Pest Library

At AAI Pest Control, we offer a number of pest control services. We understand the California climate brings about plenty of pests, and our team is here to help. Take a look at the pests below and click the button to learn more about each. Need help removing pests from your home? Contact AAI Pest Control today!

Ants: Ants are problematic pests that exist in most homes throughout California. From tiny nuisance ants to wood-destroying carpenter ants and pharaoh ants, you’ve most likely experienced an infestation at some point in your life. Although most ants primarily live outdoors, traveling inside humanmade structures in search of food and water, ant infestations can quickly get out of hand inside your home. In the Central Valley and Bay area, Argentine, carpenter, pharaoh, and thief ants are among the most abundant.

Bed Bugs: Bed bugs are one of the most dreaded pests that you can encounter as a homeowner in California. They are incredibly resilient and are challenging to get rid of once they begin multiplying in your home. An infestation can start when you bring home secondhand furniture, stay in hotels, visit movie theaters, and go to other places where bed bugs already live.

Bird Mites: Bird mites, also called chicken mites, are incredibly tiny pests that primarily feed off of the skin of birds, most notably, chickens. Even if you don’t have a chicken coop on your property, bird mites can still get into your home. A lot of people experience bird mite infestations when they bring home new pet birds or gerbils from pet stores that are already infested with bird mites.

Boxelder Bugs: Boxelder bugs are pests that enter homes across California every fall. During the summer, they live outdoors, particularly being drawn to boxelder trees. However, when autumn rolls around and winter is close by, boxelder bugs search for shelter. Unfortunately, warmth and shelter can be found in the wall voids of your home. Once boxelder bugs enter your home, it’s nearly impossible to remove them, making professional pest control necessary.

Carpenter Bees: Carpenter bees are large bees that fly around California each spring. They bore nearly perfect circles through wood, leaving wooden siding, sheds, garages, playsets, and wooden patio furniture scattered with ugly holes. Even if you don’t spot carpenter bee nests, you may still see them flying around. You can identify carpenter bees by their large size and shiny abdomen.

Carpet Beetles: Carpet beetles are small pests that infest fabric within humanmade structures such as residential homes, vintage clothing shops, and other commercial structures. Adult carpet beetles aren’t much of a concern. It’s the larvae that eat through fabric and destroy wool. Once they gain access to your home, the search a place to lay eggs begin. After they find a food source for future larvae, they breed within the fibers.

Cockroaches: Cockroaches are usually synonymous with filthy restaurants and grocery stores, but did you know that cockroaches can just as easily infest residential homes? They are especially challenging to get rid of once they get into your house and choose to stay. The most common types of cockroaches in California include Oriental cockroaches, German cockroaches, and American cockroaches.

Crane Flies: Crane flies are common summer pests found in California. You’ve probably seen jumbo-sized mosquitoes with very long legs that clumsily fly around, sometimes even bumping right into you. But, these aren’t dangerous disease-spreading mosquitoes at all. Crane flies are harmless, non-biting pests that do not live in homes or infest and destroy humanmade structure.

Crickets: Crickets are noisy, large insects that hide out in dark areas around your home like garages, crawl spaces, sheds, under porches, and other spaces that you seldom visit. Although they aren’t inherently dangerous, crickets can truly drive you crazy with their incessant chirping. There are two types of crickets that are commonly found in California: camel crickets and house crickets.

Dust Mites: Dust mites as tiny arthropods that are nearly invisible to the naked eye. You’ve probably heard about dust mites and how they can trigger allergies in many people. You may have even experienced allergies caused by dust mites yourself! But what attracts dust mites to your home and how can you get rid of them? Dust mites feed off of dust containing dead human and animal skin particles that fall off in natural daily life as well as mold, fungus, and feathers.

Fleas: Fleas aren’t just problematic for cats and dogs. If their eggs fall off of pets, fleas can live and breed in your carpet. You may not even know that a flea infestation has gotten out of hand until you spot them on your pet. Flea infestations begin when an animal brings them into the home. Flea activity in your home can also be a sign of a rodent or wildlife issue. They are excellent jumpers, making it easy for them to travel from host to host.

Gophers: Gophers are nuisance rodents that ruin lawns and gardens, driving homeowners crazy when they live on their property. Although there are many species of gopher living in our area, Botta’s Pocket Gophers are the most common type of gopher in California. Unfortunately, Botta’s Pocket Gophers can quickly become a massive pest issue for homeowners that suffer from destructive tunneling and eating habits on their property.

Ground Squirrels: Ground squirrels are rodents that live underground in tunnels throughout California and much of the United States. Their unique, brown and gray spotted coat that is peppered with white flecks gives away the identity of a ground squirrel. Many homeowners find evidence of ground squirrels when they spot mounds around their lawn, or even see the actual squirrels running around their back yard.

Japanese Beetles: Japanese beetles have a unique array of colors with a shiny exterior. They’re around ½ inch long with copper and green hues as well as white fuzzy spots. You’ll probably find them gathered in your pool filter or perched on plants in your garden. Japanese beetle season in California is short, as they emerge in May or June, only lasting through the end of the summer.

Mice: Mice are common rodents that infest humanmade structures such as residential homes and commercial buildings. They have become well adapted to living beside humans as they find food, water, and shelter that we unknowingly provide. Mice are nocturnal, so you may not know that you have a rodent infestation until you find evidence of their activity.

Midges: There are two types of midges that you will encounter in California: biting and non-biting midges. If you’ve ever been swarmed by hundreds of mosquito-like pests that bite and cause excessive itching, you’ve probably encountered biting midges. On the other hand, many midges do not bite. Midge infestations can develop in and around buildings in well-watered soils and occasionally in standing water from air-conditioning units on building roofs.

Millipede: Millipedes are small crawling pests that live in the soil within gardens and high moisture areas. Although there are many species of millipede that live throughout California, the most common are the bulb millipede, the common millipede, and the greenhouse millipede. Millipedes thrive in moist soil, eating dead or decaying plant matter. Most millipedes live under rocks, within mulch beds, gardens, and flowerbeds.

Mosquitoes: Mosquitoes are well known for the bites that they cause when you’re trying to enjoy time outdoors with your family and friends. Every summer, mosquitoes descend on our area, causing us to run indoors when we want to spend time in our yards. Mosquitoes use stagnant water that’s around your property to breed their young. As a homeowner, it’s essential to prevent or at least limit as many encounters with mosquitoes as possible.

Mud Wasps: Mud wasps, also call “mud daubers”, are considered to be stinging insects even though they are fairly docile. Commonly found throughout California, mud wasps build nests on the side of homes and buildings every spring. Mud wasps are easily identifiable due to their long legs that hang below their dark blue or black and yellow bodies as they fly around.

Pantry & Grain Pests: Grain and pantry pests are bugs that live and thrive in dry food such as cereal, rice, nuts, beans, or boxes of pasta. A lot of homeowners and commercial property managers suffer from grain and pantry pest infestations. Grain and pantry pests commonly infest products within warehouses and food production facilities that send goods directly to grocery stores.

Pillbugs & Sow Bugs: Pillbugs (also called roly-polys) are tiny, dark gray pests that curl up into a ball when disturbed. Sow bugs are similar in size and color, but cannot curl into a ball. You’ve probably seen pillbugs and sow bugs under rocks, wood piles, or other places where darkness and damp soil can be found in your yard. Neither pillbugs nor sow bugs are harmful to pets or humans.

Rats: Rats are common rodents in California that many homeowners have to contend with each year. Contrary to other rodents in our area such as mice, rats are large and highly destructive. Not only do rats get into food, but they also can chew through wires, causing power outages and electrical problems. They are incredibly smart and difficult to get rid of once they choose to call your home theirs.

Silverfish: Silverfish are long, thin pests that crawl around garages, sheds, and bathrooms throughout California. These nocturnal creatures dart around with quick speed, sometimes even scaling walls. Silverfish are most frequently found in places that have high levels of humidity. They are able to thrive in homes because their diet can be met with items readily available in most houses. This includes paper, glue, cereal, clothing, insulation, and other tiny pests.

Snails & Slugs: Snails and slugs are common garden invaders that live in California and across the United States. If you have a vegetable garden or grow fruits around your home, you know how much effort it takes to maintain plants. Among the threats of common garden pests, snails and slugs are of top concern. The most common place that you’ll find snails and slugs is within moist soil and amongst brush including low-lying branches and ivy.

Spiders: Spiders are arachnids that crawl around garages, crawlspaces, sheds, and living spaces in your home. Webs may pop up in corners of rooms or up on ceilings without any warning. There are a variety of spiders that live in California, most of which can infest residential homes and are not dangerous. Most spiders in California are harmless to humans and are actually beneficial since they eat other small insects.

Termites: Termites are the most feared household pest that homeowners in California have to contend with every year. They are especially dangerous because dampwood termites, drywood termites, and subterranean termites feed on wood all day, every day. Damage can be severe when they attack the structural integrity of your home. While they aren’t harmful to humans or pets, termites can cause significant damage to your home’s structure when left undetected.

Ticks: Ticks are tiny parasitic pests that feed off of living hosts such as humans and animals. They are most well-known for transmitting a wealth of harmful diseases and illnesses including Lyme disease. By walking through tall grasses, brush, or lawns that aren’t regularly mowed, you can expose yourself and your pets to tick bites. You may think that ticks only live in the woods and far off in nature, but they can also live within your lawn.

Yellow Jackets: Yellow jackets are small flying pests that are native to the Central Valley and the Bay Area. They’re the smallest of the stinging pests in California, measuring less than an inch long as adults. They are aggressive and have the capability to sting multiple times when they feel threatened. Yellow jackets are small stinging insects that nest in the ground, as well as between wall voids and attics of homes and businesses.