Stink Bugs in Philadelphia and New Jersey

Something stinky this way comes. I live in Pennsylvania and the big stink here is, well, stink bugs. These bugs are a present from Asia and one that we could have done with out. People who are lucky enough to have them as a house guest can discourage their entrance by caulking and sealing around the outside of their house as best they can. Keep screens tight. Once inside the best defense is to vacuum them down. If you decide to squash them with a rolled up newspaper then beware, things can get stinky!

Get rid of bedbugs

The question of the day for many homeowners is how to get rid of and kill bed bugs. So just how does one kill bedbugs? Well there are many products to add to your arsenal and if you follow some simple direction then you can at least get some decent control of the situation. First thing to do is locate the majority of the infestation. Inspect under the furniture and under mattresses and box springs. Look closely at the buttons of your mattress and between the tufts. Have your hand held vacuum ready and suck up the bedbugs you find. Do a thorough vacuuming of these areas and then choose a product to treat any bedbugs you may have missed. Some products to choose from include:

• Suspend
• Phantom
• Kicker
• Eaton's Bedbug
• Sterifab
• Bedlam

These products will most likely have to be purchased over the Internet via do it yourself pest control product websites. The most important thing to remember is to read and follow the label of these chemicals. If you don't understand the label then call the website or ask the store you bought it from.

STINK BUGS

What did these poor bugs do to deserve such a name? These bugs are notorious around this time a year and alot of people complain about them for one reason, when you crush them they stink! SO how do you avoid these smelly buggers? It's almost impossible. If you are being bothered by them inside your home then I would recommend using your vacuum and sucking them down rather than smashing them with a rolled up newspaper. On the outside, other than doing a perimeter spray, there is not a whole lot more you can do but live with them.

Get rid of mice

Treating for mice like a professional is not as hard as you might think, and it could save you money if done correctly. To do this you will need to know the basics. First thing to do is determine where the problem is at it's worse. Are you experiencing the mice in the kitchen or have they been running in the living room under the sofa? Next thing to do is decide if you want to use bait or traps? If you have animals or children in the house then you may want to consider using traps and not bait for safety reasons. If you decide to go with baiting then stop at your friendly neighborhood hardware store and pick up some mouse bait. Here is the inside tip, there is no secret to mouse baits, pick up a decent amount of it and be generous with the mice putting out several placements. You also want to pick up snap traps and glue traps. Again be generous, put out several traps. The most important thing to do is put this product out in the areas you are seeing the mice. If the mouse has been running across the same wall for the past three nights then put your traps on the same wall. If you are finding droppings under the kitchen sink then put the product there. The trick is being generous because you never know how many mice there are. There are several topics about mice control under the Mouse/Mice label of this blog. Happy Hunting!

Mouse bait

I often get asked what would be an alternative for peanut butter on a snap trap when baiting for mice. Fortunately mice like alot of things and some of my best bets for baiting mice would be the following: Bacon, chocolate syrup, cotton, bread dipped in bacon grease, and the old stand by cheese. Anything that you can secure to the trigger of a snap trap that has a strong odor or that a mouse would use for nesting is a great choice. With today's peanut allergy eruption it is important to look for alternative baiting methods and the above list should help you along the way.

Don't bug me.

I find it amazing how at work where we recently had a mouse problem it was so hard to get a pest control professional to come out to take care of it! First of all it was a treat to actually get an answer, most of the calls we made went right to an answering machine, then when we did get an answer it was an answering service who didn't want to hear the secretary's story of woe, but just the facts. In today's competitive market I think it smart to either have a person answering the phone who has an interest in your company and pest control or for the call to forward to the owners cell phone if it is a one man operation. Answer professionally and with a sympathetic voice as the caller is most likely scared to death of the rodent or insect they want exterminated.