Pest Control in South Natomas, CA

Do ground squirrels come with living near the river levees?

UC IPM calls ground-squirrel burrowing the biggest threat to California levees, and the species also colonizes residential areas that have open grassy ground. South Natomas has both: levee slopes along the rivers, and park lawns at Discovery Park, Camp Pollock and Sandy Cove Park. Burrows run 5 to 30 feet long, 2.5 to 4 feet below the surface, and 4 to 6 inches wide, so a hole at the edge of a lawn can lead well under a fence or patio.

A fresh mound of soil, or round openings with no web of runways, points to ground squirrels. Runways between openings usually mean voles instead. Both are covered under ground squirrel and vole control, and the technician explains the method and price before work starts. Do not pour anything down a burrow yourself, because it rarely reaches the whole tunnel system.

Why do roof rats show up in older South Natomas yards?

UC IPM lists residential areas with mature landscaping and riverbank vegetation as good roof rat habitat. Fifty- to seventy-year-old subdivisions with grown-out shrubs, ivy, fruit trees and fence-line vines match that description, and the rivers sit close by. Roof rats nest above ground, so a thick hedge touching a roof edge works like a ladder into the attic.

Watch for gnaw marks at the eaves, droppings along the attic floor, and scratching in wall voids at night. The usual entry is any opening bigger than a nickel. Trimming branches back from the roof and fixing leaking sprinkler heads, faucets and pet bowls removes both the route and the water. Our page on roof rat and attic exclusion lays out what sealing involves, and the guide to roof rats in Sacramento attics covers the mechanism in detail.

What happens to ants and yellowjackets in a rainless South Natomas summer?

From June through September Sacramento gets little or no rain, with July highs averaging around 92 F. UC IPM notes that Argentine ants often come inside during hot, dry weather to find water at bathroom faucets, drains and kitchen sinks. Their nests sit in moist soil, which irrigated lawns and planter beds provide all summer. Liquid borate bait stations placed on each side of the house, at least 5 feet from a nest, are the UC IPM approach, and our ant control page explains how a visit follows it.

Late summer brings yellowjackets. Their colonies are largest and food is scarcest in the fall, so workers scavenge at picnics, trash cans, pet food and ripe fruit. Riverside park days and backyard barbecues are where people get stung. If you find a nest in a wall void or the ground, stay back and read about yellowjacket and wasp removal before disturbing it.

Do subterranean termites swarm in South Natomas after the first rain?

UC IPM says western subterranean termites often swarm on calm, sunny days right after the first autumn rains in parts of the Sacramento Valley, and that colonies need contact with soil moisture at all times. Wood fence posts, planter boxes against stucco and trim near irrigation spray are the usual contact points. Winged insects on a windowsill after a November storm are worth saving in a sealed bag for the technician. See termite control for the inspection steps.

How does the pest year run in South Natomas?

January to March is the wet season, with saturated clay soil and rain concentrated between November and March. Ground squirrels and voles are working the open ground near the levees then, and roof rats stay in attics and wall voids where it is dry. April and May bring queen yellowjackets starting new nests and active squirrels on open grass.

June through August is the rainless stretch, when ants head indoors for water and drywood termites begin swarming in August. September and October feel the driest and hottest, with yellowjackets at their most irritable, before the first autumn rain sets off subterranean termite swarms in many years. The Sacramento pest calendar walks through the same months.