Why West Vancouver pest activity has its own profile
Premium properties, mountain interface, mature cedar canopy, and Howe Sound moisture combine to give West Van a pest mix unlike any other Metro Vancouver municipality.
West Vancouver's housing stock is dominated by 1960s-1990s premium single-family homes built into the slopes of the North Shore mountains. Cedar shake roofs, cedar siding, mature canopy keeping rooflines damp through June, and West-facing exposure to Howe Sound moisture all combine to make carpenter ants a near-universal issue across the municipality. The pre-1990 housing stock especially — Ambleside, Dundarave, the British Properties — has cedar shake roofs that are now 30-40 years old and structurally tired.
The wildlife interface is the second defining factor. Every West Van neighborhood backs onto greenbelt or mountain. Black bears (yes, in residential West Van — every May through October), raccoons, skunks, squirrels, and the occasional cougar are all part of the operating environment. Deep Cove-style raccoon attic work is routine. Skunk den-removal under West Van decks is a steady summer business. Squirrels in attic eaves chewing electrical wiring is a documented fire risk that we work weekly.
And bald-faced hornets. The British Properties + Caulfeild + Eagle Harbour mature deciduous canopy — big-leaf maple, alder, mature fruit trees — is textbook bald-faced hornet habitat. Most years we run 20-30+ bald-faced hornet nest removals across West Van during July-October. Many of these nests are at the second-storey level or higher requiring ladder + harness work, which we have the equipment + WorkSafeBC certification to handle.
Pests we treat across West Vancouver
- Carpenter ants — universal across pre-1990 West Van stock. Cedar shake + persistent moisture + mature canopy. Spring swarmer flights April-May, foraging peaks July-August.
- Bald-faced hornets — 20-30+ nest removals per year across the municipality. British Properties + Caulfeild + Eagle Harbour heaviest density.
- Yellowjackets, paper wasps — every neighborhood, July-October.
- Raccoons — attic + crawlspace work. Routine across the municipality, especially Caulfeild + Eagle Harbour + Whytecliff.
- Skunks — den-removal under decks + crawlspace access. Spring kit season requires coordination.
- Squirrels — attic + soffit work, often combined with electrical-wiring damage assessment.
- House mice — limited compared to other Metro Van municipalities (lower-density housing, larger lots).
- Norway rats — limited residential activity, almost no commercial in West Van.
- Spiders — house spiders + (occasionally) false widows in basement and outbuilding stock.
- Bears — we don't treat bears (BC Conservation Officer Service). We do help residents bear-proof properties (waste storage, attractant removal).
Our West Vancouver pest control method
Find the source. Seal the entry. Then treat. Photo report inside 30 minutes.
Two West Van specifics. First, for carpenter ant work the moisture diagnosis is everything — cedar shake roof condition, gutter status, fascia integrity, deck-ledger flashing. We refuse to apply chemical treatment without addressing the moisture source first. Second, for wildlife work we follow strict BC SPCA-aligned humane protocols: kit checks before exclusion, one-way doors during the breeding season, no relocation outside provincial framework. And we don't use second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides anywhere near the wildland interface — too much documented secondary-poisoning impact on raptors and other predators.
Find the source
25-point inspection across perimeter, attic (with full crawl-through access), crawlspace, kitchen, and the wildlife-interface assessment + cedar shake roof condition assessment for carpenter ant work.
Seal the entry
Physical exclusion done thoroughly. Steel wool + foam at rodent entry points, hardware cloth at attic vents, mesh at chimney caps. For raccoon work, one-way doors during exclusion + kit checks before sealing. Carpenter ants get the moisture source addressed (rotted fascia, plugged gutter, failed flashing).
Then treat
Lowest-toxicity option matched to the diagnosis. Snap-trap-led for any rodent work. No SGARs in West Van — too much wildland adjacency.
60-day return guarantee
If the pest comes back within 60 days of your West Van treatment, we come back. No charge. Return visit is a fresh diagnosis. About 60% of West Van customers stay on the quarterly plan because the wildland-interface activity rewards proactive maintenance. No contracts.
West Vancouver pest control pricing
| Service | Starting at | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| One-time pest control visit | $249 | 25-point inspection, perimeter treatment, photo report, 60-day guarantee. |
| Quarterly plan | $139 / visit | Four visits per year, full inspection + perimeter each visit, free re-visits between. No contract. |
| Carpenter ant + moisture assessment | $399 | Roof + gutter + fascia inspection, moisture diagnosis, exclusion + chemical treatment, follow-up at 14 + 30 days. |
| Bald-faced hornet nest removal (elevated) | $199-$249 | Nest removal + safe disposal. Higher end for elevated nests requiring ladder + harness. |
| Raccoon attic exclusion | $549 | Kit check, one-way door deployment, exclusion sealing, attic decontamination quote. |
| Skunk den removal | $349 | Den-access exclusion, kit check, deck/crawlspace sealing. |
West Vancouver neighborhoods we serve
Same-day across all of West Vancouver. 38 km from our North Delta dispatch hub.
- Ambleside — older single-family + waterfront, carpenter ants + raccoons
- Dundarave — heritage commercial corridor + residential
- British Properties — premium estate, bald-faced hornets + raccoons
- Caulfeild — mountain-side residential, full wildlife interface
- Eagle Harbour — waterfront + mountain, raccoons + carpenter ants
- Whytecliff — premium waterfront
- Cypress Park Estates — mountain-edge
- Horseshoe Bay — ferry terminal + residential
- Lions Bay — outer West Van, full wildland interface
- Bowen Island (water-taxi service available) — ask for scheduling