling or uneven paint, and discarded wings near windows and doors in the spring.

Termite treatment typically involves liquid soil treatments, bait systems, or a combination of both. Annual inspections are strongly recommended for all Omaha and Lincoln homeowners. Call our team today to schedule a termite inspection and protect your investment.


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Occasional Invaders

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Asian lady beetles are often mistaken for ladybugs, but they are a nuisance pest that can gather in very large numbers on the exterior and interior of homes throughout Omaha and Lincoln. They are attracted to warm, reflective surfaces, particularly on the south and west sides of homes, and they attempt to enter structures in the fall to find overwintering sites inside walls and attics.

When disturbed, Asian beetles release a yellow, foul-smelling fluid that can stain surfaces and trigger allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Once inside walls, they will emerge in the spring as temperatures warm, often appearing in large numbers near windows and light fixtures.

Treatment is most effective when applied to the exterior of the home in early fall before beetles enter, or in early spring as they exit their overwintering sites. An interior barrier treatment may also be needed when populations inside walls are significant. Call us today to schedule a treatment before Asian beetle season peaks.


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The box elder bug is a North American species found primarily on box elder, maple, and ash trees throughout the Omaha and Lincoln area. Adults are about half an inch long with a dark brown or black body relieved by distinctive red wing veins and markings on the abdomen. Nymphs are bright red and often found in clusters on tree bark and plant debris.

Box elder bugs are most commonly seen in the spring when they emerge from overwintering sites and in the fall when they gather on the warm, sunny sides of buildings before attempting to enter for the winter. Once inside walls, they are very difficult to eliminate until they emerge again in the spring.

Treatment is most effective on warm fall days when box elder bugs are congregating on the exterior of the home before they have entered the walls. An interior barrier treatment helps manage those that make it inside. Call our team today before box elder bug season begins.

Carpet beetles are small oval insects, about 1/8 of an inch long, and one of the most damaging fabric pests found in Omaha and Lincoln homes.

The black carpet beetle is uniformly dark and shiny, while other common species, including the varied carpet beetle and the furniture carpet beetle, are covered with patterned scales of white, brown, and yellow.
It is the larvae, not the adults, that cause damage.

Carpet beetle larvae feed on a wide range of natural materials including wool, silk, fur, feathers, leather, and stored food products. They are most commonly found in closets, attics, under furniture, along baseboards, and in areas where lint, pet hair, and dead insects accumulate.

Adults are often brought inside on cut flowers and then lay eggs in undisturbed areas of the home. Regular vacuuming of closets and storage areas reduces harborage significantly.

Crickets are a common late-summer and fall nuisance pest in the Omaha and Lincoln area. They belong to the same insect order as grasshoppers and are recognized by their enlarged hind legs adapted for jumping, their long antennae, and the distinctive chirping sound males produce by rubbing their wings together. Most crickets are nocturnal and are attracted to light, which draws them toward the exterior of homes and businesses at night.

Crickets feed on plants, fabrics, paper, and decaying organic material. Inside a home, they can damage clothing, curtains, and stored items made from natural fibers. Large populations around the exterior of a building are a common sign of a cricket season that warrants a perimeter treatment.

Treatment focuses on reducing harborage around the structure, eliminating entry points, and applying a perimeter barrier to prevent crickets from entering the building. Call us today if crickets are becoming a problem inside or around your property.

Flea infestations in Omaha and Lincoln typically begin in the summer when pets come into contact with infested animals outdoors. The cat flea is the most common species found on both cats and dogs in Nebraska, and it can also be carried by wildlife including raccoons, opossums, skunks, and foxes. Homes without pets can still develop flea problems if wildlife takes up residence in a crawl space or chimney.

Fleas are small, dark brown, and hard-bodied insects that do not fly but use powerful hind legs to jump rapidly from host to host. They feed on blood and can cause intense itching, skin irritation, and allergic reactions in both pets and people. Fleas also serve as the intermediate host for tapeworms in dogs and cats, which can occasionally affect humans.

Effective flea treatment requires treating both the pet and the home at the same time. Treating only the pet without addressing the carpet, furniture, and yard allows the infestation to persist. Call our team today for a complete flea treatment plan.

The Indian meal moth is one of the most commonly reported stored product pests in Omaha and Lincoln homes and commercial food facilities. It is a small but distinctive moth with a wing span of about three quarters of an inch. The outer two thirds of the forewings are reddish brown with a copper luster, while the inner portion near the body is whitish gray. This two-toned pattern makes it one of the easiest pantry pests to identify.

Larvae are the damaging stage and feed on grains, cereals, flour, dried fruit, nuts, spices, dry pet food, and a wide variety of packaged food products. Infested food often contains silk webbing spun by the larvae as they feed and move through the pantry. Adults are commonly seen flying around kitchens or resting on walls near the food source.

Treatment begins with a thorough inspection and disposal of all infested food products, followed by a targeted treatment of pantry shelves, cracks, and voids where larvae may be present. Call us today if you are finding moths or larvae in your pantry or food storage areas.

Springtails are tiny, wingless insects, typically 1/16 to 1/4 of an inch in length, that get their name from a forked, tail-like structure called a furcula tucked under the abdomen. When released, this structure acts like a spring and allows the insect to jump many times its own body length. Despite being very small, springtails can appear in enormous numbers in and around Omaha and Lincoln homes, particularly in wet seasons.

Springtails thrive in moist environments and are most commonly found in damp soil, mulch beds, leaf litter, and decaying organic material near foundations. They can enter homes through foundation cracks, window wells, and door thresholds, appearing in large numbers in basements, bathrooms, kitchens, and around houseplants. They do not bite or cause structural damage, but mass invasions are a significant nuisance.

The most effective long-term solution is reducing moisture around the structure: improving drainage, fixing leaks, reducing mulch depth near the foundation, and increasing ventilation in damp areas. A perimeter treatment provides additional control when populations are high. Call us today if springtails are invading your home.

Spiders

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Most spiders found in Omaha and Lincoln homes are nuisance spiders that pose little risk to humans. Common species include the house spider, cellar spider, and wolf spider. However, two venomous species, the Brown Recluse and the Black Widow, are found in Nebraska and can pose a health risk if encountered.
Spiders enter homes in the fall seeking warmth and prey.

They are commonly found in basements, crawl spaces, garages, window frames, and undisturbed storage areas. While spiders do help control other insect populations, large numbers inside a home typically indicate that other pest activity is providing them with a food source.

Treatment involves targeting both the spiders and the insects that attract them. Reducing clutter, sealing cracks and gaps, and treating the perimeter of the home are all effective parts of a spider control plan. Call us today if spiders are becoming a problem inside your home or on your property

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