SALT LAKE CITY — Summer temperatures mean even bugs and critters are trying to look for a cool place to live and in many cases, that means they're moving into your home.
Erik Maki, who owns and operates Service First Pest Management, has a reminder for folks spending more time inside these days trying to beat the Utah heat.
“The bugs are not going anywhere, even in a nuclear apocalypse the cockroaches are still going to be here, they’re going to need pest control," he said.
While it hasn’t been a nuclear apocalypse, Utah has been experiencing record-setting, high temperatures lately.
Maki says he’s extremely busy this summer dealing with a record number of calls from folks wanting to get rid of everything from wasps to ants to rodents and grasshoppers.
“They want to be comfortable," he explained. "It does get really hot outside, they want to be comfortable like in 70 degrees year-round, and that’s where they want to be.”
Being comfortable usually means moving into a home, becoming a nuisance to residents.
“The heat’s been so bad that they are definitely moving a lot more because they want food, water, and shelter," Maki said. "So when you put those things together with a nice, beautiful, climate for them, they’ll just breed and breed and breed."
He says most spiders want nothing to do with you and just want to be left alone but it can still make for some tense moments when you spot one inside your house.
Wasps on the other hand can be aggressive while mice and rats can present other issues.
Maki says the bottom line is they all want to be somewhere nice and cool, which could be your home.
To try and keep up with the demand, Maki has expanded his hours and is available until 10 in the evening during the week and also available on Sundays.
