Northvale Is Filled with Privacy, Peacefulness, and Nature’s Brilliance

Wise Rodents, Motherly Insects, and Tree-Nibbling Nuisances

Northvale is a place where pests prevail. These fliers, crawlers, and jumpers enter homes intentionally, in search of food or shelter, or by accident. Either way, infestations are common.

Rats and mice are persistent pests, often due to their intelligence, ability to squeeze through tiny openings, and high reproductive rates. Both groups of rodents exhibit some form of megacognition, giving them an awareness of what they know versus what they don’t, a trait rarely seen outside of primates. This allows these perceptive pests to better avoid things that put them at risk, such as the trap you’ve set in your garage. 

Fleas enter homes by using pets or humans as unknowing accomplices. However, they don’t stay on their hosts for long; the vast majority of their lives are spent in carpet, bedding, and cracks in the floor. They’re distinct for their extraordinary jumping ability. Other animals known to jump leaps and bounds include kangaroos (can jump nearly 40 feet), frogs (can jump 20 times their body length), hares (can jump six feet), and mountain lions (can jump up to 20 feet vertically and 40 feet horizontally).  

Earwigs exhibit unusual insect behavior because they demonstrate maternal care. They guard their eggs to protect them from danger and clean them to prevent fungus. Scientists can tell female and male earwigs apart by their pinchers: males have curved pinchers while females have straighter ones. They use these pinchers for a variety of reasons, including to defend themselves from threats, to fold their wings, and to court mates. They like to live in damp, tight spaces, not waxy canals: Despite the myth, they don’t crawl into human ears.

Boxelder bugs feed on boxelder, maple, and ash trees. Unlike termites, rodents, and other pests, they don’t damage the structure of homes, but they are nuisances in Northvale, nonetheless. They tend to congregate on south-facing and west-facing walls in cooler weather, and they can be difficult to get rid of. When crushed, they release a mild odor and stain surfaces. Their red color helps deter predators, a concept called aposematism that effectively tells would-be eaters that they’re unpalatable, gross, and guaranteed to cause a tummy ache. 

Whether boxelder bugs are boxing you out, ticks are ticking you off, or roaches are roaming freely in the kitchen, we can help.