Most Common Pests In Southern Utah

If you've recently moved to St. George or anywhere else in Washington County, the local pest lineup can come as a surprise. The warm Mojave Desert climate, irrigated yards, and rocky landscaping support a set of pests that's quite different from cooler parts of the state. Knowing the usual suspects helps you recognize a problem early and understand why it's worth dealing with quickly. Here are five of the most common, and least welcome, pests around southern Utah homes.

5 Most Common Pests:

• Scorpions Few things are more unsettling than finding a scorpion on the bathroom floor. The one to know here is the Arizona bark scorpion, a small, tan species that climbs walls and ceilings, hides in block walls and rock or lava rock landscaping, and has the most medically significant sting of any scorpion in the region. Most stings cause intense local pain, but children, older adults, and people with allergies can react more seriously. The much larger desert hairy scorpion is also common and painful but less of a concern. Both glow under a UV flashlight, hunt at night, and slip in through gaps under doors and around plumbing.

• Cockroaches Several kinds of roaches live in southern Utah. German cockroaches stay indoors in kitchens and bathrooms and breed extremely fast. American cockroaches and the invasive Turkestan cockroach live outdoors in sewers, irrigation boxes, and block walls and wander in at night, especially in summer. All of them go after food and water, and because they avoid light and people, an infestation can be well underway before anyone notices.

• Ants Ants are the most frequent uninvited guest in desert kitchens, especially when summer heat sends them looking for water. Pavement ants and odorous house ants are common indoors, while harvester ants build large, bare-ground mounds in yards and can deliver a painful sting. At higher elevations, carpenter ants can tunnel into damp wood. Colonies number in the thousands, and spraying the trail often just causes a colony to split and spread.

• Wasps & Bees Paper wasps and yellowjackets are a constant presence around eaves, patio covers, and irrigation boxes for much of the year here. Honey bees are vital pollinators and are best left alone when they're simply foraging, but a colony in a wall or a swarm near the house is another matter. Africanized honey bees have been found in Washington County, so swarms and hives should be handled by a professional, not disturbed. For anyone with an allergy, a single sting can be dangerous.

• Spiders Black widows are extremely common in southern Utah and favor garages, meter boxes, block walls, and patio furniture. Wolf spiders and other hunting spiders wander indoors as well, particularly after monsoon storms and as fall cools off. Most spiders are harmless, but a widow bite needs medical attention. Shake out shoes and gloves left outside, clear clutter from garages, and sweep away webs regularly to make your home less inviting.

The Best Way To Deal With Pests

The most reliable way to keep these pests out of your home is to let a professional handle the inspection, treatment, and prevention. Butter Pest Control offers residential and commercial pest control throughout St. George and Washington County. Contact us to schedule a free inspection.