Pest Control and Exterminator Service in Rutledge, PA

Old wood, big trees and spring swarms in a planned borough

Late April and May bring termite swarms. Houses from the 1930s and earlier have wood porches, sills and basement framing that have been near soil for generations, and swarmers often appear indoors around basement windows or a warm radiator.

The mature tree canopy that defines Rutledge also brings carpenter ants into damp roof edges, squirrels onto roofs, and carpenter bees into weathered trim. In fall, mice and stink bugs look for gaps in old foundations and attics.

Many homes keep their original wood windows, clapboard or shingle siding and wood-framed porch roofs. Old-growth lumber lasts, but once paint fails at a sill or a gutter spills onto a porch roof, the wood stays wet for days in the shade, and that is where carpenter ants and powderpost beetles get started. Stone and brick foundations from the period were laid with soft lime mortar that crumbles with age and opens gaps for mice.

Detached garages and sheds that sit on soil or old block become rodent shelter and termite feeding sites well before the house does. Leaf litter under the canopy holds moisture through summer, which keeps ticks along shaded fence lines and sends millipedes and centipedes toward the foundation after every heavy rain.

Ten minutes from Media to Rutledge

From Media we're in Rutledge in about 10 minutes. Thom and his team check basement sills, porch framing and the roofline for branches and gaps. The inspection is free; the quote is written and lists each problem we found.

Rutledge, Morton and the Media/Wawa line

Rutledge borders Morton near Morton's stop on SEPTA's Media/Wawa line, with Swarthmore a short drive west. All three share older housing under heavy tree cover. Fewer than 1,000 people live in Rutledge, and the borough is almost entirely residential, without a business district of its own. Its students attend the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, shared with Swarthmore and Nether Providence. The planned grid of tree-lined streets grew up alongside the rail line, and the Morton station is still a short walk away. Because owners tend to stay and the homes keep so much original wood, a Rutledge visit usually centers on termite and wood-boring beetle checks, roofline exclusion for squirrels and mice, and the seasonal run of ants, carpenter bees and stink bugs. The blocks nearest the rail right-of-way also get extra rodent traffic, since brush and fence lines along the tracks give mice and rats a protected lane into the closest back yards.