Although bugs are a necessary part of nature, they aren’t always fun to live alongside. At Pestway, we have a combined twenty years of service in the pest needs of residential and commercial customers in the Metro Detroit area. Our team of professionals will customize a pest program that will fit your needs specifically.

We don’t just offer a one-size-fits-all plan to keep your property pest-free, we evaluate your individual needs and target whatever pest problem you might be having. We then devise a plan to keep your home free from any further infestations that you might be susceptible to by incorporating our regularly scheduled maintenance.

Our motto is “If you got bugs… you’ve come to the right place”!

Please contact our office today so that we can help you take back your home and property from unwanted pests.

Most common insects we see and treat in the Michigan area:

Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are common across North America. They commonly find refuge in structures to build nests. The destructive nature of their habits of foraging and nesting, along with their activity and size, make them a nuisance for residential and commercial properties alike. Although they typically nest in wood, they do not eat it. Their diet consists of only liquids and things that can break down into a liquid form.

A carpenter ant can be anywhere from one-quarter of an inch to nearly half an inch, with a queen ant being nearly a full inch. They have a smooth appearance behind the head and their abdomen has tiny gray and yellow hairs covering it. But to the naked eye, they appear almost entirely black. They pose a structural problem because just one colony can have several thousand ants housed, and an infestation can pose a real danger to the integrity of a wood structure.

Pavement Ants

Pavement ants can be found throughout the Midwest and Michigan area. They need soil and sand to form their nests. If they make their way into a home, you can usually find them around the basement slab. A pavement ant stands about an eighth of an inch long and has a matte red head.

The abdomen of the pavement ant is much darker than the legs. Pavement ants can usually be found under rocks, door stoops, patios, and at the ends of pavement strips. They feed on seeds and other insects. And when colonies are found, their telltale sign is drops of waste on your basement foundation.

Their waste consists of seed coats, sand, sawdust from your home’s construction, and dead insect prey.

Yellow Jackets

Some yellow jackets can be found hanging in shrubs and trees, underground, and nesting in walls. The yellow jacket is a highly aggressive, stinging insect that is common in Michigan. It is also the pest that we get the most calls about. The yellow jacket is named so because it is yellow and black with bands that cover its belly. They make their nests from saliva and wood, which makes them very delicate with a paper appearance. You most commonly see their nests in the walls of buildings and homes or the ground.

Bald-Faced Hornets

The bald-faced hornet can be distinguished from a yellow jacket because it is much larger and is black and white. They attach their nests either high in the tree or low shrubs. A single colony can have as many as four to seven hundred hornets at any one time. Although they typically are not a problem to humans, their nests can be a hazard if they fall from trees and are exposed. When hornets come in contact with humans, they can be highly aggressive.

Paper Wasps

Paper wasps have a similar appearance to yellow jackets. But, unlike the yellow jacket, paper wasps are more slender and longer in appearance. They also differ from the bald-faced hornet. Both bald-faced hornets and yellow jackets make their nests with single exit and entry points. Paper wasp nests are typically found under the decks, eaves, and found around door and window corners.

Carpenter Bees

The carpenter bee only has a lifespan of about one year. They are large insects, which measure about one inch in length. They have yellow bodies and black bellies. Carpenter bees can bore as large as a one-half-inch opening into the wood and then they seek to make long tunnels, which house their pollen to feed their eggs. Carpenter bees prefer wood that hasn’t been painted and deck timbers that also have not been treated. A male carpenter bee does not have a stinger, and therefore, can not sting, and females rarely use their stingers unless threatened.

Mosquitos

Mosquitos have been a problem in Michigan for as far back as recorded history. They are insects that not only carry disease; they can infect humans when they sting. Some of the diseases that mosquitoes carry are West Nile, Heartworm, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and recently, the Zika Virus. So not only are they a nuisance to you and your family, they can pose a real health risk.

Spiders

Michigan has over five hundred different types of spider species. Spiders are necessary and play a vital role as natural regulators in insect populations. When they are found in homes and offices, they are considered very bothersome. Although most spiders can cause very little harm to your health, they do invoke fear and a bite can be very irritating, even if it is very rarely poisonous enough to do any real damage.

Millipedes and Centipedes

Centipedes are insects that have many segments with legs attached to each. The ones that live indoors are called house centipedes. And an adult centipede can be as much as one inch in length. A house centipede preys on other tiny spiders and insects, so they do provide some natural pest control. But they tend to frighten people and are not pleasant to find lurking in your home.

Pillbugs

Pillbugs are the ones that look like rollie pollie figures. They are small land crustaceans that are usually protected in their natural habitat by objects in the ground. They feed on the decay of fungi and vegetables.

Earwigs

Earwigs are flat bugs that appear to have “pinchers” on their tail end. They feed and prey on other insects and often are found in decaying plants and trash. But they also like to eat plant tissue. The one thing that must be present for earwigs to exist is moisture, which is why they are usually found in damp basements or bathrooms.

Boxelder Bugs

The box elder bug is red and black and usually stands about a half-inch in length. They can typically be found hiding under the siding of your home or office or at the door and window casings. That is where they usually make their way indoors. Boxelder bugs also find refuse in outdoor holed out trees and sheds, houses, and barns. And they tend to make their way in when the air outside gets cold.

Interior Pest Control

At Pestway, our mission is to first evaluate your individual needs. Since every home and property is different, the modalities that we have to employ to keep them pest-free will differ. All of our interior treatments are followed by exterior ones to make sure your home has a barrier to bugs. All Pestway technicians are state certified and have been through rigorous federal and state background checks. They will perform a basic inspection with every interior treatment to ensure you, the homeowner, are getting the best service possible to keep Michigan’s creepy crawlers where they belong – in the great outdoors.

Perimeter Pest Control

Pestway’s in-depth perimeter pest treatment is designed to help prevent insects from making their way indoors. We use treatments that are specifically targeted according to the time of year. Our treatments are done regularly in early spring, throughout summer, and into late fall. A state-certified technician will treat the area around the exterior of your home, which are typically gateways for insects to gain entrance.