These are the most common pests found in Minnetonka Minnesota

Ants

Mice

Wasps

Spiders

Boxelder/Stink Bugs

To protect your home from insects join our Insect Prevention Plan (IPP)

If you have any questions or concerns or would like to schedule an appointment

Call Us Today! 952-404-BOGO (2646)

Carpenter ants are commonly found inside homes in Minnetonka. These ants can be identified by being all-black or reddish-black. They also are unique in having right-angled antennas or elbowed antennas. There are 3 different kinds of carpenter ants. Female, male, and worker ants. Both female and male ants have wings while the workers do not. The male and female ants perform nuptial flight in late spring to mid-summer to mate with one another.

Length:

Worker: 0.35-0.5 inches

Male: 0.5-0.75 inches

Female: 0.75-1.0 inches

These ants can be identified by being reddish-brown or black. You can also look at their antennas. They have clubbed antennas made up of 12 segments. Another way to identify them is by looking at their backs. They have small spines connected to their thorax. Sometimes you may also see them with wings. These are called swarmers and are male and female ants. These ants are commonly found during May and July.

Length: 0.10-0.15 inches

Ant Identification Page

Mice of all species behave in similar ways. When it gets cold mice have the instinct to find a warm place to go. They do not hibernate and they also can breed all year. Mice can have between 2-10 litters in one year. Mice also make scent trails. When mice run around they are constantly dropping microscopic urine droplets that let other mice in the group locate entry points around a home. If enough mice use the same entry point the scent trail will create a rub mark.

No pest control company in Minnetonka has a mouse service like BOGO’s. We have knowledgeable technicians about how to seal up a house. All of our techs also use long-lasting mouse-proof materials. Our service starts with a technician coming to the house for an inspection. We walk around the home and look for entry points and limitations that limit us from accessing every part of the home. We then give a quote and warranty. A full 2-year warranty or a 2-visit 2-year warranty. When we come back we seal the house and make it completely mouse-proof.

Mouse Identification Page

Social insects like wasps all behave in similar ways. To successfully build a large colony all the wasps need to work together and stay committed to their jobs and duties. These jobs include workers, larvae, and the queen. The queen starts the nest by building the first few hexagonal cells to hold the first eggs. Once these wasps hatch and leave the nest they start foraging right away. Some of the wasps will forage for food like insects and human food to feed to the pupa, larvae, and queen. The workers themselves eat the sweet liquid that the larvae secrete. The other workers leave the nest to forage for the nest-building material. They chew on dried-out wood and mix what they chew off with their saliva to make the papery material that all their nests are made of.

Safety is our main concern when performing our wasp service for our Minnetonka customers. This also goes for the customer as well. We are transparent by telling our customers whether they have a wasp nest, they can treat themselves, or a nest that needs to be treated by a professional. Wasp nests that require a professional technician are nests that are underground or inside another structure. This also includes nests up high in trees or underneath soffits. These nests are easier to reach with our backpack sprayers. Products you can buy off the shelf don’t work for treating a nest you can’t see. When sprayed into an entry hole of a nest the spray will only affect the worker wasps that leave the nest and won’t kill the other wasps and Queen that are protected inside. Our treatment is designed not to kill the wasps right away. Instead, the treatment sticks to the wasps and allows them to spread it to to the entire wasp colony before dying.

Wasp & Bee Identification

Spiders play an important role in Minnetonka Minnesota’s ecosystems. They eat mosquitos, ticks, and other insects to help keep their populations in check. They still can be a nuisance when they are found inside. Spiders that make their way inside are drawn to areas with high moisture. High moisture draws other insects to come inside giving spiders more insects to eat. There are two different types of spiders. Hunting spiders and web-building spiders. Hunting spiders live under rocks, in cracks and crevices. At night they will leave their burrows to go hunt for insects. Some of the most common hunting spiders in Minnesota are; wolf spiders, jumping spiders, and fishing spiders. Some common web-building spiders in Minnesota are; the common house spider, harvestmen (daddy longlegs), and, garden spiders.

Our spider service focuses mostly on the outside of the home. By first taking down cobwebs and then spraying the exterior of the home. The majority of spiders move inside from living outdoors. By only spraying on the exterior of the home the spiders will die as they attempt to move inside or go outside to find food. When the treatment is applied it will stick to the outside of the home for 2 months. The spiders will still be able to pick up the product even when it dries on the home. As for kids and pets, the product will not puncture the skin after its dries.

Read Our Blog: “We Love Living Near Woods and Water and so do Spiders!”

Boxelder bug breeding season in Minnetonka goes from July to August. After breeding they lay their eggs on female boxelder trees. Their eggs are laid on the trunk, branches, or leaves of the tree. The trees also serve another purpose for these insects. They produce helicopter seeds. The helicopter seeds are the boxelder bug’s main source of food. Once the temperatures start to drop in the fall the boxelder bugs leave the trees. It’s common to see them clustering on the outside of homes and buildings specifically on south-facing walls. In the wintertime, they are no longer breeding or laying eggs.

Stink bug’s breeding season starts as soon as it gets warm in spring. They then lay their eggs on various plant leaves. Stink bugs live in crop fields during the spring and summer. They feed on crops such as; apples, tomatoes, sweet corn, and grapes. In the fall, the stink bugs leave the fields and fly to find places to overwinter. This includes residential homes and businesses. Most stink bugs stay dormant in the winter inside attics and chimneys. When the sun heats the roof, windows, and siding it can be common to see these bugs walking around inside.

When treating for boxelder and stink bugs in Minnetonka it’s important to be thorough. Both of these insects can swarm in large numbers and are capable of flying. We cover the entire exterior of the house with the product or as high as we can reach with our backpack sprayers. The most effective time to spray for these insects is in the early fall before the insects can be seen landing on the home. The spray sticks to the surface and stays effective for 2 months. When the insects start landing on the exterior of the home they have most likely already made their way inside.

Read Our Blog: “Minnesota Fall Pests”

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If you have any questions or concerns or would like to schedule an appointment 

Call Us Today! 952-404-BOGO (2646)