Pest Control and Bug Exterminator Blog

Happy Valentines Day (Photo credit: outdoorPDK)

Ah, Valentine’s Day… A day of love… A day of romance.

A day of cockroaches?

This week loving couples across the country are making romantic plans in anticipation for the big day. Reservations are being made at the finest restaurants. Bouquets of beautiful red roses and boxes of expensive chocolates will be at a premium as couples pull out all the stops to show that special someone just how much they are loved.

Getting “Unlucky” On Valentine’s Day

After a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner, you head home with that special someone. Upon arrival, you have Barry White softly playing in the background. You blindfold your date. She is guided upstairs through a trail of rose petals that lead to a candlelit bubble bath. As you remove her blindfold, any chances of getting “lucky” this Valentine’s Day are suddenly vanquished.

See for yourself:

A Roach Is Not A Love Bug

An ill-timed visit from a cockroach can turn an intimate Valentine’s date into a nightmare, complete with screaming and attempts to flee.  The sight of a roach can induce a primitive reaction of disgust, nausea, and even vomiting with your date; sucking out all the day’s romance and ensuring your previous gestures are overlooked.

Your only chance to save the evening is to play the hero and squash that disgusting cockroach under your shoe, and promise your lovely lady that you will sign up for Bulwark’s Roach Control so this doesn’t happen again next year.

More Evidence Valentine’s Day Roaches Are A Bad Idea

Valentine’s Day cockroaches are a bad idea, especially when handed to a woman in a red heart-shaped box that looks like a it should be filled with chocolates.  It really isn’t a pretty site.

Guy Pranks His Girlfriend With A Box of Cockroaches!

Guy Gives Girlfriend Box Full of Cockroaches on Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day

All of us bug guys here at Blog Pest Control and Bulwark Exterminating would like to wish you all a Happy Valentine’s Day. May your day be filled with love and romance; and may it be cockroach free!
 

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Anthony Ball

Waiting for the lights. (Photo credit: kimubert)

Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans was full of twists and turns as the Baltimore Ravens edged the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 34-31. One of the most memorable twists to the game happened to be when the power to half of Mercedes-Benz Superdome, including the scoreboard, went dark with 13:22 left in the third quarter. The game was literally stopped as the players, announcers, and fans where all left scratching their heads.

After nearly 35 minutes of head scratching, wondering what had happened to the power, the game resumed. The San Francisco 49ers, who were down 28-6 just before the blackout, staged a monumental comeback, only to fall short in the very end.

The game will be one of the most memorable in years, primarily because of the power outage. What went wrong?

Could Superdome Pests Have Caused Power Outage?

While weather related reasons cause the majority of power complications, it is not uncommon for small animals and other pests to disrupt transformers and fuses; causing temporary loss of power. We also know that pests can infest sports arenas, like Cowboy’s Stadium. What pests could have caused the Super Bowl power outage?

“Nice rats, nasty rats” (Photo credit: ressaure)

Rodents

Rodents are notorious for wrecking havoc on power systems. Could a few squirrels have got tangled in the electrical equipment in a Superdome substation? Could a malevolent rat have chewed through a major power cord?

Rodent caused power outages happen more often than you might think. I was on Arizona State University’s campus a year or so back, when the power went out on half the campus. An apparent rat found its way into one of the substations and shorted out the equipment. It can happen!

Termites

Could termites be the culprit of the Super Bowl XLVII power outage? Termites may have weakened the structure of the power line poles that were carrying the electricity to the Superdome.

Bees & Wasps

Bees or wasps love to build their hives in well hidden, concealed areas; like that of a circuit breaker box or parts of a substation. If a hive was large enough and the infestation destructive enough, a bee or wasp infestation could have brought the power down at Super Bowl XLVII.

Bird Pests

Bird pests, like pigeons, wreak havoc on the structure of buildings. A well placed nest, or a build-up of droppings, can easily cause a circuit to trip; or spark a short in a power feed to the Superdome.

Snakes

Since hurricane Katrina, snakes have been an increasing pest problem in New Orleans. Tree snakes, which are non-indigenous to New Orleans, frequently cause power outages by crawling on electrical lines.

Raspberry Ants

Crazy Raspberry Ants, are usually only found in some 20 counties in Texas, but were recently discovered in Port Allen, Louisiana. These destructive and malevolent ants are so small; they can  easily get through the plastic casing around the electrical wiring. Raspberry ants have caused street lights in Houston, Texas to malfunction.

As a kudeta, these pesky ants may have been looking to take out one of the city’s biggest icons, the Superdome, and to announce their arrival to New Orleans.

Other Theories Behind The Power Outage

The 49ers Were Responsible- Previous to the blackout, the Ravens had just gone ahead of the 49ers by a score of 28-6 with a 108 yard kickoff return. Someone in the 49ers organization knew something had to be done and quick. That’s when they pulled the plug. With their malicious goal achieved, the 49ers rallied to cut the deficit, but eventually fell three points short. The same strategy is extremely effective when you pull the plug on the XBOX when you’re getting blown out in Madden.

Super Bowl Heist- Picture Ocean’s 13, but instead of robbing a Vegas casino, Danny Ocean and his team of professional thieves set their eyes on the Super Bowl box office where the average price of a ticket is about $3,000.

Another Harbaugh Brother- Jay Harbaugh, the often forgotten about Harbaugh brother, was tired of John and Jim getting all the attention. In an attempt to steal some of the limelight away from the two Super Bowl coaches, Jay cut the power to the Superdome.

More Commercials For CBS- Forbes reports that the price for a single advertisement during Super Bowl XLVII was over $4 Million. The extra 35 minutes caused by the delay would have generated hundreds of millions of extra dollars.

Beyonce Did It- Beyonce forgot to unplug her curling iron before she took the stage for her Super Bowl halftime performance. You know that thing had to have been sucking down a lot of juice; getting her hair to look the way it did.

New Orleans Voodoo- New Orleans is well known for the dark arts like voodoo, and the Superdome is built only a few hundred yards away from a cemetery. There are only so many voodoo commercials you can air before New Orleans will strike back.

Buffalo Wild Wings Got Carried Away- We’ve all seen the Buffalo Wild Wings commercial with the football fans wanting an overtime game. They send the signal into Buffalo Wild Wings, and all sorts of mischief happens. Sprinklers mysteriously turn on, preventing an obvious score. Could someone have sent the signal to BWW during the Super Bowl?

Marketing Campaign by Oreo- A few minutes into the blackout, Oreo sent out a tweet that read, “Power out? No problem. You can still dunk in the dark.” This tweet was retweeted over 15,000 times, giving the cookie company even more exposure.

Bane Did It- This has been one of the most frequent conspiracy theories floating around out there. Bane, of The Dark Knight Rises fame, looked to take over Gotham… I mean New Orleans… by interrupting the big game.  Bane has publicly denied any involvement in the Super Bowl blackout.

Statement Issued Regarding Power Outage:

The following statement was issued in regards to the Superdome power outage:

“A piece of equipment that is designed to monitor electrical load sensed an abnormality in the system,” the statement said. “Once the issue was detected, the sensing equipment operated as designed and opened a breaker, causing power to be partially cut to the Superdome in order to isolate the issue. … Entergy and SMG will continue to investigate the root cause of the abnormality.” 

Congrats to the Baltimore Ravens

By edging out the San Francisco 49ers, the Baltimore Ravens are your Super Bowl XLVII champions. Congrats on the great season!

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Anthony Ball

Pest Control Operator Tips- 12 Ways to Build a Better Day

As pest control operators, our days are filled with ups and downs. We find joy in being able to help our customers eliminate serious pest problems, but we also find it challenging to juggle our day-to-day priorities. We must balance our sales, marketing, and managing efforts; with training our employees, scheduling and billing our customers, and making sure we meet overhead… All while balancing family, community, and even religious obligations.

While we are making our customer’s days better, sometimes our days suffer.

Here are a few tips pest control operators can do to ensure you have a great workday:

1.  Begin each day with positive visualization. Visualize your day. Close your eyes and visualize how well your day will go. Take 15 minutes every morning, before you even check your email or daily service routes, and give yourself a few positive affirmations. Focus in on all the positive attributes you have.

2.  Plaster a big smile across your face. Even if you don’t feel like smiling, just fake it. Experts say that the act of smiling, even if it’s not genuine, will naturally force you to be happy and will reduce stress. Positive, cheerful and appreciative states of being never made anyone perform less effectively.

3.  Make the most out of your commute. Whether you’re in your car, or taking the bus, make the most out of this time by listen to some positive upbeat music. Take a few minutes to read a motivating book, or listen to an inspiring book on tape. This will surely get you pumped for the day!

4.  Stay organized. This tip is self explanatory, but is often times neglected by pest control operators. Having your service routes, customers, emails, and computers neat and organized will go along way in reducing your stress levels and can eliminate a lot of frustration.

5.  Set daily goals. Before you get into the office, or hit the road on sales or service calls, write down one big goal for the day. Follow that goal up with a few smaller goals that will help you reach your big goal. Doing this will ensure your day is focused and driven on an objective.

6.  Do the day’s most challenging thing first. It’s human nature to procrastinate, and pest control operators are no different. If you knock out the day’s most difficult task first, you won’t have to worry or stress about it all day long. Taking this route will make the day feel easier and you’ll have less inner resistance to getting the rest of the tasks of the day done.

7.  Connect with customers and coworkers. While at work get to know your colleagues and your customers. Ask them about their lives. Build rapport. Doing so will not only make you a better pest control operator, but will help you feel connected to the world as a whole. You will be happier.

8.  Take breaks and lunches. Following up on the previous tip, take lunches and breaks with your pest control colleagues and employees. Not only will you feel more connected, you will also break up your day and feel less stressed. Many pest control operators just find the nearest drive thru between service calls, or skip lunch all together. Make an effort to avoid doing this. It also wouldn’t hurt to choose something healthy to eat either.

9.  Stay away from negative people. Almost every office has a few of these people. These people may dislike their job or are just cynical in nature. Do your best to keep your distance as they will bring down your positive attitude you’ve worked so hard on establishing all day. When these people become unavoidable, learn to shrug them off. Replacing their negative voices with more positive influences is very powerful. It can be like a whole new world opening up.

10.  Just have fun. Pest control and fun sound like a complete oxymoron, I know. Try to remember why you got into this business. Find joy in the little things like helping the little old lady with her spiders. Learn to laugh.

11.  Go home on time. Try to wrap up your day with 15 minutes to spare. Take those last few minutes to finish up, to organize the next day, and to clean up. Get home to have dinner with your family. Make sure your life has balance.

12.  Reflect on the day. Before you go to bed, take a few minutes and ponder the things you did well, and the things you’d like to improve on. Writing these things down in a journal is very helpful. Give thanks and show gratitude for everything you have, and everything you accomplished during the day.

A Challenge

I know these tips can be a challenge at times… Everything worth doing is. I personally challenge each and every pest control operator out there to try these twelve tips, everyday for a week. See how much better your day can be. Yes, they work!

Have any other tips? Let me know!

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Anthony Ball

A New Discovery of Rare ‘Headless’ Ladybug

It is said that if a ladybug lands on you it is a sign of good luck. This old myth proved to be accurate when a Montana State University student discovered a new species of ladybug that appeared to be headless.

Ross Winton made the discovery in a trap he set at a sand dune in southwest Montana. The MSU entomology graduate student was rather perplexed when he first saw the insect, thinking it was some kind of headless beetle. As scientists further examined the specimen, they were able to determine that the insect was actually a ladybug. The scientists also discovered the ladybug actually does have a head, but it’s hidden inside it’s thorax, much like a tortoise with it’s head tucked into it’s shell.

There have only been two specimens of the tan, pinhead-sized ladybug ever collected, with another female ‘headless’ ladybug found 90 miles away in Idaho. Scientists say that this ‘headless’ ladybug is the rarest species in the United States, and is quite an accomplishment considering the ladybug isn’t much larger that a grain of sand.

Scientists generally use male species to catalogue and name new discoveries, so Ross Winton was given the naming right to the rare ladybug. He decided to name it Aleenius Iviei after one of his Montana State University professors. It’s common name will be “Winton Labybird Beetle.”

Using Ladybugs as Natural Pest Control

Ladybugs are quite amazing creatures. Aside from being a favorite insect among young children, ladybugs are a favorite among homeowners and gardeners as well. They are considered beneficial insects, because many species feed on aphids, spider mites, and mealy bugs that traditionally wreak havoc on crops and destroy gardens.

Some homeowners and gardeners have a lot of success introducing beneficial insects into their gardens, flower beds, and property. These natural exterminators can provide a very useful pest control service. By providing appropriate living conditions, which require very little support, homeowners can encourage the growth and development of ladybugs and other beneficial insects.

Keep Your Eyes Open

The discovery of this new ‘headless’ ladybug is quite exciting news for pest control operators and insect enthusiasts alike. Scientists predict that humans have only discovered 20 percent of the world’s insects. Next time you’re out camping, or even in your front yard, keep a look out for any bug that appears to be out of the ordinary… You might discover a new species and get to name it!

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The Culture of the Negotiated Pest Control Transactions

Here’s a great blog for us pest control operators that explores the art of negotiating prices among different cultures, and how American’s are catching on. There’s a great take home lesson at the end on setting prices while still being able to negotiate with potential and existing customers. Check out:

http://heartspm.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/culture-of-negotiated-pest-control-price/

Tips on Hiring Pest Control Services

This article provides an interesting consumer perspective on exactly what our customers want in a pest control service. As pest control operators, we can look to model ourselves, and our customer service, according to these guidelines.

http://www.linksparadise.com/?p=20782

August Means Hungry Yellow Jackets

Heritage Pest Control of New Jersey reminds us all that August is Yellow Jacket season. These aggressive wasps have been busy the previous summer months building their paper-like nests on the ground, and now they’re on the lookout for food. For a few tips on dealing with Yellow Jackets:

http://www.heritagepestcontrolnj.com/blog/2012/08/27/august-means-hungry-yellow-jackets/

Borax/Boric Acid for Pest Control

Many of our possible customers are still turning to the toxic Borax/Boric Acid to help eliminate unwanted pests. If someone comes in contact with the powder it can cause health problems like nausea, vomiting, and throat swelling. Many consumers turn to the Borax method because they are uneducated about many of our industry’s safe, all-natural, or organic pest control methods.

http://www.momprepares.com/2012/08/27/borax-vs-boric-acid-for-pest-control-safe-and-effective/

Africanized Bees on Attack in Arizona!

Our friends at Pest Control Mesa, AZ bring us a frightening incident about a grandmother being attacked by Africanized “Killer” Bees. The women’s 4-year-old granddaughter witnessed the attack, and likely saved her life.

http://pestcontrolmesaaz.com/africanized-bees-on-attack-in-arizona/

Fall Season Pest Control

As the weather starts to cool this fall, pests of all kinds will be making their way into our homes in search of food and the warmer air. For some helpful how-to’s on keeping these pests out of your home this fall:

http://aaapestcontrolmyrtlebeach.com/541/fall-season-pest-control/

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As pest control professionals we deal with roach problems almost every day. As we are working to eliminate these pests for our customers, roaches are busy predicting the next president of the United States.

The New Jersey Pest Management Association holds a “presidential cockroach derby” every four years to predict this country’s next president. The derby pairs two Madagascar hissing cockroaches against each other with each cockroach representing a corresponding presidential candidate, Mitt Romney or Barack Obama. Each roach has a tiny cartoon caricature stuck to its back as they race down a three-foot-long track to the finish line. Commentators make political wisecracks like, “Look, the Obama roach is leaning to the left.”

 The Winner…

The Mitt Romney roach handily beats the Barack Obama roach thus solidifying Mitt Romney as the 45th President of the United States. Well, not exactly, but the derby has predicted the presidential winner 84 percent of the time. In 2008 it was the Obama cockroach that won the race.

Although there is a history of animals making accurate psychic prophecies, such as Paul the Psychic Octopus of 2010 World Cup fame, there is no scientific proof that roaches can predict anything.

The one thing that we can predict is that our customers will continue to need our services to keep roaches out of their homes.

Source: Huffington Post

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During one hot summer in Austin, I was performing first time services for new Bulwark customers and training a new technician.  It was getting late in the week and the two of us had performed several first time services, so I told the trainee to get started on the outside and I would go inside, talk to the new customer, and get started performing the inside service.  I expected the trainee to come inside after doing the weephole screening and power spraying the perimeter, but after about half an hour, he had not yet come inside.  I explained to the new customer that I was going outside to check on my partner and that I would be back inside in just a few moments.  The hose was on the reel in the back of the truck, the weepholes were already meshed, but the trainee was nowhere to be found around the outside of the home.  I didn’t want to start yelling his name and cause any of the neighbors to question the professionalism of the technicians working for Bulwark, so I decided to finish the inside service, and think about where the trainee could have gone.  I completed the interior work and explained to the new customer, what I had done on the inside, what products were used and how they worked.  After thanking the customer and in the process of walking out the door, the customer said very calmly and nonchalantly, “make sure the dog doesn’t follow you out the gate, she has a habit of escaping” and the customer followed me out into the yard.  As we walked, I recognized the trainee, sweat dripping off of his face and petting a little dog in the yard.  The customer then told the trainee, “I’m surprised you two are getting along, she’s quite an escape artist, anytime someone comes into the yard, she gets out”, to which the trainee replied, “oh no ma’am we pay close attention when there a pets in the yard, we would never let anything happen to someone’s pet”.  The trainee and I left the home and hopped into the truck and asked him, “where’d you go, I was looking for you?”  To which he replied, “That little dog got out when I was reeling up the hose, so I tried to catch her.”  “I have been running all over the neighborhood for that last half hour.  I couldn’t pick her up and carry her the three blocks back here because I’m allergic.  So I caught up to her and fed her my sandwich to get her to come to me.  I took off my belt and made a leash and the two of us walked back to the house right before ya’ll came out.”  We laughed for a few minutes and I offered to buy him a Gatorade and something to eat.  As we pulled into the parking place at the convenience store, there was an unmistakable “LOST DOG” picture and poster in the store’s window from one of the previous escapes by his new friend.

Russel Shoffner

Branch Manager Austin

One time I went to do a service for interior earwigs.  As I was on my way, I called the customer (wife) to let them know I was on my way.  She said, “Yes, please come over we need a spray badly!” So, when I got there, the husband came to the door and said, “What are you doing here, I already canceled the account!”  So I said “I just spoke to your wife and she said to come over and do the service.”  So he said, with a grumpy old face, “Come on in then!”  So as I went in, and the wife began showing me where the earwigs were, and the husband kept running around following us and saying, “You know, I can take care of this myself!”,…. “And I can do a better job!” So as he kept complaining, the wife said, “Honey, What did I tell you!!” as she grabbed him by the ear and dragged him to his room.

What I heard from the other room was, “I will pay for the service.” She came out and apologized and thanked us for the service.  I thought to myself, HMMM, She just put her husband in time out for trying to refuse Bulwark’s services!

Tevita Fine
Las Vegas, NV

My name is Roger James and I’ve been a technician for Bulwark for four years now.  I am a team leader and service the community of Steiner Ranch which is in Austin, Texas.

It seems like everyone is cutting corners financially these days.  One of my favorite families from Steiner Ranch shared with me that the father of their household had to take a pay cut from his work.  They ended up having a family discussion about where they should cut corners.  It was either their gardener or me.  I’m happy to say that their final decision was to keep Bulwark.  Too bad for their gardener.

I always try to go that extra mile when it comes to customer service.  Many times I take in customer’s trash cans or spend a little time asking how they are doing.  It is very important to me that I take an extra five minutes at each customer’s house in order to develop rapport and trust.  With the number of customers that want my service exclusively, I would say that my skills are paying off.

Our staff for Bulwark in Austin meets twice every month and always encourages the topic of Customer Service.  It helps to hear other tech’s stories in order to pick up tips here and there.

I was lucky enough one day to receive this phone call from a customer complaining about rats and mice.  She wasn’t sure if they were rats or mice, but nevertheless, it was quite comical. She wanted to know all about our service and how we treated for them. I told her the technician would put out glueboards and mouse/rat traps. She seemed very upset, I asked her what was wrong, she said she didn’t want to kill the rats or mice, she just wanted us to move them to a different location. I couldn’t help but laugh, however, I laughed to myself.  I spoke briefly with a manager to see if there was anyway to catch them without hurting them, but the answer was no, which I already knew, but it doesn’t hurt to ask, I got back on the phone with her and told her we don’t offer that kind of service.

I told her not to look at the glueboards or look in the traps, but to call us and we would send a technician out there to check them for her. She seemed okay with that and we sent a technician out to check out her rat/mouse problem, which she definitely had. She has not called to complain since that phone call… I was glad to help in anyway I could.  Hopefully her problem is that of the past.

Jill Booker

Las Vegas