Pests love celebrities too.

Halle Berry, Howard Stern, Queen Elizabeth, Renee Zellweger, Bradley Cooper, Maya Rudoplh….

What do these famous people have in common aside from money, fame and paparazzi camped outside their homes?

They have been overrun with bugs!

The only advantage a celebrity might have in conquering bugs is that instead of cleaning and treating everything, they just replace it!

Halle Berry Forced Out Of Home By Spiders

Halle Berry, who is deathly afraid of bugs, was forced to evacuate her Hollywood home a few months back when her gardener uncovered a nest of Black Widow spiders. The deadly spiders where living underneath a lawn chair near the actress’ pool. The Academy Award winning actress and expectant mother said:

“There were hundreds under this lawn chair that we would all sit on around the pool every other day.

“We found out there was a whole village, a colony of black widows… One of the gardeners decided he should clean it and when he looked under it it was like, ‘Argh!’

“I just left… I said, ‘I’m gonna leave and you’re gonna have to handle that because I can’t stand spiders…’ I don’t even like Daddy Long Legs.” 

Black Widow Spiders

The Black Widow spider is the most dangerous North American spider. They inject a neurotoxin when they bite which can be serious and even fatal. A bite results in extreme pain and cramping that can take several days to diminish.

Queen Elizabeth Overrun With Silverfish

Even the Queen of England must deal with pest infestations. It was well reported last year that the Queen’s Scottish home was overrun with “embarrassing swarms of wingless insects.”

Those wingless insects just happened to be silverfish, which commonly feed on discarded food, human hair, wallpaper, and clothing fabric. Silverfish thrive in humid or damp conditions. The only way to completely eliminate them is to remove the source of the problem.

Pest control professionals in Scotland helped advise the Queen’s staff, and ended up removing all the wood surrounding the pipes which were causing the damp conditions the silverfish love.

Silverfish

Silverfish are flat, gray, scaly insects that have the ability to squeeze into tiny cracks. They have an uncanny ability to hide or to gain entry into homes. They are extremely quick, and will dart away when you turn on the lights. Silverfish prefer to live in damp, cool places such as bathrooms, basements and laundry rooms.

Howard Stern Battling Multiple Bug Infestations 

Ants 

The popular shock jock Howard Stern has had the misfortune of battling pest infestations multiple times. Over the holiday, Howard Stern and his wife Beth Ostrosky were forced to flee their luxury resort vacation in Turks and Caicos when the villa they rented became infested with ants.

Stern paid $5800 a night for a little time away with his wife, in a private 3 bedroom villa with ocean access. It wasn’t long into his vacation before they found themselves itching to get back home. A few minutes after they settled in to relax with some transcendental meditation, they found themselves covered with ants.

Howard Stern reported:

“We’re talking covered in ants. They’re swimming over you-in a sea of ants–encapsulating you. They’re not even looking like normal ants. If they were normal ants I could handle it. They looked like flying fish.” 

Multiple pest control fumigation efforts were performed on the property, in hopes the famous couple would stay, but new ant infestations continued to swarm.

Beetles 

Upon returning home from their unfortunate vacation, the couple found their Manhattan penthouse apartment infested with beetles. A colony of dead beetles was found in their oatmeal, while other containers in his pantry had been overrun with live beetles.

Bedbugs 

Howard Stern has also reported on his Sirius XM Radio show that he has been “scratching every minute,” since his New York apartment and limousine have been infested with tiny, bloodsucking bedbugs.

Celebrities Attacked By Blood Sucking Bedbugs 

In addition to Howard Stern; celebrities like Renee Zellweger, Bradley Cooper, Maya Rudoplh, Aubrey Plaza, Lauren Hildebrandt, and President Bill Clinton have dealt with bedbugs.

Bedbugs can be a common occurrence for celebrities, who do a lot of world traveling for both work and leisure.

President Clinton’s bedbug infestation may be more of a case of having too many guests in his bed.

To read more about celebrities being attacked by bloodsucking bedbugs, click here.

Pests Don’t Play Favorites 

It goes to show you that bugs play no favorites. Even famous celebrities, with lots of money, are susceptible to their malevolence. Black Widow spiders, beetles, silverfish, bedbugs, and ants can affect anybody. Get pest control!

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Anthony Ball

Links Roundup- Pest Control Articles For The Week 

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Lets hope you never need this advice; but just in case, McDonald Pest Control offers advice on getting rid of a hair lice infestation. More…

Termite Season Is Here & So Are Termite Swarmers

Is it possible to see termites on your property and not have a termite infestation? With spring almost upon us, and termite swarmers resurging, you better be well informed. Walker Pest Management of South Carolina has some advice on termites. More…

Ants: There’s Never Just One

In addition to the painful ant bites that go along with certain kinds of ants, there are some ants that can also destroy your property. More…

Bed Bugs Spreading to Theaters, Schools and Office Buildings

Bedbugs are not just hiding in the mattresses and bedding of dilapidated trailer parks, but can be found in schools, theaters, nursing homes, dormitories, and office buildings. Learn more about bedbugs from Accuracy Pest Control by clicking here.

Understanding Silverfish and What You Can Do to Prevent Them

You can find silverfish anywhere in your home or office, but they particularly love dark, damp places such as attics, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, basements, and more.

Pest Of The Week: The Red Imported Fire Ant

Making their way into the United States in the late 1930’s, the malicious Red imported Fire ant has spread to most of the southern states. Because of their impact on properties, on human health, and their environmental impact; Red Imported Fire ants easily take the cake for the worst ant pest. They build huge mounds, reaching nearly eight feet deep. These mounds can easily destroy the trees and plants on your property. On top of their damaging effects, they can also sting and bite. Red Imported Fire ant stings are very painful, and have even lead to death in rare cases.

Red Imported Fire ants have dark red bodies, with black abdomens. They can reach lengths of almost 1/4 of an inch, and are notorious for their very aggressive nature. When bothered, fire ants will pour out of their mounds and assault any impostor by stinging them numerous times. if you are having problems with fire ants, get ant control!

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Anthony Ball

I recieved a call at the office and the customer was needing a callback for silverfish.  So I told them I would come right out and take care of the problem.  When I got to there, a man was at the door and said to go ahead and start on the outside before I do the  inside. So, I said, “Okay, no problem, I’ll take care of that for you.”   As I was spraying and I got to the backyard a nude lady was laying out in the sun.  So I thought to myself, I think the guy at the door forgot to inform his wife that I was going to be spraying. I didn’t know what to do, I was shocked, so I went back to the front door and knocked on the door again and told the man that when we service homes we need to keep animals and humans inside and he just told me, “Oh, just go ahead and spray!!”  So, I put my sunglasses on and was trying to spray around her without looking at her and trying to hurry and get out of there. I did my thing, and the lady didn’t seem to even mind or notice, some stranger from a foreign country was there!!  Wow only in Vegas!! What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas!!

Tevita Fine
Las Vegas, NV

Silverfish and firebrats eat a wide variety of foods, including glue, wallpaper paste, bookbindings, paper, photographs, starch in clothing, cotton, linen, rayon fabrics, wheat flour, cereals, dried meats, leather and even dead insects. Silverfish often live in damp, cool places such as basements and laundry rooms. Sometimes, they are found in a bathtub, sink or washbasin, unable to climb out. Firebrats live in hot, humid places such as attics in summer and near furnaces, fireplaces and heat pipes in winter.

Identification

Silverfish and firebrats have flat, elongated bodies 1/3 to 3/4 inch long and broad near the head, tapering toward the rear-somewhat “carrot” shaped. These fragile, wingless insects are covered with scales and have two long, slender antennae at the head and three long, antennae-like appendages at the rear. These three appendages, one directed straight back and the other two curving outward, plus the two antennae, are nearly as long as the body. Sometimes these insects are known as “bristletails.”

The silverfish adult is about 1/2 inch long with a uniform silvery or pearl-gray color, whereas the four-lined silverfish is about 5/8 inch long and the back displays four dark lines the length of the body. The gray silverfish is about 3/4 inch long and uniform light to dark gray. The firebrat is about 1/2 inch long, grayish and mottled with spots and bands of dark scales. Young resemble the adults except they are smaller. Eggs are whitish, oval and about 1/32 inch long.

Life Cycle and Habits

Silverfish and firebrats are active at night and hide during the day. When objects are moved where they are hiding, they dart out and seek new hiding places. The silverfish lives and develops in damp, cool places (prefers 75 to 95 percent relative humidity), often in the basement, bathroom and kitchen. Large numbers may be found in new buildings where the walls are still damp from plaster and green lumber.

The firebrat is quick moving and lives in dark places above 90 degrees F such as around ovens, furnaces, boiler rooms and fireplaces or insulation around hot water and heat pipes. These insects follow pipelines from the basement to rooms on lower floors, living in bookcases, around closet shelves, behind baseboards and behind window or door frames. They are hardy and can live without food for many months. Bristletails prefer to eat vegetable matter. Indoors, they will feed on rolled oats, dried beef, flour, starch, paper and paper sizing (which contains starch), gum and cereals. Outdoors, they can be found under rocks, bark and leaf mold, and in ant, termite, bird and animal nests.

Silverfish females may lay over 100 eggs during a lifetime. Eggs are laid singly or two to three at a time in small groups, hatching in three to six weeks. Young silverfish and firebrats resemble adults except being smaller, white and take on the adult color in four to six weeks. Adults may live two to eight years. Firebrats lay about 50 eggs at one time in several batches. Eggs hatch in about two weeks under ideal conditions.

Silverfish and firebrats, depending on the species, may reach maturity in three to twenty-four months. These insects normally hitchhike into the home in food, furniture, old books, papers and old starched clothing. Unlike other insects, they continue to molt after becoming adults. Forty-one molts have been recorded for one firebrat. Populations do not build up fast. A large infestation in the house usually indicates a longtime infestation.

Control Measures

Prevention

Sanitation is important but not entirely effective in reducing populations because insects often reside between wall partitions, in insulation materials, in books and papers, among book shelves and in other protected places. However, be sure to remove old stacks of newspapers, magazines, papers, books and fabrics plus foodstuffs spilled and stored for long periods of time. Often reducing available water and lowering the home’s relative humidity with dehumidifiers and fans is helpful. Repair leaking plumbing and eliminate moisture around laundry areas. Lighting a dark, sheltered area may force these insects to move to new sites where they can be controlled more easily. Once the infestation has been eliminated, sanitation will help prevent reinfestation.

Insecticides

Treatments need to be applied thoroughly to all potential hiding places such as cracks, crevices, inside floor moldings, around steam and water pipes, in and behind seldom moved furniture, closets and even attics. It may be necessary to drill small holes in the walls to treat large populations in wall voids. Control may not be immediate since bristletails in wall voids must move out and contact the insecticides. It may take 10 to 14 days.

There are many insecticides labelled for control of silverfish and firebrats (bristletails). Residual sprays of chlorpyrifos (Duration, Dursban, Empire, Engage, Killmaster II), chlorpyrifos + pyrethrins (Dual Use), diazinon and propoxur (Baygon) can be used. Space sprays of amorphous silica gel (Drione, Tri-Die), pyrethrins (Exciter, Kicker, Microcare, Pyrenone, Pyrethrum, Safer, Synerol, Uld, X-Clude), resmethrin (Vectrin) and esfenvalerate (Conquer) can supplement residual sprays, especially in attics, crawl spaces and other hard-to-reach areas. Likewise, dusts of bendiocarb (Ficam), boric acid (Borid, Niban, Mop-UP, Perma Dust), diatomaceous earth (Answer), diatomaceous earth + pyrethrins (Organic Plus) are effective in places where sprays are hard to reach such as in wall voids, crawl spaces and attics. Other insecticides labelled for “restricted use” can be applied only by the licensed pest control operator or applicator. Their products include bendiocarb + pyrethrins (Ficam Plus), cyfluthrin (Optem, Tempo), cypermethrin (Cynoff, Cyper-Active, Demon, Vikor), deltamethrin (Suspend), lambdacyhalothrin (Commodore), permethrin (Dragnet, Flee, Prelude, Torpedo), propetamphos (Safrotin) and tralomethrin (Saga). Before using any insecticide, always read the label, follow directions and safety precautions. It is advisable to use the services of a reputable, licensed pest control operator or applicator when infestations are persistent and hard to locate.

Source: William F. Lyon, Ohio State University