Insects and Spiders

• Ants
  Organized labor that never goes on strike. Pavement ants are a small species of ants that nest in dirt areas often under large slabs of concrete. Workers of this species range in size from 2-4 millimeters longs, which is about the size of Lincoln’s memorial on a US nickel. These ants feed largely on sugar or sugary foods like syrup and fruit. A telltale sign of pavement ants, other than seeing the actual ants, is the tiny small grained mounds created from the excavated dirt of their colonies.
• Spiders
  Yep...you’re scared of them and you’re not alone. Although spiders are helpful in the way that they munch on other small pests, 81% of men, 80% of women and 99.9% of children have a fear of them. I’m guessing you don’t like them either, as your heart is racing and you’re reading this! These eight-leg arachnids can be found throughout the entire world; except for Antarctica. Unless you are ready to pack your things and move to a much colder climate, be prepared to encounter a variety of these guys in our region. Did you know that they typically have four (or three) sets of eyes and are near-sighted? Be careful, if you throw a shoe at one of the bigger ones, they’ll throw it back at you! Just kidding but we are sure you have encountered spiders large enough that make you wonder if you need to bring in the big guns... us!
• Termites
  But lucky for you there has never been a better time to have termites. New treatments, new techniques and new tools are now available to ensure virtually 100% success on the elimination and protection of your property from these destructive pests. And better yet, Budget Pest Control, Inc. has them all!!
• Bed Bugs
  Yes! Those things are real! They are creepy little blood-sucking hitchhikers hiding like phantom vampires, making it uneasy for you to be in your home, let alone your bed. We have all heard the saying “Night, night... don’t let the Bed Bugs bite”. You’re probably wondering “How can I get rid of these on my own?” The unfortunate answer to that question is, try as you might, you can’t. These pesky little insects have steadily climbed their way back into the limelight in recent years, whether it is on the news, on hotel room wall flyers or as a page on certain websites.
• Fleas
  House turning into a Flea Circus? Fleas are tiny bloodsuckers with a knack for taking over your house whether you like it or not. With a frenzied appetite similar to a piranha’s, these insects are known to employ hoard tactics to drain your pets and your family of their precious plasma. You may find that you’ve come into your home after a brisk jog with your dog, only to find that shortly after; you’ve got what looks like dark crumbs jumping around your home like Michael Jordan with superpowers.
• Cockroaches
  A Real Filthy Creature. Big, fast, gross and scary would be the best words to describe this insect. The Oriental roach, called “waterbugs” here in Pittsburgh, is also reclusive. These guys like to hang out in damp & cold areas. In addition to these cold areas, we’re happy to let you know that this variety of roach is a fan of traveling through sewage pipes, where it comfortably feeds on its favorite food, organic waste.
• Silverfish
  Silver, but not actually fish. They love dark, damp places, carbs, proteins and books, which sounds more like a rough guide for an oddball teenager. While somewhat menacing looking, they can be a real pain (although they are known to ruin unsealed cereal and pet food products). Of the nuisance pests we deal with, the silverfish may be one of the most elusive, darting around like a flash in the night with its sleek, almost prehistoric exterior.
• Bees
  Well, I don’t want that. Let’s get rid of them! That’s a great idea! Because no wood is safe from carpenter bees, contacting Budget Pest control Inc. for Carpenter Bee Service is a smart first step. Our fully trained, experienced technicians along with our state on the art trucks, equipment and materials will eradicate these flying drillmasters for good, allowing you and your home to get your life back to normal... bee free!
• Wasps
  Why do I have them? Wasps, like many creatures, don’t really enjoy spending winter in the cold and they really don’t like when anyone barges into their territory unannounced. So, with envious work ethic, they toil away every spring through summer to build a complicated nest structure to protect their precious queen. The unfortunate part of it all is that paper wasps will build a nest in pretty much any secluded area; grills, wall voids, cinder blocks, your attic, even the old hollows of trees. If you’ve got space, they want to fill it.
• Ticks
  When it comes to tick control and your family/pet’s health, the clock is tick-ing... As you’re traversing down the road less traveled with your four-four legged friend, letting them wander off the beaten path may cause them to pick up a few unwanted friends; and in the fashion of pests being pests, that one friend comes home with you, invites his friends and suddenly you have a really crappy house party that could actually endanger your health as well as your pets’ health. Nothing is more worrying to a pet owner than to find a blood engorged tick when giving a knowing pat on the head.
• Crickets
  Crickets can be distinguished from their grasshopper relatives by the way they use their wings. The cricket has its wings folded around its body while the grasshopper carries it folded on top of itself. Crickets, camel crickets and field crickets are the three most common intruder crickets. Crickets eat plants as well as insects and each other. They can damage paper or fabric if there are too many of them. Food-stained or sweat-stained clothing is a common target. Fighting crickets includes properly cared for shrubs and lawns, removing port stains in homes, minimizing electricity and using outside lighting, closing openings in homes, keeping doors airtight, and protecting all windows.
• Earwigs
  How do I get rid of them? Call Budget Pest Control. We have family and pet-friendly solutions which will knock down the earwig population outside and eliminate the intruders inside. The Earwig Control is a long lasting weather proof treatment on your exterior foundation and onto all probable nesting and breeding sites. Our experienced, knowledgeable technicians know these insect habits like no other! Additional no odor Earwig Control treatments on the inside take care of uninvited guest already in and complete the warranted service.
• Mosquitoes
  Mosquitoes are one of the most annoying summer pests. There are more than 3,000 species of mosquitoes worldwide, at least 170 of which are found in North America. Of the thousands of species of these mosquitoes, only a few are known to feed on human blood, including the genus Culex. This genus of mosquitoes (sometimes called house mosquitoes) includes several species that can transmit diseases such as West Nile virus and Japanese encephalitis.
• Flies
  In your house? We have all had them. This is a familiar situation we’ve all faced at one time or another. It’s late summer and you’ve purchased a bunch of fruits and veggies. A week goes by, and due to your day to day, they’re still sitting in a bowl, looking like a melted still life. Slowly and surely your home is becoming filled with these tiny little insects buzzing near windows, the fruit and your trash can. My friend, you’ve got vinegar flies, more commonly known as fruit flies and because these little pests can reproduce in your home, you got a problem.
• Centipedes
  “Chilopodophobia” is the fear of Centipedes. The house centipede is terrifying, there’s no shame in saying it. There have been nights where you’ve come home, flicked on a light and nearly run back outside when you see a giant insect resembling a moustache just chilling on your wall. Whether the fear is based on their grotesque appearance, their incredibly quick movements or their sheer size (2 1/2 – 4” in length on average), they’re not on the top of anyone’s list when asked “What would I most love to find late at night in my house?”
• Millipedes
  What the heck are they doing in here!? Millipedes are worm-like arthropods that are common in Pennsylvania. Millipedes are segmented and can be distinguished by the fact that they have two legs per body segment. Millipedes are also dark brown in color and curl up into a “C” shape upon death. Millipedes generally call cool dark places outside their home, but sometimes they become restless and migrate inside and become pests. These home invasions usually come as cooler weather approaches or come after a heavy rainstorm.
• Beetles
  More common than you think! Powderpost beetles are small brown colored beetles that are a pest because of their tendency to bore into wood and can cause damage to wooden household items. The beetle is characterized by several small holes in a wooden surface with fine sawdust like powder around or underneath these holes. Powderpost beetles are more prone to infest dry hardwoods. They seem to have a particular affinity towards Oak.
• Scorpions
  Scorpio has eight legs, a pair of pincers, a funnel, and a tail with a stinger. Scorpion stings are somewhat non-venomous and in most cases no more venomous than wasp stings, although some species are more venomous than others. Scorpio stings when crushed or disturbed. Outside you can find scorpions under rocks, tree trunks and loose bark. Scorpios are most active at night. They are attracted to wetlands. Control methods include removing unnecessary stones, logs, debris, or debris. Also, make sure the house is tightly closed.
• Hornets
  Call Budget Pest Control 24/7 After a chat with one of our friendly, informative office personnel, you will have an estimate for Bald Faced Hornet Control and, if you wish, one of our field technicians sent out in a jiffy...seven days a week!
• Yellowjackets
  Why do I have them? Like many of the other types of insects we deal with, yellow jackets adapt well in our cold, harsh Pennsylvania winters. They tuck themselves away in voids, in both structures and the ground, until late spring & early summer, emerging to begin their nest-building activities once again. The German yellowjacket has been known to reuse previously built nests. The Eastern yellowjacket, much to the chagrin of landscapers, is infamous for being a ground-nesting insect, meaning that they love to ravage an unsuspecting lawnmower operator for disturbing their nest.
• Moths
  Where are all these tiny moths coming from?! You may be noticing the moths, you may be noticing the larvae, and you may be noticing holes in certain clothing items. What is going on here? Adult clothing moths are 7-8 mm and are a golden buff color. The larvae can often be found feeding under collars, cuffs, and hidden parts of clothing. The clothing moth feeds on animal by-products such as furs, wool carpets/clothing, tapestries, feathers, etc.., YUMMY animal-by-products!
• Stink Bugs
  Yes, there is a treatment for them!!! The stinkbug, or specifically the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is a species that is not native to the United States. It was introduced in Eastern Pennsylvania in the 1990’s and has spread to several states that have similar climates to their native China, Korea and Japan. Stinkbugs are characterized by their distinctive “shield” shape that is shades of brown. Adult stinkbugs can reach up to an inch in size. Stinkbugs are active in homes all year but most common in the in the late summer through the early winter when the adult bugs are drawn towards warm structures as overwintering sites.
• Pantry Pests
  It’s not just your family that gets excited when you bring home groceries! They take pleasure in laying eggs deep in containers of cereals, grain or meal products, and sometime in the past you have unknowingly carried these ticking moth bombs into your pantry with your family and/or pet food. A moth here and there at first, but over time, the population reaches the point where you know something’s wrong. The Indian meal moth is a common pantry pest characterized by distinctive reddish-brown markings on the outside part of their wings. Adult Indian meal moths are active at night and much like other moths are attracted to light. The larvae of the Indian Meal Moth hatch out of eggs that have been deposited into grains that are infested. The larvae can grow up to a half an inch long and usually yellow, green or pinkish. When fully grown larvae leave a trail of webbing that is a sure sign of an Indian Meal Moth infestation.  This larvae stage is the most destructive feeding upon grain that the eggs were deposited in.
• Stinging Insects
  What can I do to help the situation? Although it is common sense, we strongly recommend letting professionals handle any sort of stinging insect situation. The most proactive step you can take to solve or prevent issues with stinging insects is exclusion. During the cooler months of the year, inspect areas of both the interior and exterior of your home for gaps large enough for these insects to penetrate and close them in the proper way, whether by caulking, meshing or even simply removing a possible nesting area.
• Mites
  The mighty mite. No creature as small has ever caused such large problems as mites have. Both checking in at a just around a millimeter in size, the mite is commonly referred to as a “no-see-um” bug due to being so miniscule. Two of the more common varieties in our neck of the woods are: the clover mite and bird mite. The clover mite is the less harmful of the two and is usually noticed due to their brilliant red color near windowsills or trees. The other species, the bird mite, is the misfit of the group, often causing major skin irritation or rashes with their bites. They’re referred to as bird mites because, go figure, they are most commonly found in bird’s nests or near areas where birds roost. We’ll break down the next sections for both types.
• Springtails
• Aphids
  Carpenter ants are actually one of the insect world’s bodyguards. They survive on a sticky sweet liquid that aphids produce, and to do so, they will actually protect established aphid feeding/living spaces to ensure they get their sweet, sweet bug juice.
• Gnats
  The sewer gnat is not a moth or a gnat, but rather it is a species of fly.The family which sewer gnats come from, Psychodidae, include some of the most medically infamous insects on the planet. The most important being the Phlebotiminae, or sand fly, which carries diseases to a wide spread of the population, killing nearly 50,000 people each year.
• Firebrats
  The fiery scent, also known as the feather tail, has a teardrop-shaped body and is often referred to as a tail feather because of the three long feathers that form the appendages at the end of its body. The fiery furrow is wingless, has a flattened body and is mostly covered with scales. They are grayish in color, and some have many black spots. The antennae are long and threaded. Favorable conditions for an outbreak are 90 to 106 degrees Fahrenheit; Places with high humidity and temperature are potential shelters and include places such as boiler rooms, ceilings, near stoves, stoves, fireplaces, and boilers. The life of the tray/flame is about 1 to 2 years. Infected material shows yellow spots, scales, dirt and traces of food such as holes and crevices. They are fast runners, prefer the dark, hide during the day and can be found in crevices. They eat carbohydrates and proteins such as wheat, dried beef, silk, hemp, cotton and silk carpets.
• Pill Bugs
  The woodlice in the Rocky Mountains takes its name from its primary distribution in the states of the Rocky Mountains, including Colorado, Idaho and Montana. This type of tick has a preferred habitat in forested areas such as meadows, lawns and forests. Rocky Mountain woodlice can transmit Rocky Mountain spot fever, neck lice, tularemia, and cause tick paralysis.
• Boxelder Bugs
  Where the heck are these things coming from!? Do you have maple, ash or boxelder trees on your property? How about your neighbors? The boxelder bug, while less common than some pests in our area, will occasionally invade homes in great numbers and generally freak folks out because it looks unlike many of our normal pests (it also looks imposing due to its size). The feature that sticks out when you’re dealing with boxelder bugs is that they’re decorated like Halloween shields, sporting a mix orange and black colors over their flat, oblong wings.

Animal Control

• Bats
  Bats are nocturnal, flying animals known to inhabit dark and secluded places. Since the discovery of the first bat fossils 53 million years ago, scientists have identified more than 980 species of bats worldwide, 40 of which live in the United States. Bats can live up to 30 years, depending on the species. Below you can read more facts about bats, including how to identify and get rid of bats.
• Moles
  Why do I have them? A mole’s biggest reason to have wrecked your yard is to feed. As earthworms and grubs are staple food sources for the creature, moles will gravitate to yards that are perfect breeding grounds for these invertebrates and moles often will find a lawn that is well maintained and rich in moisture to be premium pickings for a nice meal.
• Raccoons
  Raccoons, also known as “kuni”, are mammals that are rare during the day due to their nocturnal habits. Raccoons are found in the United States, but are more common in the forested eastern part of the country than the drier western plains. Read on if you want more facts about raccoons.
• Snakes
  Whether you’ve got garter snakes or copperheads, we have the answer for you if your yard has suddenly become plagued by snakes. Our technicians can apply a snake repellent that is incredibly effective for yards and structures. Contact us today to discuss the issue with our friendly and knowledgeable office staff.
• Wildlife
• Opossums
  Opossums are the only marsupials in North America. They live in many parts of the United States except in the Rocky Mountains, the western plains, and parts of the north. Possums usually live alone and are only active at night. Although related to kangaroos, possums are much slower and emit a foul odor when threatened. These wild animals can survive in a variety of conditions and locations thanks to their flexible diet and reproductive habits. If you are facing an infection, possum removal should be done by a professional.
• Coyotes
  American Dog Tick: The American Dog tick is the most encountered tick in Pennsylvania. It may be identified by white marks on its back as well as having the ability to engorge itself to the size of a grape. The American Dog Tick as its name suggests is frequently found on domestic dog species. However, it can also feed on other large animals such as cattle, coyotes, deer and most importantly humans.
• Porcupines
  FACT: Voles have a unique diet, eating barks, plants, nuts, seeds, fruits and if desperate, dead animals. They exhibit a behavior known as girdling, or creating rings of missing bark on a tree, an activity commonly seen in species of porcupines and the like.

Bird Control

• Birds
• Woodpeckers
  American Dog TicksThe woodpecker is a species of bird that gets its common name from its habit of regularly biting wood for food, protection, and companionship. Woodpeckers are considered a nuisance or harmful pest when they attack wooden structures. However, woodpeckers are protected nationally, so the prevention or control/administration of woodpeckers is subject to federal law. Please keep this in mind when considering how to get rid of woodpeckers. There are 22 species of woodpeckers in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
• Sparrows
  This cake is known as a “skirt roll” because it rolls into a solid ball when disturbed. Sparrows are not considered insects, but arthropods. They are concave on the top, but flat on the bottom with 7 pairs of legs. Eggs are laid and hatched in pouches, which are located at the bottom of the bud. Chickens are restricted to areas of high humidity because they lack a breath lock and a waxy outer layer on the exoskeleton to prevent water loss. Cakes remain dormant and hidden during the day and can be found around building bases, around trash cans, planks, rocks, and other quiet areas. They feed on decaying organic matter such as plants and sometimes animals.
• Starlings
  The European starling was introduced from Europe to New York in the late 19th century to transport the animals mentioned in Shakespeare’s works to America. The population of this bird has increased rapidly and is a nuisance pest in both urban and rural areas, making starling control and management a must. European starlings gather in large flocks. Noise and droppings from starlings are unacceptable and can cause economic losses to grain and feed. The European starling is found in southern Alaska, southern Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. Read on to find out how to get rid of starlings.
• Pigeons
  Pigeons prefer grain for food, and humans usually feed pigeons unknowingly by spilling food or opening it in an open trash can. Pigeons spend the night above ground and like to nest in pillars and in cavities outside buildings and other protected areas. Pigeons depend on humans to provide food, shelter, and nesting sites. They are commonly found in agricultural areas, as well as in barns, feed mills, and barns. They are also common in cities near parks, buildings, bridges, and other structures. Pigeons are dirty birds that cause disease and damage. Their droppings are known to cause humans to slip and fall, and accelerate the aging of structures and statues. This makes it important to get rid of pigeons in high traffic areas. Seriously, pigeons can transmit diseases such as cryptococcosis, toxoplasmosis, salmonella, food poisoning, and others. In addition, their feces can inhibit the growth of the fungus that causes histoplasmosis. Other pests that can live on this bird include lice, lice, mites, ticks, and other pests. Pests can also attack nests as pests of stored products. If you find pigeons staying overnight on your property, contact a professional immediately to discuss appropriate pigeon control courses.

Rodent Control

• Rodents
  Great experience. Barry was knowledgeable and patient. Having rodents is not a pleasant experience and he was patient with all my questions. Even the ones I asked more than once! Hopefully the treatment will work. But Barry provided me with a schedule on when to check, when to clean up and when to get back to the service if we feel they are still present and we need follow up. I would definitely recommend Budget Pest Control especially if they send Barry!!
• Mice
  Contact Us Today to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff members who will discuss your particular infestation, go over Mice Control treatment options as well as provide you with a quote in a jiffy and offer speedy service to your property seven days a week!
• Rats
  So how do I know if I have Rats? There are a number of different signs that tip you off to this home invader such as; droppings, foot prints, gnawing/chewing damage, burrow holes/tunnels, sounds, odors and the obvious sighting. They are very common in urban areas and often build large populations in cities near water, often in sewers.
• Squirrels
  Tree squirrels get their common name from those found in wooded and urban areas with trees. They nest, avoid predators, and gather food in trees. “Tree squirrel” is a broad term for several species, including foxes, gray squirrels, flying squirrels, and red squirrels. Read on to learn more about squirrel facts.
• Voles
  Does your yard have mysterious holes? It might be voles! Despite its name sounding like a relative of the mole, voles are actually more closely related to hamsters or lemmings, and are less common in our area than some other pests, but are still active at properties that may contain just what they’re looking for.
• Chipmunks
  When you just want them to go away! These animal repellent services can be provided for those customers who wish no harm. Are chipmunks digging holes in your mulch beds? Are raccoons knocking over your trash cans and making a mess? Or are you just sick of that squirrel scampering through the yard on its way to raiding your birdfeeder. We can apply repellent to keep away such nuisances as