Pest Control and Bug Exterminator Blog

We could go on and on about yesterday’s Super Bowl commercials. Truth be told, on an overall scale of quality, there wasn’t really one particular ad that stood out above the rest. A few were funnier than others. Others stood out because of star power or just random creativity.

But since we’re a pest control company, our vote goes to Chevrolet’s “Joy” commercial.

Every other day of the year we take quite a bit of pride and gratification in killing insects large and small around the house. Heck! People even pay us to do the deed. But yesterday we let them have their day of fun on the grill of Chevy’s new Sonic.

We hope you enjoyed your fun, our little friends. Today is a new day!

A few days ago President Barack Obama landed at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport to briefly speak to a group of Intel employees in Chandler, AZ. By the following morning the President’s arrival was the buzz of every news outlet, radio and talk show across the country. Not for anything he told those Intel employees, but for an exchange he had with Airzona’s Governor, Jan Brewer, over comments she made about him in her book, Scorpions For Breakfast.

It just so happens that Gateway Airport is literally across the street from us. We hear planes coming in and out all day long.

We’re not here to despute or discuss the differing politics between President Obama and the Governor. After all, we kill things for a living. But if their conversation was indeed about Brewer’s book, we were considering their real conversation on the tarmac.

President Obama and AZ Governor Jan Brewer at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport

Obama: “Do you REALLY eat scorpions for breakfast?”

Brewer: “Let me tell you! They’re a little bland, but if you put some sugar on them they are amazing.”

Or, Obama: “I hear you only have bark scorpions here.”

Brewer: “Yeah, but they’re the most poisonous in the nation, so take that!”

Or maybe, Obama: “I had 3 scorpions for breakfast.”

Brewer: “Yeah, well I eat scorpions bigger than you for breakfast!”

Or our favorite, Obama: “I hear you have scorpions in this state. You know of a reliable pest control company that guarantees their scorpion control?”

Brewer: “There is only ONE in this entire state that guarantees their scorpion service. It’s Bulwark Exterminating. That’s why they get rave reviews on Google.”

But the hilarity doesn’t even stop there. The following day, Brewer’s book, sold on Amazon for $15.59, saw a 1.3M percent increase in less than 24 hours. Yes, you read that right. One. Point. Three. MILLION.

Cha Chiiiiiiiiing!

If you ever need to sell a product, just wave your finger in the face of the leader of the free world…and watch them Benjamins roll on in.

Jan Brewer's Book, Scorpions For Breakfast

When most people have any type of pest control problem, they simple call the exterminator.

When Elin Nordegren, former wife of golfer Tiger Woods, has a pest control problem, she demolishes her house.

Nordegren decided to level her 17,000 square foot, beach front home in North Palm Beach, FL after it was discovered to be infested with termites and carpenter ants.  Aside from that, the home is not up to Florida’s hurricane code.  Her home builder advised her it would be easier to level the house and start from scratch.

Elin Nordegren's Florda home before being demolished for temites and carpenter ants. (Yahoo News)

Before the take-down, Habitat For Humanity was allowed to take as many cabinets, hardware and fixtures as possible before the wrecking crews were sent in.

We only wish we could have been the ones to make the recommendation.

Elin: “So I have termites and ants.  What do you recommend?”

Bulwark: “Well we’ve never seen it this bad before.  We recommend you completely destroy your house to the ground, rebuild it again, and then sign up for our regular every-other-month service.  We also do free call-backs in between services if your issue continues.”

Elin: “Hmmm. That’s sounds like a good idea. Let me call a wrecking crew, let them level this baby, spend another 12 mil to build it back up and then I’ll have you guys come back out….You guys don’t do the human-type pest control on ex-husbands do you?!”

Bulwark: “Uhh…We take care of the bugs that eat wood, not Woods himself.”

Nordegren's property after her $12 million home was demolished. (Yahoo News)

Did you ever see the movie Snakes On A Plane? C’mon, be honest.

I have to confess (or gloat) that I never did.

I know Samuel L. Jackson usually delivers, but snakes on an airplane? Really? Like…really?!

“Excuse me, stewardess, can I get another Diet Coke….SNAAAAAKE!!!”

Or, “Hey, I’ll meet you in the lav. Don’t be late! SNAAAAAKE!!!

Snakes On A Plane (2006 New Line Cinema)

Well apparently Karel Abelovsky from the Czech Republic didn’t get the memo that that sort of thing should only happens in the movies. And bad movies at that. Abelovsky was detained in Argentina after 247 exotic snakes, reptiles and other critters were found in his luggage. Airport security even said the activity inside his luggage resembled an animated cartoon during the scanning process.

Authorities believe that Abelovsky was smuggling the snakes as a courier for a criminal organization because the reptile find included boa constrictors, pit vipers and coral snakes: all considered extremely dangerous…and of course coveted by world villains alike.

Every bad guy has to have their obligatory poisonous snake, right?!

Abelovsky was released by local authorities on $2,500 bail, but surrendered his passport and is refusing to talk (or in this case, snitch) even though he faces up to 10 years in prison.  We’re not sure if Argentina has the equivalent of the Witness Protection Program, but we think that might be a good option for him.

AP story here.

“…But do you recall? The most famous reindeer of all…Shooter The Good Deed Reindeer!”

Err!

OK, so he may not be the most famous, but he certainly is the most thoughtful and service oriented toward rodent-kind.

Shooter the Good Deer Reindeer

Shooter, resident of the Pocatello Zoo in Idaho, was seen by zoo staff awkwardly handling his water trough. The large animal, which at times can be a bit overbearing for many of the staffers, eventually was able to dip his head and gently retrieve a rat from his barrel. Shooter then laid the distressed rodent on the floor and proceeded to nudge him with his hoof until he had the strength to scurry away into the bushes on his own power.

Shooter The Good Deed Reindeer helps his nameless friend from near death (Caters News Agency)

Shooter in the midst of his harrowing rescue (Caters News Agency)

The unknown rescuee scurried into the bushes before he could be reached for comment (Caters News Agency)

So while Dancer and Prancer and all those other reindeer are chauffeuring around the Man Up North, reindeer like Shooter are down here in more warmer climates doing the little deeds that make the difference all year round.

We salute you, Shooter The Good Deed Reindeer. We salute you.

Related articles

• Are reindeer real? I’ve never seen one in real life before… (cassiefairy.wordpress.com)
• Rudolph the social outcast and those judgmental reindeer (cindyh85.wordpress.com)
• Santa’s Reindeer Get “OK” To Enter California (todayinchildsafety.com)

A woman was stung by a scorpion while unpacking box.

Gee!  That doesn’t sound outside the realm of possibility now does it?

Yeah, well, it happened in Lockport, NY, where there are no native species of scorpions.

First, a look at the culprit…

This scorpion stung a 23-year-old female in Lockport, NY.

So how did it happen?

The woman was a 23-year-old employee at Johnson-Rose Corp in Niagara County, and was stung while opening a cardboard box at work.  It sounds like maybe the box came in the mail.  That would be our easiest speculation, and was that of the Buffalo Zoo President, Donna Fernandez.  Fernandez also admitted that scorpions in their area are either kept as unique pets or travel in on cargo from scorpion-known regions like Arizona. Residents and businesses in the area would surely see no need for preventive scorpion control.

While the scorpion, and its stingy punch, was deemed non-life threatening, the young employee was admitted to the hospital to recover.

Cuban scientists believe they have discovered a major breakthrough in the fight against Cancer.  Vidatox, a homeopathic product derived from the venom of “Red Scorpions” (Rhopalurus junceus), has shown promising results from 15 years of research.  The medication is designed to be an anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor agent, and has been effective as such on more than 15 various cancer cell lines.  Over 5,000 Red Scorpions have been used to develop and produce Vidatox.  Now that manipulation of the natural scorpion venom has been perfected, researchers plan to explore synthetic versions of the toxin.

The Rhopalurus junceus or “Red Scorpions” are indigenous to Cuba and known to have moderate toxicity levels.  While people are regularly stung in Cuba and Haiti, very few deaths have been reported due to negative, allergic reactions.  The Red Scorpion is also one of the few scorpion species that is known to make an audible sound when disturbed.

Vidatox Medicine Made of Scorpion Venom

Where to buy Scorpion Venom as Medicine AKA Vidatox?

We haven’t quite discovered this out yet, but Vidatox is already a registered product and shipments are set to go out to countries in Europe and South America.

Can I Sell Scorpion Venom?

Maybe.  Considering that the market price of scorpion venom is at $38 million per gallon, it would certainly be nice.

The most venomous and dangerous scorpion in the United States is the Bark Scorpion and is primarily found in the southwestern, desert regions of the country.  The Bark Scorpions is also commonly known as the Arizona Bark Scorpion.  Because of the extreme heat, Phoenix scorpion control companies battle numerous scorpion cases for the better part of six months every year.  Maybe these little critters can start working for us from now on.

Scientists are also exploring various ways scorpion venom can be used in common, every day life.  For example, venom is being altered and tested as an actual pesticide to combat household pests.  Venom is also being developed into variations of morphine that may potentially be used in the medical field.  That almost makes a trip to ER worth it.

“Nurse!  I need 50 CCs of scorpion venom, STAT!”

Scientists have uncovered the oldest spider fossil on earth, dating back 165 million years.  The specimen measures about two square inches and was unearthed near the Daohugou village in northeastern China.

The new discovery, dating back to the Middle Jurassic period, has been dubbed Nephila jurassica.  Until now, the oldest Nephila spider only dated back 34 million years.  While this newly discovered species is considered extinct, descendants include the golden orb-weaver spiders.  Golden Orb-weavers are known for spinning elaborate, gold-colored webs strong enough to trap bats and small birds.

This new discovery is also leading scientists to reconsider the former geographic location and conditions of northeastern China.  Modern golden orb spiders are typically found in more warmer, tropical climates.  This now leads researchers to believe that the northeastern region of China may have been apart of Pangaea, the super-continent that existed prehistorically that was believed to contain all seven modern-day continents.  The region that now includes the Daohugou village is suspected to have been in the warm and humid regions of Pangaea.

While prehistoric science may not be Bulwark Exterminating’s strength, we can safely conclude that spiders have been man’s pest control problem for millions and millions of years.  We here at Bulwark also conclude that spiders will continue to be man’s pest control problem for millions of years to come.

Due to recent changes in pest control laws about “leaving a service ticket at the door” pest control services can now go digital.  Going digital is going green. Digital will save over 58,000 sheets of paper per month!

Bulwark Exterminating is testing new proprietary software in its Mesa, AZ branch office that uses smart phone technology to aid in service routing and customer satisfaction, and plans to implement its new software in all 11 branches nationwide within a month’s time.

Each morning, technicians receive an email on their smart phones, with which they are able to access their routes, customer contact information and custom service notes for those customers. This eliminates the need to receive their daily routes via fax or personally stop at the office before work to clock in.

“We wanted to make sure our technicians and staff are completely happy with the new system before we take all the offices live.” said Adam Seever, Owner and CEO of Bulwark. “Mesa is one of our larger markets, so it was a natural place to start.”

Each service truck will also be installed with a wireless printer, where the technicians will be able to print the customer’s invoice at the time of service. The nature of the software also minimizes any input errors which normally might occur by hand.

One invoice sheet is typically given to the customer and another is taken back to the office for filing. The new printers will print an invoice that measures about one-third the size of a regular sheet of paper. That sheet will be given to the customer and a digital copy will be uploaded to the company’s database. This will save 1 2/3 sheets of paper per service visit. During a month like October when Bulwark serviced 35,000 customers nationwide, this will save over 58,000 sheets. Customers will also be able to have their invoice emailed directly to them, saving paper all together.

“Our software will serve two very important purposes”, Seever said. “We will be able to streamline the service routes of our technicians as well as spare costly resources such as thousands of reams of paper.”

About Bulwark Exterminating

Bulwark Exterminating LLC has a location based in Mesa, AZ and is an industry leader in providing high quality pest control service. Bulwark is fully operational in 7 states, including 11 major cities. While Bulwark provides pest extermination for common insects such as ants, roaches, crickets and spiders, the company’s differentiating specialty is scorpion control. To do this, Bulwark uses the finest and most effective products in the world to solve common pest problems. Bulwark is privately and family owned, has approximately 250 employees and services over 50,000 customers nationwide.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/11/prweb4814444.htm

Wayne Bryant - Bulwark Exterminating Branch Manager

Our hard working branch manager, Wayne, made a little cameo at Career Day at Triggs Elementary School in North Las Vegas.  He spent some time with the kindergarten kids explaining his duties as a pest control exterminator.  Or, a “bug guy”, as the kids preferred.

Wayne took a couple sidekicks with him to meet the class.  What better critters to show to a class of 5 and 6 year-olds than a tarantula and desert hairy scorpion, who shall both remain nameless.  The desert hairy is a much larger scorpion than your average bark scorpion and was perfect for pointing out body parts and features.  Both creatures were fan favorites.

Wayne also presented some important points to the class.  1. All bugs are important to life.  For example, termite may bother at times, but they keep soil fertile and they break down trees when needed.  All insects have a role in nature.  2. If you are bitten or stung, tell an adult immediately.  This is an excellent piece of advice.  Hopefully it is nothing more than a bite or sting, but now the parent can monitor any oncoming reactions and act accordingly.  And 3. Having a pest free home is important to your health.  Cats and dogs are pets.  Roaches and spiders are pests. Roaches carry pathogens that can lead to respiratory and other allergy related problems.

Wayne Bryant - Bulwark Exterminating Branch Manager at Triggs Elementary

We want to thank Triggs Elementary School for allowing Wayne to come and share some fun and interesting bug facts about Las Vegas Pest Control.