Pest Control and Bug Exterminator Blog

“Former President Clinton recently had to clear out of his office for a few days because it’s infested with bed bugs.” according to the New York Times laugh line… but bed bugs isn’t a laughing matter for pest control companies and victims of this spreading epidemic.

Sure its funny to insinuate that Clinton has a new guest in his bed, or multiple bed buddies for that matter, but these guests are blood suckers.  Bed bugs are nocturnal insects that feast on the host.  The bites are painless since they inject a numbing agent which keeps the victim from feeling the bed bugs while they feast.  Most infestations go unnoticed for a couple of weeks as they feed and reproduce more feeders.  Victims usually begin to note something unusual after their skin breaks out with red eruptions. Some of these sever cases require medical attention for the skin irritations.  But by the time all of this has happened the bed bugs have not only infested the bed, but have moved on to couches and out the door with clothing.  Within relatively short periods of time entire apartments, hospitals, and other structures are crawling with this tiny invaders.  And so the epidemic roles forward.

Perhaps its good that this problem has finally bitten a politician.  Of course, one blood sucker may have compassion on the other blood sucker.  And since “politics” can be broken down into “poli” meaning “many” and “tics” meaning “blood sucking creatures” we may be able to conclude that they are indeed in bed together.

Do-It-Yourself Bed Bug Control

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I am in a class yesterday some what bored by the simplicity of the course, when I hear the instructor mention something about a “Green Server”.  My ears perked up…

“… this server option is considered green. Versus your traditional server options, a shared hosting plan or shared server leaves less of a carbon footprint and for many of us that are in this industry the greener the better.”

Rewind… “A Shared server is considered green?”

So like a good student I did my research on Green Servers, Green Hosting and Green Websites.  Here is what I found:

Garner Research – http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=503867

According to Garner the IT industry is responsible for 2% of energy consumption worldwide.  Some have said this is nearly as much if not more then the aviation industry, but I could not confirm that rumor.  Further Garner is including much more then just PCs and servers in this equation.

Gartner’s estimate of the 2 percent of global CO2 emissions that ICT is responsible for includes the in-use phase of PCs, servers, cooling, fixed and mobile telephony, local area network (LAN), office telecommunications and printers. Gartner has also included an estimate of the embodied (that used in design, manufacture and distribution) energy in large-volume devices, namely PCs and cell phones. It also included all commercial and governmental IT and telecommunications infrastructure worldwide, but not consumer electronics other than cell phones and PCs.

This information sounds great if you want to point fingers and pass blame onto the IT industry for adding to the carbon footprint, but what about the benefits that IT is providing?  And streching this all the way out to telecommunications and government infrastructure???

I did find some useful information on how to be a little greener. Here are a few tips on a “Greener Server”:

1- Newer equipment is considered more energy efficient, and therefore green. FYI, Dell is coming out with servers that are designed to be energy conservative.

2- Cooling.  Servers require cooling measures.  Fans, A/C, ventilation, etc.  Perhaps your floor fans are overkill or just placed ineffectively to optimize the cooling capacity.

3- Hosting on your own separate server/ dedicated server may give you more features, options, and speed, but like the Dodge Viper that out performs your smart car, your Dodge Viper only gets 8 MPG.  (i.e. your performance comes at a cost that may not be worth the extra performance.)  Shouldn’t everyone be content with a GEO Metro? … Of course, I would be tempted to take a Dodge Viper if you gave it to me.

4-Websites.  Not only should you consider the servers you are hosting them on but the computers that are visiting your websites…??? Sorry this is according the the ECOfriendly approved site stamp.  Essentially the best ways to have an ecofriendly website is to control the number of visitors to your site and to limit the size of your website.  So just consider all the waste that one or two extra images could add up to on your site.

GOOD NEWS FOR BLOGPESTCONTROL.com !!!

Our servers are hosted and since we are running a blog the website is much more efficient and smaller!  We qualify for a green website and green hosting!… My life is now complete.

Bulwark’s Pest Control, Green and Getting Greener.

FYI, This article does not give enough credit to the thousands of trees that we are saving by going digital, which should offset the 2% of consumption as trees saved should equal more CO2 eaters. Unfortuntely I don’t have the time or energy to spend quantifying the total offset… sorry, just conserving some of my own energy and putting it to better use.

TIP# 5

In red, because its the most important… It’s estimated that 2/3 of PC use is waste, WHY? Because people don’t turn them off.  So if you really want to help and be green then TURN OFF YOUR PC.

Thanks.

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They Can copy our Service but it will not be same.

The products, the equipment, and the techniques may all be the same, but they will never have OUR PEOPLE. Our people are really what makes our service.  They are the face of our company. They are the voice you hear on the phone.  Excellent people make an excellent company.  Our people make up the Bulwark Family.  They make up our culture.  They come to trust one another and work as a team.

Further, since other companies are the ones copying they will never have the edge.  For our people, Bulwark means change.  Bulwark is constantly listening to our customers, listening to our managers, listening to our team leaders, listening to anyone that has a good idea, and implementing those ideas to make a better system.  Welcome to the Bulwark 2009 Model!  Our business in 2009 is not the same as 2008.  And next year we will role out the 2010 Pest Control Model.

So how do know which companies are different? How do you choose a pest control company?

Well… Wouldn’t you rather have an original Picasso over a copy?

Bulwark, the orginal pest control service.

p.s… This post came about because an office staff of ours took a call the other day.  The gentleman seemed very interested in our service and was asking all kinds of questions.  What kind of products do you use? Is your product safe for dogs?  Where do you treat? What are your mixed rates? Do you use baits for ants?… In fact the call went on for 20 minutes.  The caller then abruptly ended the conversation and said he would call back later.  Our office staff called to follow up with the “customer” later that same day only to get an voice mail, “Hi this is Joe Loss from Unpresentive Pest Control….” (Names changed to fictitious names to not embarrass our competitors.)

So a competitor called and found out what we used… We’re not too worried about it.

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I often write about the good that bugs do for the environment.  I have respect for the pests that we control and have grown fond of how insects impact our environment.  I read an interesting article that may change the way you feel about termites.

Here it is:

By KRISTEN GELINEAU, Associated Press WriterWed Jul 30, 4:01 AM ET

Lost in the rocky, remote Australian Outback, a former pest exterminator faced dehydration and death. Desperate for food, he turned to what he knew best — bugs, he said Wednesday.

Theo Rosmulder, 52, managed to survive for four days by feasting on termites and other insects before local Aborigines happened upon him Tuesday and brought him back to civilization.

A weary-looking Rosmulder told reporters that he found some relief from hunger at a giant termite mound. “I just hit the top of the termite nest off and got stuck into them,” Rosmulder said.

“Termites don’t taste too bad,” he said at a news conference in the southwestern Australian mining town of Laverton.

Rosmulder was suffering from dehydration but otherwise in “surprisingly good condition,” Western Australia state police Sgt. Graham Clifford said. He said the insects and termites provided Rosmulder a bit of moisture and some protein.

“He kept eating what he used to kill,” Clifford said.

Rosmulder had been searching for gold with his wife and a group of other prospectors about 80 miles north of Laverton, police said.

On Friday, he became lost after heading out alone, armed only with a pocketknife, flashlight and a metal detector, Clifford said. His prospecting group called police Friday night after he failed to return to camp.

Police launched a large search operation at first light Saturday morning, with dozens of searchers combing 77 square miles of the rocky desert terrain by land and air.

“The chap did say he saw planes on a number of occasions and waved items of clothing, but they didn’t attract the attention,” Clifford said.

Rosmulder said he managed to get some rest during his ordeal. “Found a hollow in the rocks where the kangaroos slept and crawled into it, got a few bushes over the top of me and stayed the night,” Rosmulder said.

On Tuesday morning, a couple members of a local Aboriginal community who were out shooting spotted Rosmulder about 6 miles from his camp. He was still holding onto his metal detector.

“It was just magic,” he said of his rescue. “I just collapsed.”

Rosmulder was treated and released from Laverton Hospital the same day, authorities said. Rosmulder told officials that he planned to continue his gold hunting vacation.

“Why not?” Clifford said with a chuckle.

kennetht General Pest Control bug control, funny, happy, pest control joke

Funny Jokes about Spiders found on the Web….. LOL….I am too funny.
Why did the spider buy a car?
So he could take it out for a spin!

What does a spider do when he gets angry?
He goes up the wall!

What would happen if tarantulas were as big as horses?
If one bit you, you could ride it to hospital!

Why are spiders good swimmers?
They have webbed feet!

How do you spot a modern spider?
He doesn’t have a web he had a website!

What are spiders webs good for?
Spiders!

What kind of doctors are like spiders?
Spin doctors!

What do you get if you cross a spider and an elephant?
I’m not sure, but if you see one walking across the ceiling then run before it collapses!

What did the spider say to the fly?
We’re getting married do you want to come to the webbing?
What happened when the chef found a daddy long legs in the salad?
It became a daddy short legs!

source:http://www.ahajokes.com/spider_jokes.html

KT.

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If you have worked in the Pest Control Industry long enough you eventually develop some level of respect for the “other side.” I often find myself amazed by the ability of these pesky little critters to adapt to their environment. Seriously, they sometimes all learn to live with each other despite their differences. Literally, living on top of each other. I know that is gross but after a while it was pretty cool treating a new home’s water box and watching the various “insects” scurry into the sunlight. You could tell if the last bug guy was not very thorough…because you literally would find a vast amount of insects in these water boxes.

I have seen black widows, wind scorpions, crickets, silverfish, scorpions, roaches, etc…all come out of one water box. It amazes me that prey would live with predator. But I guess “fight or flight” kicks in and foes become friends in order to survive, sharing the last known safe haven on the premises…at least until a thorough inspection is performed. This is my long introduction to my short paragraphs about how these pests are nature’s hidden miracle.

I think it is common sense how bugs and insects are important in nature. Bees provide cross pollination, while other insects help decompose organic structures to be reabsorbed within the cyclical tides of Mother Nature. I could go on and on about how this insect helps in this way, that way, etc…But I want to briefly talk about scorpions-who generally get a bad wrap.

I guess scientists have found a way to utilize scorpion venom to fight cancer. I have read that Senator Ted Kennedy’s doctors were considering using it as a preferential alternative treatment. So be nice next time you see a scorpion and think twice before you go “squash,” or contact a bug exterminator.

KT

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