Some of today’s tragic headlines in the pest control industry are as follows:

Pest control worker stole Rays championship ring.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/st-petersburg-police-pest-control-worker-stole-rays-championship-ring/1111162

Pest control worker arrested for allegedly stealing Rays American League Championship ring

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_south_pinellas/st_petersburg/pest-control-worker-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-rays-american-league-championship-ring

Unfortunately this looks pretty grim for the pest control industry and the company that hired this individual.

A couple of years ago an owner in the pool business related a sad story about an employee of his.  A small family owned pool service was nearly shattered by one bad hire.  The employee was a relative. It is sad to say, but just because one is family doesn’t make them trustworthy.  His advice, “DO BACKGROUND CHECKS ON EVERYONE.”

Since that time Bulwark has implemented background checks on all new hires.  It’s not just a matter of security for the company, but these individuals are walking into people’s homes.  Your customer’s safety is at risk.  Perhaps too often in pest control people only consider the “How safe is your pest control product?”, but the news of a hired pest control tech stealing isn’t a question of pesticides being safe, but of property, family, and company being safe. Pest Control Operators have the responsibility to thoroughly hire and train employees. It’s worthy the cost.

The story goes on to say that he lost his previous pest control job where he was accused of stealing. We are well aware that as a small family pest control business time is valuable.  But skimping on hire techniques and through background checks that do cost money, is worth the extra effort.

As a point of discussion we are curious how many other pest control companies are taking this one step further and doing drug tests and ongoing “random” drug tests?  Do you feel drug tests should be allowed? As a consumer would you feel better knowing your pest control guy is drug free?

Thanks for contributing.

Green pest control is on a lot of minds these days. We just happened to find a Seattle based based exterminator that promotes their Green name, GREEN CHOICE PEST CONTROL. They are also a family based service that has good reviews from their happy customers. So we decided to get to know them a little better.

Another family pest control service, Small enough to care, Big enough to do it right!

“How is pest control in Seattle and Portland different?”

Bill: The Pacific Northwest is a challenging place to conduct pest control services. Consistent rain water runoff and the constant proximity to waterways makes pest control more challenging than it might be in other dryer climates. Coupled with the diverse ecosystem is a diverse population demo graph that is sometimes at odds with its own values.

Thomas: “Yes it’s tough to please everyone. People want to feel safe in their homes and they often have fears of pesticides whether warranted or not. Then they are conflicted on what’s worse, pesticide or spider bite. I assume that is why Green Choice Pest Control goes with a low impact service?

Bill: The culture of the Northwest is extremely ecologically conscious. That being said, this same population often wants all pests killed at their residence, while minimizing or even eliminating any secondary effects on surrounding habitats. This places pest control companies, especially those with ecological sustainability in mind, in the awkward position of sometimes saying no; No to certain products, and no to certain procedures. “Yes, we can kill your rodents, no we will not use gas within your home to do so.”, for example. Pest Control in Portland and Seattle is also extremely seasonal in its apparent active pest months. Carpenter ants are readily seen during our short summers, and raise the alarm of any homeowner. During our cool, wet months, however, they are usually not seen, and therefore not considered an issue by most people. This is despite the fact that they may be just as active reducing your two by four studs into dust while you are comfortably watching television.

Thomas: “So what you can’t see and don’t know can hurt you, or in this case hurt your home. You talked about winter months, in most of Bulwark’s locations we see a lot of rat and mice activity in the cooler months… Can’t say cold, since Phoenix is rarely cold. Las Vegas, and Austin, maybe but not like Vancouver”

If you think the Fiat is different try their service!

Bill: Yes… Rodents, conversely, are heard in attics and under homes during winter months, as they seek shelter, but are rarely considered a problem when seen outside a home during the summer months. Since the majority of people wait until it’s on the fringes of too late before they hire a professional exterminator, this minimizes the amount of sustainable pest control that can be accomplished, and moves us into an aggressive, multi product approach that we would rather reserve for the rarest occasions. Preventive pest practices doing pest control Seattle and Portland operations are the ultimate solution. While this is not on the forefront of most homeowner’s minds, it needs to become as standard in our culture as recycling. This gives us the greatest opportunity to enjoy our beautiful slice of the world for generations to come.

Pest specific to the Northwest?

Thomas: Bulwark has made headway with scorpions because they are a more unique pest, are there any pests in Seattle or Portland that would be considered unique? … Or maybe just your biggest ugliest bug?

Bill: One pest that is more specific to the Northwest is the hobo spider. The hobo spider makes a cone shaped web and is extremely poisonous, similar to a brown recluse. An untreated bite will probably be fatal.

Thomas: Hobo Spiders sound as bad as scorpions.

Hobo Spider with Cone Web

Bill: They are not nice and are related to scorpions as they are both arachnids. Since there is no shortage of fear of these creatures, many other spiders are killed in process “just to be on the safe side”. This is unfortunate, as spiders are good for the ecosystem, and actually eat certain wood destroying pests such as carpenter ants. Green Choice technicians are specially trained to be able to identify if a spider is or is not a hobo. We offer free inspections to and are happy to stop by your home or business and take a look at any living or dead specimens you may have.

Thomas: “Yep, its much easier to prevent major problems with regular maintenance. Hence we chose the name Bulwark, as in a defensive barrier. Keep up the regular defense and you can avoid extremes. By the way, I have only made one trip out to Seattle. I actually met a really cool internet marketer, very coincidental that his twitter handle, @inflatemouse, was pest control related. Anyways, My favorite Seattle site was the Fountain by the Sky Needle. Beautiful city. Any places that you’d recommend I visit next time I’m in town? Any local Deli’s or hidden restaurants?”

Bill: Most any of the delis or restaurants in the Pikes Place Market are really good and a good value. You can watch the fish markets throw the fish back and forth there. Pikes Place Market is famous for throwing fish. Anyone can point you in the right direction once you’re there. Also the Mariner’s Ballpark is quite an attraction. Seeing any of  the Islands in the Puget Sound area via ferry is also something which is more unique to our area. Seattle is very tourist friendly with great restaurants and deli’s on just about every corner of the city.

Okay, I feel just a little bad about this phone conversation I had yesterday.  A guy calls and says that he is with Google Places wanting to verify my info, in reality he was with “Local Splash”.  He began his practiced speech…..

<a few seconds later>

“….So we can get you on the maps!”

“Where am I currently on the maps?”

“I don’t know… Let’s look…. Humph… Well we will 100% guarantee you a position at all times on the first page so you don’t have to worry about whether your there or not.”

“But I am already on the maps…. Where did you get my number?”

“From a list at the local library…But we are a full fledged SEO service.”

“SEO service?  Do you know who Matt Cutts is?”

“Uh…Does he work for Local Splash?”

“I’m sorry, but  I’m good… But uh…Good luck with the next guy.”

I actually felt sorry for this guy as I hung up the phone…

SEO Litmus Test – Do you Know Who Matt Cutts is?

If you don’t know the name of the guy who heads up the army that could wipe your website from off the face of the cyberworld than you won’t be leading my troops into battle.  Not that Matt Cutts is really out to get everyone, but if you cross his team then you will get it.  When I started SEO I didn’t know who he was.  I hired SEO teams, I have since had to learn to evaluate those teams and the work.  I have fired SEO teams. Word of advice, if you get a call on the phone for SEO run this litmus test.  If they can’t answer that question then you are running a higher risk.

Twitter Litmus Test – How to Determine who to Follow?

The first thing I do when I get a follow: I will look through their tweets to see if they are just blasting links, or if they are actually communicating with others.  I will follow people that provide good information and links after meeting them in real life.  I will follow people that engage me in conversations via twitter.  I follow people I want to endorse.  I unfollow people I don’t want to endorse any longer.

Social Media Litmus Test – What’s the Online Conversation?

Social media isn’t for everyone and just because many companies are jumping on board doesn’t make it right for all companies.  What people are most desiring online is communication.  Social media is communication. A telephone, a fax, face to face, email, blogs, all of these facilitate a conversation.  All of these are a type of social media. Just as much as you hated a “Win a trip to Disneyland” fax blast from the past, this new age of social media is about engaging people, not blasting your horn. Too many salesmen want to just talk TO you, not WITH you. Don’t hit me up with a bunch of solicitations.  You may ruin any chance you had.  If you choose to engage me than learn to listen.  I will tell you exactly what I want.  If you say you can deliver then I will proceed to drill you on what I want and how you are going to deliver it. I have no problems with a well thought out plan of engagement and I will give some of my time to listen to you.

By the way, I am just a pest control guy.  I learned my tenacity from a spider.  I learn that better businesses listen, from books like J.D. Powers, “Satisfaction”, I learn better SEO from reading legit SEO blogs, and books like “The Blueprint to SEO” and “The Art of SEO”. I am happy to share what I can.  You are welcome to disagree, share, or joke about anything I post… so long as I know you are listening to me and not just talking to me.

Walnuts have been called a super food before, but Are you Forgetting something?

Super Food attributed to Fighting Flu and Increasing Memory and Learning... in mice.

Better down a couple more of these Scooby Snacks. According to the report given on July 10, 2010 at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (ICAD) in New York, mice that eat walnuts are showing results that suggest walnuts could improve brain function. The research however is only being carried out on mice. (Thus the reason your pest control guy found it first) Mice that included walnuts in their diet showed “significant improvement in learning, memory, emotional regulation and motor coordination compared to the mice with no walnuts in their diet.” However, we cannot conclude that it will have the same results in humans, until we have had further studies.

Read Full Article Here

But don’t be shy in trying this out.  The Walnuts possess many other Super Food attributes.  The are high in antioxidants, with a good dose of healthy fatty acids, and a sprinkle of copper.  According to one super food diet you should grab a handful of these nuts each and every day!

How many should I eat per day?
Grab your nutcracker and eat six.

http://lilypink.wordpress.com/2010/01/18/superfoods-diet/

_

Bulwark Exterminating is happy to endorse the walnut. All Natural, totally nutty, and wrapped in a lot of potential.  That’s a pretty big package for one small nut.

…And you may want to reconsider using walnuts in your mouse traps.  You’d only be helping your enemy get smarter.

The bedbug epidemic is damaging many businesses.  Hotels, apartments, and other residential rentals are the more obvious victims to this spreading problem.  But they are not the only ones. Airplanes and movie theaters have been listed before, but this is a new one.  A retail clothing store gets hit and bad enough to close up shop for the 4th of July.  But this wasn’t just any retail clothing store, this was Hollister of New York, NY. And a few days later Abercrombie & Fitch closed for bed bugs as well.

How does this happen and what next?

Up until about 2 years ago the bedbug problem in the US was pretty much extinct.  Quoting the Illinois Department of Health’s website the bedbug “remains an occasional invader with infestations arising in homes and swank hotels as well as apartment buildings and homeless shelters.” Not only is this information  outdated, but it incorrectly reinforces the idea that bedbugs are associated with a lack of care on the establishments part.  It does correctly say that hosts have no idea that they are even catering to these blood suckers. “The bed bug’s adaptation to humans is so complete that its bite is rarely felt until well after the bug leaves its victim.” Thus controlling this epidemic is extremely difficult because by the time the problem is realized it’s a full blown infestation. And hosts will unknowingly carry them from hotel to home, from home to the retail store, from the retail store to the movie theater. Bed bugs will infest any location frequented by humans.

Fortunately getting rid of bedbugs in sheets and linens isn’t too difficult. The pest control company in New York assisting Hollister wants to assure people that the clothes will be fine.

“Bedbug expert Timothy Wong, the technical director of M&M Environmental who worked with Moving Right Along to help treat Hollister’s merchandise and is intimately familiar with the case, says that the clothes are fine after undergoing fumigation in an off-site warehouse — that process is foolproof (and smellproof — you’d never know the clothes had been treated, Wong says)”

http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/07/is_hollisters_bedbug_problem_r.html

But the problem could be far from over.  If the bedbugs hit both Hollister and Abercrombie and Fitch then the pests could be coming from a warehouse.  Plus, it’s going to be difficult for the stores to regain the millions lost while the problem is being solved.

http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pcbedbugs.htm

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/07/03/2010-07-03_bedbugs_shutter_2nd_store_seaports_abercrombie__fitch_infested.html

http://mmbuzz.mandmenvironmental.com/2010/07/bed-bugs-shut-down-new-york-retail.html

Michele

…We live in a neighborhood with scorpions and my experiences with them differ from some of the things she states…

Fact: Your house COULD become infested with scorpions!

We used to kill between 7 – 12 a NIGHT on our property before we found a good pest control company. On one bad day we found 4 inside the house DURING the day. One on the wall behind the microwave, one on the ceiling above the kitchen island, one in the kitchen sink, and one in our son’s bedroom. I have neighbors who have reported killing up to 30 on their property in one night.

Fact: Pesticides ARE effective against scorpions.

After the above mentioned fateful day, we switched our pest control company to the only one in the valley who will guarantee scorpion service. I will not identify the one we switched from, but the one we switched to is Bulwark Exterminating. (I have no involvement with them, other than as a satisfied customer). We immediately began seeing dead scorpions on our property and now only find about 1 scorpion a YEAR inside the house.

The TYPE of landscaping doesn’t seem to make a difference in this neighborhood. Folks with desert landscaping have just as many scorpions as those with lawns. However having a lot of debris in your yard gives scorpions more places to hide and invites them to stay. No matter what your landscaping tastes, keep a clean yard!

However, I will full heartedly agree with the PROTECT YOURSELF AT HOME statements. A pretty good article, just not fully my experience as someone who lives and deals with scorpions.

March 31, 2007

Gilbert

Regarding the scorpions being territorial – maybe true or not, if one territory means one “brick block”. Every night I walk out with a black light and find a scorpion in between a brick block and another next block to it. I spray them with scorpion killer from ACE hardware, instantly they drop and tries to crawl up but drops and dies.

One pest company from the several of them I tried, only one, had an impact with scorpions, you’re right Michelle, BULWARK, call them and let them know what they’re up against and they will treat your home with necessary chemicals.

As far as sealing your home, I caulked cracks, gaps in my entire house. Resealed doors and windows, screened air vents and light sockets, even outlet/telephone switch. Once thats done, fog your attic and keep an eye for the next 24 – 48 hrs. They will come out. If you’re sealed only one way out – out of the attic to outside of the house.

My son suffers respiratory problems – a scorpion sting will affect your respiratory process, and if yours is weak, like my sons, it very dangerous.

April 1, 2007

Scorpion caught in marble sink.

Scorpion Myths and Rumors

There are indeed a ton of scorpion myths and rumors.  The most common rumor is that little scorpions are more deadly than big ones.  Not entirely true.  The little one’s, as in the smaller species of Bark Scorpions, are more dangerous than that bigger ones, the Dessert Hairy.  But within the same species the little ones venom cannot be conclusively deemed more potent than a large one. Speculation on whether the little one’s lack control over the amount they inject is pure speculation.

Here are a few other myths that we have heard- Myth: Pouring alcohol on a scorpion will cause itself to sting itself to death. Fact: Scientist believe that scorpion’s are immune to their own venom.  Myth: Scorpion’s laying eggs in the walls. Fact: Scorpions don’t lay eggs.  “Scorpion eggs” are carried inside the mother and the mother gives live birth. Myth: Scorpions will reproduce 5 to 6 times a year. Fact: The gestation period of a scorpion is around 3 months. Most bark scorpions will only reproduce once a year.

Just thought you’d like to get your scorpion facts straight.  If you’d like more info then check out the resources below.

Useful Scorpion Resources:

Scorpion Report – Phoenix Scorpion Hot Spots

Scorpion Videos

Scorpion Guru

Call Bulwark for all of your Scorpion Control Needs -
1-800-445-9313

Or Click to Schedule Scorpion Control Today.

Happy 4th of July from Our Family to your Family.

The country we live in has problems. The country we live in has borders. The country we live in suffers. The country we live in is diverse. The country we live in has divisions.

But who doesn’t have problems. Who doesn’t have borders. Who doesn’t suffer.

The United States is not perfect but the US is still our home and our country. Its a country built on freedom, liberty, and justice for all. Go out and celebrate the Good that is still found in the roots of our homeland. Hold on to those roots and stand up for freedom, for the American dreamers, the American way. The America of the past. The America of Today.  And the America that we can still build together.

To our forefathers. To our founding fathers. To those that fight for a better future. For our friends. Our service men. Our families. Let us stand united.  Let us be one Nation.

Happy 4th of July.