Pest Control and Bug Exterminator Blog

Are your pests under control?

Pest control is any process or method used to “control pests”. The once popular terms of exterminator and extermination have become the softer more gentle term of pest control.  Perhaps to become more socially acceptable, but the new term is more accurate.  Exterminating ants in their entirety is not likely.  Controlling ants is achievable.  Keeping pests out of a home with regular pest control service is attainable.  Keeping bugs from infesting a structure is do-able.  Exterminating every roach in the city is not realistic.

History of Pest Control -

Some believe that pest control has its roots in agriculture. (Pun intended) Humans need to keep crops free from pests. Insects can destroy crops. Herbivores will clear the farmer’s field. In order to maximize food production, pest control was implemented to protect the harvest from ants, crickets, moths, grasshoppers, rats, mice, gophers, rabbits, beetles, and the list can go on. But pest control, probably goes back to before agriculture.  A hunter would still need to protect his food from vermin.  Storing food in a sack hanging from a tree to keep raccoon, coyotes, or other prehistoric pests from eating your dinner would be a pest control method.  But at the core, I still believe that man has never wanted to cohabitate with creepy crawling things like spiders, roaches, and scorpions.  So beyond the need to control pests there is simply a desire to live without pests.

Pest Control:

Preventive measures to fortify an area against potential unwanted species .

Ideology of Pest Control Methods

While a majority of people may not want to live with pests, I also believe that most don’t wish total annihilation of the insect kingdom.  Bugs are an essential part of the food chain, and the break down, consumption, and recycling of matter in general.  Eliminating all pests from the world may seem ideal for some, but the re-percussions of such a mass extermination may destroy the world all together. So pest control methods today are used to protect specific areas with an attempt to limit the effects to the target pests.  Others believe the most ideal form of pest control is that of “making your home less desirable to the pests.” They propose that keeping a home clean and  minimizing the potential for providing food and water for pests will keep pests from wanting to invade your home. Unfortunately certain pests will eat just about anything.  Roaches are not picky eaters. A roach will make human hair, fingernails and toenails their staple food if needs be. Little Black Ants survive on plants, so any interior plant make an inviting meal. Termites eat wood. Crickets eat cotton, silk, and wool. Silverfish and firebrats consume glue, wallpaper paste, bookbindings, paper, and photographs. Lice, fleas, and ticks are pests that live on mammals. Human homes are pretty inviting to pests.

Pesticides have been developed to provide structures a force field made of products that are engineered to target pests, not mammals. Pest control products today are checked and tested by the EPA. Strict requirements most be meet in order for a pest control product to be labeled for general use. EcoSmart products are designed to break down over time, to have low impact on the environment.

So if you’d like a pest-free environment, cleaning your home is a good step, but ultimately it won’t be enough once bugs have found your home. Further, once an ant has scouted out a new food source and brought in the ant cavalry, those marked marching lines will remain for up to year. Regular pest control service is intended to prevent pests from infesting a given area. Pest control emergencies can be avoid if homeowners would maintain a bulwark around their home that protects them and wards off insect intruders.  Do-it-yourself pest control methods can be implemented successfully if the individual is consistent and persistent in their treatments. But certain pests will require more.

Pest-Control-Stories General Pest Control ants, bug control, Crickets, insect control, pest control, roaches, scorpion control, spider control, spiders

I got a call from the office one late afternoon to go to this customer’s house where there was a spider on her ceiling.  She said she couldn’t leave the house until we got rid of the spider.  So I hurried up and got over there to take care of it for her. Well when I got there the door was open, so I announced myself and I heard her say “come in quick he’s getting away!” I entered quickly and she was pointing at the ceiling showing me where it was. She looked to be very frightened and upset about this spider. I looked at where she was pointing and saw what appeared to be a female wolf spider with about 200 babies on her back! She had every right to be scared.  If those babies were to leave their mom while they were in the house, the whole house would become infested. So I quickly ran out to my truck and grabbed a can of d foam and ran back inside. The spider had stopped moving and the babies were still intact. So I crept up on it until I was about three feet away ready my can, took close aim and sprayed. My plan had worked. They were covered in foam and unable to flee. So I quickly gathered them up with a paper towel that was in my other hand. Needless to say her problem was solved.

She said I was her Hero! …I was her hero! Feels good to be considered a hero.

Adam MacFarlane
Las Vegas

Pest-Control-Stories Story 5, C, Las Vegas NV, Spider, spiders

2009 will be a Bad Scorpion Year.

Recent reports in Phoenix indicate a rise in scorpions stings being reported to the local health facilities.  Online traffic to scorpion related pest control sites, like Austin Scorpion Control.com and Las Vegas Scropion Control. com have seen a large increase in visitors.  And local pest control companies in Las Vegas, and Phoenix confirm that scorpion calls are up.  All signs point to a bad scorpion year.

What’s the cause?

Scorpion sitings and stings are likely on the rise due to colder wetter weather.  The wetter weather produces more vegetation, more pests, and in turn more food for scorpions.  Scorpions are arachnids and like spiders they feed on other insects. So when the insect population booms, so does the scorpion population.  The reason a colder winter generates more scorpions stings and calls is because the scorpions are heading indoors.  Scorpions can go inactive for the winter, but if the weather changes from cold to warm and back to cold, or if the ground freezes early, then the scorpions that have not gone inactive or the inactive scorpions that become active again with the changes, immediately look to find better warmer harborage.  And what better place to find constant warm weather then your home?

So the scorpion rise is due to the wetter weather and the general rise in pests.  The scorpion stings and calls are due to more scorpions moving indoors. Most scorpion stings occur indoors.

Can you control scorpions?

That all depends on who you ask.  Many people say you can’t control scorpions.  Many pest control professionals will tell you that in order to get rid of scorpions you have to kill off their food supply, i.e. the other bugs. So what they are saying is that they are only willing to give you a generic pest control treatment and nothing specific to control scorpions.  With that approach they are probablly right in that they can’t really control scorpions.  But some companies believe they can and do control scorpions.  They call it Scorpion Control Science.

Are Scorpion Stings Dangerous?

Scorpion stings can be very dangerous.  The toxins are rarely fatal in humans and for most the sting isn’t much worse then a bee sting.  However, scorpions stings can be fatal to those that have an allergic reaction.  It is estimated by the American Athsmatic society that up to 5% of the population could have an allergic reaction. It is advised that if you experience any severe reactions to the scorpion sting that you call your local poison control for assistance.

kennetht General Pest Control, Health Risks scorpion control, scorpion stings, scorpions, spiders, stings

Hopefully you enjoyed my tribute to the 90′s. One of the “Things that make you go hmmmm” I think are common misnomers that not-to-careful pest technicians utilize. This is probably a good reason why you may want to either learn about taxonomy, or use the vague word “pests” when referring to the “all too easily mistaken for insects” category.

These are the top “non-insects” labeled insects:

1. Spiders: Not an Insect…Arachnid.
2. Pill bug: Not an Insect…Crustacean/(Malacostraca)…more closely related to shrimp or crayfish.
3. Millipede: Not an Insect…diplopod of diplopoda.
4. Centipede: Not an Insect…Chilopod of Chilopoda.

Hopefully this will help you impress a customer next time she tells you that she was gardening and had been frightened by the many roly-polys, millipedes, or centipedes under the large rock she had just moved. If you really want to impress her you could tell her that pill bugs (roly-polys), relatives of the shrimp and crayfish need lots moisture and actually breathe through gills.

Maybe you will be better prepared for the customer’s home that you go to who has a bug collection who wants to test your knowledge. Believe me, there out there. I know customer’s ask questions, but this guy had approximately 300 bugs on a poster board in his garage of pests caught around his yard and wanted to see if I could name them all. Good thing I could name most of them…thank goodness for the PCT insect guide I kept in the glove compartment!

Well now you are armed with even more knowledge about insects and non-insects…..Go Get emmmmmmmmm Tiger.

KT

kennetht General Pest Control bugs, info, insect control, insects, pests, spiders

PEST CONTROL MYTH #4
An important part of your pest control treatment is dewebbing.  Dewebbing is the physical removal of spider webs from the many nooks and crannies around the perimeter of your home.  Some technicians believe that it is best to remove spider webs or deweb at every service.  This is quite alright depending on the expectations of your customer; who may not want to see any spider webs around the house; although you should inform the customer that there is a better way to handle his spider issue.  Pest Control Myth # 4 is that it is always better to deweb at each service.
The best way to deal with spider webs, especially new spider webs, is to dust the web and leave it intact; then schedule a callback service for dewebbing the following day or as soon as possible.

The problem with removing the web is that the spider will be quick to relocate, or possibly recreate his/her web.  Ultimately you decrease the likelihood of removing the root problem.  By lightly dusting the web you leave a gift for “spidey” when he/she returns home.
Part of what makes this effective is a thorough inspection of your customer’s premises and adequate notes and history about each customer.  This technique and the maintenance of an adequate pest barrier will ensure that your home is spider free.

If you would like to learn more about the spiders/pests in your area, please click here.

KT

kennetht General Pest Control bugs, insects, pests, spiders

While sitting in front of my computer screen thinking about what I was going to write about next; I watch a small little row of ants walk along the edge of my desk. Instinctively, the first thing I do is try to identify the pest. When dealing with ants it can be very hard to determine the specific type of ant based on its different physical characteristics unless you have a magnifying glass available or have the “eye of a hawk” as me and my cousins used to call it. I have read many books that would say this ant is this color, and that ant is this color, etc; but I have found that in the real world trying to distinguish based on color is quite a dreadful task as different types of ants can be within the same color ranges. Here are some characteristics about different ants that may help you identify your home’s native ant-lings. (Did I go there…yes I did; Ant-lings…LOL.)

Pharaoh Ant: Primarily indoors, known for splitting into different colonies, sometimes found in wounds of hospital patients.

Carpenter Ant: The largest, Biggest, humongous, enormous fellers. (Exaggeration)

Harvester Ant: Known for producing mounds with entry points that are at least approximately 2 inches in diameter.

Pavement Ant: Generally will reside under or around pavement.

Argentine Ant: Also a very popular ant, known for producing super colonies…these infestations can grow rapidly.

Odorous House Ants: When crushed emit a coconut like smelling odor.

Red Imported Fire Ant: These ants are very aggressive and secrete a toxin when biting. These ants are what we refer to as a “quarantined” species; so if you think you have come across them contact your local department of agriculture etc for removal. Each case is required to be documented and handled in a specific fashion.

For More Information please click here.

kennetht General Pest Control ant control, ants, bugs, insects, pest control, pests, spiders

The busiest time of the year for the Pest Control Industry is mostly during the summer months. Pest activity increases in the spring and peaks in the summer months. Pest Control Myth #3 revolves around the assumption that Pest Control is only needed during these times. Of course the premise of my position excludes tropical and sub-tropical habitats that may be considered conducive for pests year-round.

The major reason why Pest Control is going to be needed more and more year-round in areas where there exists an “off-peak” season for pests is because of Human Intervention.

The decrease in pest activity or an off-peak season is primarily due to pest life cycles. These life cycles are developed in harmony with the earth’s seasonal changes. Although it is true that there will be a decrease in pest activity during colder times, experience has revealed that the human element of warmth in naturally cold times has been conducive to pest activity.

Most human homes provide enough food, water, and shelter for pests to coexist during the winter/colder months. If we have learned anything of Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection/Evolution; we should recognize the significant ability of insects/pests to adapt to their environment (natural/artificial). Empirical evidence supports the notion that our homes provide adequate harborage for pests/insects year-round.

I have seen on a warm winter day an influx of ants, silverfish, adult sized spiders, raspy roaches, rats in a jacuzzi set up, earwigs with the morning cup of coffee, the infamous scorpion in its glory, etc… All within the confine of the human habitat…The well heated, well watered, well fed, artificial harborage, with vegetative decor to boot…Does anything say “MOVE IN” better than the human home on a winter’s cold night?

KT

Bulwark Pest Control

kennetht General Pest Control 1 year, annual, home inspection, insect control, myth, pest control companies, spiders, winter

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is sometimes referred to as a total science that encompasses the basic principles that guides the perception of the right way to approach pest control and pesticide application. The ultimate goal of Integrated Pest Management should be to identify conditions that are conducive to unwanted pest presence, the measurement of tolerable pest thresholds, and the best way to control pests in a manner that is the least destructive to the environment.

We can better identify conditions that are conducive to an unwanted pest presence by recognizing the three aspects that make up Integrated Pest Management.

The three parts of Integrated Pest Management are:

• Environment
• Insect/Pest
• Food Source

The goal is to see how our homes play out relative to these three components of Integrated Pest Management. Integrated Pest Management is a science that focuses itself on these three factors and how they specifically can be applied to any specific property. For example I will give you my IPM perspective towards controlling scorpions. First and foremost I look for environmental factors that are conducive to scorpions and/or scorpion activity. I look for construction nearby which may have removed the scorpions previous habitat, or perhaps may have disturbed the current habitat and encouraged migration. Secondly, I would look for the introduction of new landscaping, and particularly types of agriculture used as a natural habitat for the scorpion. Furthermore, does the customer have various water sources, pool, poor drainage, etc?

Does the customer have a lot of make shift harborages for scorpions; firewood, old washer and dryer, kids toys, un-maintained brick walls/fencing? What type of (gravel/rock) landscaping are they utilizing? There are many different things that although artificially created produce an environment that scorpions are naturally attracted to.

In addition to environmental conditions, (and probably after recommending that nothing sit up against the house for at least 2 feet) I would focus on food sources. Although controlling the scorpion’s food source may be a good idea, I am always cautioned by my respect for their antiquity. The fact is that scorpions have been around for millions of years and have over the ages developed the ability to survive under the direst circumstances. Scorpions eat various insects; ensuring that you eliminate the scorpion’s prey of choice can help control an unwanted scorpion population. Divulging from my scorpion perspective to help add emphasis to the “food source” aspect of Integrated Pest Management I would like to quickly point to fruit flies. I would often run into customers who would complain about fruit flies and come to find out they have a huge pomegranate tree in their backyard with fully ripened fruit dotted throughout the problem area. The IPM way would be to remove the fruit (food source) and in turn, remove the pest.

The final aspect would be to look at the insect/pest or in this case the scorpion. The nature of this pest may justify more drastic measures because of the type of danger a scorpion bite poses to humans. Secondly, the threshold of scorpion tolerance is very low (as opposed to a fruit fly, where tolerance can be significantly higher). I have not met a person who could tolerate sharing their home/yard with scorpions. I would always recommend that every precautionary measure be taken when it comes to scorpion control.

The general theme surrounding Integrated Pest Management is that overall there may be a progressive approach that you can take to pest control that in some cases may not utilize pesticides or is more environmentally friendly. Sometimes changing environmental factors within your control can eliminate/control various pests. Desert Landscaping as opposed to Green Grass is conducive to different insects/pests. Sometimes controlling the availability of food sources; dog food, dog poop, fruit trees, wood, etc. will help prevent the unwanted pest who prey on your unsuspecting food sources. Finally, look at the insect and identify a threshold of tolerance. Insects/Pest all have its own implications on our environment. Nature’s equilibrium rests upon a delicate balance that requires the participation of all natural living beings and their life processes.

kennetht General Pest Control, Terms/vocabulary industry standards, IPM, management, scorpions, spiders