Little orange bugs

Little orange bugs, red mites, red dots, brick dust bugs, these are some of the ways I've heard others describe clover mites that like to make there way into offices and homes. They are famous for leaving the orange smear as the kids crush them on the window sill. Clover mites are harmless and are more of a nuisance. Some ways to stiop these small ornage bugs from creeping in is to remove a 24 inch or so swath of grass from around you home perimeter. They don't like to make that long 24 inch hike. If they are inside in great numbers, use a vaccum hose attachment and suck them up. You can hire a professional exterminator to spray the outside of your home with what they call a power spray and this could help. The last , but mostly unpopular thing to do is to let your 5 year old loose on them and let them smear away.

Bees and Wasps

Keep an eye out for bees looking for a place to stay. I just had an experience at my house, sitting on the back porch in the late afternoon, a bee flew up under my siding! I hate bees, so I kept my eye on the area and sure enough, more bees coming in. I got my bulb duster and gave it a shot. This of course ended my sit on the back porch as the bees were agitated that I messed up the entrance to their home. It is best to nip this in the bud before it becomes a full blown hive or nest. I will take a walk around to see if there are any more flight patterns, and then treat some areas that look like they may become an attractive home for bees. I have to say, I hate bees and wasps.

Carpenter Bee Control

Carpenter Bees are scary and intimidating for those trying to enjoy the beauty of spring time. People often encounter carpenter bees as they lumber around the hole their better half is tending to and when stumbled upon by one of us humans, they dive bomb us to scare us away. The funny thing is, the male carpenter bee can't even sting and the female needs to be provoked a great deal before she will sting. To exterminate carpenter bees you have to find their hole first, look for frass or wood fibers to locate the hole. It is best to approach the hole at night using a flash light with some red cellophane tied onto it as the carpenter bee can't see red light. Then, using a hand duster, dust the hole lightly and let the dust do it's job. It may take a few days to get rid of them. If you continue to see them, there may be other holes near by. If the carpenter bee holes are high up, you may want to consider hiring a certified pest control company. If they are low enough and you are brave enough, you can buy the supplies you need online via a do it yourself pest control supply web site and do your thing. As always, use extreme caution when dealing with bees. If you are allergic, run the other way and call the pros.

Termite Control Companies

Looking for a good and honest termite control company? Start by word of mouth. Ask friends and neighbors if they have had termite issues and who did they use and did they like them. When choosing a termite company, be sure to get several quotes. A company like Orkin or JC Ehrlich will give a different quote and warranty than a neighborhood or smaller termite control company. Be savvy and understand that the bigger companies are sending out salesmen in most cases and they will be looking at their commissions, the smaller company will be sending a technician is many cases or the owner and although still looking at profits, they may be more reasonable. Compare the prices they give and keep an eye on the guarantees offered and then choose. Once you get the job done, it is important to keep the warranty active each year with paying for your termite renewal. This acts as an insurance policy. If the termites return down the road, they will come out to treat the area until the problem is resolved.

Termite swarm

Can the flying ants that are really swarming termites eat my furniture? I actually got this question once. This came from a customer up north where the termites swarming are subterranean termites. These "flying ants" as people like to call them cannot eat your wooden antique, their main goal is to breed, which they really can't do unless they have soil. The problem is if you have a swarm then chances are you have the termites that do the damage too. Have your home inspected by a licensed professional and if you want for fun, go poke around yourself. All you need is a good flashlight and a screw driver. Happy Hunting.

The Bugs Are Waking Up

Spring time brings with it the awakening of of all the ants, bees, and flies that are associated with the season. It also sparks the the start of the busy season for many pest control companies. Swarms of termites, ants crawling on kitchen counters, and over wintering bugs trying to get out all initiate call to the bug man to save the day. Naturally there are the do it your self crew who will be perusing the Internet for do it your self pest control products to exterminate that pesky bug that the wife wants gone. Spring means new life and I am glad it is on its way. However you decide to get rid of your bugs, remember it is important use caution and to shop around for the right product or company. Happy Spring.

Flying Ants

Tis the season for those pesky flying insects that swarm and cause panic in the home, but are they flying ants or swarming termites? The months of early spring can often times bring with them termites that will swarm and ants and if you are unsure, the picture to the left can help you determine. Ants will have an elbowed antenna and a pinched body. If you are unsure, it is always best to have a professional out to check. If you had to have a choice, ants would be what you are rooting for, as a swarm of termites mean that you have an established termite colony near or in the home. The question is for all your home gamers is if a termite job is a do it yourself king's kind of job. I would have to say no. Termite work is involved and needs to be done the right way with the right chemical or bait, so I would not recommend doing it yourself, although there are products on the market for it. If you are going to invest money in the job, invest in a good termite company.

Little Flies and Gnats

I remember getting a call for small gnat like flies in an office and the customer wanting relief from them. It was a seventh floor office and there were offices above. So they weren't coming from a leak above and they were not coming from a broken soil pipe since the bathroom was down the hall. As I took a closer look at he fly and noticed the window sill full of plants, I soon put two and two together and decided that they could be fungus gnats. The soil was very wet and I told the customer to stop watering the plants for a while and in the mean time I placed a glue monitor I had in on of the pots to see what I would find. I said I'd be back in a few days to see how things are. I returned with some yellow glue traps as recommended for adult fungus gnats and a potato, I read that the larvae will migrate to the potato and start to feed on it, leave it for a few days and remove it, and remove a bunch of larvae. With the proper water management and some trapping techniques...the problem was resolved.

The Bug Man

The bug man, as many pest control professionals are affectionately called, is the face of the pest control industry. Professionalism, knowledge, and good relationships are all components of a good pest control person. Being professional means being neat and well groomed. Having passion for your job, as this shines through to the customer, and keeping your equipment clean and organized. Knowledge should be something that the professional never stops pursuing. Going to seminars and classes, keeping your credits up to date, and reading and researching are all important things to do. Your customer will know when you are B.S.'ing them, and many of them might even know as much as you might these days with the Internet out there. Good relationships are the foundation of any business and should be cultivated. Remember to send customers hand written thank you notes. This takes some time and a stamp, but it pays back a ton. Remember your customers birthdays and send a card. Holidays...send a card. Just some food for thought.

What works best for ants?

I've always been a big advocate for baiting for ants to gain control and eventually elimination. Sprays like Termidor and Phantom are both also very good as they act as non-repellents and will affect the ants nesting area as they wander back to their homes. If you are a do it yourself fanatic, then you may have to go the baiting route as baits can be picked up from your local home improvement store or from your local over the counter pest control company. Many times ant control products can be picked up online as well. Be sure to always follow label instructions if you are going to be a weekend warrior and be mindful of children or pets. One thing I can tell you that you absolutely do not want to do and that is spray some Raid on them in a panic. This is oily and can cause a slipping hazard and many times can chase the ants elsewhere.

Where did my roaches come from?

I never had roaches before. My house is as clean as a whistle. It can't be a roach. These are just some of the statements people make when they see a roach and they wonder where in the world are they coming from? Roaches can come from just about anywhere. You can bring them into your home on a shopping order when they hitch hike from the grocery store in your bags. They can sneak into your pocket book when you place it down at the bank. One can crawl into your pocket while riding on the bus. As you can see, these "buggers" are sneaky, and if you see them and catch the problem early enough, your success of getting rid of them is greatly increased.
Sometimes you are the unfortunate recipient of your neighbors problems. If your neighbor has a bad roach problem, even if you live in a row home, they can often find their way into your home via cracks and crevices in the foundation or along the joists in the basement.
The neighbor issue is more of a tricky situation because you can't force them to do anything. If this is indeed the case, then being as diligent as possible with a proactive pest control program in your home would be your best bet. Pheromone traps, baits, and insect growth regulators will help keep the levels in your own home down.

I started my pest control business...now what?

So you've been killing bugs long enough and feel confident you can do this yourself. You've started your business. Now what? Advertising your business is important, but being the best asset to your customer is how you will grow. Knowledge and skill is important, but customer service is how you will be remembered. Being on time, respecting your customers property by putting on shoe coverings and remembering not to plop your spray tank down on your customers carpets. A big smile and being genuine is what sets you apart. Listening and hearing what your customers tell you. Remember...this is a big deal to them...ants on the counter might not be that big a deal to us, but to your customer...it is the end of the world. Put yourself in their place and realize that they can sense when you are blowing smoke up their...you get my point. Be all of the above and at the end of your service, slap a cheap magnate with your company name on it on their fridge, asking permission of course...this will keep you name and number visible and ready to refer to that neighbor who calls asking, "Who took care of your ants last week?" Good luck and success.

Pest Control Blog Grows

I've been keeping this pest control blog since 2006 and have attempted to load it up with good information regarding a variety of pest like bed bugs, bees, roaches, mice and everything in between. I am attempting to grow the blog's readership and followers and would appreciate visitors becoming followers of the blog via the new button added on the right hand side middle of the page. I know how exciting this information sounds, because what can be greater than updates about bugs, but it would be a help and it would be appreciated. Thanks to everyone who have followed this pest control blog over the years and I hope to grow it and continue to bring new and refreshing pest control content on a regular basis. Regards. Bill.

Flies in the Winter

Ever notice that you could be sitting in your office or eating breakfast at the table and floating on by you see a fly? Can this be? It's winter time after all. Well unfortunately, flies tend to overwinter in the warmth of the walls of your home or office and on warmer days, they decide to see how things are going out in the world. These flies are a nuisance and can be down right annoying. Most times they are slow and lumbering, so they are easy to swat or suck up with a vacuum hose, but still...they are flies. How can you avoid this mess to begin with. It's hard. Sealing up holes around the home or office and around the flashing of the roof etc. is your best bet, but not always practical, especially if you have a large office building. Chemical treatments can also work, but must be timed right to do any good. For active problems, you can always use fly lights to catch them. Point is, unless you want to shell out the money for a power spray or for someone to do a thorough building seal, you might have to get used to your new found fly friends.

Mice-What You Need To Know

Mice...what you need to know. What is there really to know except that I want to get rid of them and fast? Well, for one thing, they can reproduce like crazy. Look for one mouse to breed up to 60 mice each year. Now multiply 60 times 60 every 2 months, you are looking at mega mice. This is under ideal conditions of course, but even a fraction of this could be devastating. This is why it is very important to aggressively treat for mice at the first signs of them. Good luck and happy hunting.

Trapping Mice Without the Mess

Trapping mice can be one of the best way to get rid of mice because you can physically see your success, you know how many you have caught and out in the trash they go. One problem that was always tough to get around was the placement of snap traps. Mice dropping would be noticed on counter tops or in cabinets and placing snap traps in these areas could be potentially messy and dangerous, reaching for the sugar could result in having your finger snapped. Now there is a product from Kness called the Snap-E Mousetrap cover. It holds 2 snap traps and looks like a sleek vent cover, about a foot long, and can be placed in these areas. The customer never sees the dead mouse and the mess is contained in the Snap-E cover. As always Kness designed them for their snap-e-mouse traps, but any old wooden snap trap fits and works. I like the snap-e because of the ease of setting.

Indian Meal Moths or Mealy Worms

Here is a question I get often. How do you keep mealy worms out of my dry good? Here's the spooky part. They are already there when you buy the product. So if you start to notice moths in the kitchen or dark beetles of worms in your dry goods, you will need to throw the food away unfortunately. It would be a good idea to go through the rest of your dry gods to make sure they were infested via the original infestation, and if anything is found, toss it. If you have active moths, the best thing to do is vacuum them down if possible. Dry goods include; dry milk, baking powder, flour, cereal, oats, rice, pasta, pet foods, bird seeds, spices, and the like. Happy hunting. There are stored product pest monitors and lures, but these are used mostly in commercial establishments.

Flies in the fall and winter inside

What is with these flies that are lumbering around the office or house during the fall and winter months? Most likely they are cluster flies. These flies overwinter in the nooks and crannies of the walls of an office building or house and become a nuisance during a warm day or throughout certain times of the colder months. The best and most time consuming and expensive way to eliminate them is to build them out. Caulk and seal ever hole that can be found. This becomes a problems when you have a multi story office complex or a suite of offices with open ceiling space above the drop ceilings. Power spraying during certain times of the year outside will help knock the numbers down...on the inside you can use traps and there is a product called the cluster buster that is a window sill trap that uses a powder to act as quick sand and trap the fly. Using a vacuum with a hose attachment will suck them down. The fact is...you can try your best to knock the numbers down...but there may always be that one fly who you will be swatting at every once in a while.

Baiting a mouse snap trap.

We had an interesting turn of events in an account that was having a mouse problem. It was in an apartment setting in the kitchens and it was clear that the mice were nesting in the insulation of the small stoves that were set up in the kitchens because there were pieces of the soft insulation on the floor under the stoves. Our tech took this material and hooked it onto the trigger of the snap traps, where there was no visible insulation, he used small pieces of cotton. In two days he returned to find that there was a decent catch rate, for ever five traps he set under and behind the stove, he caught two to three mice in the heaviest of the infested units. Sometimes it is worth using what the mice are targeting for food or nesting material in your quest to catch them with snap traps.

The perfect mouse trap.

What makes a perfect mouse trap? What product would fall into this category? Snap traps, glue boards, electric mouse traps, live traps? The fact is, there is no perfect mouse trap, because if there was, a big chunk of the pest control industries business would be gone. An integrated, multi-faceted approach is your best bet when dealing with these critters. Be a detective. Are the mice darting under the sofa and suddenly disappearing? Maybe the mice are living in your furniture. Lots of warmth and nesting material there. If this is the case, throw everything you can at them. Snaps, glue traps, bait. This approach works for any area you are seeing live mice or droppings. Never put out just a few snap traps. Be generous, this is the theme through out my blog. The more mice traps the better. This has worked for me and will work for you. One thing to always consider is the safety of your family and pets. If you have a curious cat, you may want to put the snaps and glue traps in out of the way areas. Use Bait with caution or use bait that can be treated with vitamin K by your vet. The fact is mice can be controlled and eliminated, you just need to think like the mice and place out plenty of tools to do the job.