Our house is new. Why do we have ants already?

New landscaping is the usual reason. Fresh bark mulch, irrigation lines and graded soil right against the foundation are perfect for odorous house ants, and new homes often have small gaps at utility lines and trim that open as the house settles. We identify the ant, bait the colony instead of spraying, and point out where they are getting in.

We live near Juanita Bay Park. Is the wetland causing our spider problem?

It contributes. Wetlands and lakeshore produce a lot of flying insects, and spiders build wherever food is plentiful, especially around porch lights, eaves and railings facing the water. We knock down webs and treat the perimeter and eaves together. Switching exterior lights to warm or yellow bulbs also draws fewer insects, which means fewer spiders.

Can you remove a wasp nest without killing honey bees?

Yes. We identify what is actually in the nest first. Yellowjackets and paper wasps are treated at dusk or dawn, with the entry or void treated so a new colony doesn't move in. Honey bees are never killed. If it turns out to be honey bees, we refer you to a local beekeeper who can collect them.

How quickly can you get to Kirkland?

Someone will be at your door within 48 hours. Kirkland is 50 min south of Lake Stevens HQ, and you get a text about 30 minutes before the truck arrives. Stinging-insect calls get priority on the schedule.

Is the treatment safe around kids and pets?

Yes. We use products rated for occupied homes and apply them where pests travel, not across your living space. The technician walks you through what goes down and where before anything is treated. If you keep bees, chickens or a vegetable garden, tell us and we work around them.

North King · 50 min south of Lake Stevens HQ

Pest control in
Kirkland, WA.

Kirkland mixes lakefront premium homes with everything else, where the older Houghton and Juanita houses show classic PNW pest pressure and newer Totem Lake brings the ant and wasp calls.

★ 5.0 from 64 Google reviews
WSDA license #112338
Out within 48 hours

Call now (425) 332-6566

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Pest control in Kirkland, WA

Kirkland stretches along Lake Washington from Houghton to Juanita Bay, then climbs east to Rose Hill and Totem Lake and north onto Finn Hill. Along the way the houses range from 1940s cottages near downtown to brand-new townhomes around Totem Lake, and the pests change with them. Pest control in Kirkland is really three or four different jobs depending on your address.

Near the water, humidity and lakeshore wetlands feed insects and keep wood damp. On Finn Hill and around Bridle Trails, big lots and heavy forest bring rodents and carpenter ants right to the foundation. In newer developments, fresh landscaping and tight new construction make ants and wasps the main complaint. Redmond and Bellevue have pieces of this. Kirkland has all of it within a few miles.

Close-up of a black ant on splintered, Kirkland, WA

Ant Control in Kirkland

Carpenter ants and sugar ants across Kirkland's old and new homes

Kirkland gets both kinds of ant trouble. Carpenter ants nest in the big firs and stumps on Finn Hill and around Bridle Trails, then move satellite colonies into damp framing, especially in older Houghton, Market and Juanita homes with shaded siding or leaky decks. Odorous house ants, the small dark ants that smell like rotten coconut when crushed, thrive in the bark mulch and irrigated beds of newer neighborhoods and trail into kitchens when the weather turns.

We identify the species before treating anything. Carpenter ants get the parent nest and the satellites treated, which often means finding a colony in a tree or stump in the yard as well as inside the wall. Odorous house ants get baited, not sprayed, because spraying scatters the colony into more nests. Watch for sawdust piles, winged ants inside in spring, and trails along baseboards after a rain.

More on our carpenter ant treatment Guide: How Much Does Pest Control Cost in Snohomish County?

Close-up of a brown rat on a concrete ledge outside a home, Kirkland, WA

Rodent Control in Kirkland

Rats on Kirkland's wooded hills and lakeshore

The forested ravines on Finn Hill, the wetlands of Juanita Bay Park and Forbes Creek, and the woods of Bridle Trails State Park give rats and mice cover right up to the backyard fence. Roof rats climb the tall conifers and cross to rooflines. Norway rats burrow along foundations, bulkheads and rockeries near the water. In older homes, gaps around original vents and plumbing are the usual way in.

Rodent control in Kirkland starts with sealing the house. We close every gap a quarter inch and larger with hardware cloth, sheet metal, mortar or copper mesh, then set tamper-resistant bait stations outside and snap traps inside, and come back to check and remove what we catch. Look for droppings in the garage or crawl space, chewed vent screens and noise in the attic after dark.

More on our rat control Guide: Signs of Rats in Your Crawl Space (and What Each One Means)

Paper wasps clustered on their nest under a house fixture, Kirkland, WA

Wasps & Bees in Kirkland

Yellowjackets and paper wasps in Kirkland's eaves and landscaping

Newer homes around Totem Lake and Rose Hill have deep eaves, vinyl soffits and lots of fresh landscaping, and paper wasps build under all of them. Yellowjackets nest in the ground under shrubs, in rockeries and inside wall voids of older houses, and by August a single colony can be big and defensive. Lakeside decks and outdoor dining draw them in late summer.

We treat nests at dusk or dawn when the colony is home and calm, and we treat the void or entry so a new colony doesn't move back into the same spot next year. Honey bees are never killed. If you have a honey bee swarm or colony, we refer you to a local beekeeper. Watch for steady wasp traffic in and out of one gap in the siding, which means a nest inside the wall.

More on our wasp control Guide: Yellowjackets Around the Trash? Check the Food Source First

From the call to the follow-up

Hiring a Kirkland exterminator

When we come out as your Kirkland exterminator, we start by asking when the house was built and what surrounds it, because a 1960s Juanita rambler and a 2015 Totem Lake townhome need different work. You get a visit within 48 hours and a text about 30 minutes before the tech pulls up. We identify the pest, find where it lives and how it gets in, treat it, and schedule follow-up when the job calls for it. Warranty re-treatments cost nothing.

Rating: 5.0 stars, 64 Google reviews
Licensed: WSDA Commercial Applicator #112338
Response: Someone out within 48 hours
Warranty: Re-treatments at no charge

What changes the job here

Lakefront, mid-century and new construction homes in Kirkland

Around downtown, Norkirk and Market, many homes date from before the 1960s, with crawl spaces, older siding and framing that has had decades to take on moisture. Houghton and Juanita add mid-century ramblers and split-levels, many remodeled but still sitting on original foundations. Finn Hill and Bridle Trails have larger, heavily treed lots where the woods come right to the house, and Bridle Trails keeps horse properties with barns and feed storage that attract rodents.

East of I-405, Totem Lake and Rose Hill hold newer townhomes and apartments. New construction starts tight, but gaps open at utility penetrations, garage seals and settling trim. Lakefront homes carry docks, bulkheads and dense shoreline plantings, all of which give rodents and spiders cover close to the house.

Across Kirkland

Kirkland neighborhoods and what they deal with

Juanita: Homes near Juanita Bay Park's wetlands and Juanita Creek deal with lakeside moisture, spiders on the eaves and rodents along the shore.
Finn Hill: Larger lots under a heavy tree canopy near Big Finn Hill Park and Saint Edward State Park mean steady carpenter ant and roof rat pressure.
Houghton: Mid-century homes on the slope above the lake often have aging crawl spaces that draw carpenter ants and rodents.
Norkirk and Market: Some of Kirkland's oldest homes, with original framing and crawl spaces where moisture and rodent entry points add up over time.
Totem Lake: Newer townhomes and apartments near the Totem Lake wetlands mostly call about ants in landscaping and wasps under the eaves.
Bridle Trails: Horse properties and wooded lots next to the state park bring rodents to barns, feed and outbuildings.

Through the year

The Kirkland pest year, season by season

Spring: Carpenter ants swarm out of the Finn Hill and Bridle Trails woods and damp framing in older homes, and odorous house ants start trailing indoors.
Summer: Paper wasps build under the eaves of newer homes and yellowjackets find lakeside decks, peaking by August.
Fall: Spiders fill eaves and railings near the lake, and rats move from the ravines and shoreline toward crawl spaces as the rain returns.
Winter: Rodents settle into attics and crawl spaces, and it is a good time to seal older homes before spring ant season.

Questions, answered

Pest control in Kirkland, the common questions.

Our house is new. Why do we have ants already?: New landscaping is the usual reason. Fresh bark mulch, irrigation lines and graded soil right against the foundation are perfect for odorous house ants, and new homes often have small gaps at utility lines and trim that open as the house settles. We identify the ant, bait the colony instead of spraying, and point out where they are getting in.
We live near Juanita Bay Park. Is the wetland causing our spider problem?: It contributes. Wetlands and lakeshore produce a lot of flying insects, and spiders build wherever food is plentiful, especially around porch lights, eaves and railings facing the water. We knock down webs and treat the perimeter and eaves together. Switching exterior lights to warm or yellow bulbs also draws fewer insects, which means fewer spiders.
Can you remove a wasp nest without killing honey bees?: Yes. We identify what is actually in the nest first. Yellowjackets and paper wasps are treated at dusk or dawn, with the entry or void treated so a new colony doesn't move in. Honey bees are never killed. If it turns out to be honey bees, we refer you to a local beekeeper who can collect them.
How quickly can you get to Kirkland?: Someone will be at your door within 48 hours. Kirkland is 50 min south of Lake Stevens HQ, and you get a text about 30 minutes before the truck arrives. Stinging-insect calls get priority on the schedule.
Is the treatment safe around kids and pets?: Yes. We use products rated for occupied homes and apply them where pests travel, not across your living space. The technician walks you through what goes down and where before anything is treated. If you keep bees, chickens or a vegetable garden, tell us and we work around them.

Everything else we handle in Kirkland

spider exterminator mosquito yard treatment cockroach pest control restaurant pest control crawl space cleanout

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Our core markets each have a dedicated page: Lake Stevens pest control , pest control in Lynnwood , Edmonds exterminator , rodent control in Woodinville , and Everett pest control .

Kirkland, WA

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Pest control in Kirkland, WA.