Pest Control for Apartment Buildings

by Donna M. Walker

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Apartments can be challenging when it comes to controlling pests such as rodents, ants, roaches, and bed bugs. If you’re a manager or owner of an apartment complex, we don’t need to tell you just how annoying pests can be. Especially if there is a high turnover rate with new renters moving in from who-knows-where and bringing in roaches or bed bugs to the apartment community. Apartment living has its pluses, with all the amenities that are offered, but for some it can also be depressing. When grounds and trash areas are not kept up properly or tenants end up with an infestation of roaches because of an unclean neighbor, apartment living becomes a burden and good tenants can’t wait to get out as soon as their lease is up.

Roach Control for Apartment Complexes

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At Hearts Pest Management we have experience working with apartment managers to ensure their tenants live in a healthy environment by minimizing exposure to rodent activity and general pest issues.

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At Hearts, we practice Integrated Pest Management (IPM) treating when and where necessary, providing suggestions for pest prevention. Below is a case example of how a major infestation can happen. Case example: There was a tenant, living in a downstairs apartment, who started getting roaches in her kitchen; the roaches were so bad, no matter what she tried, that they nested in her under-the-cabinet coffee maker. Come to find out, the people upstairs had abandoned their apartment and left dishes of food on their kitchen table as if they left in the middle of a meal!

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A month had gone by and when the upstairs tenants didn’t pay their rent, the apartment manager went inside and found the dirty dishes – and the source of the roach infestation. As much as leasing agents and managers try to screen applications for good tenants, one never knows if they’re letting in hoarders; or people moving with already infested boxes and stuff from their prior residence.

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If you have tenants complaining of roaches, Hearts will inspect, free-of-charge, and provide you with an estimate for different treatment options that both you and your tenants are comfortable with.

Controlling Bed Bugs in Apartments

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Apartments with or without a high turnover rate can receive new tenant complaints of bed bugs left by prior tenants. Eggs of bed bugs stick to bed frames, behind pictures on the wall, curtains, suitcases, etc.

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Although one may not see an actual bed bug upon move-in, eggs can hatch within a couple weeks causing a new infestation.

Ants, Ants, Ants!

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Ant control for apartments can be challenging, especially during the heat of summer when ants start marching indoors with one single purpose in mind – to find water…and if they come across some food, that’s great for them too. …

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For apartments, typically we treat around the perimeter of the buildings and inside specific units if there is a need. Hearts has both traditional products to control ants as well as organic methods. Our Greenthumb program treats ants, spiders, earwigs, and water bugs (Oriental roaches).

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We can also tailor a maintenance program to include a combination of both traditional and organic products.

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Many customers opt for using traditional or low-impact products on the outside, and when the need for an indoor treatment arises, utilize organics on the inside.

Apartment Dumpster Maintenance

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Dumpsters in apartments, if not maintained properly, can be pretty disgusting. There are always a few tenants who could care less about throwing trash on the ground.

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This is an embarrassment for tenants who have visitors over; walking by a smelly dumpster, surrounded by all sorts of trash, near your unit is not a pleasant experience. In the above picture on the left, the trash on the ground wasn’t picked up by the garbage truck because the drivers are only responsible for picking up trash that is actually in the dumpster.

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It’s important to have maintenance clean the area up rather than let sit for days where the trash can attract all sorts of pests. Hearts can help by treating dumpsters with an organic product that works as a deodorizer and eliminates insect breeding and harborage areas for pests such as rodents.

Rat and Mice Control for Apartments

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Rodent control is also important to consider for apartment buildings and the areas around the dumpsters.

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Rats and mice can fit through tiny openings in the structure of a building and often chew their way to making the opening bigger so that they can fit through! Your Hearts service professional will inspect inside and out of the apartment building on a monthly basis, providing management with suggestions to keep rats and mice at bay. Treatment usually includes rodent baiting with strategically placed and secured rodent bait boxes around the property.

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If, however, you suspect there may be rats inside a unit, we will provide a free inspection and estimate should trapping and an exclusion (blocking off entry points) be deemed necessary to rid the unit of the rats.

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Our service professionals are here to help! Call today at 1-800-986-1006 for a free inspection or you may fill out the form below for more information on our services.

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