Bottle Fly

Shoo “Bottle” Fly, Don’t Bother Me

The bottle fly is a common household fly.  They are known for their metallic blue or green color and look like they are wearing aviator sunglasses.  Some may enjoy their appearance but you won’t enjoy them if they’re in your home.

Bottle flies breed amongst unsanitary and filthy conditions.  Like many other flies, they can spread diseases on the surfaces they land on including your food, kitchen counters, animal waste, and garbage.  They are usually the first ones on the scene of a dead animal.  Bottle flies lay their eggs in the carcass and the maggots will develop by eating the carcass.  They develop from egg to adult in less than 3 weeks.

What if I find bottle flies in my home?

Finding bottle flies in your home is a good indication that you have either a dead animal located somewhere in your home or a sanitation issue.  Either problem should be addressed immediately.  Calling a pest control professional will allow them to identify the source of the problem and help to eliminate the original problem, as well as, the bottle flies.

How Gardening Could Effect Termites

Could your gardening ideas effect your termite treatment?

Spring time is an ideal time to get out in the yard, work in your garden, dig in the dirt…all those enjoyable things we like to do in the warm weather.  These are great ways to improve the aesthetics of your property and also enjoy the sunshine.  Hold the shovel!  Wait one second before you start digging in the dirt!

Digging around the foundation of your home could disturb your termite barrier system.  Minor disturbances are nothing to worry about but a major disruption can put the effectiveness of the treatment in jeopardy…causing concern for your home.

What to consider before digging around your foundation?

Mulch is a great way to spruce up your yard.  Mulch provides protection, warmth, and moisture to plants but can also provide those same things to termites.  Not to mention that mulch is wood!  TERMITES LOVE WOOD!  Other pests, such as, roaches and earwigs also find comfort in mulch.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use mulch around your home.

Don’t be discouraged.  You can still use mulch around your home.  Just make sure when using mulch that it is kept 1-2 feet away from the structure.  Any wood that is in contact with soil and your foundation is considered a major risk for termites.

If you’re concerned about disturbing your termite treatment or suspect you may have termites, give us a call!

 

Prevent Ants This Spring

PREVENT ANTS FROM MARCHING ONE-BY-ONE INTO HOMES THIS SPRING

Northwest Exterminating shares five simple steps to prevent ants this spring

As weather conditions improve, ants will soon begin to enter homes in search of food and water. Northwest Exterminating encourages homeowners to take proactive steps to reduce the likelihood of seeing these nuisance pests in your garage or crawling across the kitchen counter in the coming weeks.

Ants often infest kitchens and bathrooms, but homeowners may also encounter them in cooler spaces like basements, garages and around air conditioning units. The key to preventing ants from finding a way inside is to eliminate harborage sites around the property.

Experts from the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) recommend the following five simple steps that homeowners can do today to thwart an ant infestation.

 

  1. Block off access points. Take time to inspect the outside of your home for cracks and crevices, paying special attention to areas where utility pipes enter. Seal any small holes or gaps with a silicone-based caulk. Keep tree branches and other shrubbery well trimmed and away from the structure.
  2. Eliminate sources of water in and around the home. Indoors, routinely check under sinks for areas of moisture and repair any leaky pipes. Consider using a dehumidifier in damp basements, crawl spaces or attics. Outside, ensure that downspouts and gutters are functioning properly so that water flows away from the home’s foundation.
  3. Keep a clean kitchen. Wipe down counter tops and sweep floors to remove crumbs and residue from spills. Store food in sealed containers, and keep ripe fruit in the refrigerator. Also, make sure to dispose of garbage regularly.
  4. Don’t forget about the pets. After mealtime, keep pet bowls clean and wipe up any spilled food or water around them promptly. Store dry pet food in a sealed plastic container rather than the paper bags they often come in, which can be easily accessed by ants, rodents and other pests.
  5. Work with a pest professional. Eliminating ants can be a challenge without the proper treatment. Some species of ants, like carpenter ants, can cause serious property damage while others can pose health threats. If you see ants in your home, contact a licensed pest professional to identify the species and recommend a course of treatment.

For more information on ants or other common household pests, please visit www.callnorthwest.com.

 

Source: PPMA

Could Roaches Be A Cure?

Could Roaches Be Used to Cure Human Diseases?

Cockroaches serve no other purpose than to gross us out, right? Not anymore! New research was conducted using roaches as a guinea pig for new technology. Scientists injected the roaches with nanobots, tiny robots that can be programed to carry out a task. This is the first step towards using nanobots to help cure human diseases sometime in the future. The nanobots were labeled with a fluorescent marker so they would glow to let the researchers track their progress, and they performed exactly as they should. The nanobots look like DNA, which is how it was injected into the roaches, and then it unfolded and moved to the target area as programmed.

Advances in modern science and medicine aside, roaches are still high on the gross out meter for most people.

Does this new science help your roach “gross out meter”?

Katherine King
[email protected]

When DIY Pest Control Isn't Enough

Not All DIY Pest Control Methods Are Effective

Thanks to the wonders of Google and Pinterest we can become experts, or at least knowledgeable, on just about anything these days.  Between YouTube videos and DIY blogs we’ve got a lot of information right at our fingertips without ever having to call a professional.  Pest control is no exception.

Although some DIY pest control methods are effective there are other times when it’s necessary to call in a pest control professional.  According to NPMA, “When a homeowner attempts to treat a pest problem on their own, they are often treating the ‘tip of the iceberg’, and not the root cause of the problem.  The pests you see might be eliminated, but a larger infestation can continue to grow out of sight. These infestations can pose significant health risks to your family and cause damage to your property.”

So when should you call in a pest professional?

The above situations can cause serious damage to property or put your health at risk.  By calling in the professionals they can properly identify and solve the issue and even help you with DIY tips to help avoid infestations in the future.

What DIY pest control methods have you tried that work?

Here’s a few DIY tips on our Pinterest board

 

Bed Bug Awareness Week

Bed Bug Awareness Week

This week (April 20-26) is Bed Bug Awareness Week.  It’s a week to spread awareness about bed bugs and what people can do to prevent bed bug infestations.

It’s no secret that bed bugs are one of the hardest pests to control, even by pest professionals.  They are easily transported by hiding in handbags, luggage, etc., are quick to reproduce, and can be difficult to see with the naked eye.  Even though they can be difficult to treat, rest assured, that they can be treated by a knowledgeable, highly trained pest control professional.

Throughout the next few months people will begin to travel more and it is important that people are educated and aware of the steps to take to prevent bed bugs.  This is where Bed Bug Awareness Week and Northwest Exterminating come in to help!

What can you do to prevent bed bugs?

  • Be aware of what bed bugs look like (here).
  • When traveling, do not put luggage on the bed or on the floor.  Use a luggage rack.
  • Pull back the corner of the mattress cover to check mattress seams for signs of bed bugs.
  • Check sheets and pillows for signs of bed bugs.
  • When returning home, leave luggage outside and wash all clothes in hot water.
  • Contact a pest professional if you think you may have a bed bug infestation in your home.  A highly trained professional will be able to quickly identify the problem and develop a customized solution for your infestation.

For more tips on how to prevent bed bugs visit our past blogs for helpful tips:

How to Protect Yourself from Bed Bugs on Spring Break
The 411 on Bed Bugs
The Dreaded Hitchhikers…The Bed Bugs

 

New Information About Bed Bugs

Just hearing about bed bugs is enough to make most people’s skin crawl and frantically check their beds just in case the nasty little bugs have made it into the house. New research has led us to believe that there is actually a bed bug season. The researchers gathered information from various service providers over a 4 year period that offered bed bug treatments. They analyzed all of the data and noticed that there is a definite trend from April through October where the number of bed bug treatments increases. Bed bugs are like most other insects despite living indoors, they begin to make a reappearance as the weather warms up and decline as the weather cools down.

We are now entering bed bug season, so here are a few precautions to keep in mind:

  • When arriving in your room be sure to pull back the sheets at the corners and check for the presence of bed bugs around the cracks and crevices of the mattress and box spring.
  • Make sure to place your luggage on the luggage rack.
  • When returning home from your trip be sure to wash/dry clean all contents.
  • Luggage should be placed up in the attic or left out in the garage.
  • If you do bring bed bugs into your house, Northwest Exterminating can help you out. We have bed bug specialists who only perform bed bug treatments. Northwest Exterminating will guarantee elimination of a bed bug infestation before the contract is considered finished. We can also provide preventative services that will decrease the likelihood of a bed bug population becoming established should they be brought in accidentally. Please visit the website at www.callnorthwest.com for more information.

Katherine King
[email protected]

Mazda Recalls Due to Spiders

Mazda recall due to spiders

Mazda is recalling 42,000 Mazda6 sedans from 2010, 2011, and 2012 due to spiders.  This is the second recall Mazda has made since 2011 for the same spider issue.

According to USAToday.com, tiny spiders “can weave a web in an evaporative fuel hose, blocking it and causing executive negative pressure to build up in the fuel tank. Too much pressure…and a fuel could crack and leak. Fuel leaks can lead to fires.”

After the 2011 recall, Mazda thought they could prevent the problem by installing a spring inside the fuel line.  But in some cases the spring wasn’t enough which has resulted in this latest recall.

The latest recall is for Mazda5s made from September 14, 2009 – May 2, 2011, and come with a 2.5-liter engine.  Mazda plans to run an inspection that will show if a spider web is present.  If so, they will replace the canister vent line.  For more information on the Mazda recall visit http://www.usatoday.com/story/driveon/2014/04/09/mazda-spiders/7494105/

Checking for Ticks

Checking for Ticks

tickThe weather is warming up which means it’s prime time for outside activities.  Among the fun that can be had in the great outdoors there are also some concerns.  One being TICKS.  Ticks are found in high vegetation areas, usually in tall grass.  They await a host (human, dog, deer, etc) that they can latch on to and consume a blood meal.  Checking for ticks is important if you’ve recently spent time outside.

Ticks have 4 life stages, egg, larva, nymph, and adult.  To go from one life stage to another they have to get blood from a host.  Most ticks need 3-4 hosts to complete their life cycle.

Once a tick is fully engorged, weighing 200-600 times what it did before the meal, they drop off the host, digest, molt, and then find another host to feed off of.

Ticks bites can cause irritation to the skin of people and pets.  In some instances they can cause allergic reaction, transfer Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.  If you, your kids, or your pets have spent time outdoors it is important that you thoroughly check for ticks on the body, especially the hair.

For more information on ticks:

https://www.callnorthwest.com/learning-center/identify-your-pest/ticks/

https://www.callnorthwest.com/tag/ticks/

Dr. Goo's Corner: Ticks

Tick Prevention from the EPA

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