Friday, November 30, 2012

Do Bug Bombs Work?

Yes and no. Insect foggers or bug bombs as some people call them serve the purpose of releasing a "fog" of contact killing pesticide into the air with the hopes that it will contact bugs in areas that you couldn't get to while just spraying.

Foggers, while initially effective, often times push roaches into deeper hiding where the fog will not reach, causing roaches to re-infest an area a few weeks down the line. They usually won't affect insect eggs either, making the problem tough to get rid of by just using the bug bombs.

Insect foggers are also dangerous is misused. They can be extremely flammable and explosive and if not set off correctly it will combust.

The best way to use a fogger is as a tool in an overall program. Professionals will use a fogger to flush out the roaches and get them running. Before they set the bug bomb off they will put down a residual product around the perimeter and in cracks and crevices. Then the roaches or insect will run across the residual product and die.

One good application for a fogger is if you are dealing with large numbers of flying insects. A good fog can knock that problem down fairly quickly.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

MITES

Stop the presses and call the army. MITES! For some strange reason, people freak out over these tiny little pests called mites. There are many kinds of mites. Rodent mites, bird mites, clover mites, night mites (just kidding), scabies mite, straw mites, and chiggers just to name a few. Most of these pests can be a nuisance to humans, mostly causing itching.

Luckily, mites can be treated and eliminated. Expel them from you life! Mites be gone. So how is it done? Most mites need the host to survive, like the bird mite, and some live off humans, like the scabies mite.

Bird mites, chiggers, rodent mites can all be successfully treated using a vacuum and some insecticide. Removing the birds from your home if they are nesting near by will help. They may take some time to control, but they will go away.

Other mites like the scabies need to be treated by doctors.

So all this fear and gloom and doom is for not. No need to be scared of tiny microscopic bugs crawling into your brain. Be brave.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Are Mice Living In My Bed?

There is a question you don't hear everyday. Can mice live in your bed? Well let's think about this for a minute. Mice love fluffy, soft nesting material, they love warmth, they also love food and water. A bed can be all those things to a mouse if you are the kind of person who like to nibble in bed at night and watch television.

Mice are opportunistic and very curious. A box spring or eve a mattress can provide a perfect home for a family of mice. I think before they would move in though they would have to have explored the rest of your home. Chances are, if you have mice living in your bed then you have a bigger problem than just the mice living in your bed. I would think that the infestation of mice has gotten so bad that mice had to leave the areas in the kitchen do to over crowding. They had to look for another frontier. This new world would be the upstairs and your bed is their cabin.

So if you suspect mice in your bed then I would recommend first calling a qualified pest control company to come in and do a complete inspection and make some good recommendation for control.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Bedbugs-Back From the Dead

It was only a brief ten years ago when the calls started coming in. It wasn't the normal ants or roaches, it wasn't termites or fleas, we haven't had those kinds of calls in forever. It was strange. What people were describing almost sounded like the bugs the old timers used to joke about. The bugs that were on the verge of taking over the country before the introductions of that super substance DDT.

It couldn't be though. Bedbugs? These bugs have been extinct since the 50's. Were they mistaken? Time would tell. Time would tell the story of how in a few short years, these bugs would become one of the most feared bugs the United States of America has faced in a long time, and one of the most loved bugs in the eyes of pest control companies country wide.

Today, one out of five Americans has been affected by bed bugs or knows someone who has. They can be in every nook and cranny of every movie theater, plane, train, or bus across the country,  five star hotels, cruise ships, hospitals, and any place in between The bed bugs do not discriminate. they are virtually unstoppable. The can not be treated by you or me. At the very best, you will need a professional, and you better hope he or she is trained and well versed in the elimination or the bed bug.

Why are bed bugs so hard to get rid of? One reason is due to the fact that they have built an immunity or resistance to the insecticides used to treat them. Another reason is the fact that they are prolific multipliers. They reproduce like crazy. In the matter of six months untreated you can expect tens of thousand of these buggers living in your home and feeding on your blood. The last reason I will touch on is the fact that they spread easily and hide like nothing you've ever seen. They are hitch hikers. You can sit on a bus in a seat where someone who is battling bed bugs have sat, a bug has fallen off of that person, and has latched onto your cloths. This bug was gravid or pregnant. Guess what. Now ya got them.

So now what? I have bed bugs. What do I do? Good questions and no easy way to answer them. First thing to do is hire a professional and do exactly what they ask you to do. They are going to show up at your door with a list of preparations that would make Santa's eyes bleed. Read it and do it. Next is decide how you want to approach the problem. This will be determined by what you can afford. You can fumigate if you are rich and you can have the bug guy spray if you are not so rich. If they fumigate you will have total elimination overnight, if they spray get ready for a battle. It will take a long time to get rid of them, and I say that statement with hesitation, because don't forget, they have a high resistance level to the sprays.

Another option is to heat. Heat treatments are in the middle when it comes to cost. The costs range from $1,600 dollars on up to $6,000 dollars or more. You get a decent knock down and I dare say elimination when using heat. Heating will still come with a healthy prep list and it must be followed.

So to sum it all out, bed bugs are in fact back from the dead, they are hear to stay, and it will only get worse, much worse, before it gets any better. Yes...we are going to need a bigger boat.