Pest control questions for Snellville homeowners

The first question is whether the house sits on a slab or over a crawl space, because the two need different work. In a crawl space, a technician looks at standing water, soil contact, a torn vapor barrier and soft wood at sills and piers.

Palmetto bug is a local name, not a single species. It loosely covers smokybrown, American and Oriental cockroaches. The smokybrown is the most widespread cockroach pest in the Southeast and is tied to older neighborhoods with mature hardwoods, so read the palmetto bug guide for the details.

No. Eradication attempts in the late 1960s and early 1970s failed, and the realistic goal is managing their numbers. Fire ant stings can cause serious medical problems, so a mound near play areas is worth reporting, and the fire ant control page explains the options.

The Asian tiger mosquito breeds in small containers such as tires, plant saucers, pet bowls, birdbaths, clogged gutters and even tarps. Adults can emerge in about three days in Georgia summer heat, so the University of Georgia advises walking the yard twice a week and tipping out standing water. The Gwinnett mosquito guide covers the rest of the season.

Native subterranean termites usually begin swarming in February or March. They swarm during the day and are not drawn to lights, and the swarmers are black and about three-eighths of an inch long. Discarded wings on window sills are a common sign that a swarm has already happened.

The Official Georgia Wood Infestation Inspection Report, often called the termite letter, records evidence of wood-destroying organisms and conditions that could lead to them. Georgia treats it as the basis for transfer of real property, and only a company licensed in the wood-destroying organisms category can issue it. Any evidence found must appear on a diagram that matches the report.

Termite and vermin damage is usually excluded from a standard homeowner's policy. Your policy and your insurer decide what is covered. For an insurance complaint, the Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire is the route to use.

Most of the housing in the Gwinnett County school district geography was built between 1970 and 1999, and much of it sits on slabs. Older houses are more likely to sit over crawl spaces on brick or block piers. Those two foundation types bring different pests and different problems, so the inspection starts there.