Witt Pest Management

On Wednesday we talked about the different types of common spiders found in our area.
Today lets discuss tips and tricks on preventing these eight legged critters from taking over your home.
1️⃣ Seal the Entry Points 🚪🛑
Spiders can squeeze through shockingly tiny gaps. Walk around your home with a tube of silicone caulk and look for openings around outdoor faucets, utility pipes, and basement windows. Don't forget to check your doors—if you can see daylight under your front or back door, it's time to replace the door sweep!
2️⃣ Evict Their Grocery Store 🐜🚫
Spiders only hang out where there is a steady buffet. If your home has a lot of spiders, it means you have a lot of the tiny insects they eat (like gnats, ants, or moths). Turn off outdoor porch lights at night or switch to yellow "bug bulbs" to avoid attracting the insects that bring spiders right to your doorstep.
3️⃣ Clear the Perimeter 🪵🍁
Spiders love hiding out in woodpiles, heavy mulch, and overgrown bushes. If these are leaning right against your home's foundation, you’re essentially building a spider highway straight indoors. Keep firewood stacked at least 20 feet away from the house and trim back any tree branches or bushes touching your walls.
🎁 BONUS TIP: Call in the Local Experts! 📞🛡️
Sometimes a spider infestation is just too stubborn for DIY hacks. If you're constantly clearing webs or dealing with creepy-crawlies in the basement, it's time to call in the professionals. Local pros like Witt Pest Management—Pittsburgh’s oldest pest control company—

We get it, bugs are scary! Talking about them is a little frightening. That is why we aim to educate our customers and friends in the neighborhood.
Today we talk about the most common spiders found in your Pittsburgh home.
1️⃣ The Common House Spider 🕸️
- Where they hang out: Window frames, closets, and ceiling corners.
- The Vibe: These are your classic "cobweb" makers. They are small, dull brown, have teardrop-shaped bellies, and candy-cane striped legs.
- Danger Level: Zero. They are incredibly shy and just want to eat fruit flies.
2️⃣ The Cellar Spider (aka "Daddy Longlegs") 🛖
- Where they hang out: Dark, damp spots like Pittsburgh basements and crawlspaces.
- The Vibe: Tiny peanut-shaped bodies with incredibly long, wire-like legs. Fun fact: If they get scared, they will violently bounce on their web to blur themselves from predators!
- Danger Level: Completely harmless to you, but terrible news for other bugs. They actually hunt and eat other spiders.
3️⃣ The Wolf Spider 🐺
- Where they hang out: Scurrying across the floor or near baseboards (especially in late summer and autumn).
- The Vibe: Big, fuzzy, and fast. They don't build webs; they are athletic ground-hunters that wander indoors when the weather cools down.
- Danger Level: Low. They look intimidating, but they’ll only bite if you accidentally step on them or trap them in clothing.
4️⃣ The Jumping Spider 👀
- Where they hang out: Sunny windowsills and walls.
- The Vibe: Small, compact, fuzzy, and surprisingly cute. They move in quick, jerky bursts and will actually stare right back at you. They use their crazy jumping skills to pounce on pests.
- Danger Level: Harmless and full of curiosity.
⚠️ The Big Myth: Everyone worries about the Brown Recluse, but they are not native to Pennsylvania and can't survive our winters! You might occasionally find a Black Widow in an undisturbed outdoor woodpile, but they rarely ever come inside active living spaces.
Don’t forget to catch Pt.2 on Friday where we’ll talk about how to fight back against those pesky wallcrawlers and basement dwellers.

This season we have posted different tips and tricks for dealing with different pests.
Now it is YOUR turn to pick.
THAT'S RIGHT! You get to pick! Leave a comment down below and tell us what pest (even if we've already done it) we should discuss next.
Extra vote if you include a specific question you would like us to answer regarding that pest.
Whichever pest has the most votes by Wednesday 6/17 gets to be the focus of our page this week.

According to the NPMA it is National Bedbug Awareness Week!
This week we will be talking all about bedbugs and how to protect yourself, your home and your belongings from these tiny terrors
Today we’re talking about how to protect yourself and your belongings from Bedbugs
1️⃣ Isolate Your Bags: Do not panic and drag your suitcases through the house or hotel. Immediately seal all luggage and loose belongings inside heavy-duty, large plastic trash bags. Knot them tightly to trap any bugs inside and prevent them from spreading to new areas.
2️⃣ Strip and High-Heat Dry: Change out of the clothes you are wearing right away. Put all exposed clothing, fabric bags, and bedding straight into a dryer on high heat for at least 30 minutes. The intense heat kills adults, nymphs, and eggs—washing alone won't guarantee it.
3️⃣ Create a Protective Barrier: If you have to stay in the space temporarily, pull the bed away from the walls and make sure blankets don't touch the floor. Wrap hard items (like shoes or electronics) in airtight zip bags and inspect them thoroughly under a bright flashlight before moving them anywhere else.
Always remember if the situation gets too tough, your friends at Witt Pest management will take care of you!
React fast to isolate the problem before it multiplies! 🛑

According to the NPMA it is National Bedbug Awareness Week!
This week we will be talking all about bedbugs and how to protect yourself, your home and your belongings from these tiny terrors
Today we are talking about preventing/ avoiding taking these pests home with you.

1️⃣ The "Suitcase Sanity" Rule: When traveling, never put your luggage on the bed or carpeted floor. Keep it on the elevated luggage rack or, better yet, inside the bathroom or bathtub while you inspect the room. Bedbugs can't climb slick porcelain easily.
2️⃣ The 5-Minute Inspection: Before unpacking, pull back the bedsheets. Scan the mattress seams, headboard cracks, and nearby outlet covers for tiny black spots or shed skins. If you see anything suspicious, ask for a completely different room.
3️⃣ The Heat Treatment: The second you get home from a trip, dump all your clothes—even the unworn ones—straight into the dryer on high heat for at least 30 minutes. High heat is public enemy number one for bedbugs and kills them at all life stages.
An ounce of prevention saves months of headaches! 🛑

According to the NPMA it is National Bedbug Awareness Week!
This week we will be talking all about bedbugs and how to protect yourself, your home and your belongings from these tiny terrors
Let's start with Identification:

1️⃣ The "Ink" Stains: Look for tiny, dark brown or black spots on your sheets or mattress. It looks like a fine-tip sharpie bled into the fabric (it’s actually their waste).
2️⃣ Shell casings: As they grow, bedbugs shed their skin. Look for translucent, hollow, yellowish-gold "ghost" shells hidden in mattress seams.
3️⃣ Clusters of bites: Unlike random mosquito bites, bedbug bites often show up in tight clusters or lines of 3 or 4—often called "breakfast, lunch, and dinner."
Check your seams and stay vigilant! 🔍

An accidental lab discovery just revealed a new secret about bed bugs: they are terrified of water! 💧 Researchers found that bed bugs will actively flee from moisture because it blocks their breathing. While standard water won't clear an infestation, scientists are already using this quirk to design new, eco-friendly traps.
Check the link in the comments for the full story!

We will only knock on your door if you are a customer.

🚨 Pennsylvania Homeowners — Have You Experienced This?

A salesperson knocks on your door claiming your neighbors are being treated for pests… recommending products… maybe even applying treatments, all without a license.

It's not just aggressive. It could be illegal.

The Pennsylvania Pest Management Association (PPMA) is working directly with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to investigate deceptive door-to-door pest control sales tactics, and we need your help to build the case.

📹 We're looking for:

Ring doorbell or security camera footage of misleading sales interactions

Documentation of unlicensed pest advice or treatment recommendations

Written or verbal false claims (e.g., "We're already treating your neighbor's home for [X]")

Why does this matter? These tactics hurt consumers AND give the entire professional pest management industry a bad name.

Licensed, ethical pest professionals work hard to earn your trust, and bad actors undermine all of it.

If you have evidence, please share it with us via messenger or email. Every piece of documentation helps protect Pennsylvania consumers.

📩 [email protected]

🔁 Please SHARE this post . The more Pennsylvanians who see it, the stronger our case becomes.

We understand, Roaches are scary. That's why today we have some tips on how to keep them out and away from your personal space.

🚫 1. Cut Off the Food Supply Roaches are survival experts, but they can't live without food. Wipe down countertops nightly, store dry goods in airtight plastic or glass containers, and never leave pet food sitting out overnight.
💧 2. Eliminate Moisture Zones Cockroaches can survive for weeks without food, but they only last a few days without water. Fix leaky pipes under sinks, empty your pet's water bowl at night, and keep high-humidity areas like bathrooms well-ventilated.
🪵 3. Seal Up the Entryways Roaches can squeeze through gaps as thin as a business card. Use silicone caulk to seal cracks around baseboards, pipes, and windows, and make sure your doors have tight-fitting weather stripping.
✨ BONUS TIP: If you're already seeing roaches regularly during the day, you might have a hidden infestation. Don't stress—call the experts at Witt to safely and permanently reclaim your space!

Let’s talk about Roaches…
Nobody likes these creepy crawlers messing around their home but with the heat and humidity approaching it is always good to be prepared.
Check out these tips on identifying roaches in your home.
1. Check for the "Shield" (Pronotum) Look right behind the head. Cockroaches have a distinctive, flat, shield-like structure called a pronotum that covers their head from above—almost like a little hood or helmet.
🧭 2. Spot the Rear "Antennae" (Cerci) If you get a view from the back, look for two tiny, spike-like appendages sticking out of their rear end. These are called cerci, and they act like sensory radar to detect vibrations and air currents.
🏃‍♂️ 3. The Super-Speed Sprint If it darts away at lightning speed the second you flip on a light, it's likely a roach. They are famously photophobic (light-fearing) and can move up to 50 body lengths per second.