Stink Bug Traps Dead Inn

Premiering in April 2011 is a product by Agbio that is called the Dead Inn Stink Bug Trap. As we have heard over and over again on the news and radio, this year is going to be an especially bad stink bug season, so a trap like the dead Inn looks to be a welcome addition to the arsenal of stink bug control products out there. Agbio is touting the stink bug trap to have been tested by leading universities with great success. Aside from mechanical alterations to your property and chemical treatments, using a trap is a great way to help lower the population is placed strategically around your property. So hopefully this year won't be as horrible as they are predicting with the tools being offered and the services the professionals are gearing up to deliver.

Real Estate Bed Bug Inspections

Are bed bug inspections on the horizon to be able to sell your home? We all know that this has been the case for termite inspections. Whenever you sell your home it is required that the buyer is able to hire a certified termite inspector to check the home out and be sure that there are not any problems with regards to termites.

There are some differences of course between bed bugs and termites, the biggest on is the fact that termites do incredible damage and can cost the home owner expensive structural repairs. Bed bugs on the other hand can do no damage, except for maybe some mental anguish, although I would venture to say that to eliminate bed bugs completely it is just as expensive if not many times more expensive to get rid of bed bugs.

I think that with the canine dog inspections out there these days to inspect for bed bugs, it would make sense to at least offer this inspection to potential buyers, although this would never happen unless mandated by law. Bed bugs have become such a problem and if it were me I would want to know if the home I am getting ready to shell out major bucks had no termite or bed bug problems.

Get Rid Of Ants In My Kitchen

Spring time is the season when ants and other buggers decide to come out and start the process over again in preparation for the fall. What a life. But what happens when these little ants invade your personal space, like your kitchen, and take over your counter tops and trash cans? Ants in the spring time are looking for food and where better to look than the kitchen. Salts, Sugar and protein, all found in that one place we all get together to make meals and all are items that attract ants. So what do we do? There are web sites that offer ant bait for sale and I would start with this. Spraying with products like Raid and other sprays often times will repel them to other areas of the house while killing only a few. The bait will keep the critters in the area and allow them to feed on the bait which will ultimately be taken back to the nest and start the process of killing the others. Be sure to use different varieties of bait, both stations and gel, and use a generous amount. Don't skimp. If you see ant activity outside near the home you will also want to get some granule ant bait and sprinkle outside as well, getting them from both sides. If all else fails then you can hire the pros. Be sure to ask them to use a product like Phantom for the inside and Termidor for the inside, these work best against ants. No matter what you do, be sure to have patience. Remember, ant colonies are huge, the few hundred that you see now is just a sampling of what is hiding back at the ranch.

Stink Bugs in Philadelphia

Get ready, get set, go go go. That is right, we are gearing up for what looks to be one of the worst stink bug seasons here in Philadelphia and up and down the I-95 corridor. Pennsylvania is the first state to have found these buggers stinking up place back in 1998 in the city of Allentown and they have been bothering the heck out of people ever since.

Introduced from the lovey lands of Asia, the brown Marmorated stink bug has no natural predators like it's cousin the green stink bug, this makes it difficult to keep them in check.

It is looking like this will also be the year of do it yourself stink bug manuals, traps, and even professional pest control companies are getting into the mix. If it were me, I'd put my money on the professionals. There is one company in New Jersey who is taking the stink bugs on in full force. So it is best to research the company and be sure they know how to control bed bugs and eliminate them from your life.

How to Move Without Bringing Bed Bugs With You.

Deciding to move away from a bed bug infestation in a personal decision that could involve the fact that the landlord is not supportive of your bed bug problem or your next door neighbor has them and won't do anything about them and you keep throwing good money after bad trying to get rid of them in your own home. What stories I do hear more and more these days are stories of moving, thinking you have resolved the problem, and waking up in your new home with bites. That is right, uprooted your life and brought the bed bugs with you. So how do you avoid transferring bed bugs with you to a new location if you are moving?

Start with your new location. Hire a bed bug canine to inspect the new location before signing any leases or mortgage papers. Ask your new neighbors if there has been any problems. Once you know the new place is clear, then you need to make special arrangements with the moving company. Let them know that you want to fumigate the truck contents before moving them into the new location. This will require 24 hours of storage in a secure location. Most larger pest control companies like Western Fumigation or any fumigation company at this point will work with you and the moving company to get this accomplished. It's a little pricey, but worth the money. Another option is to hire a few moving pods and have the pods fumigated if the moving company is nervous about the fumigation in the truck.

The other way to go is to hire a "heat truck" to move your items. These trucks are usually smaller in comparison to moving trucks, so it may take a few days to move all your items and several heating charges. Basically the items are placed on the truck, moved tot he new location, and heated for several hours to kill any bugs inside.

What not to do is have your items moved to an off site location to be unloaded into a heat or fumigation chamber, then once heated or fumigated, placed back on the truck to be taken to your new location. What if bugs fell off of the items onto the truck floor while moving the stuff? You are back to square one at that point.

I never said it is easy to move away and leave the bugs behind, but it can be done if you are smart and methodical.

Large Bees in my Wooden Fence

One thing that is a problem in my house is the fact that each year I get the large bees in the wooden fence that is around my property. We just bought the home about a year ago and this year my plan is to treat the areas before they start to become a bother. I always hated the way they would fly at you randomly and almost dive bomb you as you are walking by or just trying to enjoy the sun on a lounge chair.

These are known as carpenter bees, and they don't just infest fences. They often times will nest in wooden siding, sheds, the fascia board or wooden window and door frames around the house. They seem to love, well, wood. The carpenter bees are not eating the wood, they are excavating out a nest to care for their young. The holes are perfect circles and many times have frass or wood dust dripping from their holes. Left untreated, they can eventually cause some damage.

Treating carpenter bees can range anywhere from dusting a few holes with some insecticide to calling out the pros and power spraying entire areas of a house. Sometimes there are just too many holes to treat and too many that are hidden to treat independently. The best time to treat is either before they begin their active season in spring or waiting until near dark and spraying the holes carefully. The male bee can not sting and the female needs to be badly provoked, but she can give you a wallop.

Once the holes are sprayed then wait again until mid summer, if more are noticed repeat the spraying and then after another few weeks seal the holes with some wood putty.

It has been noted that covering wooden surfaces with a thick paint may help, but I have seen these bees go through that as well.

Do I Have Termites?

This is the time of year when traditionally termites swarm. Early spring. That time of year when you will be able to confirm if last years treatment worked or if a new termite infestation is brewing. It's the time of year when you leave for work int he morning and come home to a room full of half dead what look to be flying ants, but could very well be, termites. Termite swarms are easy enough to identify by comparing them to picture online or at one of my earlier posts about termites, and it is worth the research so when you call the pest control company out so they don't' sell you on a termite job that can cost and arm and a leg. If they are in fact termites and you get a swarm inside then you can be pretty sure that the infestation has been established for some time and it is prudent to have a termite job preformed. Be sure to get a few quotes and check that companies references.

EPA Update

Been a while since I posted, as you can see there was no rush to report on the EPA Bed Bug Summit as there was not much to report on in my opinion. The day consisted of mostly reports on how industries and associations have implemented preventative measures and some scientific genetic talks about the bug. No meat and potatoes was offered in my opinion. Nothing new to offer with regards to treatment and of course no talks of new chemicals to treat the bed bugs. The EPA needs to let the professionals who are licensed to do a professional job with a professional chemical that needs to be brought back or let a manufacturer design some new chemistry. Did I mention we are all professionals? It is sad the EPA doesn't trust the industry.
The next day consisted of some brain storming sessions. Not sure where this will wind up heading once all the ideas are compiled. These can all be sound at the EPA Bed Bug Summit website.