5 For Friday: This Week’s Links Round-Up 

Clearwater Crazy Ants 

Crazy Rasberry ants are becoming more and more of an invasive pest throughout much of the south and in Texas. They are even driving out the much dreaded fire ants. These ants go everywhere, invading homes and nesting in walls and crawlspaces, even damaging electrical equipment by swarming inside appliances. More…

Mobile Pest Control Software 

With a huge demand for pest control software right now, here is mobile pest app by Beevio that is worth looking into. More…

The History of Pest Control 

Here is an interesting read about the history of pest control; from the 1800’s until today. More…

Gear Up For A Busy Tick Season In Maine 

Ticks will be in full force this summer throughout much of New England. Here are a few deer tick prevention tips from the pest control professionals at Modern Pest Services. More…

Bugs are Pretty Too! 

Not all bugs are creepy, crawly, ugly, and slimy. They can be beautiful creatures. They can be works of art. More…

Pest Of The Week: The Soldier Beetle 

Extremely sought after by gardeners as a natural pest exterminator, adult Soldier beetles are an effective natural predator of garden pest insects; like aphids.

The Soldier beetle is sometimes referred to as a leatherwing, and is found worldwide. The insect got it’s name from it’s resemblance to a British soldier or “red coat.” Species in Britain are bright red. Typically, soldier beetles are black in color with orange highlights.

This beneficial insect will also eat nectar and pollen, along with it’s diet of aphids. If homeowners would like a healthy population of Soldier beetles to feed on aphids, just plant some nectar and pollen producing plants into your garden.

Related articles

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• Beneficial Insects: Your Garden’s Most Powerful Allies
• Bugs!

Anthony Ball

Weekly Pest Control Links Round-Up

Top 10 Ways To Kill A Spider

When you see a disgusting spider in your home, you better have a sure-fire action plan to get rid of it! Thanks to Bulwark Exterminating, we can all be prepared with these ten ways to kill a spider. More…

Are Mosquitoes Becoming Immune To DEET?

Interesting stuff here. A new study on mosquitoes and DEET revealed that exposed mosquitoes were mostly immune to the smell of DEET after briefly being exposed to the chemical. Three hours later, the previously exposed mosquitoes were attracted to human skin which contained DEET. More…

Nevada Bedbug Laws

Many tourists and residents alike worry about Las Vegas bedbugs. Here are Nevada’s bedbug laws, just in case you experience the misfortune of a bedbug infestation. More… 

Pest Control Tip: Beware of Mites!

There are several different kinds of mites… the most notorious is the House Dust Mite. Mites can cause mild to severe skin irritation on you and your pets. More…

Protect Yourself From Ticks This Spring

Like many other pests, ticks will be re-emerging this spring; sucking the blood of unsuspecting victims. Know how to protect yourself. More…

Cockroach Sensitivity

Does the cockroach have a sixth sense? The answer might surprise you. More…

Pest Of The Week: The Gallinipper

Gallinipper – Psorophora ciliata (Photo credit: Lynette S.)

Believed to have gotten its name from its ability to drink a gallon of blood, the gallinipper (Psorophora ciliata) is the largest bloodsucking mosquito in the US. These mosquitoes are about the size of a quarter, and are almost twenty times larger than the average mosquito. The have hairy legs marked with a zebra-like pattern.

Gallinippers can inflict very painful bites that can even pierce the skin through clothing. The female gallinippers feed on human and animal blood; and are even known to eat fish. Unlike common mosquitoes, gallinippers will feed all day long—not just during the dawn and dusk hours. The good news is these gallinippers do not spread diseases like West Nile Virus.

During the very wet rainy seasons, Gallinippers can be found in areas of Central and South Florida. Gallinipper eggs lay dormant in the Florida soil, until heavy rains will cause the eggs to hatch. After hatching, gallinippers will survive about a week. Just like the common everyday mosquito, gallinippers require pest control strategies to control.

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Anthony Ball

Friday Link’s Round-Up

Can You Identify Any of These Invaders?

Want to play a fun pest control game? Click here, and see if you can guess how many of these common pest invaders you might know, just from at their pictures.

Preventing Ticks

The Nation’s tick problem is growing. Here is an excellent article on understanding these tiny blood-suckers and how to keep them away from your home. More…

Tulsa Facing Invasion of Black Widows

Oklahoma Poison Control is now informing the State’s residents that there are more Black Widow spiders than normal this year. The mild weather has allowed the dangerous spider to thrive, and that means there numbers are up. More…

DC Laws Complicate Animal Removal

Animal removal within a commercial facility is difficult no matter what the situation. With the addition of complex animal removal regulations in Washington, DC, control has become a bit more complicated. More…

 4 Pests That Damage Ornamental Plants

Aphids, scale insects, mealybugs, and spider mites are all destructive pests that cause damage to your plants. To learn more about these pests, and what to do about them, click here.

Pest Of The Week: Odorous House Ant

The color of the Odorous House Ant can range from dark brown to shiny black, and the workers are typically about 1/8 inch long. The Odorous house ant gets its name from the strong odor it emits, when crushed. The unpleasant smell that results has been compared to rotting coconuts.

Odorous ant colonies can have up to 10,000 workers who forage for food in long, distinct trails. These long trails of ants are often seen indoors, as they crawl over household surfaces; contaminating everything along the way. The Odorous House Ant will eat just about anything sweet it encounters, however it prefers the honeydew produced by common garden pests, like aphids and mealybugs.

Outdoors the Odorous House Ant makes shallow soil nests under any material on the ground, within hollow trees, or in any other available cavity. Inside homes, these ants cause pest control problems, when they build their nests in wall voids, under insulation in crawl spaces, or within cavities in wood.

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Anthony Ball

I remember a call that I got last April, and it is a month this customer will never forget.  While in her laundry room, she noticed an odd, gray bug clinging to the wall.  She showed it to her husband and neither of them knew exactly what it was, so into the garbage disposal it went.  Afterwards, she went out of town leaving her dogs and husband at home for about ten days.  When she returned, she found another odd bug in the laundry room.  She also found ticks crawling on the walls, floors and embedded in her poor little pups!  She immediately called the vet and picked up some very expensive tick guard.  She went to the local pet store and bought even more expensive sprays and foggers to try to stop these horrible little creatures from their massive invasion. She had to take all my dogs to the groomer and have them shaved so she could check them for ticks on an hourly basis!

Her tick problem was just getting worse so the neighbor, vet and groomer suggested she seek professional intervention.  Heeding the neighbor’s advice, she called Bulwark and spoke to me.  I made a special trip to their home the very next day because I could hear and feel the frustration and overall panic in her voice.  The customer said in a review “Chris and his technicians came to our home several more times treating the yard, inside the home and even provided them with some tick spray for our dogs!”  We answered their calls and her questions in a caring professional manner.  It took about two months to completely eradicate the ticks and all their eggs, but they are happy to report they are tick free!  Bulwark sprays their home once a month and they continue to be pest free.  Living on the desert of Phoenix is beautiful but leaves everyone more susceptible to many critters, large and small.  The small ones are oftentimes the most irritating and destructive.  She continued to say, “Thank goodness for the professional team of Bulwark and their ability to take care of all our pest problems.   I always recommend Bulwark and Chris Benham to anyone who does not want a pest problem!”

Chris Benham

Phoenix AZ