Watch Out For Wasps

It is that time of year when the bees and wasps are starting to look for lodging. That small paper wasp nest that formed in the spring time as grown to the size of a small city by now and yikes, they don't want you coming near them. When I say wasps, I mean one of the seven types of common wasps that can be a nuisance. Yellow Jackets, paper wasps, mud dauber wasps, hornets, potter wasps and pollen wasps, are all out making homes. Some are much more hot tempered than others, and they can cause some problems, so it is important to carefully consider whether you want to try to kill them yourself or hire a professional. There are many wasp and hornet sprays on the market that you can buy. Some are good and some are bad. What you don't want to do is buy a bad one, unless you can run like Forest. Some things to think about is how close is the nest and how large is it. If you have to climb a ladder and contort your body into a pretzel to get to a hornets nest the size of a basketball, you may want to call the pros. If it is a nest that is eye level and easy enough to get to, and there aren't a half million wasps living in the nest, then you may want to save the money and try it yourself. Whatever you do...be careful!

My Disclosure Policy

This blog is for entertainment purposes only, a place to get general information. It is not written by an entomologist. It is recommended that you seek the advice of a professional pest control  company before doing any pest control yourself or using any pest control poison or chemicals, as this can be deadly.

This policy is valid from 30 July 2012

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Kill Giant Bees

Have you ever gone out to your garden and notice what looks like sand soil dug out and wondered what was living in there? Then you notice it, the airplane of a bee hovering around the hole. Holy smokes! It's a flying cow. These bees that come out around this time are called cicada killers. A very large wasp that feed on nectar, but their young, the larvae, feed on cicada.
So what do you do? Well these wasps don't really hurt you if you leave them alone, but depending on where the holes are situated, you may need to eliminate them. I think the best approach is either to give a broad spray over the wasp and the holes, or dusting directly into the hole. Just use caution, and if you are nervous, call a pro.

German Roaches

German Roaches, food roaches, dirt roaches, however you call them, one thing is for sure, you don't want them in your home. These roaches do have a stigma attached to them, people often times think they are related to being dirty, this isn't so. Roaches can be brought into a home by an number of ways. Deliveries, shopping orders, visitors, infested neighbor houses can all be ways these roaches can find their way into your home. So what do you do once you see one?

Roaches can be easily treated if they are caught early. Using a good bait can be very effective. There are gel baits, stationary baits stations, powder bait. Baits like maxforce roach gel, advion roach bait stations, or avert roach powder are all very good to place out. One thing you don't want to do is spray pesticides and bait. You will cancel out the effectiveness of the bait.

Other products like victor roach pheromone traps are good to monitor your success. Another good product to use if gentrol. Gentrol acts by not allowing roaches to reproduce.

If you do decide to spray then I would advise reading the label carefully and using a product like Phantom, which is a product that is a non-repellent. You don't want to scatter the roaches, you want them to walk over the chemical without them even knowing it.

Lastly, what I would not advise, is using "bug bombs" or total release aerosols. These products often times drive the roaches deeper into hiding and makes the job to get rid of them even harder.

Become an Exterminator

So you have thought about starting your own pest control business and you are wondering if you have what it takes to be a professional. Well it's not as easy as filing the proper paper work and slapping a magnetic sign to your truck. There is so much that has to be learned in the field like chemicals, insects, local and federal laws, etc. Don't get me wrong, anyone can order the material from the Dept. of Agriculture and study what is nessassary to obtain your license. Once you have your licnese you need to apply for insurance and fill out the paper work for the state and bam, you are in business. I would not reccomend this path though, not unless you are truly dedicated to learning the trade. Maybe apply for a position with a pest control company first and then start the business.
Some things to think about would be do you wnat to specialize in just general pests, termites, wild life control, bed bug work, or all of the above? They are all good revenue streams, but again, it take learning.
Pest control is one of those businesses that is relative easy to start for a one man entreprenuer, but do ti the right way and you will be as successful as you want to be.

Bees and Wasps

Wasps set up shop in the corner of your kitchen window? This is not uncommon. It is this time of year that these wasps are setting up shop for the summer. If you happen to stumble upon one of their nest, it is important not to over react. Take a look at the size and activity of the nest, and then come up with a plan. If there are just a few bees and the nest is accessible enough , you may be able to just knock the nest down with the pressure of a garden hose. Stand far away because the water will not kill the wasps, but the nest will be gone. Also be aware that the wasps that were out looking for food will be returning and not happy to find their home gone. So be aware of agitated wasps.
If the nests are more involved or larger, you may need to use a wasp spray that can attack the nest from afar. If the nest is bigger than you can handle, always call a professional.

Bees In My Fence

All of a sudden start to notice large bees hovering around your fence? This time a year they are most likely carpenter bees. Think of them as a mom and dad bee, mom takes care of the not yet born young and dad hovers outside of the hole the bee lives in and protects his family. Funny thing is the dad bee doesn't sting, the mom does. What the dad will do is intimidate the heck out of you. Go near the area the carpenter bees are living and you will get chased.

How do you get rid of them? Always use caution. There are pest control supply products you can buy online. The treatment is long and tedious. There are often times many many holes. The other option is hire a pro. The last and most expensive is to simple replace that wooden fence or structure with a plastic fence. I think I soon will be getting a plastic fence. I hate these bees!

Stink Bug Traps



Stink bugs have become a real problem over the past few years, they get into the home and are big and ugly and well, stink.  So how do you control these stink bugs? Kill them? Stink bug traps? I guess it's a little of both.

So just what are we talking about here? What is a stink bug and why do we care? Well Stink bugs, or the brown marmorated stink bug, is an import from China/Japan. The bugs are very dangerous and destructive to fruits and veggies. This becomes an economical pest and aside from being a nuisance to us, they are especially hated by farmers.

For the home owner, there are traps that you can buy that go by names like Strubes and Bio Care. There are also companies that specialize in stink bug control. Coopers Pest comes to mind in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area. However you decide to get rid of them one thing is clear. It is important to do so.

Carpenter Bees

Great God's Trousers! The Wood Bees Are Back! That's right, wooden fences, fascia boards and any unpainted outside wood structures beware. The large bees that seem to make a perfect round hole in your fence post,  leaving a pile of saw dust behind,  are back to make your life a living hell. I hate these bees, better known as carpenter bees or more properly, Xylocopa virginica.

These carpenter bees can cause a substantial amount of damage for their size, unlike the other wood destroying pest, termites, these bees do not eat the wood. They burrow or drill into the wood and make a right turn. Now multiply this tunnel by many years and many offspring later, and you can see that the damage can be big.

So the next questions would be just how do you get rid of these rotten stinkin flying wood wreckers, and are they in the carpenter union? Well, you can exclude them or try to mechanically keep them out via painting wood surfaces outside with a heavy latex type paint. Even then sometimes they drill. You can use pesticides, this can be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing, so maybe call a professional, lastly...buy plastic!

No doubt carpenter bees are a pain...and if you catch them during their season you may have some success at getting rid of them over time, but this all depends on the seasons. This year in Pennsylvania they emerged early...in March...due to a very warm winter and an unusually warm month of March. Their 2 seasons are spring and late summer, around August.

So, if you are unlucky enough to have these bees using your home for a breeding ground, you can do what I do, grab a tennis racket and swat the living bageesus out of them, call a pro, or try to do it yourself. Either way, be very careful.

Wood Bees

Can I reiterate my complete dislike of wood bees or as they are officially called, Carpenter Bees. We've had an unusually warm March here on the east coast and a few weekends ago I was painting my wood porch in the back and was bothered all day by these bees. I know they can't really harm you unless you provoke them in an extreme manner, and when I say extreme manner I mean grabbing a female in your hand, but I still hate them. Half my day was spent in wait with a can of wasp freeze trying to shoot them out of the air. One day I will get rid of my wooden fence that surrounds my yard and replace it with a good old fashioned plastic fence. Anyway...guess spring, and carpenter bees, are here.

Here comes the warm weather bugs

Can't get over what a warm and mild winter we had here on the east coast, no snow to speak of and spring like days in February and March. With this nice weather comes the early emergence of our creepy friends. Ants, roaches of all kinds, bees and wasps, beetles and crickets. Now that I think of it, ants have already intruded on our window sills at work, and that was in late February.
Now is the time to start a preventative approach to pest control. The granule baits are a good product to use, but even better, the gel baits are great. Give the ants the sugar they need to start the season off right, even though after that sugary meal they won't be lasting much further into the season. Later in the season they are looking for the protein to build up some fat for the winter, but now they want to run and go wild, and sugar is the way to go. Products like Terro work really well along with many other.
Have a great season!

The Amazing Bed Bug

Bed bug infestations have been called the perfect storm. I find this problem frustrating and fascinating at the same time. It amazes me that the roach is supposed to be able to survive a nuclear bomb, yet we can eliminate a roach infestation with a tube of caulk bait, and a bed bug infestation costs thousands of dollars in either chemical or heat treatments. Here is a quick fact for you, a single female bed bug, after mating just once, can continue to produce eggs the rest of her life without another mating. All that little bugger needs are meals. No wonder they are such an amazing bug.

BED BUGS ON THE OFFICE

It is funny to see how bed bugs have made it back into pop culture. It was only 10 years ago when you would mention bed bugs and almost get laughed at, it was 6 years ago when you had to scramble to find product labeled for these pests and get your facility management and apartment and hotel managers to take the problem seriously, and here we are in 2012 and we are watching bed bug references on the popular television show, The Office.

I say the more media coverage the better, let's get the EPA to tune in and see the hysterics and maybe they will lessen their stance on reviving older chemistry or approving some new products a bit more fast tracked. The Bed Bug epidemic is spreading like wildfire and costing folks their savings and sanity.

Don't let the bed bugs bite..

Click on the fastest way to kill bedbugs for more info.

Termite Season

Once upon a time, there was a couple two, three weeks that was know in the industry as the "swarm season". We are not too far away from this time of year. It was a time of year that would make or break many pest control companies, a time of year when new hires were brought on board and overtime was the norm. The lovely sound of phones ringing off the hook and panic stricken customers wanted someone to come out to inspect "with in the hour"!
Then a product called Termidor was introduced to the market, a termiticide unlike any other. You could treat the termites over here, and get a great kill over there. In fact, entire colonies of termites were eliminated. The swarm season started to become more and more quiet. Soon, the swarm season disappeared. Don't get me wrong, there was still plenty of termite work out there, you just had to look for them in a different way.
Was this lull in swarm activity due to a product or just a glitch in the biological spectrum? Termites have been around for millions of years. Maybe over the centuries there is time when they go into a dormancy for a short time, and then bang, they are back.
We shall see in a month or two...termite season here we come!

Giant Roaches

Aren't roaches supposed to be small and brown? Why all of a sudden am I seeing large, super large, roaches around the house? Then, the unimaginable happens. One of these roaches fly at me.
That's the story I used to get from families as they call in a panic looking for help. Sounds like these families  are experiencing a problem with American Roaches. Aside from treating the home, I would ask if they have done any plumbing work inside or outside the home. Usually these roaches are introduced into a home via a broken sewer pipe or if there is any excavation work close to the home. The other possibility is if a neighbor in a row home or condo has a problem like the one described above, and the bugs are overflowing into your home.
So if you suddenly start to see these large roaches in the home, call your pest professional and check your plumbing.

Seal those holes for Mice

Walking the perimeter of your home can bring many things to your attention to add to your "to do" list. One thing that should be on that list is sealing of any holes around the home. Cables, pipes, and wires entering the home can all be super highways that allow mice to enter if there is the slightest of a gap around them. Also areas like under the entrance and garage doors are areas of concern. If there is too big a gap then your doors might as well be wide open as mice can get under and enter the home at will. Weather stips at the bottom of doors can help. Don't forget to look up as well. Siding or flashing pulling away from the home can be entrance points for rodents and should be closed up if possible. So to sum it all up. Tighten the home up and keep the mice out.

Bed Bugs in Hotels

Bed bugs are prevalent in hotels. They travel just like us, in fact, they travel with us. So what's an unsuspecting vacationer or business travel person to do when checking into their home away from home? First thing is first. Put your bags right into the bathtub, and if you are able to live out of your suit cases for the trip I would recommend just leaving your suit cases in the bathroom. Keep as much as you can in there. What is the reasoning behind this? Bed bugs are opportunistic. They usually hang out on the mattress, or on the foot and head boards in the hotel room . This is the area you want to inspect upon check in before you do anything. Pull the headboard carefully off the wall and look behind it. Any bugs? Pull the covers off and the sheets down to the bare mattress, look for bugs. If nothing is found, you are most likely safe. Now at bedtime, check your body to make sure you have no bite marks, do the same when you wake up. If there is anything new on your body then it is possible that you were bitten by bed bugs. Usually the bites will leave blood marks on your sheets. If you find this you should let the hotel know and get another room. Part two of this series will deal with packing up and going home without taking these creepy crawlers with you.

If You Give A Mouse A ...

The popular children's book, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, demonstrates the popularity of mice. Mice are famous, pop icons like Jerry from Tom and Jerry and the top of the list, Mickey Mouse, dominate our culture and is a clear sign that people take kindly to the character of a mouse. But just how great are mice in the real world? Not so great. Mice are deadly. Major disease, gnawing on wires, and destruction of millions of dollars worth of food, are all examples of the darker side of the pop icons mentioned above. It is important to keep these rodents under control so that the darker side is kept under wraps and we can be allowed to enjoy the more popular figures like Mikey.

Pest Control Info in the USA

I was reflecting on the early days when I first got into the pest control industry and how the pest control information was limited to books like the Purdue correspondence book or of course Mallis. It was important back then to subscribe to pest control magazine to stay on top of the trends and to have a good relationship with your supply vendor to stay on top of the latest and greatest chemicals.
All of that is still important today, it is just funny how the pest information is delivered. Websites, blogs, and even facebook is all the rage. You can get images of pests at will on the Internet and have a web conference with an entomologist in real time. It is just amazing to see how the industry has grown and developed into the cutting edge industry is it today. Proud to be a part of it all.

MICE. NO!

Mice are sneaky little fellows who like to munch in your food pantry and spoil your food at night. The problem is, they don't just nibble on your food, they can also nibble on your furniture, and worse yet, your wires. Mice and rodents in general are the cause of most unsolved fires which makes it worth going after these little guys early and often when you notice their signs.
Start with the clean up. Make sure all your vulnerable items are in plastic jars or other sealed containers. Clean up the crumbs, drain and clean the sink at night as they like a good drink like the rest of us. Take away all their treats and then place out some treats of your own. Mouse bait can be very effective if done properly. Also, some good snap traps baited with peanut butter, cheese, chocolate, and even string or cotton ball pieces work well. Give them a variety, is you start catching mice with a particular bait, then start using more of it. So go catch those mice, be generous with your "treats" and Don't be stingy.

Bed Bug Traps

For the longest time the top bed bug trap out there has been the Climb Up Insect Monitor. This trap I have used for a long time and they work very effectively. Now, FMC has a new product coming out called the VERIFI. This is a trap that lasts up to 90 days and uses a variety of attraction methods. I think this is going to become the new go to device int he future. I've tried to get a hold of one from my distributor and they are still not available as of today, but very soon they should be there. Looking forward to try these out.

Do sonic electronic mouse repellers work?

Sonic mouse repellers have been around for quite a while, and becasue of this fact they must have some repelling effects or else they would have gone curb side years ago. One thing I can say about these rodent repellers is that is you are going to spend money on these, be sure to gett he kind that allows you to change the frequesncy manually from time to time. Mice and rats can get used to the frequency over time, so changing the frequency will help give you the success you are looking for when trying to evict those nasty rodents.

Mice in my sofa?

I get many questions about mice living in furniture. Can they live in my chair or sofa? The short answer is of course. It is like a high class condo for mice. Think about it, all that cushion material for nesting, the yummy crumbs that fall between the seat cushions as you snack and watch television. Having said that, how spooky is that to think that you are relaxing at night with Micky and Minnie inches away!
So what to do if mice moved into your couch? Catch them of course. Build a fortress of glue boards under and in back of the sofa and see what you catch. Remember, if they are in fact nesting in the furniture, you may have to deal with several mice families so the battle may be waged for weeks until all is clear. Happy Hunting!

Snow Bugs

We got an early snow storm this year int he Northeast and it got me thinking about snow bugs. Is there such a thing? I looked around and it looks as if there is a snow flea that you can see hopping about on melting snow. These "snow bugs" are not really true flea, but a member of the spring tail family. Although I have never been called out in the past to exterminate snow fleas, I thought it would be interested to see if there were any bugs out there that might cause an Eskimo to pick up the phone.

Are Roaches Coming From My Neighbor's House?

Are the roaches I am seeing possibly coming from my neighbor's house? This is a question you hear often, and the answer is yes, it is possible. Roach problems like this between neighbors often happen more in row home or apartment and condo situations. With the close proximity of a row home and sometimes with the common joist set up, or in the case of apartments where pipes and wires are all common, it is the perfect highway set up for roaches to travel back and forth.
If you are faced with this problem it is best to team up with your neighbor, swallow your pride, and set up pest control services for all the homes affected.
Once thing you don't want to do is set off "bug foggers" in your home. This will only spread roaches back and forth for sure.

Bed Bugs-Fastest Way To Kill Them.

If you are unlucky enough to have bed bugs, lucky enough to live in a single home, and wealthy enough to afford it, then fumigation is the fasted way to kill bed bugs 100 percent!
You can always fumigate the contents of your home if you live in a row home or apartment complex, but you still need to deal with the bugs that are embedded in home itself. tenting the entire home and having a bed bug expert pump gas into that tent, now you are talking.

The next best technique out there is heat treatments or thermal remediation for bed bugs. This is where a bed bug control company will come in and heat up your home, apartment, or dorm to about 130 degrees for hours and hours.

Then there are all the others. Chemicals, traps, monitors, mechanical means, are all options for the control of bed bugs. Did I just say control? Not elimination? Yes I did and unless you find a thorough pest control technician to do the proper job with the proper follow ups, then you will only get control at best. Chemical treatments are tough because of bed bug resistance and the fact that the bugs can be living in just about any crack or crevice, any pants pocket, and match book, any school bag, any hollow curtain rod, any screw head, any where.

So one two three would follow the above recommendations for the fastest way to kill bed bugs.

Repel mice and rats

Want to repel mice and rats? Stop them from running along pipes, duct work or other runways? Well now there is a new product out by a company called Bird Barrier of all people. It is called Rat Out Gel. This product comes in a tube of caulk and smells like Sunday dinner. A strong garlic smell comes with the rodent repellent, so a little goes a lot. This product is yet to have field results from what I hear. I sat in on a seminar given by one of their sales reps and it sounds like it can be used in an integrated program. Something to consider.

College and Bed Bugs Visit Home

In the old days when it was time to go home for Thanksgiving you'd toss some cloths in a bag and off you'd go. Maybe you were that student who saved all the dirty cloths for mom to wash at home and came back with bags and bags of cloths.
These days things are different. Bed bugs are out there. You have to think and act differently. If you want to limit the risk of bringing bed bugs home with you on a visit you have to limit what you bring home. Try to make things fit in one bag. A large duffel bag is the best. Take that bag and all the cloths you are taking home and throw them all in a large laundry mat style dryer on high heat for about 45 minutes. Be sure to put a pair of sneakers in as well. Bed Bugs love to hid in sneakers. Once this is done then you have a better chance of not bringing any bed bugs home. This is about the only way to hopefully not infest your mom and dad's house in these days and times.

Slow Big Flies

This is the time of year moving forward that you start to notice a fly that is big and slow. These flies are so slow you can almost go up and pick them off the wall. These flies are called cluster flies. They linger on the sunny side of your home or building and when the weather gets cold they find whatever crack or crevice they can find and come inside.
So what do you do when they are inside. These ugly flies are best controlled with a vacuum hose. This is more environmentally friendly than sprays.

Simple Bed Bug Monitor

College can be exciting and fun, but it can also be an opportunity to get bed bugs. Holiday breaks like Thanksgiving and Christmas when college students return home can be a time when these bed bugs can transport home with you and infest your mom and dad's home. So how can you tell if you have bed bugs in your dorm or apartment complex?

One simple and cheap monitor to use is a called a Climb Up Interceptor. It looks like a cup that you place under your bed legs and furniture legs. Bed Bugs will gravitate towards your bed and get trapped in the cups. If you are unfortunate enough to see bed bugs trapped in these traps, then you know for sure you have a problem. Bring this problem to the attention of your school and let your parents know. The next post will deal with how to travel to a fro without exposing others to bed bugs.

What's working for bed bugs

To wipe bed bugs off the face of the earth is the dream of most folks whose lives have been touched by the scourge. A dream more than a reality unfortunately. One thing that seems to be working is heat. There are good and bad reviews and good and bad companies. The best thing to do is research sites like Angie's List for pest control companies that use thermal remediation or even google will have reviews to look at. Heat is expensive, but effective if used in conjunction with some other treatments like dusting. So research and do yourself another favor...listen to and cooperate with the pest control company you do hire.

Get Rid Of Mice

Getting rid of mice can be easier said than done. Yes they are curious creatures, but they also multiply like crazy, so the odds are against you. Mice can live almost anywhere, nesting in your sofa or other furniture, behind walls, under sinks, anywhere they can gather some soft material to nest. Hmm...soft material. Yes, , mice like to gather material to nest with. Hint number one. Get some cotton balls and attach it to the trigger of a snap trap, maybe drip some peanut oil on the cotton ball to make it even more interesting to our curious friends, and let them snoop their way to their doom.
Baits can also be effective, though in some situation dangerous, and you also have to deal with the dead mouse smell and possibly flies.
Lastly, whatever method you decide to go with, be sure to use lots and lots of them. Don't skim and don't be cheap. Happy hunting.

Where you get bed bugs

Yard sales, thrift stores, buses, trains, planes, hotels, motels, cruise ships, office buildings, schools, day cares, restaurants, laundry mats, dry cleaners, super market, movie theater, taxi cabs, hospitals, doctors offices, air ports, train depots, moving trucks, mattress delivery trucks, furniture delivery trucks, rental stores, dorm rooms, colleges, high schools, homes, apartment buildings, EVERYWHERE!

You can pick up bed bugs anywhere, it is time to come up with a plan and accept the fact that it is not IF you get bed bugs, but WHEN.

Daddy Long Legs

On this fathers day I thought I'd write a quick post on "daddy" pests and the only one I could come up with was the daddy longs legs spider. How fair is this? The females have the queen bee, the lady bug, the black widow has her story, but the guys...not so much. If anyone out there has any ideas or stories post the in the comments, and have a happy Father's Day!

Green Beetles

Green beetles are no doubt pests that people hate to deal with, and the worst thing you can do is not deal with it. The reason for this is because these green beetles are most likely Japanese beetles which are highly destructive plant and turf pests.

These beetles came to America for vacation at the Jersey Shore one day and decided to stay way back in the early 1900's. They have grown ever since, being sighted in more than 22 states across the county.

These Japanese beetles are extremely destructive in both their adult and larvae form, which is why it is so important to get them and keep them under control. Easier said than done sometimes. So just how do you accomplish this?

Beetle traps are a good method of trapping the green beetles in their adult form. If you place out the trap and it is filled up in one day, you have a problem, and should search for the grub version in you lawns. If you put the beetle trap up and only a few are caught with in a week then you don't have much to work about.

So you got a full trap? Now it is time to go grub hunting. Check for dead spots in you grass. Check around the edges of the dead spots by digging into the soil. Dig out a 8 by 8 by 3 inch sample of turf and look in the roots for grubs. A pain in the butt? Yes. You can hire a specialized pest control company to do this as well. You can treat for grubs with a product like Merit.

Some other methods include using fungi or parasites to get to them. Nematodes like
Steinernema glaseri and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora work the best, now say that ten times fast.

To sum it all up, these green beetles are a pain in the butt to kill and extremely damaging to the environment. It is possible to control yourself, but you may also want to consider bring in a professional.

Roaches

I used to get many calls about roaches all of a sudden showing up in a clients kitchen. They never had roaches in the past and their home is clean. So where do they come from? Most of the time they come in on a delivery or shopping order, believe it or not, roaches also live in super markets. As clean of a place as the store might be, it is almost impossible to keep roaches out of a building that is constantly getting deliveries like a super market. So when you bring home a shopping order, chances are you may bring home a bug or two that you don't want.

Another way you may suddenly get roaches is if you have a guest visit your home who may have roaches. Roaches can hitch hike in purses, pockets, shoes, and once they are in they make themselves at home.

Thankfully roaches are easy enough to get rid of, especially if you catch the problem early. Call a professional and relax.

Carpenter Bees

Wood bees, carpenter bees, big bees. No matter how you call them, they are annoying and scary. These bees tend to drill into the wood to lay eggs while the male bee hovers around the hole intimidating anything that comes close. I remember once while I was trimming some trees near my wooden fence a carpenter bee hovering right next to my head, when I turned around there it was scaring the crap out of me. I was on a mission at that point. I bought some wasp spray and stalked these bees, shooting them out of the air. I killed about ten bees. The problem is, the female bees survive in the hole, unless you catch them as they come back from getting food. My next step will be to wait for the season to be over, close to early summer, and spray inside the holes and pack with wood putty. This will help to keep them from coming back next year. I'm not expecting to never see them again, but hopefully it will be less.

Kill Ants Fast

Easier said than done sometimes, killing ants fast is a tough thing to do once they have found their way into the home. If you are faced with a swarm of ants on your counter tops or anywhere in the home it is best to look around and be sure that you remove anything that will attract the ants. Wipe up any spills, put away any food or drink, sweep up any crumbs. Now it is time for the one two punch. Using bait of the gel and station variety is a good way to start. It won't be a fast solution, but what we want to do if get some food back to the nest to knock the population down . Gel bait on wax paper will keep the mess down, and the bait stations often times have a different bait that is protein based and depending on what time of year it is it is important to offer the ants both. After a few days of baiting, you may want to look for a good residual spray to take care of any stragglers. Some folks don't like to use chemicals and will only bait, this is ok too, but be sure to keep the bait fresh and eventually the ants will die off. If you do use a chemical spray, be sure to read the label and follow the directions.

One other technique is to have a walk around the outside to see if you can see any trails of ants going into a crack or crevice of the home along the perimeter. If you find this, use the gel bait and place along or right in the trail and also try to find a good granule bait to sprinkle near the trail. After a few days of baiting, again, use the spray to spray the protect the perimeter.

This may sound like too much work or a little complicated to get rid of ants, if this is the case don't forget there is always your local pest control company who is willing to help.

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.

EPA Bed Bug Summit 2011

Next Tuesday is the second Bed Bug Summit being offered by the US Environmental Protection Agency in Washington DC. I plan to be there, pending snow and ice predicted for my area those days. I attended the last summit in 2009 and found it to be extremely interesting, and as the months and years went by and the ideas that were born at this summit grew, productive. The last Summit was about ideas, a national brainstorming if you will, but this one I hope is a Summit about solutions. We have protocol and procedure in place. We know about the chemical resistance and crazy genes these bugs have. We know about the research and we know about the turmoil these bugs are bringing to cities across the country. Now it is time for action. The government needs to understand we need solutions. We need a relaxing of the rules if you will to introduce effective chemicals to the market. We need research dollars. We need answers.
We shall see....we shall see.

Flies in the Winter Time?

Were you ever sitting at your dinner table or maybe watching the evening news when something catches the corner of your eye and you look to see a fly hovering about? Did I mention it was winter time? Believe it or not, it is not that uncommon for flies to emerge during warm days in the winter and come out to cause you some winter time stress, because we all know that they usually emerge when guests are over or you are preparing dinner, and what's more disgusting for either of those two events then some big lumbering flies hanging about?

The culprit in this winter time mystery is most likely a cluster fly. These buggers breed in earth worms and once seen inside the house, are most likely entering from a hole or gap in the house and have already set up shop in your cozy abode. So what do you do to get rid of them you ask? Vacuum. If you are seeing them in the winter, the best approach to get rid of your fly problem is to use a vacuum with a hose attachment and suck them away. Once it gets warmer outside, have a look around your windows and roof line and where the pipes enter the building to see if there are any gaps that these flies can get in and seal them up.

Cluster flies are not doubt an annoyance, but with a little diligence and caulk, you can start the control process with the ultimate result of eliminating from your structure. Easier said than done!

Head Lice

So you open your child's folder and in it your find that letter that every parent hates to see. Head Lice have been found in your child's class. OMG. We'll don't panic. Talk to your child and let him or her know not to share hats or play hair dresser with the other children and check your child's hair daily until the panic passes. Most times the school nurse will find the problem in time and the child will be treated at home and all is ok sooner than later. There is alot of info on the web to study up on lice and a boat load of products should your child get the lice. The treatment at home can be daunting, but not as bad as people think. So the phrase of the day is, Be vigilant.

Moving with Bed Bugs

So your fed up and decided to move out and away from your bed bug infested apartment, dorm room or home. The question is how do you move and not bring the bed bugs with you? The ones hiding in your clock radio or your clothing or your book bag and furniture. All you are doing is moving the bed bugs into a new home. Unless...

What we need is a large scale moving system where moving trucks are fitted with commercial heaters and insulated to hold heat in. The process would be simple. Move out, load the truck up, and then put the heaters on for about 5 hours. Move into your new home with a bunch of baked, and yes dead, bedbug. There would need to be consideration given to how much stuff you have and how packed the truck is that would contribute to bake times, but it is worth a second thought.

Another way is to tent that truck and fumigate the items. It would cost you about five hundred dollars, give or take, and should kill off any hitch hiking buggers. The drawback is you need to fume for 24 hours and vent. This contributes to a longer moving process.

Any one else with some thoughts?

Facts about Mice In Your Home

Mice are commensal rodents which means, " Living with humans". The problem is, we don't want them to be commensal, we want them outside. This is why we spend over one hundred and twenty million dollars a year on rodent control in the United States.
Once in the home, mice set up shop close to food. This usually means your kitchen is transformed to a Hilton Hotel over night. Mice will only travel about 10 to 25 feet from their home, which is why they can be found mostly in the kitchen. They will also snuggle up to a room, such as the bed room, if you are a bed snacker. Mice are also very active, if they find a snack, they will travel back and forth to this snack about 20 times a night. Mice are terrific at gnawing things and they also like to make a mess with their droppings. It is important to act quickly if you suspect a mouse problem in the home as they can reproduce e quickly and a few mice can grow to large numbers fairly fast. If there is one fact to remember out of all the facts about mice and that is they need to be eliminated from your home once they are found. Happy hunting!

Find The Best Bed Bug Elimination Company.

Finding the best company out there to eliminate your bed bug problem will take some work on your part. The problem is that there are a million pest control companies out there, but only a handful who really take bed bug control to a new level. Companies like Cooper Pest Control in the Northeast is a perfect example of a company who takes bed bug control to a new level, in fact, they wrote the book on it. The book is appropriately entitled, "The Bed Bug Handbook". Coopers also has a fantastic website dedicated to bed bugs and their control called Bed Bug Central. This website gives advice to home owners and offers products for sale to help the consumer deal with this or protect yourself against this growing problem.
Other companies like A3 Pest control, Stern Environmental, and others seemed to have understood the problem early and geared up to tackle the problem head on.
Aside from research online, you will want to ask for referrals and look on sites like Angie's List and the Better Business Bureau to be sure there are no bad marks against the company.
Be leery of companies who charge a little but promise a lot. Bed bug control is expensive, hard, and disruptive work for both the bed bug control company and the home owner.
So as you can see, shopping for a bed bug control company can be just as tedious and stressful as shopping for a car or home, put as much work into it as you would shopping for big ticket items like that and you should be fine.

Mice In The Ceiling

Laying in bed and hearing the pitter patter of little feet above? It could be mice in the ceiling who have made their home int he attic. Treating the attic for mice can be tricky. Mostly because of the insulation that may be in between joists that the mice are scurrying under. You should bring out all the guns to rid your attic of the mice. Snap traps, glue boards, and bait should be used. Be prepared to deal with the smell of dead mice if they die in areas that your are unable to retrieve them from. Another important safety topic is the length of time the mice have been up there. If you encounter a high amount of mouse droppings then stop the mouse catching effort and concentrate on safely cleaning this up. This may require a professional as mouse droppings can be very dangerous, especially in high amounts. Happy hunting.

Fall is a time to reflect...

a quaff swims like a trash can, and with the summer coming to an end, it is time to reflect back on the season we had. At least in my area, it was either very rainy or very dry. Bad for the landscapers, but good for pest control. Rain stirs the occasional invaders up and the dry spells get certain critters looking for some liquid nourishment. Fall also reminds me of the cold season coming up and the rodents that will be on their way to find a warm spot to spend the cold months in. This is again, bad for the landscapers and good for the pest control businesses. Not to say we won't be busy with bed bugs, but it doesn't hurt to have a pest or two to fall back on.

Rodents Can Cause Fire

We spend a bunch of time on how to kill mice and rats and what they are and where they hide. This is all important stuff, especially on a blog dedicated to pest control information, but one thing that I think should be said and the public may not be too aware of it, mice and rats are fire bugs. Pest control professionals know that they are, I've seen this countless times in attics and basements where the insulation around wires have been gnawed on or crewed through all together, and this is why it is so important to keep mice and rats out and trap them if they are inside. If you have a pest control company, make it the first thing you say during a rodent inspection. Inform the client and recommend they get a good electrician in to repair or replace the wires that have been gnawed on. An ounce of prevention can go a long long way.

Dorm Room Bed Bugs Means Back To School

The right of passage for many a college freshman is the being on your own in a dorm or apartment. I must now scare you, be afraid, be very afraid. Dorm room bed bug problems are becoming as prevalent on college campuses as the very degrees they offer. If you are a freshman going into your new dorm room or if you are a senior returning to the dorm or apartment, the first thing you should do is check your bed and other furniture before you move anything in. If mom and dad have some dough, then I would ask them to hire a bed bug dog to inspect the dorm room or apartment. This will benefit mom and dad when it is time to come home for the holidays, I am sure they don't want any bed bugs hitch hiking home with you. I would invest in some climb up interceptors and a good mattress and box spring cover to help keep the bed bugs off the beds. This is an epidemic and colleges around the world are battling the problem head on. Don't rely on the college or the college's pest control vendor, rely on yourself. Be your own advocate and research good bed bug blogs like The Bed Bug Resource for insight. Sleep tight.
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Big Roach

My sister called me freaking out because she found an American roach in her bathroom and now my nephew will not use the bathroom. American roaches can be intimidating and down right scary, but they don't always mean you have to panic right away. These large roaches are known in the city as sewer roaches, many times they appear when there is street work being done or pipes out int he street are being replaced. They can also appear in the home if there is a broken sewer line that you may be unaware of. In the latter case, these big roaches can be a blessing in disguise, alerting you to a much larger problem.

So having said all that, how do you get rid of them? Call in your local bug guy or gal and have a good residual put down, place some sticky monitors, and some granule baygon or niban bait. If the problem persists, call you plumber.

Wasp and Bee Season

Coming into August and September and the same old insanity begins. The Bees and Wasps go crazy. Good luck sitting outside with a can of soda or having a picnic in peace. So what can you do? First thing you can do is take a stroll around you home to see if you can identify any wasp nests that are in the yard or around the property, carefully! Look at window shutters from afar, notice any buzzing brutes flying in and out from under them? Look around fences and along roof flashing. Anywhere there is constant bee activity can mean a nest. As I have said int he past, be extra careful if you are going to spray these nests down yourself. Hiring a professional is the safest bet, it will cost a few dollars as bee work is expensive, but you will save yourself a potential trip tot he hospital. Getting rid of nests close to your home won't eliminate the pests bothering you outside while partying at the summer Bar-B-Que, but it will help alleviate them some and keep your guest safer.

Ground Bees and Wasps

Tis the season for cicada killers, the large wasp that looks as if you can saddle and ride it into town. Cicada killers over winter int he soil and emerge around this time of year, late June or early July. These ground nesting bees are no doubt intimidating and if you are unfortunate enough to have many of these bees infesting one area you may want to consider calling in the pros to treat the area. They may spray the wasps directly or they may dust the holes with an insecticide dust. If there are only a few wasps and they are not in the way, then I would leave them alone, maybe they will help limit that crazy noise the cicada makes all summer, although, after this years world cup and the horns that accompanied it, we may be used to crazy sounds.

Univar Grows Again

The pest control distributor extraordinaire has grown again with the acquisition of Southern Mill Creek distribution. This is a perfect pairing for Univar who will be able to expand in some of Southern Mill Creeks markets and bring Univar's great product line and service to these areas. One of the cool perks that Univar will bring to it's new customers is their website Pestweb, which offers a wealth of information.

The distribution market seems to be, now with this acquisition, shrinking, with some of the bigger distributors being Residex and Univar. One thing I have to say about all these pest control distributors and the industry in general is that it is a tight nit community and a pleasure to belong. Good luck.

Japanese Beetle Season

We are coming up on the season of the Japanese beetle. These little metallic buggers can cause some damage to plants and the roots in the soil where their grubs grow. As always, a flying insect is the most difficult to control or eliminate, treating the plants and flowers with a chemical will help to protect these favorites of the Japanese Beetle, and there are also Japanese beetle traps. I have heard though, that these traps can cause more problems by attracting more beetles than they trap. It is up to the consumer whether or not they want to buy traps to try to catch them, but you can hire a pest control company with plant and ornamental categories on their license to spray these items down.

Watch out for Mosquitoes

It's that time of year again and being proactive in your mosquito control is essential. With all the rain we get, it is important to walk around your home and look for any free standing water that can be collecting and possibly breeding mosquitoes. Places like buckets, old flower pots, and even your gutters can be breeding grounds. By eliminating these areas of concern you can help in keeping the population down. There are some effective products on the market now like mosquito traps that are becoming more affordable, also some better over the counter products to consider. Remember that being vigilant in keeping the breeding grounds few and far between will also help in your efforts of having a scratch free summer.

JP McHale Pest Management

Was introduced to a new blog that is kept by a company called JP McHale Pest Management. The companies history is one that is common in the industry and the success of the company can be attributed to the owner realizing what a great industry this is and what potential is in pest control. It ultimately became a true family business and the story can be read here.
JP McHale serves the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut areas. Check out the blog and if you are looking for a pest management company in the above areas...give' em a call!

Get rid of ground nesting bees

Ground nesting bees can be a dangerous opponent in that on a hot sunny day, while mowing your lawn, a foe can be getting ready to ambush you. I am having a problem at my own house with bumble bees who have taken up residence in a hole in the ground. The hole is probably an evacuated mouse or mole hole, but it has found new life with these ground nesting bees. My way to take care of this was to dust this hole with insecticide dust. Doing any kind of close work with bees should be done at night and using a flash light with red cellophane wrapped around it. Bees can't see red and this will help you to find the hole and treat it. Honestly, I would recommend hiring a professional for bee work of any kind as they can be nasty and aggressive. If you decide to do it yourself, pest control product can be found on the web at any DIY pest control products website. Be careful...observe your foe first looking for flight patterns. Never get in the way of a bees flight pattern. Never underestimate a bee and his hundred or more friends.

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.

Scabies and Lice Information

Although Scabies and Lice are not really a pest control issue, alot of times a pest control person will get questions or be sought out for advice. The issue is most times resolved very easily through your family doctor who will prescribe a cream or shampoo to apply. There are, however, some things that must be done on the side of the individual to protect him or her self and their family members. The bed where the infected person sleeps should be vacuumed and all the bedding stripped and laundered. I would suggest tossing the pillow and buying new. Vacuum sofas and be sure to launder hats and clothing that the person wears regularly. There are sprays that you can get, but if you are diligent with your cleaning and using the products your doctor suggests you should be fine.

Bait for Mice

The cool weather of fall and winter will be bringing mice inside to infest homes across the country. Some tips to discuss before baiting is exclusion. Most pest control experts preach this and it is most important in keeping the mice out. Exclusion in easy, for the most part, needing only a good pair of eyes and some steel wool or copper mesh and caulk. Start at one point of your home and look from the bottom up along the outside wall perimeter. Any holes or gaps visible? Stuff and seal. Wires or pipes entering the home, caulk around them, gaps under the doors or garage doors? You may have to install a weather strip.

So we are all sealed up, but a mouse scooted by as you were bringing groceries into your house and now the infestation has begun. Using caution if there are children or pets, I would use snap traps for this segment since we are discussing bait. My philosophy is mix it up alittle. The old stand by peanut butter is great, but mice love candy, chocolate, bread, meat, bacon. Use all of the above and use them sparingly. Just a smear of peanut butter, or a smear of chocolate. This will make them work at getting that first taste which will be their last.
Another idea is to use nesting material, tie a small piece of cotton of the trigger, let them grab at it and snap! Another important thing to do is not be stingy when placing traps out. Use a bunch to increase your chances of a catch. Good luck.

Wasp alert

Late summer and early fall are times when bees and wasps seem to be more active, often times crashing picnics and outside parties. Using common sense like keeping sweets and sugars covered and keeping soda cans covered will help to keep these buggers away, but they have a keen sense and a sweet tooth. Using caution around wasps and bees during this time of year is important also as it seems they are more aggressive this time a year. If you are brave enough to try to go on the offensive I would say use a wasp spray that shoots at least up to twenty feet away, but with bees and wasps, I recommend hiring a professional.It's not worth the potential sting.

Get Rid Of Ground Nesting Bees

When dealing with ground nesting bees you want to determine what kind of bee you are dealing with and how to control that kind of be; and if it is worth the risk. The following is a list of some common ground nesting bees:

1. CICADA KILLER: This is a large and robust looking wasp that can grow as large as 1 and 5/8 inches long! Quite an intimidating looking wasp, but generally they are content with going about their business of digging holes in your dirt leaving holes with sandy looking dirt around the outside of that hole and stuffing unsuspecting cicadas in that hole to feed their young. Females can sting, but rarely do. They have been known to get caught in clothing or disturbed by lawn equipment and nothing happened except maybe scaring the jeepers out of the human. The males will aggressively defend their female, but they do so by intimidation, they can not sting. If these ground nesting wasps are found and not bothering you, I would say leave them alone. If they are bothering or or are in great number, then a chemical spray will be necessary. Pest control companies can power spray the area for you or you can give it a shot yourself with a pump sprayer from your local home store. Be careful, read the label, and use caution. Like I said, the females can sting and for a wasp that is over an inch long, you can imagine what that sting must feel like!
2. YELLOW JACKETS: These wasps usually take over a vacated rodent burrow in your lawn and often times you discover these nests by mistake wile mowing the lawn or while your kids are playing outside. Yellow jackets can sting repeatedly and control of them should be left to a professional. Dusting the entrance hole with a good insect dust is your best bet for elimination as they will pick this dust up on themselves as they enter and exit the hole, bringing the dust into the nest and infecting the rest of the wasps. They are aggressive and dangerous.
3. DIGGER OR THREADWAISTED WASPS: These wasps are found hovering about an inch off of your lawn and there may be many of them. They appear and stay all day and usually are gone by evening. These wasps are not aggressive as people have been know to walk right through these wasps with no problem. They can sting but rarely do. Control can be accomplished by spraying while the wasps are active via a power spray that a professional can provide.
4. BUMBLE BEES: Another bee that takes over vacated ground space from rodents or other holes in the ground. Nests can be detected by the males hovering around the entrance to the nest, but often times this is not the way they are found unfortunately, it is more like you stumble upon a bumble. These are aggressive bees and can inflict painful stings. If they are found, but not in a area of danger for you or your family, it is best to leave them be, as they are useful pollinators.

This is a shot list of some of the more common ground nesting bees and wasps that you may encounter during your summertime. As I always say when dealing with bees or wasps, it is best to leave their control to the professionals. If you do decide to tackle a problem on your own be sure to do so with a partner who watches from a distance and who can call for help in the event that things get dangerous.

Small Flies

Are you experiencing small flies at home? All of a sudden it seems like you are being invaded by gnats? The first thing you have to determine is what kind of flies they are. For a home owner it is best to do this by process of elimination. You can rule one kind of fly out by looking closely at the eyes, if they are red then they could be fruit flies, problem is not all fruit flies have red eyes. Look for any fruit, fruit juice, apple skin peels, etc that may have fallen or spilled. Look in your trash can for spills that may have leaked in between the trash bag and the can, or look on top of the trash can lid for splashes. Fruit flies can breed in the littlest of spills or pieces of fruit. The other kind of flies you could have would be drain flies. Unfortunately they can be more difficult to get rid of. They often breed from the slime that forms on the inside walls of your drain pipes. They can come from the kitchen or bathroom drains. I suggest getting some double sided tape and lining some foam drinking cups with them, put them over all your drains before bed and then look at them in the morning for any that are caught. If you caught some then that is your problem drain. Enzymes for the drain can help to get rid of the slime or a good still drain brush. If you found nothing then they could be coming from a broken soil pipe in the basement. A plumber can research this for you with a camera scope. Hope that this is not your source as it is a very expensive fix. The last possible source of your small flies could be soggy plants. Fungus gnats can come from your indoor plants that you may be over watering. Use the same double sided tape or glue trap and place near or inside the dirt of the plant.
All of the flies above can be fixed by repairing or getting rid of the source. Spraying is only a very temporary fix of a fix at all. Cleaning up the source would be your absolute best bet. The drain enzymes mentioned above can be found online or possibly at your home store. DF 5000, drain gel, and nulliFly are good options for this fix.

Wild Life Control

The control of various wildlife issues around the country is a tough business for pest control operators, especially for one man operations. When catching raccoons, ground hogs, squirrels and the such, a pest control person needs to be available to come back to the live trap daily to check it, which takes a ton of extra time and often makes the cost very expensive to the consumer. If you are careful and do some research online, you can almost catch whatever wildlife that is bothering you yourself with a live trap bought at a home center. Some things to consider is the fact that some wildlife may have rabies, and you also need to consider if you will be brave enough to release it back into the wild, far away from your home of course. This option presents a double edged sword. Do you pay a high cost for wild life control? Do you have the knowledge to tell if an animal is presenting a rabid behavior, and if so, are you prepared to put the animal down? These are legitimate questions that need to be answered before you become a trapper, so weigh your options and if need be, spend the money.

Ant trail tracker

One problem I find when dealing with ants is the fact that they seem to just appear on your kitchen counter top or the ants appear in the bathroom, and finding their source becomes a problem. One method I use is sprinkling some advance ant bait granule or a little sugar and watch where the ant takes the bait to. This can help with more effective bait placements or the use of a good crack and crevice treatment.

Japanese Beetle traps and controls

How do you catch Japanese Beetles or get rid of them? It's not as easy as placing out Japanese beetle traps around the yard, it takes an integrated approach and this can only help in control at best. Treating the grubs is your best method, there are several chemical controls for this approach and you can also investigate nematodes that are available commercially to attach the grubs. As with any insect or bug, using an integrated approach is the best way to handle an infestation. Research is the key. Traps are not bad as a one pronged approach, but be sure to use other methods. Happy Hunting.

Mosquito Safety

Mosquito safety is an important thing these days with west nile virus and other mosquito born illnesses and disease ever present. Using repellents with DEET and some of the more advanced traps out there are wise choices if spending time outside or in your back yard. You can help keep mosquitoes at bay by being diligent in making sure that there is no free standing or stagnant water around your property and if you know of abandoned houses that might have old pools it is best to report that problem to your local vector control agency.

Get rid of Ants on The Counter

Ants crawling around in your kitchen? Want to get rid of them in a hurry? My advice would be to be ready for a battle. Don't grab for a can of Raid, but rather, a can of the new "Phantom" in a can would be my suggestion. Phantom is a powerful tool in the battle of the bug. My next word of advice would be to pick up some dual choice ant bait stations and place them in the areas you were noticing the ants in the first place. Use enough bait stations for them, don't be stingy. As always...read the label and use caution when using any kind of chemical product. Good luck with the ant battle.

Water Bugs and Shads and how to control them.

The oriental roach goes by a couple of different aliases. The water bug, the shad, the black beetle to name a few. They can be scary to stumble upon, in the dark, scurrying around the floor. Some people experience them crawling up the walls of neighborhoods or along the pavements. No doubt they are creepy. So how do we get rid of them. IN the good old days, there was a great product called Baygon Bait, which recently was re-released under the same name. This was a granule bait that pest controllers would sprinkle under water heaters or corners of the basements, or in cracks and crevices of the outside areas they are being seen. The next day would be like a mass grave. Dead shads all over. The control is pretty much the same these days. The scatter baits seems to be the best to control these roaches, another bait is called niban bait. This too is a granule that works well. A good inside perimeter spray also will help control the roaches, since their tendencies seem to be to crawl along the floors, although they will cluster on walls and in between joists as well. Like all insect control you want to be careful and safe and thorough. Good luck and happy hunting.