Pest Control and Bug Exterminator Blog

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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

WARNING! If you ever want to enjoy an Oreo cookie ever again, don’t read this article.

Pictures have surfaced on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumbler of a spider that has allegedly been found inside of one of America’s favorite snacks… The Oreo Cookie!

Spider Found Inside Oreo Cookie

Photo Courtesy of Facebook

The Oreo spider pictures come with the following caption:

“This is why you always take Oreos apart before eating them, always. Now think of all the Oreos you’ve ever eaten foolishly.”

After seeing the above picture, the public is left wondering if the Oreo was found this way by the consumer, or it was an easily replicated hoax. Is it real or fake?

The idea of finding a spider in your favorite milk dunking cookie is not unbelievable–After all, we have evidence of a maggot stuffed cookie.

Theories On The Oreo Spider

• It’s fake. Somebody untwisted an Oreo and then smashed a living or dead spider into the cream. They posted a picture of what they “found in their cookie.” The cookie even appears to have some dirt attached. 

• It’s real. The Nabisco plant is in desperate need of spider control as it deals with a full-fledged spider infestation. Maybe they should call Bulwark Exterminating. 

• Introducing the newest flavor of Oreo: Spider Oreos! The Oreo R & D department took things too far this time after their success with the Candy Corn Oreos last fall. 

• The cookie was one of those generic Oreos, from Mexico, where the Mexican Council of Food regulations are a little lax. Spiders run rampant throughout their cookie factories. 

• The spider Oreo is a prototype of the upcoming Halloween Oreos that will be hitting supermarket shelves this fall. Watch for the Oreos with bats, mice, and centipedes inside too. 

• The Oreo is from another country, where eating spiders, scorpions, ants, roaches, and other insects is common practice. 

• Somebody was in need of an extra protein boost for their afternoon snack. Just imagine, an Oreo with nutritional value. The spider might be the healthiest part of that Oreo. Anybody could rationalize that!

Is The Spider Found In The Oreo Real Or Fake?

My professional opinion, as a bug guy, is that this Oreo spider is a hoax. Obviously there is a spider implanted in the Oreo’s cream, but it was likely put there on purpose.

We did the same thing here at the office with a scorpion. Here is a Scorpion Birthday Bash Oreo:

At first glance, the spider seems to be a simple garden spider. These spiders are rarely ever associated with indoor environments, and wouldn’t make its home in the very clean, and very FDA regulated, Nabisco factory.

Spider In Oreo Undetermined

The truth is that nobody is 100% sure if this is just an easily replicated hoax, or if a spider was really mashed between an Oreo during the manufacturing process. Oreo has yet to release a public statement. Investigative websites like Snopes are uncertain about the photographs authenticity; its hoax status is labeled undetermined as of March 1, 2013.

Us bug guys will keep you updated when we know more. Until then, maybe you should untwist your next Oreo before you eat it… Just to be on the safe side.

One thing we do know for sure at this point– The only thing worse than finding a spider inside an Oreo cookie you’re eating, is finding half a spider.

Happy dunking!

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Anthony Ball

(Photo by Brooke Borel)

A Pill A Day Keeps The Bedbugs Away?  

Can popping a pill keep bedbugs from feeding on you during your sleep? That’s exactly what a group of doctors and scientists from Eastern Virginia Medical School believe with their new research.

A New Weapon For Battling Bedbugs?  

New studies suggest that a bedbug will die shortly after having a blood meal from someone who has taken the drug Stromectol. Many are finding this news refreshing as bedbug infestations are growing at exponential rates—some reports say as rates have risen as much as 75% from this same time last year.

Researchers hope that taking the Stromectol pill, along with conventional pesticide measures, will eradicate a bedbug infestation.

Stromectol Pill  

Stromectol, produced by Merck & Company (MRK), is also made with the drug ivermectin. It is typically used to combat parasitic worms. Doctors usually prescribe Stromectol to help treat lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), and river blindness caused by worm parasites.

Ivermectin has also been found successful in the treating of body lice, head lice, scabies, and now bedbugs.

 The Research  

Popular Science and Bloomberg both report that Eastern Virginia Medical School researchers ran three different experiments on groups of bedbugs. The groups included both adult bedbugs, as well as young bedbugs in their third and fourth growth stages. Different groups of bugs were fed ivermectin-laced mouse blood through an artificial membrane, directly from mice that had been injected with ivermectin. Bedbugs also fed on four people that had taken the drug orally.

In both the human and mouse trials, the drug killed most of the bed bugs in varying degrees. The bedbugs that didn’t die were unable to molt and reproduce.

Bedbug Pill Obstacles  

The promise of eliminating bedbugs by simply taking a pill seems promising, but there are still many obstacles left to hurdle.

First, bedbugs still have to bite a victim and feed on their blood in order to digest the ivermectin. Most people would prefer traditional pest control methods, over being bit continually. Bedbugs would have to bring our society to its knees before people start entertaining that approach.

Second, bedbugs only come out of hiding about once a week to feed. To guarantee every bedbug gets a dose of ivermectin, someone would have to take the drug for a couple of weeks. Even then, every single bedbug in the infestation may not be exposed to the drug.

Finally, in order for the FDA to approve a drug for us to use, it first must be subjected to hundreds if not thousands of tests to collect important data. Years of human and animal trials will be needed before the new drug is deemed safe for human usage.

Bedbugs  

Bedbugs are nocturnal blood feeders and crawl onto sleeping human hosts to feed. They feed by piercing the skin with an elongated beak through which they withdraw blood. Engorgement takes about three to ten minutes. Bed bugs are very resilient and adults can survive for more than one year without eating.

Bedbugs are flat, except when they are engorged with blood, and are reddish- brown in color. They look much like an apple seed. Bedbugs do not fly, but can move quickly over floors, walls, ceilings and other surfaces.

Until bedbug technology improves, traditional pest control methods are still our best resource for combating these blood-sucking bugs.

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Anthony Ball

Toilet Spider

Toilet Spiders Deemed Hoax 

Here we go again. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumbler have been inundated as of late with reports of poisonous spiders biting people, as they sit on the toilet of all places, resulting in your eventual death.

Here Is The Claim 

NEW POISONOUS SPIDER IN THE UNITED STATES

A spider bite…please read………… And you thought the brown recluse was bad!

Three women in North Florida, turned up at hospitals over a 5-day period, all with the same symptoms. Fever, chills, and vomiting, followed by muscular collapse, paralysis, and finally, death. There were no outward signs of trauma.

Autopsy results showed toxicity in the blood. These women did not know each other, and seemed to have nothing in common. It was discovered, however, that they had all visited the same Restaurant (Olive Garden) within days of their deaths. The health department descended on the restaurant, shutting it down. The food, water, and air conditioning were all inspected and tested, to no avail.

The big break came when a waitress at the restaurant was rushed to the hospital with similar symptoms. She told doctors that she had been on vacation, and had only went to the restaurant to pick up her check. She did not eat or drink while she was there, but had used the restroom.

That is when one toxicologist, remembering an article he had read, drove out to the restaurant, went into the restroom, and lifted the toilet seat. Under the seat, out of normal view, was a small spider.

The spider was captured and brought back to the lab, where it was determined to be the Two-Striped Telamonia (Telamonia dimidiata), so named because of its reddened flesh color. This spider’s venom is extremely toxic, but can take several days to take effect. They live in cold, dark, damp climates, and toilet rims provide just the right atmosphere.

It is now believed that these spiders can be anywhere in the country. So please, before you use a public toilet, lift the seat to check for spiders. It can save your life!

And please pass this on to everyone you care about.

Source: Facebook

Just A Hoax 

Wikipedia and other credible online sources have debunked the claim of toilet spiders biting restaurant patrons; stating the stories are fictitious. Although some spiders do prefer cool dark places, the harsh chemicals used to clean the toilet would likely deter any spider from making a toilet it’s home. No such story of a Two-Stripped Telamonia biting rear ends has ever occurred. The story is considered an urban legend.

The Real Two-Striped Telamonia Spider 

The two-striped jumper (Telamonia dimidiate), is a jumping spider found in various Asian tropical rain forests. They are common in wooded environments in India, Singapore, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bhutan. They do not live in North Florida Olive Garden restaurants.

The Two-Striped Telamonia Spider ranges in size from 8-11 millimeters. Females are a light yellow, with a white stripe down her middle. She also has a red ring around her legs. The male is very dark, with white markings, and red hairs around the eyes. The venom of this species is not medically significant.

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Anthony Ball

Have you ever had a hose break on you in the middle of a service? Try having that happen when doing weed control and having the tractor dye spray all over a home. Hose problems can be a real mess, costing lots of time, and causing lots of customer headaches and dissatisfaction for changing routes last minute. Well here are 5 easy steps to keep your pest control hose it top shape.

Top 5 Pest Control Sprayer Hose Problems You Can Avoid
By Andrew Greess

Here are a few simple actions you can take to extend your pest control hose life and reduce chemical spills.

1. Clean hose exterior. When rewinding hose, run the hose through a rag to remove grit and debris that will reduce hose life.
2. Periodically completely unroll all the hose off the reel.Turn the power spray on to put some pressure in the hose. Rewind the hose. This will prevent the hose from becoming permanently flattened out, which can negatively affect system performance, especially on low pressure sprayers.
3.  Reverse the hose. In the same way you rotate tires on a vehicle, reversing the hose regularly will even the wear and extend hose life.
4. Cut and replace bad portions early. Inspect hose, particularly the first 20 feet for wear and damage. If it looks bad, don’t wait for it to leak, cut it off. This will prevent chemical spills and downtime.
5. Make a hose repair kit a standard part of your pest control equipment inventory. The kit will allow you to fix minor hose problems so you can finish your route before having to return for a permanent hose repair or replacement.

These simple tips can reduce equipment problems, missed stops and chemical spills.

Andrew Greess is the President of Quality Equipment & Spray, which designs, builds and sells pest control equipment. Follow Greess on Facebook & Twitter. For more information or to share comments, check out www.SprayEquipmentBlog.com

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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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We all know that spiders are scary even when it’s not Halloween. So, what do the 5 Scariest Spiders dress up like on Halloween to give you a real fright? Well we took a peek at this year’s festive costumes of the Black Widow Spider, the Brown Recluse Spider, the Tarantula, the Camel Spider, and the Desert Hairy Scorpion. But who wore it best? Which spider/arachnid is taking home the scariest spider prize? Who needs spider control?

Check it out and vote below:

Black Widow cast herself as Lidsay Lohan (a repeat offender… referring to last year’s Halloween Treat) Sorry Scarlet Johansson but you won’t be playing the Black Widow tonight, but the shy Brown Recluse Spider may have found your cell phone. Sir Herman Cain gets props on his Godfather’s Pizza from the Tarantula. The military boys had enough influence on the Camel Spider that Ron Paul gets the Camel Spider vote. And well, the Desert Hairy Scorpion is feared enough so digging out a scary costume meant going for the gold in fear force names, Chuck Norris.

To Vote and Enter for our Halloween Treat

Two Options and 2 chances:

1- Login to Facebook and Vote on our Facebook Poll: http://facebook.com/bulwarkpestcontrol

2- Tweet your vote with a link to this post: “I vote _______ as the scariest spider: http://blwrk.us/ScarySpiders”

The Poll Closes on Halloween at Midnight. So vote by Oct. 31st.

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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