Yellowjackets at the woodpile, or mud tubes under the sill?

What should you do before a technician comes to a rural Mendocino home?

Keep the yard clear around the spot, leave any nest where it is, and photograph what you can. The technician needs the evidence as it is.

A wasp nest in a wall or under the eaves is best left alone until the technician has seen it, because disturbing it can send the colony after whoever is nearby. Mud tubes on the foundation or a trail of droppings in the crawl space are the best clues for termites and rodents, and a photograph is usually enough for the technician to plan the visit.

• Leave the nest alone: do not knock it down, spray it or seal it while the technician is still on the way.
• Photograph the evidence: mud tubes, droppings, nests, tracks and any shed wings.
• Clear the path to the crawl space or foundation so the technician can reach it.
• Store firewood and woodpile debris away from the house until the visit, since both give pests a route in.
• Tell us about children, animals and beehives nearby so the placement and products suit them.

Why do country houses in Mendocino County draw the pests they do?

Woodpiles, pier foundations, outbuildings and the rural mix of wood and open ground give pests a way in. The coast and the inland valley each draw a slightly different set.

Rodents do best where there is cover and food close to the house. Roof rats nest in shrubs and trees and favor attics and walls, and Norway rats burrow along foundations and woodpiles. Both are present across California, and the way to keep them out of a rural house is to remove the cover they use to reach it.

Subterranean termites are common throughout the state, and they come up from the soil through mud tubes. Dampwood termites are more often found in cool, humid coastal areas. Whatever the pest, the technician checks the foundation and the wood in contact with the ground before recommending a method.