Pest Control and Bug Exterminator Blog

It’s been very interesting watching the Africanized Honeybee spread across the US. Every summer you will find public warnings going out in Phoenix and Las Vegas about this aggressive and potentially deadly bee. The following infographic gives the details in beautiful color. Note at the bottom the distance that these bees will travel to attack. In fact, one of the signs used to determine if you have an Africanized Bee problem is to see how far they will chase you.

As noted these Africanized Honeybees are moving north. They began in the southern states. Are now common in Phoenix, Austin, San Antonio, and Las Vegas. They are spreading a little more rapidly through Southern California and states the climates with milder winters, but they are still moving north.

If you do experience a bee problem then contact local exterminators or a bee removal company. Bee removal is often more costly, but instead of killing of the bee population the bees will be safely removed and relocated. Bee Exterminators on the other hand may simply exterminate the bees and their colonies. Due to the way bee’s carry pollen on their bodies, dust pesticides are very effective and quickly eliminate bee problems.

Side view of the africanized honey bee (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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I’m sitting in McDonalds amazed at the restaurant that it now is compared to what it once was.

Modern art on the wall. Lounge chairs with coffee tables. Menu changes with smoothies, lattes. Sure the iconic happy meals are still available, but now you can order those with apple slices. The milkshakes are still on the menu as well, but I honestly don’t remember the last time I had one. What, 15, 16, maybe even 20 years ago? And I haven’t seen a styrofoam hamburger box around for awhile.

The decor is what most intrigues me. I would venture to guess that the menu changes are the quickest and least costly changes. Adding a disposable item is much less risky than adding the permanent fixtures of booths and the tile backsplash. Such interior make overs aren’t cheap. So just what is the cost benefit? Does replacing perfectly usable tables, chairs, and booths really pay off?

I don’t have the answer for McDonald’s, but I’m confident that they do. I’m also certain that not every restaurant needs an interior decorating overhaul to stay profitable. But what I do know is that staying relevant is vital to every business. Businesses need to check the lay of the land and make sure they are staying current for their market and their customers. Stay relevant. Know when a little painful and costly interior redecorating is needed to make sure your business is still alive in the future years.

General rule of thumb,
if they mention you and/or your company,
then you deserve a link.

My boss was interviewed by a big magazine that published both off and online. He gave some great info and insight into running an exterminator business. What he forgot to do was ask for a link. While this should happen naturally from writers/editors, it doesn’t. Perhaps I live in a dream world that would deem that linking to your source as ethical. Maybe I am alone in thinking that writers should know to link out. Perhaps someday, but for now on my boss has been advised to proceed as follows.

ASK FOR THE LINK BEFORE THE INTERVIEW

It’s really very simple boss, when they quote you they need to do the following:

“Adam Seever, CEO of Bulwark Exterminating, says…”

If it’s an exclusive interview of you then they should conclude with an about section or begin with an introduction were they can build up more of your expertise. You can get a few more links in if it’s an exclusive interview.

“Today we are interviewing Adam Seever, CEO of Bulwark Exterminating, who has used database technology to create www.ScorpionReport.org”

In the past I would have pushed for an anchor text link for targeted keywords like pest control , and if I author a guest post for someone then I typically do drop in such a link, but today Google wants to see more of your branded keyword linking to you over heavy anchor text links. You can still accomplish this in an interview if you reference something you have written elsewhere online… “In my recent article on ant control I showed how statistical evaluation of treatments..”

You can also have them drop in easy links under a bio that lead to Find Bulwark on twitter, Follow Bulwark on Facebook: http://facebook.com/bulwarkpestcontrol Read Bulwark’s Blog …

These are just a few thoughts on how to get valid links through interviewing or blogging. But don’t over do your linking. If you submit an article to me as a guest blog post with as many self promoting links as what are in this article then I’d reject your article submission. I think 1-2 selfish links per article is permissible. More links are acceptable if they are not self serving. So if you want to load up a few more links then link to your friends.

Image via Wikipedia

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Want to guest post? Then contact me: @Thos003

So just having a little fun here, but I decided to test some popular lines and slogans adding a pest control twist…

Out of the Strong came forth pest control.

Bug Tested, Mother Approved.

Have pest control your way.

Good to the last bug.

Is it Live or is it pest control?

Taste Great, Less Bugs.

The lighter way to enjoy pest control.

Why have cotton when you can have pest control?

Obey your exterminator.

Let your bugs do the walking.

The pest control that smiles back.

The future’s bright. The future’s pest control.

I am a defensive wall.  – (Bulwark)

Don’t bumble with the B.

Licensed to kill. Literally.

I kill things for a living.

Buenas Noches Roaches.

Hey… It’s FRIDAY! Hope you have a rocking weekend.

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Today was to be the internet blackout day in protest of SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act). Mike Halvorsen named some big names in his blog post on those that were going to protest: http://michaelhalvorsen.com/2012/01/google-amazon-facebook-twitter-shutting-day-protest-sopa/

Among those names were Facebook, Twitter, Google, Amazon, Yahoo, and Ebay. None of these have actually closed their sites for the day, but a few are voicing some protest on their site. Other big name websites, like WordPress, Reddit, and Wikipedia have stepped up to the plate. Here are screen shots of websites protesting the “Stop Online Piracy Act”.

WordPress

I actually found WordPress.com to have the more unique and creative protests. Imagine how many wordpress blogs could be in danger of SOPA regulations. In fact, this entire blog could be shut down for even using a screen shot of the wordpress homepage. Clearly wordpress has not blacked out their entire site due to SOPA, as this is a wordpress.com blog, and I am personally grateful they did not.

WordPress.org also strikes in opposition of SOPA. Although at the bottom of the page you can find a link back to the old wordpress.org page.

Amazon

In case you missed Amazon’s protesting efforts…

So look again and you will see a small box in the top right hand corner labeled “Reasons to oppose or modify SOPA.” Amazon is walking a fine line here as many authors may have reasons to support SOPA.

Google

No doodle from Google in protest of SOPA. The google logo still appears on the google maps vertical, but does not appear in google’s other vertical searches. The link on google’s home page takes you to their page dedicated to protesting the movement and includes the following nifty PDF. < click the image to download it >

Surprisingly YouTube shows nothing in opposition of SOPA.

Wikipedia – Biggest Protester

Very compelling message by Wikipedia, a site built upon FREE information. They also implement a great call to action to help push phone calls to “your representatives.” Their goal is to melt Washington D.C. phone lines. Worthy attempt. Although wikipedia did not have a complete blackout, and they are employing a rather sneaky redirect. Although I assume that Google will most likely ignore this black hat tactic. You will notice that the above page loads first then the redirect loads on top of that page. My guess is that Wikipedia understands the damage that could occur to their SEO should they show the search engines a bunch of duplicate content and/or pages down. And if you really need Wikipedia to do your homework then try http://simple.wikipedia.org.

Other Notable Protesting Websites

Mozilla‘s home page:

Mozilla’s blog mentions the protest but their blog and all other internal pages are still live.

_

Reddit‘s Entire Website for 12 hours:

This includes all of Reddit’s internal pages.

_

Wired.com is censored in protest of SOPA

_

Pinterest.com, upon login gives the following message and screen shot in protest.

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Slickdeals.net adds a notice on their homepage.

_

Congress Woman @RepAnnaEshoo of California is protesting on her site:

Anna Eshoo represents California’s 14th Congressional District–the heart of Silicon Valley. She is Ranking Member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee.

_

Craigslist.org is also adding a protest to their local directories, but with a link to click on through.

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Slashdot.org marks through their logo and posts two articles at the top of their page explaining SOPA.

_

Fark.com Homepage Support for SOPA

Watch Why You should Support SOPA Video. Farks deeper pages are all still active. And instead of a blackout they went with a white-out.

Non Protesting Sites as of Today:

Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, and Ebay have nothing on their homepages in opposition of SOPA. Bing announced it’s protest, but nothing on Bing shows them as protesting. And while Godaddy was once listed as a supporter, they have nothing on their website going either way.

Perhaps it’s because the bill is nearly dead at this time, but with the exception of Wikipedia and Reddit, I feel that the protesting websites have failed to actually “BLACK OUT”, and their protests are weak. As a business, I can understand the actual costs involved in shutting down for a day. Google would loose millions if it closed it’s doors for one day. Wikipedia has the luxury of being a Non-Profit, so no money will be lost. As for Godaddy, they are smart for staying out of the political heat.

Feel free to add any additional sites in protest to the comments below.

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• SOPA to be resurrected after blackout protests (slashgear.com)
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• What it SOPA & PIPA ? Why it is matter ? (ictreview.wordpress.com)

And that is a day in online protest, from your local pest control guy, at Bulwark Exterminating.

A Promoted Tweet on Pest Control term by an electrical company?

“Technology has to be invented or adopted.”  – Jared Diamond

Okay so this a cool quote and all, but why?

Why would GE want to promote this tweet on the pest control stream? Where is the connection? Did someone just do some keyword research and find pest control related to technology?  Are exterminators a large consumer of light bulbs? Sorry, just not getting it.  Pest Control Technology… Hmmm…. I mean there is a pest control technology magazine. And I often feel that Bulwark Exterminating is becoming more of a technology company than a residential pest control service… but still not getting the full picture here.

I guess the plus side to this is that I am blogging about this simply out of awe. But does it make me more inclined to buy from the promoter of said tweet?

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Just a couple of fun highlights from my trip to Raleigh, NC for the internet summit.

The 100 Mile Race

Flying out of Phoenix Sky Harbor, I spoke with a man that told me he had just run 100 miles. I thought he was being sarcastic. Nope. He was in a 100 mile race. He says that they call them UltraMarathons. He told me that he fly in just for the race and was leaving. He’s not a professional, and says that there are very few professionals in Ultramarathons. His run was 6 loops. You drop a bag with food and minimum supplies about the half way point. And he finished his 100 mile run in just over 26 hours. The winner finished in about 17.5 hours.

Never Been on the Internet

From Baltimore to Raleigh I sat next to a couple that were retired and living in Florida. They were upwards of 70 years old and had been retired for less than a year. I asked if they stayed in touch with their family in New York via Facebook. Nope. They have NEVER been on the internet. NEVER. They have never owned a home computer. What about text messaging? Nope. She told me that she just got,… “what is it called, you know a phone that you take out of your home.” … I took a guess, “A cell phone?”. She had her first cell phone in her hand about 5 months ago. Still no text messaging, but they got one just for safety reasons.

North Carolina BBQ

North Carolina has it’s own unique BBQ. They claim it to the “REAL BBQ”. Interestingly they even have two different types, an East and West NC BBQ. It’s vinegar based. The West BBQ adds a little molasses to the vinegar. Definitely different, and I kinda liked how the vinegar brought out the flavor of the meat a little more. Not bad at all. Sadly I couldn’t think of a single cuisine unique to Arizona, cactus fries maybe???

Need Raleigh Pest Control? Try Bulwark Exterminating.

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22 Months for 3:25 minutes of video? That certainly is dedication. It also took 30 people to create and 288,000 Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. The feat is nothing short of amazing. But was it worth it? How much money was spent? Simply attaching a dollar amount to a project does not mean its worth what was spent. When I think of artistic master pieces that took years to create I think of the Sistine Chapel, the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore.

But this was still pretty cool.

The benefits are things like social mentions, links, and most of all fame. Is that lasting fame? Only time will tell.

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Social media platforms are constantly put in head to head comparisons. So when Mat Siltala from Dream Systems Media did a post about his scorpion sting on all 3 social media platforms simultaneously, the intuitive nature of Mat kicked in. Between Facebook, Google+, and twitter, which platform would be most responsive to a post about scorpion stings? What would be your guess? The results may surprise you a bit.

Google+ Count

Have Matt in circles (2158) – That is a fairly good audience. Google+ is fresh. It’s the new upbeat social hang out. One could speculate that it has more real users… or not. But Google didn’t take the cake for Mat’s scorpion sting post.

Twitter Count

3,618 Followers – That is a healthy twitter following. Mat Siltala has been a very busy busy body on twitter. His follower to follow ratio is fantastic. He puts out a steady stream of useful content. And he laughs out loud some funny infographics. But can twitter compete with the socialness of facebook?

Facebook Social Weight

Friends (602) – Clearly Mat is more selective with his Facebook audience. With a count of 602 the facebook audience is a fraction of Mat’s Google+ and Twitter following. But honestly, Facebook seems to be more intimate. Mat’s lower friend count is because Mat is selective about who views his Facebook stream. And in Mat’s case, he shares things that are bit more private. So I naturally believed that Facebook would be the best setting for a conversation about scorpion stings. Regular life happens on facebook.

And the Scorpion Sting Survey Says…

Twitter wins!

So wait… twitter isn’t just about news and high-tech stuff? You can actually have a conversation on twitter about life? Do you want to know what I had for breakfast?

Okay… I will keep the meal tweets to a minimum. But I was shocked that twitter got the bulk of the interaction. Granted, this wasn’t a planned out scientific test so there are a number of variables that alter this example. But even still, a pest control guy can pick up a conversation on twitter about bugs. And if you know how to converse then you can effectively communicate with twitter. If you can communicate then you can market.

What are your thoughts on operation Scorpion Sting?

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I know sad that I must blog my own quotes…

As Shakespeare so put it, “Brevity is the soul of wit.”

Apparently this tweet was liked, as I received some mentions on it. This concept is the summation of a key element in search engine rankings and therefore the core of gaining search engine rankings.

Is Content King?

The search engines want to believe that the best content on the internet will win. They gauge this by links. If you like something then you will share it with others by linking to it. Who hasn’t gotten an email with a link in it to a funny video. Funny is almost always likable. Who doesn’t like things that are funny?… Okay maybe its not best to crack a joke when in a heated argument with a wife. But let’s not get into timing right now. The idea of the search engine tallying up links is to find the sites that are most liked by all. Content should incite people to like you. Content should give people a reason to link to you.

Offline Likability = Online Linkability

To expand this concept one step further, I believe your offline likability is also proportionate to your online link-ability. This is going beyond what the search engine would expect. Search Engine’s believe that people more likely to naturally link to an awesome hotel’s website after having a fantastic weekend of sterling customer service. Hence the best hotel wins. I ..Perhaps. But popularity of lesser hotels may out weigh the likability of awesome less known hotels. I believe we are now taking this one step further. I am more compelled to share articles from individuals that I know and like. I win more links from people I meet and establish a relationship with. Take for instance Dennis G., he’s likable and thus linkable. I am much more likely to link to Ebay after having met Dennis.

We could even Expand this chain to:

 Likable = Linkable = Tweetable = Diggable = Stumbleable = Remarkable = Rankable

As one comment I received stated… “Wow, thanks for that. I have to summarize today why losing links is a big deal, ane explain why they are going to lose their rankings.”

Glad I could help. =)

“So this is good and dandy for individuals but what about businesses. Are we in business to be friends with people?”

If you have not figured out the new online order, YES, YOU NEED TO MAKE FRIENDS.  Granted, being likable does not mean being buddy-buddy. You don’t need to be a BFF. But as a business you do need to serve a purpose and people need to like you doing that service. Disney probably puts it the best:

“Do what you do so well, that the people who see you do it, will want to see you do it again, and will bring others to see you do it.“

Adding a smile to your service helps bring them back for more. Being friendly helps them share your business with their friends. In today’s online world this is amplified over several thousand social connections. Social media works best for those that know how to act socially acceptable and be sociable. I am a pest control guy. My first priority is to get rid of bugs, my second is to make you smile a little longer.

Now go out and be LIKABLE!