All Star Pest Control

Roger Tinker
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Roger Tinker, Columbus, Georgia pest expert shares tips to create a pest free home as community service to home owners and business owners in our area.

Episodes

  1. 03/28/2025

    Pest Prevention # 16 Problems with bubbling or peeling paint in Columbus homes

    This is Roger Tinker, Owner and General Manager of All Star Pest Control located in Columbus Georgia. There is sometimes a tendency to overlook paint that is not in good condition on a house only to discover other problems because of bubbling or peeling paint. Painting is a valuable resource to protect and to keep wood from rotting due to moisture that is absorbed when good painted conditions are not maintained. It is a lot cheaper to paint the siding and other parts of the house than it is to replace wood damaged from moisture. A case in point is that carpenter bees will not attack wood that is painted properly. Carpenter Bees are prevalent for about six weeks in the Spring and then they go back into the woods. I only seem to get complaints from customers that have poorly painted houses with bubbling or peeling paint. It is cheaper for people to fix the bubbling or peeling paint than to pay for a Carpenter Bee treatment each year. Bubbling or peeling Paint can indicate a roof leak. Water running inside the exterior walls from a leaking roof can damage the unpainted side of siding. Exceesive moisture can create wood rot and cause the paint to bubble or peel. The same condition can happen if there is excessive moisture in the crawl space of your home. Moisture can rise up through the inside of the exterior walls creating wood rot that will cause the paint to bubble or peel. And of course, old paint just needs to be scrap and repainted. Paint that is bubbling or peeling provides a good habitat for many pest that will then venture into your home. Some but not limited to, are America Roaches, spiders, earwigs, silverfish, ants as well as rodents. Please feel free to contact me if I can help you. The post Pest Prevention # 16 Problems with bubbling or peeling paint in Columbus homes appeared first on All Star Pest Control Columbus Georgia.

    3 min

  2. 03/21/2025

    Pest Prevention # 15 In Columbus, Mulch and-or leaves built up over bottom of siding needs to be removed.

    This is Roger Tinker, Owner and General Manager of All Star Pest Control located in Columbus, Georgia. Our subject is mulch and leaves that has built up around the bottom on the house and why it needs to be removed. Usually when I inspect a house and find mulch and leaves around the bottom of the house, all kinds of problems are discovered. Rotted siding from moisture build up is caused by the moisture that is held by leaves or mulch that is around the house. Once the siding is rotted the only way to fix it is to do a costly replacement of the rotted siding. Moist conditions provide an ideal condition for termites to establish a colony near your house. These same conditions are also ideal for the American roach to thrive in which is going to attract other pest as well. Silver fish are found in leaves and mulch that hold moisture. Earwigs only live where there is moisture and will then work their way into areas of the home like the bathroom. Some spiders thrive in an environment that provides high moisture. I do want to note that the brown recluse and the black widow DO NOT like a moist environment. Centipedes are attracted to mulch and leaves around the perimeter of a house.. Mulch and leaves help provide moisture for ants to build their colonies in. Mosquitos are always going to search for areas that provide moisture for them so survive in. Not having mulch or leaves would be the ideal setting around your home. If you need mulch or leaves I suggest that you look at the alternatives such as rubber mulch or rocks that will at least reduce the moisture built up around your home. Please feel free to contact me if I can be of any service to you. The post Pest Prevention # 15 In Columbus, Mulch and-or leaves built up over bottom of siding needs to be removed. appeared first on All Star Pest Control Columbus Georgia.

    3 min

  3. 03/14/2025

    Prevention # 14 Ivy growing up the side of the house needs to be removed in Columbus

    Prest Prevention # 14 Ivy growing up the side of the house needs to be removed. This is Roger Tinker, Owner and General Manager of All Star Pest Control located in Columbus, Georgia. The Pest Prevention tip for today is Ivy growing up the side of your house needs to be cut. I am going to cover just a few of the pest that ivy will attract. Our company serviced a home for many years, and we began to notice rodent droppings in a bathroom on the 2 nd story of this home. I told the homeowner that the roof rats were using the ivy as a highway to get into the bathroom. We suggested they cut the ivy down. The lady of the house refused to allow the ivy to be cut down and the rodents continued to invade the bathroom. Finally, against her wishes, the husband removed the ivy from the side of the house. The rodent invasions immediately disappeared. The lady of the house forgave her husband but still insisted that it looked so nice. Once the ivy was removed, rooted window frames were discovered because of moisture built up from the ivy around the windows. Several windows had to be replaced because they could not be repaired. Ivy can be a habitat for many other pest. Mosquitos like to shade themselves from the sun and ivy growing up on the side of a house offers them large areas of ample shade from the sun. A mosquito treatment is going to be much more effective if the ivy is removed from the side of the house and less pesticide will be required for the treatment. Ivy is also an ideal place for spiders to hide in. It is almost impossible to treat ivy on a 2 story home for spiders. Treatment can be done, but at an increase cost to the customer. Ivy growing up the side of the house needs to be removed regardless of how nice it may make the house look. Please feel free to contact me if I can help you in any way. The post Prevention # 14 Ivy growing up the side of the house needs to be removed in Columbus appeared first on All Star Pest Control Columbus Georgia.

    3 min

  4. 03/07/2025

    Pest Prevention #13 Columbus Home’s Grass Needs to be Cut

    This is Roger Tinker, Owner and General Manager of All Star Pest Control located in Columbus, Georgia and serving folks in this area for over 38 years. Today I want to talk about the importance of keeping your grass cut to help prevent all kinds of pest from being a problem for your home. I can not possibly cover all the pest that can thrive when the grass is not cut properly, but I will go over a few just to give you an idea how important keeping your grass cut is. Some common insects that like to live in high grass are Chiggers, Fleas, Mosquitos, Ticks, Spiders, Fire Ants, and Crickets just to name a few. One of the first things any Pest Control company does is request that you cut the grass BEFORE any type of treatment is performed for any of these pest that have been listed in this article. Tall grass provides camouflage for pest to move close to your home or make a habitat in your yard. We usually do not have complaints about Chiggers when the yard and surrounding property is properly cut and maintained. Fleas are more prevalent in yards that are not well maintained. Most Mosquitos prefer tall grass and bushes to spend their time in from the Sun. Keeping your grass gives them less area to be in. I will add that I don’t have any bushes around my own home for this reason. Our company will not do any treatment for ticks until the grass in the yard and any accessible areas around the yard have their grass cut. Keeping the yard maintained goes a long way to not being infested with ticks. Many spiders move thru the long uncut grass. We do not have time to name every type of spider that does this. Well groomed yards will reduce the spiders travel greatly. I am not going to tell you that keeping the grass cut is going to affect Fire Ants from infesting your lawn. However, tall, uncut grass will hide the mounds much longer from your view and makes it much more likely for you to get stung by fire ants. It’s hard to avoid the things you can’t se. And now we talk about crickets. Don’t you love to hear a cricket begin chirping just as you were about to go to sleep. Yep, The crickets probably would not be there if you had remembered to cut the grass. Let’s crank up that lawnmower and keep that grass cut. You will be glad that you did. Please feel free to contact me if I can be of any help to you. The post Pest Prevention #13 Columbus Home’s Grass Needs to be Cut appeared first on All Star Pest Control Columbus Georgia.

    4 min

  5. 02/28/2025

    Pest Prevention # 12 Need to Cut Tree Branches & shrubs that touch home

    This is Roger Tinker, Owner and General Manager of All Star Pest Control in Columbus, Georgia. There are many ways that pest can get into your home that can be fixed. I will explore how trees and shrubs around your home provide highways for a lot of different pest to come into your home. Trees that have branches that touch your roof, or any other part of your home are an example of that highway. The first pest that comes to mind is the dreaded Roof Rat. Roof Rats do not borrow in the ground like a Norway does. Roof rats climb and they love to live in your attic and explore inside your home. No tree branches should ever touch your home. Many people recommend cutting them at least six inches from your roof. I think twenty four inches is much better as Roof rats can easily jump at least twelve inches. Tree branches touching the house is the highway for squirrels to make your attic their home. Another pest are ants, You will see ants in trees all the time. If the tree touching your home provides a highway the ants will take advantage of it and come right onto your home. Ants will also travel the branches of any shrubs that are not trimmed away from your house. I would cut any shrubs or any other plant so that there is at least six inches of clearance between your house and these plants. You have got to eliminate that highway into your home. There are other pest that will use this highway to get into your home. These I talked about are just a few, but I hope you see the importance of keeping trees and shrubs from touching your house. Please feel free to contact me if I can be of any help to you. The post Pest Prevention # 12 Need to Cut Tree Branches & shrubs that touch home appeared first on All Star Pest Control Columbus Georgia.

    3 min

  6. 02/20/2025

    Pest Prevention # 11 Warped siding needs to be replaced.

    This is Roger Tinker, Owner and General Manager of ALL STAR PEST CONTRL in Columbus Georgia. Siding on a house that is warped is an indication of problems that need to be addressed. Warped siding can be caused from being poorly installed, This will leave gaps for all kinds of pest to try to enter your home. American roaches like this king of gap to nest in. Spiders look for any kind of cracks or gaps to make their home in. Once these and other pest nest in these gaps they will find their way into your home and continue to multiply. Rats will find these gaps and gnaw their way onto your home where they will look for and find food to eat and contaminant the areas they occupy with their droppings. Sometimes the siding gets wet from a leak in the roof and has since become warped. Be sure and check for a roof leak. You will probably find other damage while you are replacing the warped siding, particularly if you delay the replacement of the warped siding. A roof leak can leak all the way thru the structure of a house and find its way to the ground where the foundation of the house sits. Water from a leak that finds its way to the ground can wash away the termite chemical used to protect your home from termites. Termites usually like moist soil to tunnel thru in search of wood. Warped siding will probably cause an increase in the cost of heating and cooling your home as air will escape thru the gaps caused by the warped siding. Please feel free to contact me if I can help you in any way. The post Pest Prevention # 11 Warped siding needs to be replaced. appeared first on All Star Pest Control Columbus Georgia.

    3 min

  7. 02/12/2025

    Pest Prevention # 10 Rotting siding needs to be replaced

    This is Roger Tinker, Owner and General Manager of ALL STAR PEST CONTROL in Columbus Georgia. I want to talk about why you do not need to wait to replace rotting siding on your house. Rotting siding is an indication of problems that need to be addressed and fixed. You need to check to see if a leak in the roof is causing the siding to rot. A roof leak can leak all the way thru the structure of a house and find it’s way to the ground where the foundation of the house sits. Water from a leak that finds it way to the ground can wash away the termite chemical used to protect your home from termites. Moisture from a water leak can cause wood decay fungus which can spread and cause a lot of damage over a period of time. Sometimes you have to remove the rotted siding to determine where the moisture has originated from. Siding can also rot if it is not properly protected with the right kind of paint. Rotting siding will also attract other pest that will find their way into your home. America Roaches are attracted to the moisture that is associated with rotting siding and will first find a home there and then find the inside of your home pleasing to them. Spiders like to live in cracks and the source of water that rotting siding provides is very appealing to them. Rats will take the opportunity to come in thru the rotting siding because it is easier for them to gnaw their way into your home. These are not all the pest that can come into your home. Your also will want to consider the amount of heating and/or cooling that you are losing because of the rotting siding. Please feel free to contact me if I can help you in any way. The post Pest Prevention # 10 Rotting siding needs to be replaced appeared first on All Star Pest Control Columbus Georgia.

    3 min

  8. 02/05/2025

    Pest Prevention # 9 Remove wooden post in contact with the soil.

    This is Roger Tinker, Owner and General Manager of ALL STAR PEST CONTROL in Columbus Georgia. I want to talk about how wooden steps, wooden railings and wooden decks can attract termites to your home and cause thousands of dollars in damage. We will then discuss how to prevent this from happening. Any wood that is in contact with the ground will attract termites as wood is their main food source. Wooden steps that touch the ground will attract the termites. I have seen many steps that have had to be replaced because of termite and or wood decay fungus damage. The way that insulates, which means you get the wood out of contact with the ground, is to cut about eight inches off the bottom of the steps and place a cement block under the steps. Wooden railings are a bit more of a challenge to insulate. A metal railing is the best way. If this is not possible you can use pressure treated lumber, however, A good wood sealer will add life to the pressure treated lumber. Unfortunately, I have seen a lot of pressure treated wood that termites attack after the wood is only a few years old. For wooden decks that have the support beams in the ground, I recommend the following. Concrete Deck blocks are approximately 11” x 11” x 8” tall. The support beams are placed in the block which insulates the deck from the ground. These cost about ten dollars apiece and are well worth the money. This will make your support beams last much longer and will not attract termites to these beams. Please fell free to contact me if I can help you in any way. The post Pest Prevention # 9 Remove wooden post in contact with the soil. appeared first on All Star Pest Control Columbus Georgia.

    3 min

  9. 01/23/2025

    Pest Prevention # 7 Firewood, Bricks, Or Other Materials Stored Up Against Home in Columbus

    This is Roger Tinker, Owner and General Manager of ALL STAR PEST CONTROL located in Columbus Georgia. There are many pest that find a home or an attraction to your home because of Firewood, bricks and/or other materials stored up against your home. I understand the desire to get firewood just outside the door of the home or even getting firewood from the porch. Termites are always attracted to any wood that is laying on the ground. Once termites find the wood on the ground, they will search for any structure that is nearby. Almost always with very few exceptions I have found live infestations of termites in homes with firewood stacked against the home. Termites can cause thousands of dollars in damage. Please remove the firewood from being stacked against your home. You can at least stack firewood a few feet away from the side of your home. The Firewood should be stacked on some type of non-wood material such as concrete blocks so that there is at least eight inches of clearance between the ground and the firewood. This will greatly help prevent termites and other pest. Firewood also will attract pest like the America roach because of the moisture that the helps retain when it sits on the ground. Bricks stacked against your home will attract roaches, ants, spiders and other pest that will find their way into your home. It is easier to keep unwanted pest out of your home than it is to get rid of them once they are in your home. Please feel free to contact me if I can help you in any way. The post Pest Prevention # 7 Firewood, Bricks, Or Other Materials Stored Up Against Home in Columbus appeared first on All Star Pest Control Columbus Georgia.

    3 min

  10. 01/16/2025

    Pest Prevention # 6 Columbus Ga. Wood Siding in Contact with the Ground Needs to be Insulated

    This is Roger Tinker, Owner and General Manager of ALL STAR PEST CONTROL located in Columbus Georgia. I want to first explain what I mean by wood siding needs to be insulated as any wood attached to a house that is less than six inches above the ground is considered to be in contact with the ground. The Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Department of Agriculture and Industries in Alabama use the International Residential Building Code. This code states that any wood attached to a structure that is less than six inches above grade is in violation of said building code. Above grade can be defined as the ground. An example of a violation would be wood siding on a house that is only four inches above the ground. The next question I will answer is why is this important. Studies over many years have shown that this is a condition conductive to a termite infestation. Once termites find an easy source of food they will quickly invade and have a feast of your home at your expense. These same studies have shown that clearance more than six inches is not considered to be a condition conductive to termite infestation. I remember when the state of Georgia required a clearance of at least eight inches above grade before the State adopted the International Residential Building Code. To me, this was a better standard than we have today as it reduces the chance of termite infestation to a structure. The wood does not have to touch the ground to attract termites, and it stands to reason the higher above grade that the wood siding is, the less chance of attack from termites will be. Please walk around the entire perimeter of your home and see how low to the ground your wood siding is. Make the necessary repairs if you find that the wood siding is too low to the ground. I can promise you that the cost of this repair is less than the cost to repair damage caused by a termite infestation. Please fell free to contact me if I can help you in any way. The post Pest Prevention # 6 Columbus Ga. Wood Siding in Contact with the Ground Needs to be Insulated appeared first on All Star Pest Control Columbus Georgia.

    3 min
  • 10 Episodes

About

Roger Tinker, Columbus, Georgia pest expert shares tips to create a pest free home as community service to home owners and business owners in our area.

Information

  • Creator
    Roger Tinker
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    All Star Pest Control