Pest Control and Bug Exterminator Blog

Pollination plays a crucial role in food production, which means that bees are intricately tied to the success of the process. Over the last decade, however, concern for these small pests has grown increasingly urgent, as bee colonies continue to see huge hive losses. The EU took action recently decided to ban neonicotinoids, the most popular insecticide in the world, for two years. Many believe that neonicotinoids are linked to the hive losses, including the European Food Safety Agency.

Beekeepers, charged with the task of moving hives into California to fertilize almond trees this year, scrambled to make that process happen. The situation on the west coast highlighted an issue that could have far-reaching consequences around the world. What does it all mean?

California Almond Orchards

Almonds are big business in California; they are the number one overseas agricultural export. The orchards are laid out across hundreds of thousands of acres, and in order to make sure the trees are pollinated properly, approximately one and half million bee colonies must be brought in to do the job. This year, because of the hive losses, the pollination process was only achieved through a nationwide plea to bring in the necessary number of bees.

Concerns For Food Production

The almond orchards are unique, in that they need a significant number of bees in order to complete the pollination process. Therefore, although other crops have not yet been affected by hive losses, they will be if the current trend does not begin to reverse itself soon. Some beekeepers reported losing half of their hives this year, and the bees that were left were not always as efficient and effective as bees from previous colonies.

The European Commission is certainly taking the situation seriously. They recently decided to ban neonicotinoids, the most popular insecticide in the world, for two years. Many believe that neonicotinoids are linked to the hive losses, including the European Food Safety Agency. The move comes as scientists are speaking out about how a shortage of bees will affect worldwide food production. While neonicotinoids are certainly not the only factor in play, they do seem to confuse bees and make them less likely to find their way back to their hives. They could also make the pests more susceptible to diseases. Still, there is some debate about exactly how harmful neonicotinoids really are.

U.S. Reaction

In response to EU’s ban and concerns raised by a number of commercial beekeepers and environmental advocacy groups, the Environmental Protection Agency is taking a second look at neonicotinoids. One way they hope to protect bees is by cutting back on how much neonicotinoid-contaminated dust is sprayed at planting time, since bees are particularly likely to come across the insecticide at that time.

Neonicotinoids are used prominently in the United States, particularly on corn, cotton, rice, grains, fruits and vegetables. The insecticide was widely accepted in the 90s because the risk of human exposure is low compared to previously used products. However, neonicotinoids remain present as plants grow and develop, which means there are a number of ways that bees could be exposed to them, something that was not considered when the insecticide was first introduced. Because of how frequently neonicotinoids are used, wild and domesticated bees are exposed to the insecticide often, which makes for a very uncertain future. Still, while neonicotinoids were present in damaged hives, the exact reason for hive losses can’t yet be pinpointed.

The only thing we know for certain is that there will be fewer bees this year than in years past. As the issue becomes more serious, both private citizens and Odessa pest control technicians are doing their part to help. Wild bees making a “nuisance” of themselves are more likely to be relocated than destroyed, which certainly helps. However, the losses of domesticated bees may be too great to overcome.

About the author: Chris is a blogger for a Texas based pest control company.

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Guest Post Published by Thomas Ballantyne

Customer service is the cornerstone of any business. If your customers aren’t happy, then you don’t have any customers. Your employees should be trained on the best ways to resolve all different types of complaints or problems your customers could have. And, your employees need to know how important that customer resolution really is. In the past, one unresolved complaint could go unnoticed and not have a large effect. Now, one unresolved complaint can turn into an online rant that can reach all of your customers and potential customers.

Customers Require Resolution

When customers have problems with your company, their shopping experience, their purchase, etc., they want a resolution to it. In fact, they expect a resolution. No matter what, a customer wants to be satisfied with your company, and they will usually give you a chance to make it up to them if they aren’t satisfied right away. Without a resolution to their problem, customers will be unhappy with your company, and you could very well lose them as a customer for good. If you want to hang onto customers, you need to be able to resolve their problems.

Image via CrunchBase

Dissatisfied Customers Will Vent

It’s extremely important to resolve customers’ problems because dissatisfied customers will want to vent. When people are unhappy with the products or services they purchase, they usually don’t keep quiet about it, especially if they tried to get a resolution from the company itself and weren’t pleased with the response. Many dissatisfied customers will vent to a friend, family member, or coworker, and this alone is enough to make you lose another customer. Now, dissatisfied customers can go a step further; they can vent online, where they can share their experience with everyone and get your attention to remind you how dissatisfied they are.

Negative Reviews Matter – A Lot

It’s no secret that negative reviews can make a huge difference in the success of a company. If a restaurant has a few bad reviews on Yelp, they could go out of business, and that’s not an exaggeration. When you resolve your customers’ problems, you can catch negative reviews before they even start. At the very least, if a customer still wants to complain online, they will hopefully include the fact that your company did do something to resolve the issue. People don’t want to give their business to companies that don’t do everything they can in the way of customer service. Mistakes or issues are forgivable, as long as you address them properly.

Make sure all of your employees – even those that don’t typically interact with customers or address their complaints – know proper ways to resolve customers’ complaints. Hold regular training sessions, and be sure to monitor and assess the way your employees handle complaints. The best way to prevent negative reviews from appearing online is to make sure there is nothing negative anyone can say about the way you treat your customers or handle your business.

Joshua Reynolds is an expert reviews tracker and avid blogger.  He is currently teaching others about proper online reviews management and customer service.

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Guest Post Published By Thomas Ballantyne

Do you have a swarm of pests outside your home? Chances are, you are dealing with either termites or carpenter ants; both of these bugs swarm during spring, which is their mating season. It is important to figure out exactly which pest you have, however, because termites can be very destructive and require treatment from professionals. Luckily, there are ways that you can determine the difference between these two bugs.

Examine Their Bodies

Do your best to capture one of the bugs, and examine it closely. If the body does not appear to be segmented, you probably have a termite. If, however, you notice a distinct waist, it is more likely to be a carpenter ant. In addition, the antennae of carpenter ants are bent rather than straight like a termite’s antennae. Finally, all of the termite’s wings are the same shape, but a carpenter ant’s hind wings are smaller than its front wings. An ant is generally darker than a termite as well; termites tend to be light or white whereas ants are reddish.

Observe Their Habits

If you can’t capture a bug, try observing its habits to gain clues instead. Carpenter ants don’t mind going out during the daytime, because it gives them an opportunity to look for food. Termites do not like the sunlight, though, so you are less likely to see them in the sun except under rare circumstances. In addition, termite’s wings are very fragile, so you make see some start to gather near the nesting site.

Carpenter ants and termites can both make a mess of your wood, but they are different in one very major way; termites eat the wood, but carpenter ants simply make holes in it. Because of this, you will often notice wood shavings near the holes if you have carpenter ants, because as they dig, they push the wood out to make their tunnel. In addition, a mud tube is a clear indication that you have termites. You might see one of these on the exterior of a wall or between the wood and the soil in areas where the termites frequent.

Take Care Of The Problem

Regardless of which pest you are dealing with, you must take immediate steps to correct the problem. For termites, calling in a pest control company is your best option. For carpenter ants, you may be able to get rid of them yourself if you can make your home less attractive to them. However, remember that they can still cause damage to your wood, so you still need to take them seriously. If, after reading the information above, you still aren’t sure if the winged bug is a termite or a carpenter ant, bring a sample to a pest control company. They will help you identify it and explain your treatment options.

Termites cause millions of dollars in damage for homeowners every year. If you have a winged bug flying around your home, take steps to identify it and then treat the problem. Quick action could save you a lot of money.

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source 

Morgan is a proud mother, who enjoys spending her days discovering fun and interesting things to do with her young son. At night, she is an avid writer and solves all her pest problems with the help of a Jersey City pest control company.

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Guest Post Published By Thomas Ballantyne

Illustration of Supply Chain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

No matter the size of a business, supply chains demand a sizeable cost percentage. In tough times, reducing chain spend wherever possible will give organizations – especially smaller ones with less budgetary leeway – a competitive and monetary edge. But with something as comprehensive and complicated as a supply chain, how do you judge where savings can be made?

1. Start Small- Perform Cost Analysis Of All Chain Components & Implement Changes Slowly

Knowing what you’re spending, where and why, will help eliminate unnecessary cost. Though this sounds obvious, over time it is easy to loose track of such intricacies, so a detailed spend analysis should be conducted regularly.

• Remember that economizing your supply chain is not an umbrella action. Each component should be reviewed individually to ascertain cost benefits and drawbacks, then risk assessed before changes are implemented.
• Prioritize your changes to address the most pressing business needs and secure future amendments. The costs saved from one change may fuel and stabilize the next. Take the time to make informed actions rather than hastily implementing numerous renovations for security, profit and long term saving.

2. Negotiate With Manufacturers & Suppliers

Where better to start saving than at the basic supplier level? Examine suppliers to ensure you are still securing the product you want for the best cost. You can then decide if current partners are most cost effective, (and negotiate if not), or source new, lower cost options:

• Reducing costs with current suppliers. The lower risk option, if you can negotiate reduced costs this will prevent breaks in production, and will benefit a continued partnership. Negotiating rather than moving may be better for smaller businesses with a less established product who cannot afford to risk production stability. This however, is only effective if suppliers are minded to help. If suppliers deal with larger, more influential clients, they may be unwilling to change for smaller businesses.
• Finding lower cost suppliers. This may be the best option if you have made as many cut backs as possible and are still seeing a decrease in your margins, or, if cost negotiations with current suppliers have been unsuccessful. Sourcing new suppliers increases risk but allows for better costs and innovative approaches. Before switching, assess if business can adjust to the risks associated with changing suppliers or manufacturers.

3. Be As Seamless As Possible

The tighter a supply chain, the greater the potential for savings. To make processes as integrated and streamlined as possible, review supply chain performance management techniques:

• Audit all aspects of your supply chain (manufacture to supply, warehousing and fulfillment  to review performance and efficiency. Implement up to date supply chain management software to keep processes as cohesive and responsive as possible.

• Processes, people and technology should all be reviewed. You should be able to save costs by updating and better structuring any of these. Make sure the people involved throughout your supply chain know your money saving goals, and that these goals integrate with processes and technologies to create a synchronized ’savings-focused’ chain. For example, implementing new warehouse and transport management systems may better suit budget and increase efficiency.

Initially this will require investments of time and money, but will save both in the long run. Additionally, using supply chain forecasting to predict and cater to stock demand will improve efficiency and reduce wastage burdens.

Logistics versus Supply Chain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

4. Optimize Your Logistics

Plane, train, rail, road – whichever you choose, ensure products are shipped and distributed in the most economical way; at every stage in your transportation network.

• Check that you are not using express delivery for all shipments, as this is expensive and may be a source of unexplained costs. If transit does not have to be speedy, try to use a cheaper option; rail, or even water is more cost effective than shipping by air.
• Regarding imported goods, awareness and compliance with non-tariff trade barriers and restrictions will save money and prevent wastage.
• If possible, consolidate shipments. If you have a number of regional or single country suppliers, consolidate goods into as few shipments as possible to save space, time and cost. Smaller businesses with smaller shipments will often not fill container loads. If other businesses can be found, who import/export to the same locations, forming shipping partnerships may be beneficial.

In the end, when reducing costs in any business situation, it’s most important to maintain a proactive attitude. Only then can challenges be addressed and benefits beyond savings reached.

Alastair is a freelance writer and supplied this article for 2touch a company based in the UK which provides fulfilment services. For more information visit www.2touch.co.uk

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Guest Post Published by Thomas Ballantyne

Image via CrunchBase

Everyone knows Facebook can be a powerful marketing tool. It allows you to connect with a broad audience, provides a venue to interact with customers, and can give your company a personal feel. However, to be effective, Facebook must be used correctly. There are a number of mistakes that some companies make that turn off potential customers.

1. Posting Too Often

Of course it is a good idea to post frequently. It keeps customers engaged and coming back for important information. However, there is also a point where it becomes too much. If you are posting five times a day, people are going to get annoyed and stop following you. Many people recommend no more than once a day.

2. Not Posting Enough

On the other hand, you don’t want to be completely silent on Facebook either. People need a reason to follow you. If you haven’t posted in weeks, people will think you are irrelevant or that there’s no reason to follow you. Be consistent.

3. Uncreative Content

People will only like your page if they think it has something valuable to offer. There are so many people on Facebook that you need something to set you apart from everyone else. Post creative content, even if it doesn’t seem to have a direct connection to the product or service your company sells.

4. Unresponsive to Fans

One of the best elements of Facebook is the opportunity to engage with fans of your page. If people ask questions or give compliments, they will be offended if you don’t respond. The more you engage customers the more they will be willing to purchase your services.

5. Arguing With Customers

While it is important to engage with customers, always keep it positive. Never get into arguments about a product, even if a person is wrong. There are people that will intentionally try to get a negative reaction out of you. Simply apologize when people complain and stay out of fights.

6. Posting the Same Topic Over and Over

People need variety. If you just post about the same thing every time, people will get bored and stop following you. Try to add variety to your posts. Not everything has to be directly about the product you sell. Try to engage customers in interesting conversations about a wide variety of topics.

7. Not Having a Plan

You simply will not be successful if you don’t start out with a strategy. This is essential for any type of marketing campaign. Understand what type of audience you want to target and how you will reach them.

8. Focusing Too Much on Numbers

Some companies feel that the ultimate goal of a Facebook page is to get as many followers as possible. This isn’t necessarily true. A greater focus should be based on the actual content of the page and how it is impacting viewers.

9. Ignoring the Analytics Feature

Some people don’t look at or don’t even realize Facebook gives you analytics about your page. Looking at these stats will tell you how many people are viewing your page and what types of posts are working.

10. Not Having a Cover Photo

This is free advertising space. Facebook is frequently coming out with new profile features, so pay attention to them. Pictures are the first thing people will pay attention to. Keep them updated and visually appealing.

About the Author: Lindsey Patterson is a freelance writer who specializes in the latest social and technology trends, specifically involving the use of social media. She is currently a consultant for Vivint. Follow them on Twitter here.

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Guest Post Published By Thomas Ballantyne

The Sky’s the Limit (Photo credit: w4nd3rl0st (InspiredinDesMoines))

Being able to bring in business is great, but keeping a customer loyal is even better. It has been proven time and time again that it takes less effort and money to keep a current customer satisfied than it does to bring in new business. There should be no question that repeat business is absolutely essential for success.

Here are some best practices for generating repeat business:

Superior Customer Service

This first bit of advice may seem too obvious to mention, but it is crucial. You can’t just have good customer service; you need to have superior customer service. Your business has to stand out above every other competitor in the market place. Competition is fierce thanks to the internet, so you have to react immediately to questions and concerns, connect with customers on a person level, and make them appreciate the little extras you do to demonstrate how important they are to you.

Stay In Touch With Clients

Just because a project is complete, that doesn’t mean you should not remain in touch with the client. Start by checking in on them to see how their business is doing and then follow up a little while afterwards to see if they need anything. Be sincere and spend more time listening, than talking. It is not an active sales call, it is just checking in to ensure they are still satisfied with your product or services.

Little Extra Touches

I mentioned the importance of little special touches in the first point, but ensuring repeat business means taking this step further. The superior customer service needs to continue beyond the sale itself. It could be something as simple as thanking them for their business after every sale or acknowledging their birthday by sending them a special offer in honor of their special day.

Keep Them Informed 

Existing customers should be the first ones you contact when you need to market new products and services. They have already trusted in your services once and if it was done right the first time, they will be likely to buy a new product or service with less convincing. This also helps reinforce the practice of staying in touch with past customers.

Watch Your Competitors Closely

Don’t kid yourself. Your competition is working hard to steal your customers out from under you. It is important that you pay attention to the marketing efforts of your competition, as well as any deals or incentives they are offering your customers. Double check your prices and services against what else is available on the market, so your business stays competitive.

Keeping customers happy takes superior customer service, constant contact, little extra touches, as well as keeping them informed of new offers and products. Pay attention to what your competitors are doing to entice your customers to switch and stay ahead of the game. Repeat business is the easiest business to retain, but it won’t happen without effort on your part.

The article is posted by Gerwyn Wallto. You can find more articles on a Web Billing Software website.

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Thomas Ballantyne

The online reputation of your business is so important that you literally cannot afford to sit idly by while it develops on its own. Here are four ways that you can be proactive in managing your online reputation and help steer things in the right direction.

Image via CrunchBase

Actively Monitor Your Reputation

You should be constantly monitoring your reputation online, not waiting to hear about the buzz after the fact. Actively monitor your reputation by frequently (every few days or so) checking each of the review sites your business is located on, including Yelp, Google+ Local, and other niche websites. When you claim your listings by joining a site, you can usually opt to be notified by email when a new review or rating appears, so always take advantage of that feature.

Also, set up Google Alerts for your business, and Google will email you each time it indexes a new page with the search terms you specify. Set up several Alerts. You should use your business’s name, of course, but also use any variations of it, your name, your employees’ names, and other terms and names that are unique to your business.

Encourage Online Reviews

Positive online reviews are like gold for your business, but you can’t just sit back and hope that you’ve pleased your customers enough that they’ll get online and write reviews for you. You should be encouraging online reviews any chance you get. When you speak to customers in person, ask them to consider writing a review and include the name of a review site in your suggestion. When people make a purchase online, have an email automatically sent that includes a link to exactly where they can write a review. Remind people through your website, blog, and social networking pages that you encourage reviews, and you should get lots more.

Promote Your Reputation

You can also be proactive by helping people read about your business online. If you want to generate more positive feedback and more customers, take advantage of chances to encourage people to check out the positive reviews that others have already written about you. Include the links to read your reviews in emails. Create a separate page on your website that lists all of your reviews, and update it frequently. As long as your reputation online is generally positive, keep that momentum going by being proud and getting everyone else to see why your business rocks.

Respond to Reviews

Whenever you get a new review, you should consider responding to it. Customers like to know that their voices are being heard (or their reviews are being read), and you can show them that you’re listening by thanking people for their comments, whether they were good or bad. In the event of a bad review, try to turn it around by responding with an apology, and when possible, something that can help make up for a person’s poor experience, like a future discount or refund. Your responses will help offset the negativity as well as further encourage the positives.

Garrett Payne is an online review management professional with a special interest in review tracking. Garrett suggests those involved in review monitoring tips for handling their online reputation correctly.

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Thomas Ballantyne

Small Business Administration Awards Luncheon (Photo credit: MDGovpics)

Becoming a successful small business owner takes hard work and absolute dedication to your vision. Unfortunately, not all small companies survive past their first year. To help your company’s chances, you need to embrace some of the most important habits of successful small business owners.

1. Set Specific Goals

Small business owners must constantly set and meet new goals to build success. At first, these goals start small, such as meeting a particular sales quota over the course of a month. Once the company becomes more established, small business owners must make loftier goals to keep themselves and their team from becoming complacent.

2. Manage Money Wisely

For a beginning small business, there is little room in the budget to misplace or squander money. Every cent matters when you’re trying to build a company with only your own savings and pocket money. Successful owners know how to save money when the slow season begins and when to invest money to stimulate growth.

3. Work as a Team

Although a small business owner may have started her company on her own, she will eventually need to bring in more team members to help her company grow. Learning how to let go of some tasks is a difficult job for any business owner. However, a well-managed team can accomplish more than any one person.

4. Work Hard from Dawn to Dusk

From balancing the budget to tracking down new clients, small business owners must tackle a daunting array of tasks every day. If you don’t have the discipline to tackle each of your tasks and keep problems from getting out of hand, your business could quickly become an unmanageable mess. Additionally, your employees will have trouble staying motivated if you spend all your time on the golf course.

5. Manage Your Time

Learning how to manage time effectively is a critical skill that triumphant small business owners quickly develop. You must learn to prioritize your tasks and spend time on important projects first. Getting distracted by a minor issue can derail your entire day.

6. Take Calculated Risks

Owning a small business is a risky venture that offers great rewards. Owners must have the courage to take a risk on an opportunity that could give the company a huge boost. Smart business owners understand, however, that not all risks are worth attempting.

7. Balance Home and Work

Although balancing home life with work is often difficult, it can be especially hard for a small business owner. Your business depends entirely on you, making it tempting to stay late each night or work long hours on the weekend. However, too much work and stress can hurt your ability to function and work efficiently. Effective business owners must learn to maintain relationships and interests outside of work.

This article was written by the team at Horizon Business Systems in Perth, Western Australia. Accredited MYOB EXO accounting and business management software implementers.

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Going Out of Business (Photo credit: reinvented)

In tough economic times, many people are turned off by the idea of starting a small business. Statistics it may seem are not in their favor. Even when someone does get a business off the ground, keeping it running smoothly and successfully requires more energy than some may be willing to muster.

While situations vary depending on the product or service you sell, there are certain practices to keep in mind if you are trying to keep a small business afloat. Consider the following five points.

1. Maintain the Strengths You Already Have

This usually means maintaining those employees your company would be crippled without. There are likely certain people in the company that are masters in their particular skill. Do everything you can to make sure you don’t lose them. If the possibility exists to do so, consider hiring a backup. Then train that person in the same work. It may be a financial investment, but think of what would happen to your company if that person were suddenly gone.

2. Keep the Workers Happy

Workers are of course the lifeblood of the company. In addition to having backups for particular skills, make sure everyone is working at their optimum level. Address the needs of the employees directly. Sit down and talk with them. Ask them how they are doing and what you can do to help them succeed. Send out emails with helpful tips, encouragement, or praise for good work. When employees know they are appreciated and that their opinion matters, they are more likely to provide quality work.

3. Address Customer Needs

If the customers aren’t happy, the business fails. Recognize and let them know that you know times are tough. Use advertising that appeals to the tough economic times. Offer deals and promotions, as well as products and services that people will want even in a financial crisis. Almost everyone seems to be cutting back on consumption. People are only buying what’s necessary and cutting out the luxury items. Convey to the customer that your product is something they really need, even if they don’t have excess money to spend.

4. Cut Down on Expenses

Many business owners focus only on how much they are selling. While this is certainly the most important thing to consider, don’t forget that a company can save money by cutting back on their own expenses. If your business is small enough, allow employees to work from home. This will save office rental money as well as things like paper, desks, etc. If this isn’t possible make sure all the office supplies are in good shape. Get frequent tune-ups on things like printers.

5. Learn to Delegate

When a small business starts out there may only be a few employees. At that stage there will likely be one person who calls all the shots. As the company begins to grow however, that becomes less and less effective. To increase productivity, learn to delegate responsibilities throughout the company. This will save both time and energy.

About the Author: Robert Cordray is a freelance writer and expert in business and finances. He has received many accolades for his work in teaching small business news.

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Thomas Ballantyne

If you’ve had rodent problems before, then you are probably aware about how challenging it is to get rid of these destructive critters. Rats and mice are the most common types, but another rodent that is also known to wreak havoc to properties is the vole. Once any type of critter has set up house in your property, it becomes a battle. You need to defend your home from these creatures that damage property and possessions. More importantly, you have to get rid of these animals because they can also bring dangerous diseases.

Because you do not want to have rodents around, you should seriously consider what sort of preventive measures you can take. It is definitely better to put a stop to things before they even begin rather than suffer the consequences of negligence. So, there are several ways to deter rodents, and one factor that you can focus on is odor. This is because mouse, rats and other creatures are attracted to certain scents. Hence, you should get rid of certain smells from your home to avoid attracting pesky animals.

Smells that Mice and Rats Like

Rodents are scavengers, and so they are drawn to the smell of food. The scents of meat and meat products, as well as oils from pork or beef are particularly attractive. Because these creatures require carbohydrate-rich foods for energy, they are naturally drawn to food items such as cereals, breads, rice grains, and root crops, like potatoes and yams. Peanut butter is particularly tempting to mice, which is why it’s often used as bait. All in all, odors that are appealing to humans are also very enticing to rodents.

Should You Use Food as Bait?

The thing about rodents is that they have a very keen sense of smell. In case you want to use food as bait, this could be counterproductive as you might only be attracting more rodents into your home instead of catching them or keeping them away. So, what are your options?

1. Reduce attractive odors.

As mentioned, the smell of food attracts rats and mice. But there are many things that you can do to reduce or remove odors that entice rodents. Keeping kitchen counters and cooking stations clean is very helpful. After preparing and serving food, wipe counters with a sponge dipped in a warm and soapy solution. Rinse and then wipe again until surfaces are pretty much dirt and odor free. Then, get an antibacterial solution or maybe rubbing alcohol and use this to wipe surfaces. This will keep things sanitary and get rid of food odors too. In addition to this, always clean up after juice or food spills.

2. Keep food in secure containers.

When you are leaving food to eat later or in case there are leftovers, keep these in tightly sealed containers. Also, instead of leaving sweets or meats on tables or counters, put these inside your refrigerator.

3. Dispose of garbage properly.

Throw garbage out regularly. Don’t leave a bin filled with food scraps inside your house overnight as this will attract rodents. Put food in a plastic bag and throw this in a garbage bin that has a secure cover. It will also be best to put some space between your bin and main house so that in case the bin draws in rodents and other pests, these critters won’t find your house immediately.

Citations:

• 3n. “Jack’s rat is named Terri Schiavo”. October 15, 2005. Online image. Flickr. January 7, 2013.

Claire Lassiter is a freelance writer who has been writing about pest management since 2008. She covers issues about environmentally friendly pest control, and she writes about all sorts of pests often found in homes. She also blogs for Rove Pest Control, which is a company that provides first-rate pest control services.

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Thomas Ballantyne