Four rounds a year
A pest watch works like a walk you take each season with a notebook. Each round below has three stops, the yard, the kitchen and storage, and a few things to look at in each. None of them calls for special tools: a flashlight, gloves, a small mirror for looking behind appliances and a roll of tape for marking spots will cover it. Write down what you see at each stop, even when the answer is nothing.
How Hanford got its name
The settlement of Hanford was named for James Madison Hanford, auditor of the Southern Pacific Railway, after the railway laid lines from Goshen to Coalinga through a sheepherder's camp there in 1877.
Spring round
- Yard: Rake out the corners where leaves and clippings have collected, and look along the base of fences and walls for burrows or tunnels.
- Yard: Lift stepping stones, bricks and garden ornaments and check the soil underneath.
- Kitchen: Pull out the bottom drawer under the oven, if it comes out, and vacuum the space beneath it.
- Kitchen: Check the seal around the dishwasher and the cabinet floor beside it for damp.
- Storage: Open the garage cabinets and look for droppings, nesting material or chewed boxes.
Summer round
- Yard: Trim shrubs and vines so they do not touch the walls or the roof, leaving a gap you can walk through.
- Yard: Empty anything that holds water after the hose or sprinklers run: buckets, pet dishes left outside, plant trays.
- Kitchen: Keep fruit in the refrigerator or a covered bowl, and rinse cans and bottles before they go in the recycling.
- Kitchen: Use the mirror and flashlight to look behind the refrigerator and along its coils.
- Storage: Check sealed bins in the garage for cracked lids and replace any that no longer snap shut.
Fall round
- Yard: Move woodpiles, lumber and spare pots away from the walls, and look at the ground where they sat.
- Yard: Walk around the house and look at the foundation vents and any crawlspace openings for broken screens.
- Kitchen: Empty the spice and baking shelf, wipe it down, and toss anything with webbing or tiny insects.
- Storage: Go through boxes of seasonal clothing and linens before putting them away, and look for small holes.
- Storage: Mark any spot where you found droppings with a strip of tape so you can check it again next round.
Winter round
- Yard: From the ground, look at the eaves and roofline for gaps, loose flashing or bird nests in vents.
- Kitchen: Check under the sink for leaks and for gaps where the pipes pass through the cabinet back.
- Storage: Look over the attic hatch and the insulation just beyond it with a flashlight.
- Storage: Read back over the year's notes and pick the spots that came up in more than one round.
Hanford's population
The U.S. Census Bureau's QuickFacts puts Hanford's population at 57,990 in the 2020 Census.
A hardness note from the City's water report
The City of Hanford's 2017 Consumer Confidence Report shows hardness averaging 11.43 ppm, with a range of 5.7 to 16 ppm, in samples from 2015-2017.
The branches the Board names
According to the California Structural Pest Control Board, California structural pest control licensees must meet state licensing requirements in at least one of three branches: Branch 1, fumigation with poisonous or lethal gases; Branch 2, general household pest control, excluding fumigation with poisonous or lethal gases; and Branch 3, controlling termites and other wood-destroying pests or organisms, excluding fumigation with poisonous or lethal gases.
Before a company sets a date
Ask the company: "Which Structural Pest Control Board branch covers this work, and what is your license number?" Note the reply in your pest-watch notebook with the date and the speaker's name. Ask also for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation before any work is scheduled.
Things to point out to a technician
When a technician comes out, walk them to every taped spot and open your notebook to the matching rounds. Point out:
- where you saw activity, and in which round;
- what you have already done yourself, including any product you used, by name;
- pets, fish, birds, a vegetable bed and anyone at home you want kept in mind.
Ask for a written proposal naming the pest, the areas it covers, the products by name, the number of trips and the price. Ask what each product label says about when people and animals may go back into a treated area.
An end-of-year folder
When the winter round is done, slip the year's notebook pages into a folder with the company's service records, product names, the branch answer and the receipts. Start a clean page for spring and carry over any spot that is still open. Over a few years, the folder can show which parts of the house need the closest watching.