Do new-build homes in Utah need pest control?

Why new neighborhoods get pests

When fields become subdivisions, the animals and insects that lived there don't disappear. Gophers, voles, field mice, crickets and spiders move toward the new yards, lawns and garages that replaced their habitat.

Gophers and voles in new lawns

Fresh sod and young landscaping next to undeveloped land are ideal for pocket gophers and voles. New mounds and runways in the first spring are common. Treating the first mounds early stops one gopher from becoming several.

USU Extension notes that in Utah's urban areas, pocket gopher damage is often greatest in new subdivisions next to undeveloped, weedy land, and that gophers mate in February and March with young born March to June. Voles tunnel under snow cover all winter, so their runways show up across new lawns at the melt. Both are why the first spring in a new neighborhood along the valley's edges often brings more mounds and trails than owners expect.

Field mice in fall

As fields dry out and nights cool, field mice look for shelter. Garage doors that don't seal tightly, utility penetrations and gaps around new AC lines are the usual ways in.

A first-year checklist

A few steps in the first year save a lot of trouble later.

• Book a treatment before furniture arrives
• Check garage door seals and utility gaps
• Watch the lawn for mounds and runways in spring
• Keep mulch and new beds pulled back from the siding

Pre-construction treatment

If you're still building, the best termite protection goes into the soil before the slab is poured. Ask your builder whether pre-construction termite treatment is included.

Sources

• extension.usu.edu
• extension.usu.edu