Category: Pest Control

How to Get Rid of Ants in Your Home and Yard

Ask homeowners to name the pests that give them the most headaches, and near the top will likely be one pesky small insect that invades and colonizes their yard by the thousands.

Ants

They move in with rows of marching soldiers carrying away your picnic and building dirt mounds marking the landscape of your lawn like hill forts. And no one says “hurrah” to fire ants, which can pack a powerful sting.

Those mounds can suffocate the grass underneath the dirt and the ants themselves can bite pets or kids just trying to enjoy the lawn.  If the infestation gets bad enough, you’ll have to launch an offensive of your own, and root out the invaders.

Identify Your Ant Species

Knowing who you’re dealing with is key when trying to get them off your lawn, and it’s the first step to solving your ant problem. Many species of ants take up residence in America’s lawns

Fortunately, many of those species don’t require any sort of control. They have a place in the ecosystem and a job to do. Ants are social insects, living together in vast colonies. But it’s when those ants start to build mounds in your yard or invade your cupboards looking for dinner that they start to become a pest.

 

Complete guide for ants control

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What are the types of ants?

Carpenter Ants

Enjoy resting at areas that are moist, damp or decaying

Body is black in colour

Diet preference include sweet substance, dead insects and protein.

Build nests within good, and tends to confuse with termites as a result

Sugar Ants

They are translucent and pale in colour

Favourite nesting area includes wet and moist spaces such as kitchen, flower points

Food sources include sweet and greasy substance and insects

Comes in group or colony

Crazy Ants

Comes in greyish in colour

Nest around outdoor largely, typically at woody and soil area

Enjoy damp and moist conditions

Feed almost on anything, such as sweet and protein matters, and insects

How are ants invited to a home?

What attracts ants in a home? What do ants eat and feed on? Just like humans, pests such as ants require three basic survival elements, namely food, water and shelter. This also explains why the kitchen, living and dining room is ants’ favourite hangout. Here is a list of common causes of ants’ infestation.

 

Ants don’t have to be a bother inside. Get rid of ants naturally.

Ants. They come out in swarms during late spring and summer – when love is in the air.

Large winged female ants, destined to become queens, mate with large winged males and then establish new colonies – preferably close to a food source. Like your house or apartment.

Prevention is the best line of defense

There are different types of ants—tiny dark brown nuisance ants and big black or black and red carpenter ants—and both are attracted to water, grease, sweets and food crumbs. Make your place as unappealing as possible to both kinds.

Inside: Keep counters clean and food sealed

Regularly wipe down all food prep areas. Sweep or vacuum the floors.

Thoroughly rinse recyclable food containers before tossing them. Empty trash, compost and recycling containers daily.

Store food – for both people and pets – in tightly sealed containers. Plastic wrap, paper and cardboard won’t deter ants.

Keep an eye out for plumbing leaks that may need repair. Fix leaks promptly—before foraging scout ants find them.

If you do see single, wandering scouts, wipe them up with a soapy cloth or sponge.

Outside: Seal cracks and keep a clear path around the foundation

Deter ants from entering your home by sealing cracks and holes around windows, doors and foundations.

Keep plants and trees from touching the exterior of the building so that ants can’t use them to climb inside. And clear debris, wood, and bark chips from the foundation.

Repair rotten or weather-damaged wood siding. Wooded parts of the home should not contact the soil. Carpenter ants love to burrow into rotting wood in search for a good nesting spot.

Sprinkle Diatomaceous earth around foundations, door frames, window sills or on visible ant trails. It’s non-toxic to humans and pets but will kill ants.

Invasion in progress: Use a borax-based bait

Infinite numbers of workers are in the nest ready to replace what you wash away. “You have to feed the colony to wipe it out,” he says. Use bait stations – like Terro–with borax as their active ingredient. Borax is a non-carcinogenic mineral. But the small doses of it used in bait stations are lethal to ants.

 

Complete Guide: How To Get Rid Of Ants In The House

Springtime is wonderful. It brings new sunshine, spring flowers but it also brings the dreaded ant season. There are a large variety of ants that invade our homes and gardens and the shear amount can be irritating and frustrating. With numerous ways for them to enter – floors and foundations, crevices in the walls or ceilings – in fact any holes that are an opening to attractive smells and food, ants can appear in their hundreds.

With so many it can feel like a tall task to get rid of ants in your home but there are some great, effective ways to prevent, deter, and eradicate an infestation. The last thing you want is to have them crawling all over your kitchen and living spaces so here are some different ways to use homemade, cheap alternatives to get rid of those pesky ants once and for all.

Preventing An Ant Invasion

The first thing you can do is to make sure you do as much as you can to prevent an infestation or stop an infestation getting worse. By doing a few simple preventative tasks, you can get yourself on the way to an ant-free house.

Keep your house clean by sweeping floors of food and dirt.

Keep trash and rubbish away from the house and make sure you put any rubbish out on a daily basis.

Don’t allow moisture on surfaces – ants like to find sources of water and tend to stay near them.

Always cover food when it’s not in the fridge.

Don’t leave dirty plates and utensils around – wash them up straight away

Deterrents For Ants In Your Home

There are many substances that ants just don’t like and using these can deter ants from certain areas like the kitchen, or you can use these methods outside your house if you know of a particular way they are getting in

 

Everything You Need to Know About Ants

Pharaoh Ants

These dumpster divers are the ants most likely to spread disease pathogens in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Pharaoh ants are a common insect that find their way into homes. Here are some common characteristics to help you identify them.

They are yellowish to orange in color

Are approximately 1/16 inch long in length.

The diet of pharaoh ants consists of foods containing fats, proteins and sweets and they will forage for these items both in their natural surrounding outdoors and inside a home.

When pharaoh ants nest indoors they seek out conditions that are warm or humid and that are in close proximity to food and water.  Accessible areas such as wall voids, behind baseboards, under floors and even in furniture are all ideal locations for invading pharaoh ants.

Odorous House Ants

These ants are going to make quite a stink if you step on them, and often, you can’t help but step on them. Here is how you can identify odorous house ants in your home.

The odorous house ant is native to our state and is often considered the most common home invading species of ants.

It measures about 1/8 inch long

It is dark brown to black in color

The odorous house ant is most often recognized by the coconut-like odor it emits when crushed.

They feed on honey dew and plant nectar found outdoors, however, these irritating pests will invade homes in large numbers to find food when their usual supply runs low.

Indoors odorous house ants can be found constructing nests in wall voids, especially around hot water pipes and heaters, in crevices around sinks and cupboards as well as behind siding and stucco.

Pavement Ants

For this type of invasive ant, its name speaks for itself. These ants build colonies under pavement, in sidewalks, and under concrete slabs. This often brings them into homes through basement walls. First introduced by early European colonists, pavement ants have since become a regular invader of residential dwellings.

Pavement ant workers are generally about 1/8 inch long

They range in color from brown to black.

To an untrained eye it may be hard to see, but, pavements ants feature parallel furrows and ridges on their head and thorax.

Their palate is not exactly refined, as they will eat just about anything including other insects, honeydew, seeds and people food. They do prefer meat and grease when they have the option.

Their nests are commonly located in or under cracks in pavements as well as in soil beside driveways and sidewalks.

Inside, however, pavement ants are likely to be found nesting in walls, in insulation and under floors and in the wintertime areas that are near a heat source appeal to these ants.

How to Find a Cockroach Nest (and Get Rid of it for Good)

You’ve probably heard warnings about how quickly cockroaches can reproduce and spread through a house. When cockroaches take up residence in a home, it’s because they’ve found conditions they like. A lot.

What Does a Cockroach Nest Look Like?

A roach nest isn’t a tightly wound basket of twigs and grass like you might expect from a bird. And it’s not the sort of carefully gathered nest of materials that you might expect from a mouse or rat.

Basically, a cockroach “nest” looks nothing like a nest. It’s more like the roaches’ messy bedroom, where everything’s lying around in the same general area. Finding a cockroach nest means finding several (or several dozen) cockroaches and, probably, a few dead ones.

You’ll also see plenty of roach droppings and old egg cases lying around. Cockroach droppings are tiny and look like coffee grounds or black pepper. Droppings start to collect in areas with high activity. You might even find it inside kitchen appliances.

Where Do Roaches Live?

Most cockroaches love humid places. Depending on the type of cockroach, some like it hot and some stick to cooler, damp places. But one thing just about all of them have in common is a need for moisture.

 

How to Get Rid of Roaches

There’s nothing worse than flicking on the kitchen lights and seeing (or hearing) the scuttling legs and antennae of cockroaches on your countertops, cabinets, or floor. Not only are these pests a major eyesore, but they can contaminate your food, transmit dangerous bacteria, and worst of all, survive even the best-intentioned eradication attempts. That’s why we turned to an entomologist and pesticide applicator to find the fastest and most effective way to get rid of roaches. Regardless if you’re tackling one sneaky pest or a whole army of cockroaches, follow this five-step guide to shut down even the most stubborn infestations.

Identify the problem area and seek professional help if needed.

Out of over 4,000 cockroach species in the world, most Americans encounter only one or two types: German cockroaches and American cockroaches.

Since cockroaches can taint your food and countertops with illness-causing E. coli and salmonella, don’t take an infestation lightly. If you’re struggling to eradicate roaches or identify where they’re coming from, you may need to bring in pest control professionals to pinpoint the source of the issue

Cut cockroaches off from their food supply.

Just like people, these pests need sustenance to survive. Unlike people, they can live off almost anything left out for them, like unopened food, debris, and even crumbs.

Eliminate any and all hiding places.

In addition to food, roaches need harborage to thrive. Their favorite nooks and crannies include stacks of paper and cardboard boxes, so recycle any materials you have laying around. Cleaning up any clutter will deter roaches from hanging around — or coming back.

 

How to Get Rid of Cockroaches

Few things are more frustrating than a roach infestation. These persistent pests will make themselves at home in your kitchen, bathroom, and other living spaces as they search for food. Unfortunately, they multiply fast – intensifying the problem. If you’re tired of sharing your home with these cringe-worthy critters, then let’s figure out how to get rid of roaches for you!!

Most Common Cockroaches in the US

There are a few different species of roaches that are present here in Florida, with the most common being the German cockroach and the American cockroach. German roaches are dark brown and usually 1/2” – 5/8” in size, while American roaches are darker and bigger at 1-1/2” to 2”. Both types of roaches are active year-round, using coming out predominantly at night to find food and water. Roaches are nocturnal creatures and usually spend their days hiding away in dark, protected spots around your home.

What Attracts Cockroaches to Your Home

No matter the type of pest – whether it’s roaches, ants, termites, or rodents – they’re all most likely searching for food and water sources which they can easily find in your home. Roaches, in particular, are drawn to warm,

How Roaches Enter Your Home

Roaches are attracted to your home for a variety of reasons (listed above), but attraction is only the first part. They have to actually be able to get INTO your home to wreak havoc

Thoroughly Clean Your Home

This may seem like a given, but roaches are attracted to dirt and filth because they’re always on the lookout for new sources of food. The easiest way to keep roaches out of your home is by keeping it clean

 

Where to find cockroaches at night

We all know that cockroaches are not friendly household companions. They disturb your day, contaminate your food, and when you try to kill them, they run away to places you can’t reach them.

They are experts of circumvention, and they can run around in the tiniest nooks and crannies, especially in dark places. There are over 4000 species of cockroaches, but only 40 of these species are considered house pests. They are most attracted to food and water, which are highly present in your home.

Even when you try and protect your home from these pesky creatures, they always find a hideaway place in your home. There are so many places around your home that they can be in, these are some of their favorite places.

They lurk in pipes

Because cockroaches like water, they will hang around pipes. Cockroaches need water to keep them hydrated, and can only live up to a week without any water.

Parts where pipes come into homes like through the walls, floors and behind cabinets, are often moist and good places where there is strong humidity that can be very attractive to cockroaches. Always make sure to check for any leaks and repair it as soon as possible to avoid cockroaches and other pest infestation.

 

will natural cockroach repellent works?

How to kill cockroaches naturally with baking soda

Who would have thought if baking soda may be the solution to remove pesky pests like bed bugs and cockroaches at home? Besides useful for used in baking cakes and pancakes, baking soda is also known to be a great ingredient to make roach traps because it’s effective and safe to use around pets if you have any at home.

Method: Take equal parts of baking soda and a pinch of sugar in a shallow bowl, then place it near to the cockroach-infested areas or in where roaches are usually roaming at your house. The sugar attracts the cockroaches while baking soda will kill them. Once they eat it, baking soda will react badly by creating gas inside of the stomach and cause its stomach to burst. All you have to do afterwards is just clean up the dead roaches.

How to kill cockroaches naturally coffee grounds

Don’t throw out those used coffee grounds! A lot of people already know coffee grounds can be composted for your garden, but little they know if coffee grounds can be a good natural repellent for cockroaches at home.

Method: Cockroaches do not like acids produced from coffee grounds. Sprinkle coffee grounds near to the entry points that usually cockroach passed. This natural repellent may keep roaches from getting inside your house.

How to kill cockroaches naturally with garlic

The aroma of garlic has long been known to have repellent effects to many insects, including cockroaches. Garlic has a pungent smell that cockroaches don’t like.

What are the methods of controlling rodents?

THREE STEPS TO IMPLEMENTING RODENT CONTROL IN YOUR HOME

Rodent control is a major issue for many homeowners. Rats and mice have the ability to transfer diseases, contaminate food and cause structural damage. They are also accomplished chewers, known for gnawing their way through barriers with their powerful front teeth. In fact, the word rodent originates from the French word, rodere, which means “to gnaw.”

Follow these top three methods for rodent control:

BLOCK ENTRANCEWAYS

For effective control of rodents, it is important to ensure that rats and mice have no way of entering your home. Do a thorough inspection of your house, checking for cracks, crevices and other openings. The Mallis Handbook of Pest Control by Arnold Mallis, advises sealing all gaps with an exterior-grade sealant, or cement whenever possible.

Large areas around pipes should be covered in mesh first, and then sealed with cement. Metal panels at the bottom of wooden doors or windows can help prevent rodents from chewing through. You should also cover ventilated areas with mesh.

PREVENT EXTERIOR ACCESS

Trees, weeds and overgrown vegetation can provide access to your home and serve as a food source for rats and mice. For effective rodent control, keep trees trimmed, ensuring that no branches are touching the outside of your home. Eliminate weeds and cut back grass and vegetation, keeping it at low levels.

Store outdoor items and firewood at least a few inches off of the ground. If you have outdoor pets, try to schedule feedings during daylight and do not leave food out overnight. To prevent rodents from accessing garbage, keep trash bags tightly sealed and stored in garbage cans with lids. If you have excessive trouble with rats or mice, consider using rock or concrete landscaping along the edges of your home to keep vegetation at a more suitable distance.

REMOVE INSIDE ATTRACTORS

Sanitation is critical to rodent control. Rats require about 1 to 2 ounces of food per night and at least double the amount of water. Mice require less food and do not require water daily. Do not leave food out on the counter or in open storage. Put all food in airtight containers and keep it stored in cabinets and pantries, or in the refrigerator. Throw garbage out nightly, clean crumbs off of countertops and vacuum floors if necessary.

 

The Basic On Rodent kontrol

Removing rodents with traps or poisons will not keep rodents out of your home in the future. To permanently keep rats and mice out of your home or business, you will need to prevent access by sealing all possible entry points. It is equally important to eliminate rodent attractions such as food and water by keeping food in tightly sealed containers and repairing leaky pipes.

Common Sources of Food and Water

• Food in unsealed containers such as bags of chips, rice, cereal, crackers, flour, and other non-perishables.
• Pet food and water left out overnight or in a bag rather than in a secure container.
• Fruits or vegetables in open bowls left outside of refrigerator.
• Leaky pipes or faucets throughout the house.
• Open trash and compost containers.

Common Rodent Access Points

• Holes near cabinets, closets or doors leading to outside or crawl spaces.
• Holes around sink or appliance pipes.
• Cracked foundations in the basement or unscreened ventilation holes in the attic, especially in older structures.
• Holes around windows or doors.
• Missing screens in vents or crawl spaces under buildings.

 

Mechanical control

Two types of mechanical control of rodents can be used

Entry proofing

By blocking rodent pathways and entry ways rodents can be controlled effectively. Consider this method for drains, ducts, doors, windows and any other entrances that can be used by the rodents. Use of wire nets and ensuring that all windows and doors have no gaps is a good measure. Start by preventing them from entering the compound first if possible and follow up with blocking entrances to stores. For grain stores, poultry houses and other elevated areas, rodent deflectors made of simple sheet metal placed on the supporting posts will effectively prevent rodents from entering.

Trapping

Many types of traps exist. The most common are trigger traps, cages and glue traps

• Trigger traps

The trigger traps trip when a rodent walks on them and the quick tripping action hits and traps the rodent. Large rodents have been known to drag these traps to their hideouts.

• Cages

The cages work by luring the rodents into the enclosure that has a trap door. This means that once the rodent is inside, it cannot be able to leave the cage. The rodent is then allowed to die or starvation or killed by any other means.

• Glue traps

Glue traps are place on rodent pathways. They are most effective against mice due to their small size. A rodent bait can be placed on the glue to encourage the rats or mice to walk on the glue. Once trapped, the glue plate has to be discarded. Glue traps can be bought or can be made by smearing rodent glue on cardboard pieces

For all mechanical traps, it is important to inspect the traps regularly to remove the trapped rodents, to replenish the bait, to clean the trap and to reset the trap.

 

Monitoring

An important element of any rodent programme is monitoring. Usually it means surveillance for the presence of rodents. However it should also mean looking for features in the environment which would encourage rodents to migrate into it. Monitoring should be organised formally and regularly; that is, specie c staff should be made responsible for it and report regularly, maybe once a week to a superior on the situation. The report should include the following aspects:

• dates monitored;
• number, types and positions of signs of rats;
• condition of the building (broken pipes, walls etc., state of produce, tidiness or cleanliness);
• conditions immediately outside the building with respect to potential infestation points;
• qualitative reports by others;
• dates of baiting;
• number of bait stations used and positions;
• amount of bait and labour used;
• recommendations for improvement, such as repairs to structures, or further action required.

Control of a rodent infestation is rarely completely successful; but if it is, it is usually only for a very short period. Therefore there is a need for continuous monitoring even after a successful control campaign regardless of the techniques and bait used.

 

Sanitation

Just like all other pests, rodents enter your home in search of food and shelter. Since they tend to settle near their food source, your first task is to make sure you stop being a food provider. Otherwise, you will constantly share your home with uninvited roommates that will make a real mess. Think about all the places in the house where rodents might easily find a meal. You should always store food in plastic or glass containers with tight, fitting lids. This also applies to your pet’s food. Never leave food in paper or plastic bags because rodents can tear them with a single bite.

Rodent-proofing

Although sanitation is the most important aspect of rodent control, sometimes even the cleanest of houses experience trouble with rodents. This can happen due to a large rodent infestation close to your home. As soon as they breed to the point where there’s not enough food for everyone, rodents will try to enter your home. That’s why you can’t have proper rodent control without rodent-proofing your house.

Rodent “hunting”

If sanitation and rodent-proofing fail you, or you are already facing a big rodent infestation as you read this, you’ll have to find a way to get rid of these pests. You can do this in several ways.

Natural predators

You can successfully deal with rodents by keeping natural rodent predators such as cats or barn owls. Just have in mind that some cats are not natural rodent hunters. On the other hand, a family of barn owls can eat more than three thousand rodents during their nesting season. You can attract barn owls by placing a shelter box outside your house.

How to Detect Bed Bugs

Detecting bed bugs can be difficult, as they are small in size and able to hide in tiny cracks and crevices. However, evidence of a bed bug infestation may be found in bedding and on mattresses. Live bed bugs leave clusters of dark brown or black spots of dried excrement on infested surfaces. Bed bugs also exude a subtle, sweet, musty odor.

Where to Check for Bed Bugs

Bed bugs usually are found close to where people spend much of their time, and since bed bugs have flattened bodies, they like to get into small cracks and crevice near where people sleep. Examples include mattresses, box springs, headboards, footboards, bed frames and other furniture that is within 5-8 feet of the bed. Other common locations are cracks and gaps behind wall outlets, floor molding, window and door molding and where carpet edges meet the wall. Bed bugs have been known to occur in many different locations if their population is large and they have dispersed from their more common areas to areas where they are normally less likely to be found.

Bed bugs are easily transported into previously non-infested dwellings. If you have detected a bed bug infestation within your home, contact a pest control professional to discuss treatment options.

Bed Bug Control & Removal Service

Bed bugs are troublesome household pests. They’re sneaky, hard to find, and can pose potential health risks for you and your family. Armed with pest control capabilities backed by science, over 100 years of experience, and state-of-the-art tools and products, Orkin is well-equipped to assess your bed bug problem and mount a strategic response to rid your home of the pest and provide maximum protection.

Inspection & Treatment For Active Infestations

To the untrained eye, rooting out a bed bug infestation can prove difficult, and even if discovered, home remedies and over-the-counter deterrents are often ineffective. Utilizing our A.I.M. protection process, a highly-trained Orkin specialist will assess your home, implement a solution, and monitor activity to ensure the effectiveness of our efforts and offer added peace of mind

 

Things That Bed Bugs Attracted

Bed bugs attracted to carbon dioxide

Generally bed bugs attracted to human beings, it’s simply because we produce carbon dioxide. This pesky little pest are also tend to settle down in areas with a high concentration of carbon dioxide.

Bed bugs attracted to warmth

Bed bugs aren’t attracted to dirt and grime, they attracted to the warmth of our bodies instead! Since human beings generate heat and warmth, bedtime is like a gold mine of warmth for bed bugs.

Bed bugs attracted to dark bed sheets

Bed bugs are accustomed to a dark environment! A recent research revealed that bed bugs attracted to certain colours, especially for red and black colours. Because these colours mimics two things that they will always go for: darkness and blood

Bed bugs attracted to dirty laundry

In the absence of a human host, bed bugs tend to seek soiled laundry as a hive. The stack of dirty laundry on your bedroom floor can be the starting point of a bed bug’s journey across the entire room. Do you know what? Bed bugs love the smell of your dirty laundry!

How do you stop bedbugs from biting you?

Bed bugs prevention is a lot easier than eliminating the existing infestation at home. These are the list of bed bugs prevention tips that you can do according to the things bed bug attracted to!

 

How To Get Rid of Bed Bugs

Bed bugs infestation can spread easily and it’s very difficult to treat especially when a Cimex Lectularius infestation increases in epidemic proportions, as they thrive in any weather and environment. The key to eradicating bed bugs is early detection and quick treatment by an expert pest controller.

Identify Your Pest

Bed bugs hiding in the tiniest creak and crevice makes it a challenge to spot these flat and brown crawling bloodsuckers. Sometimes, bed bugs have been mistaken as cockroach nymphs or even beetles.

In this case, you would need to be sure if your place has been infested with bed bugs to quickly take action and prevent an infestation that can get out of control in a matter of just 10 weeks!

DIY or Professional?

When it comes to getting rid of bed bugs, you have two basic options: DIY or hire a professional. The DIY option typically prove to be ineffective and risk re-infestations. This is because bed bugs shelter in the narrowest of gaps such as seams of mattresses, bedframes or behind furniture. Most of the time, many of them faced hassles and stresses dealing with an infestation.

The professional option requires you to find your local pest control company in Indonesia to get rid of bed bugs problem for you. Expert advices by trained pest specialists help you to understand control methods best suited for each individual pest biology.

 

TIPS FOR FINDING BED BUGS

Bug Identification

Hopefully, you will see bed bugs before they start to bite you–and before they have infested your home; but in order to see bed bugs, you have to know what they look like. These insects go through five development stages before they get to adult size. When they are first born, they are transparent and about the size of the tip on a pen. As they go through each stage, they become more reddish brown in color.

Feces

If you have bed bugs in your home, you may see their feces before you see them. These pests leave black streaks on sheets, pillowcases, and near areas they are infesting. Look for it on baseboards, outlet covers, electronics, and the backboards of beds

Insect Shells

When bed bugs develop to the next stage, they will shed their cuticle. You can find these shed skins stuck to infested areas, such as on upholstered furniture and mattress seams. You may also find these skins in your bed.

Blood Stains

When bed bugs come to feed, they often leave blood staining. This staining will often look brown on sheets and pillowcases because it will usually be found after it has had time to dry and decay. Blood staining will also be found around areas of infestation.

Bites

If you, or someone in your home, are finding mysterious bites on your skin, they may be bed bug bites. Look to see if they are in a row or cluster and whether or not there is a significant rash around them. The rash doesn’t always accompany a bed bug bite, but when it does, it makes these bites hard to miss.

HOW TO FIND AND GET RID OF BED BUGS IN YOUR HOME

Most summer bugs are a nuisance, but bed bugs are among the most persistent pests you could ever deal with. A bed bug infestation can be hard to detect at the early stages, which is when you really need to tackle it.

How Do You Get Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs can hitchhike their way into your home from just about anywhere. Most homeowners want to know how to get rid of bed bugs before this happens, especially when they’re trying to sell a property. If they get a foothold, they can spread throughout the house and even travel into neighboring homes

How to Find Bed Bugs: Why Is It Difficult?

Detecting the presence of bed bugs in your home is a little more challenging than you’d expect. A visual inspection is rarely reliable, unless it’s performed by an expert. These insects may be mistaken for other summer bugs, such as carpet bugs, and may have spread throughout your property by the time they’re correctly identified.

Feeding, Life Stages and Other Habits of Bed Bugs

If you want to know how to kill bed bugs or even find them, you have to understand how do bed bugs look like, their eating habits, preferred living conditions, reproductive cycles and behavior.

Feeding and Excretion

Bed bugs usually come out to feed at night, but will also seek a meal in daylight if they’re hungry. It can anywhere from 3 to 12 minutes for bed bugs to feed, and large nymphs or adults will often drop feces from earlier blood meals while feeding. This is what leads to the telltale dark spots on bedsheets and mattresses.Do bed bugs bite animals? Their meal of choice is generally human blood. However, they will also feed on dogs, cats and other mammals or even birds, travelling between 5 and 20 feet from their hiding spots to find a host.

How To Trap Opossum

The traps should be set in locations the animal frequents or where it is causing damage. Fish, canned cat or dog food are good opossum baits. To readily entice the opossum into the trap, use a small trail of bait leading to the trap. All traps should be checked in the morning and evening, so that captured animals may be dealt with in a humane manner.

Release the animal several miles. Check with your game and wildlife department before trapping and releasing them.

Description/Biology

Opossums have a repulsive, musk-like odor and can be an occasional nuisance when they enter crawl spaces, under decks, garages, and similar areas. They nurse in the mother’s pouch for about 3 months.The average number of young is 6, but as many as 13 may be born.

• The opossum is 2-3 feet long. Its head is white to yellowish with a pink nose, black eyes and bluish black, naked ears.
• Adults are long-haired, light-gray, and about the size of a large cat weighing 4-15 lbs.
• It has a long scaly tail, black at its base, grading to yellow-white or pink for the rest of its length.

 

Expert Tips

Before trapping an opossum, become familiar with the trapping and relocating laws in your area by contacting your local game commission.

The best time of year to trap an opossum is late fall through early winter, before the breeding season.

Stabilize your trap by placing a brick or weight on top. This will prevent animals from knocking the trap over, and will keep the trap from rattling when an opossum enters it.

Using a small amount of bait, create a trail that leads the opossum inside. Be sure not to use too much bait to prevent the opossum from becoming satisfied before stepping inside the trap.

An opossum may pretend to be dead – or “play possum” – when you try to release him from the cage. This is a normal defense mechanism that opossums use when threatened. Be patient and step away from the trap so the opossum can exit when it’s ready.

 

POSSUM TRAPPING WITH KILL TRAPS:

Possum kill traps have the advantage of killing possums humanely in the trap, this also means they do not have to be checked as regularly as live capture traps.
It is not recommended to use kill traps in areas where pets or non target animals may be able to access the trap.
Like leg hold traps, possum kill traps are set on or near trees where there is regular possum activity.
There are a variety of different kill traps available in New Zealand. The possum kill traps sold by Maintrac Group have been used and tested extensively by DOC and other pest control operators. These have proved to be humane and have a high kill rate, they are also safe and easy to use.

 

Professional Humane Animal Trap

The Professional Humane Live Animal Trap is a relatively big wire mesh trap that prevents possums from escaping once they are inside in the trap. You can put this outside in all weather conditions since the material resists rust.

The possum cannot cause damage to the trigger rod due to its location on the outside of the trap. Stay safe when you release the possums you catch elsewhere due to the positioning of the handles. The bait hook is capable of holding all bait types you use for possums. You can attach the bait within seconds, making setting up this trap easy.

Pros

• The trap has a very sensitive trigger
• Animals cannot scratch or bite when you handle the trap
• More than one possum fits in the cage
• Possums cannot escape even if they move the trap
• You can make minor changes to the trap if you need to

Cons

• The bait hook may be too big for certain bait types
• Possums may snatch the bait from outside of the trap

 

How to Get Rid of Possums

Possums are usually non-aggressive animals, but they can create unsanitary conditions and may turn aggressive if they become diseased. There are several ways to get rid of them if they are hanging out in your yard. Most solutions simply involve making the environment less appealing. However, you can also set traps to capture possums and physically remove them if other simple solutions don’t work.

Scaring Possums Away :
Set up motion-activated lights or sprinklers. Place a motion-activated device near the perimeter of your house, at the front of your property, around fruit trees, or on any other spots where possums frequent. Once the device is triggered on the animal several times, it won’t want to come around again.

• Motion-activated devices are triggered once the possum crosses the sensor but they are also triggered by anything else that crosses the sensor.
• Motion-activated sprinklers tend to be slightly more effective than motion-activated lights. Lights are enough to frighten away skittish possums that are afraid of humans, but water sprinklers work better with possums that are a little more mature and a little harder to startle.

Scatter dog or cat fur in the areas that possums frequent. Collect pet hair after brushing your dog or cat. Place the hair in small mesh bags and hang them or scatter them around areas at which possums frequently gather.

• The smell of a potential predator might be enough to deter many possums from hanging around.

Spread something that smells potent. Ammonia and garlic are scents that possums tend to flee from. If using ammonia, pour a small amount of ammonia into a coffee can with a lid. Place a rag inside the ammonia and bring one end up through a hole cut into the lid. The rag will act as a wick to disperse the fumes. Place one of these containers in every area where possums gather.

• Place a clove of crushed garlic in any area that you want neighborhood possums to avoid. Crushed garlic is better than whole garlic since crushing it first allows more of the scent to escape.

Apply a chemical repellent. Chemical repellents can be applied to gardens, flowerbeds, or the base of a structure. Purchase a product from your local home improvement or hardware store. Follow the instructions on the repellent to apply it safely. Most repellents consist of a powder that is sprinkled over the desired area.

• Different repellents use different ingredients, but predator urine is often one element of it.

Safe and Natural Ways to Get Rid of Wasps

WASPS can be nerve-wracking and unpleasant, especially when in your home or garden. Unlike many other common pests, stopping them comes with the added worry of receiving a nasty sting, but there are ways to get rid of them safely, and stop them coming back.

Along with being irritating, noisy, and unpleasant, they can also give a nasty sting, meaning tackling them can be slightly tricky.

But there are many ways to get rid of wasps and stop them coming into your home, both chemically and naturally.

Toxic wasp sprays offer one of the best solutions, but can be harmful to humans and make the surrounding air unpleasant to breathe.

Peppermint oil

It can be better to opt for more natural solutions, such as peppermint oil.

Peppermint is a cheap, easy and efficient way of getting rid of wasps, as they don’t like any type of mint.

According to a study published in the Journal of Pest Management Science in 2013, wasps are almost always kept away when faced with peppermint oil.

In addition to planting mint in the garden for preventative measures, simply add a dew drops of the oil to a tissue or cotton pad and place around the garden where wasps’ nests are found.

Theses areas include decking, porch roofs, sheds and under or behind crevices

Sugar and water traps

Another way to naturally and effectively get rid of wasps is by setting out a honey trap, using sugar and water.

This works by attracting wasps to the glass or bottle of sugar and water solution, where the wasp will then crawl inside and not be able to escape.

The wasp will then get trapped and likely die.

Soap and water

One easy and very cheap way of getting rid of wasps in your house or garden is simply by spraying or dousing them in soapy water.

Soap kills wasps by suffocation, clogging their breathing spores so they almost instantly die

 

Differences Between Bees and Wasps

Bees have robust, rounded bodies made up of one section, whereas wasps are slender and have a tapered waist area that connects their thorax to their abdomen. Bees are hairy, while wasps are more smooth and shiny. Bees feed on pollen, while wasps feed on insects. If you see something buzzing near a flower, it’s more likely to be a bee than a wasp. Honeybees die after stinging, whereas wasps can sting and fly directly away.

 

Prevention

It’s easier to prevent an invasion of wasps than it is to get rid of them when they’ve settled in.

• Empty and wash your bins regularly, and keep them away from windows and doors so that wasps are not attracted to their contents.
• Check your loft for any gaps or holes in the roof, as this is one of the most common ways they can get in to your home to build a nest. Seal up any gaps, and put insect mesh over grille vents or air bricks.
• Inspect your home – particularly the loft, shed, garage or under the eaves – and garden in the spring months to see if any small nests are being constructed. These will be about a golfball in size, and contain fewer insects.
• When the queen starts laying eggs, they will grow in size rapidly to accommodate the new bugs, and that’s when they become more difficult to get rid of.
• Keep sweet-smelling plants, which may attract wasps, away from your doors and windows.

 

Here’s our advice to you for getting rid of your wasp nest:

This was probably about the size of ours above the door. Plenty scary enough!

• Use a good amount of dishwashing liquid in a hose-end sprayer, about 1/4 cup.
• Get the water going until the suds begin.
• Blast the nest from as far away as you can be (bee? ha!) while still maintaining a powerful spray.
• Do the deed in the evening (dusk or later) after all the wasps have come home for the night.
• And wear long pants and sleeves, just in case…especially if you have low water pressure. Winking smile

 

How To Kill Wasps Trap Wasps

Trapping wasps is a good way to keep their numbers under control. You won’t get rid of all of them, but you can reduce their numbers so they will bother you less or so you can deal with them easily by removing their nests. Here are a couple of good ideas for creating wasp traps.

Soda Bottle Wasp Trap

Cut the top third off a 2-liter soda bottle. Remove the lid, and invert the top into the bottom of the bottle. Secure it in place with duct tape and pour in about an inch of liquid bait (recipe below).

Glass Or Plastic Jar Wasp Trap

Using a good sized jar (e.g. a pickle jar or a peanut butter jar) drill a hole in the lid just big enough to poke a pencil through. This should be just about the right size for wasps to slip in. Pour about an inch of liquid bait in the bottom of the jar and spread the inside of the lid with jelly. Put the lid on the jar.

Place either of these traps in areas where you have seen wasps. The idea is that the wasps will smell the bait and enter through the small opening. Then they will be unable to get back out again, and they will eventually drown in the bait.

Check every couple of days to see what you’ve caught. When the liquid fills with dead wasps, it’s time to start fresh. With the soda bottle trap, you should just toss it. With the jar trap, you can clean it and reuse it. Be careful not to get stung by any of your prisoners! [source]

Wasp Trap Bait Recipe

Use beer or a 50/50 mixture of beer and water. Many people find this works very well.

Alternately, you can make a sugar water and apple cider vinegar (ACV) mixture to attract wasps but should not attract bees and other beneficial insects.

Here’s how:

Mix ACV and water 50/50 and then add sugar at half that rate. So, if you combine 2 cups of ACV and water, add 1 cup of sugar. Mix in Dawn dish soap at a rate of one teaspoonful per cup of solution.

Allow the sugar to dissolve and use the mixture as bait. This mixture will keep in a closed container in your fridge indefinitely.

Rodent

Rats and mice are two of the common rodents that home owners have to deal with. As the leading mouse exterminator in San Jose and San Francisco, we at Planet Orange strive to educate our customers about rodents and the dangers of having them in the home. The following information will help you understand more about rats and mice, and how important it is to contact a mouse exterminator.

Mice will eat almost anything. Generally, they like to eat grains, seeds, or any material that is sweet tasting. They are small animals, measuring approximately 1-2 inches, excluding the tail. The house mouse will have a pointed nose, and large ears in comparison to the size of the head. Mice can multiply very rapidly, when an adequate supply of nutrition is available. They become sexually mature in 2 months, and can produce about 8 litters each year, with 5 or more pups in each litter. An adult mouse weighs about an ounce, and can eat about 10-15% of its own body weight each day. They are particularly active at night. They are extremely mobile, being able to run up vertical surfaces and jump more than 12 inches from the floor to a raised surface.

 

Rodent Proofing Experts

Bay Area Rodent Solutions, based in Campbell, CA has been specializing in rodent proofing inspections, exclusion repairs, and rodent sanitation for over 12 years. We serve the entire Bay Area from San Francisco to Monterey and as far east as Walnut Creek. If any travel charges apply, we will tell you up front.

Rodent exclusion requires extensive knowledge of rodent behavior and capabilities. It also requires a keen understanding of typical construction practices in order to make the best use of rodent proof materials.

No other company in the Bay Area offers our level of expertise or our signature approach to rodent exclusion. Most pest control and extermination companies simply don’t have the specialized knowledge and skill required to protect your home from invasion by rats, mice, squirrels, raccoons and other wildlife.

Bay Area Rodent Solutions Exclusion Inspections

If you see, hear, or smell any signs of rodent infestation, it’s a good idea to call Bay Area Rodent Solutions for a professional rodent proofing inspection. We charge $150 to inspect an average-size house and we’ll be happy to quote you a price for inspecting larger homes over 2,500 square feet, apartment buildings, and commercial structures.

Rats, mice, and squirrels are remarkably smart and resourceful. They will use any entry point they find. They also have the ability to gnaw through soft materials to get into your home or business. While Raccoons are not rodents, they can enter your home using some of the same entry points.

Our rodent inspector will come out to provide a complete top-to-bottom inspection of your home or business to identify any openings where rats, mice, squirrels, raccoons or other wildlife may be getting in.

This includes:

• The entire exterior perimeter
• The entire exterior perimeter
• Crawl spaces
• Basements
• Under attached decks
• Garages
• Roof tops

Interior living spaces where evidence is found

 

Rodent & Rat Infestion Removal and Control

Rodents and rats can be problematic inside of any structure or home. Both rats and mice enter the home looking for food and water, enjoying the protection from the elements. Homes plagued with rodent problems will hear scratching noises coming from the attic or walls at night, and often complain of odors that just won’t go away. Rodents’ ability to chew through almost anything not only gives them easy access, but can cause thousands of dollars in damage if not handled immediately. Rodents also transmit a number of dangerous diseases, and typically leave droppings of excrement throughout the home.

How To Tell If You Have A Mouse Infestation

Before we get into the problems mice cause, let’s talk a little bit about how you can know if your home has been invaded by mice.

When mice invade homes, they leave some tell-tale signs behind. For instance, every living creature has to poop, right? Mice are no different. If mice are wandering around the inside of your home while you are sleeping, they are sure to leave droppings behind. Some other signs of a mice infestation include holes chewed through baseboards, lights or outlets not working, and gnaw marks throughout your home.