Our house is from the 1960s. Should we have the crawl space checked?

It is worth a look. Many homes from that era still have their original vapor barrier, and on a slope moisture keeps running under the house. A torn barrier and loose insulation invite carpenter ants and rodents. We check it on the first visit and tell you whether it needs replacing now or can wait.

The trees touch our roof. Is that a problem?

Yes, for both ants and rats. Carpenter ants follow branches from a nest in the tree to the roof, and roof rats use them to reach the eaves. Trimming branches back a few feet from the roof and siding cuts off those paths. We can point out which ones matter most during the inspection.

We have a dock. Do rats live there?

They can. Docks, boathouses and bulkheads give rats cover and water right next to the house. We check the shoreline edge, seal gaps in the house and any outbuildings, and set exterior stations where rats travel between the water and the foundation.

How quickly can you get to Mercer Island?

Someone will be at your door within 48 hours. Mercer Island is 60 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.

South King · 60 min south of Lake Stevens HQ

Pest control in
Mercer Island, WA.

On Mercer Island, the older homes near the bridge sit next to newer interior builds, and crawl-space work and carpenter ants are the most common calls we get.

★ 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 Mercer Island, WA

Mercer Island is surrounded by Lake Washington and covered in tall conifers, with steep lots running down to the water on almost every side. Pioneer Park holds more than a hundred acres of forest in the middle of the south end, and Luther Burbank Park covers a long stretch of the northeast shore. That much tree cover and shoreline puts carpenter ants and rodents close to nearly every house.

Pest control in Mercer Island is shaped by the age of the homes as much as the setting. Much of the island was built out in the 1950s through the 1970s, often with crawl spaces or daylight basements cut into slopes. Those homes have had decades for moisture to work into framing and for vapor barriers to fail, which is why the work here often goes under the house.

Close-up of a black ant on splintered, Mercer Island, WA

Ant Control in Mercer Island

Carpenter ants under Mercer Island's heavy tree canopy

Tall firs and cedars cover most of the island, and their branches often rest right on roofs and siding. Carpenter ants nest in dead limbs and stumps, then follow those branches into the house. Homes from the 1950s and 1960s with damp sill plates, leaking skylights or deck ledgers facing the lake give them an easy second nest in the wall.

We identify the species before treating. Carpenter ants get the parent nest and satellites treated, often a tree or stump in the yard as well as a void in the house. Smaller sugar ants that trail into kitchens are baited, not sprayed. Watch for large black ants indoors in spring, winged ants near windows, and small piles of frass under trim or in the crawl space.

More on our sugar ant control Guide: Carpenter Ants vs. Sugar Ants: How to Tell What's in Your Kitchen

An open crawl space access vent with the door removed at the base of a home, Mercer Island, WA

Crawl Space & Vapor Barrier in Mercer Island

Crawl space repair under Mercer Island's mid-century homes

Many island homes built in the 1950s through the 1970s sit on crawl spaces cut into slopes, where groundwater runs downhill toward the lake. The original plastic barrier in many of them has torn or disappeared, and insulation hangs loose or has been nested in by rodents. That damp, open space feeds carpenter ants and gives rodents a warm place to stay.

We haul out the old barrier and any contaminated insulation, rodent-proof the vents and gaps, and lay a new 6-mil vapor barrier. The result is a drier floor system that is easier to inspect on future visits. If you notice a musty smell, cold floors, or droppings when you open the access hatch, it is time for a look.

More on our crawl space and vapor barrier work Guide: Why Rats Get Into Snohomish County Homes Every Fall

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

Rodent Control in Mercer Island

Rats along Mercer Island's shoreline and wooded lots

The shoreline, the storm drains and the wooded parks give rats cover all around the island. Roof rats use tree branches and ivy to reach eaves and attic vents, while Norway rats burrow along foundations and come up into crawl spaces. When one house on a block is open, the rats often move along the fences to the next.

Rodent control in Mercer Island begins with sealing every gap a quarter inch and up with hardware cloth, sheet metal, mortar or copper mesh. Then we place tamper-resistant stations outside, set snap traps inside and return to check and remove. Watch for scratching in the attic at dusk, droppings in the garage, and branches touching the roof.

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

From the call to the follow-up

Hiring a Mercer Island exterminator

Hiring Pure Guard as your Mercer Island exterminator means a visit within 48 hours, a text about 30 minutes before arrival, and a walk-through of what we plan to use and where before we treat. We check the slope side of the house, the crawl space, the eaves under the trees and the shoreline edge if you have one. Products are rated for occupied homes, and warranty re-treatments cost you 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

Mercer Island homes, from East Seattle's older houses to hillside daylight basements

The oldest homes are on the north end, including the East Seattle neighborhood near the west shore, where some houses date to the early 1900s. Most of the island is 1950s through 1970s homes on steep, wooded lots, many with daylight basements or crawl spaces, plus newer rebuilds and larger waterfront homes along the shore.

That changes the job. Older framing on the north end needs close inspection for carpenter ant damage. Daylight basements put a full wall at ground level, so gaps there matter as much as in a crawl space. Waterfront homes have docks, boathouses and bulkheads that give rodents cover. Newer rebuilds are tighter but still sit under the same canopy.

Across Mercer Island

Mercer Island neighborhoods and what they deal with

North End: Older homes near the I-90 bridge and Luther Burbank Park combine aging framing with shoreline rodent pressure.
East Seattle: Some of the island's oldest houses sit here on the west shore, where carpenter ants find softened wood.
Mid-Island: Mid-century homes on wooded lots see carpenter ants from the canopy and crawl spaces that need updating.
South End: Homes around the forested Pioneer Park area face heavy tree cover, rodents and wasp nests in summer.
Waterfront lots: Docks, bulkheads and damp soil give rats and spiders cover right at the shoreline.

Through the year

The Mercer Island pest year, season by season

Spring: Carpenter ants swarm from damp framing and stumps under the conifers as the weather warms.
Summer: Yellowjackets and paper wasps build in eaves, decks and boathouses along the water.
Fall: Orb weavers web up lakeside decks and windows, and rodents start looking for crawl spaces as the rain returns.
Winter: Wet months are when failing vapor barriers show up as musty smells, so it is a good time to replace them.

Questions, answered

Pest control in Mercer Island, the common questions.

Our house is from the 1960s. Should we have the crawl space checked?: It is worth a look. Many homes from that era still have their original vapor barrier, and on a slope moisture keeps running under the house. A torn barrier and loose insulation invite carpenter ants and rodents. We check it on the first visit and tell you whether it needs replacing now or can wait.
The trees touch our roof. Is that a problem?: Yes, for both ants and rats. Carpenter ants follow branches from a nest in the tree to the roof, and roof rats use them to reach the eaves. Trimming branches back a few feet from the roof and siding cuts off those paths. We can point out which ones matter most during the inspection.
We have a dock. Do rats live there?: They can. Docks, boathouses and bulkheads give rats cover and water right next to the house. We check the shoreline edge, seal gaps in the house and any outbuildings, and set exterior stations where rats travel between the water and the foundation.
How quickly can you get to Mercer Island?: Someone will be at your door within 48 hours. Mercer Island is 60 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 Mercer Island

wasp nest removal spider treatment backyard mosquito treatment German cockroach treatment commercial pest control

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Mercer Island, WA

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Pest control in Mercer Island, WA.