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House spider crossing a hardwood hallway floor at night in an older Santa Cruz home during fall spider season

Spider Sightings Spike Every September in Santa Cruz Homes

Direct Answer: Sightings spike because mature male spiders leave their webs in late summer to wander for mates. It is a behavior change, not a ...
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Dog bowl and kids' toys lifted onto a counter with a clear kitchen floor before a pest treatment

Kids, Dogs, and Treatment Day: The Questions Santa Cruz Homeowners Ask First

Direct Answer: Keep pets and kids out of the treated area until the technician says surfaces are dry, cover aquariums with pumps off, lift bowls ...
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Tiny ants trailing up a wet house foundation beside soaked bark mulch after the first fall rain

Ants Indoors After the First Fall Rain: Flooded Nests, Not Dirty Kitchens

Direct Answer: The first fall rain floods the shallow outdoor nests Argentine ants live in, so the colony moves toward warm, dry ground. That is ...
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Hand lifting bark mulch near a stucco foundation revealing ants in mulch after landscaping along a drip line

New Mulch, New Ant Trails: What Landscaping Changes in a Santa Cruz Yard

Direct Answer: Fresh mulch over irrigated soil creates damp, sheltered nesting space that Argentine ants love. When that bed touches your foundation, the colony is ...
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Open crawl space hatch under a townhouse showing floor joists, sagging insulation, and a torn foundation vent screen

Rodents in a Condo or Townhouse: Why the Unit Next Door Matters

Direct Answer: In an attached building, rodents travel through shared framing, party walls, and common attics. The scratching you hear rarely marks where they live, ...
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Rusted foundation vent screen with fresh soil pushed out at the base of a raised foundation house

Rats Under the House but Not Inside Yet: Reading the Crawl Space Signs

Direct Answer: Rats in a crawl space usually get there through a rusted foundation vent or a burrow along the stem wall. Signs outside include ...
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