Sunday, May 31, 2009

June Beetles

Here come the June beetles. June bugs are active during the day and found flying around during the day. They are metallic green in appearance. To treat, though, you will need to wait until August to start a regiment. Controlling the beetles grub is the best defence against this bug. Chemicals labeled for Japanese Beetles will work against the grubs.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Ants Are Marching

Killing ants are easy and hard all at the same time. We are past the preventative phase where putting a good ban of chemical around the outside perimeter will help to keep the population at bay, and placing out a good bit of granule ant bait. Now it's time to go on the offensive. Phantom and Termidor are both fantastic products to knock down a trail of ants. These chemicals are non-repellent and work in a sneaky manor. The ants walk right over the chemical and good bye ants. Incorporating a good sugar based bait like maxforce ant gel works wonders and the granule baits like Advance ant bait works well also. These are professional products that can be found online, but similar products can be found at your local home store. The trick to any control is using enough product. Put out many many ant baits, put out plenty of placements of gel baits, don't be afraid to use too much. The biggest thing is safety. Pets and children need to be thought of first and foremost. Use caution. Now kill the ants.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Wood Drilling Bees

Carpenter Bees are scary and intimidating and if left to their own devises for too long, destructive. The female drills a perfect hole into your home, fence, etc, and lays her eggs in that hole. The male carpenter bee "protects" the hole by hovering around the area and dive bombing anyone who goes near it. Treating these bees can be tricky. Pest control technicians will often times power spray the area if it is large enough, or if it is only a few holes, they will dust the holes and seal them up. This can require ladders which makes it a dangerous do it yourself project. Looks for drip marks on your home as this is where the frass is dripping out of the hole. This will alert you to where the bees may be hiding behind siding or fascia board. If you have exposed wood, painting it with a heavy latex type paint can help deter them.