Bug theme decorations:

• Use green streamers that look like vines and shrubs
• Place jars with plastic bugs as table decorations
• Antennae headbands
• Magnifying glasses

It’s never a good idea to pair real bugs with food.  But we can make our food look like insects, right!  Try these bug themed treats that are sure to be pleasing on the eyes and the stomach.

Ants on a Log

Bug theme foods:

• Dirt Cake
• Gummy worms
• Fruit caterpillar kabobs – skewer green grapes, place 2 white dots on front of first grape using cream cheese, place mini chocolate chip in center of white dots for eyes
• Bug juice – mix any flavor of red juice and a blue juice…to make GREEN juice
• Ants on a log – You will need: Celery, cream cheese or peanut butter, raisins
• Slice celery horizontally and spread with either cream cheese or peanut butter.
• Place raisins on top
• Burrowing Worms – Cut 6-7 slits along one half of each hotdog (1/4″ apart and 1/2″ deep).  Do the same on the opposite side.  Cook hotdogs and serve on bun with hotdog condiments.
• Create your own critter mix – It’s trail mix with a spin.  Give guests a bag and let them make their own mix with selections of nuts, seeds, cereals, crackers, pretzels, raisins, dried fruit, marshmallows, chocolate chips, etc.
• Watermelon Bug: Cut a rectangle out of the top of a watermelon. Scoop out the flesh and refill with fruit salad. Create a face on the melon using fruit (an orange wedge for the mouth, grape eyes). Use banana halves to make six legs and curl some pipe cleaners for antennae. Attach everything with toothpicks
• Pretzel butterflies: Attach two small pretzels, tip to tip.  Place piece of caramel at tips and microwave for 10 second or until caramel is melted and pretzels are stuck together.
• Mosquito Bloody Marys – for the adults, of course.

Don’t let uninvited guests ruin your party.  Call Northwest Exterminating to get rid of any mosquitoes or pests.

To prevent fleas from becoming a pest in your home, clean and vacuum frequently.  A clean home is a healthy home and will aid in the prevention of other pests as well.  Cleaning will help to remove any fleas and their eggs.  Maintaining a clean yard is just as important, especially if you have pets that go outside often.  A well kept lawn with no debris or pet droppings will reduce the flea population around your home.  Bathe pets regularly and apply a flea and tick treatment.  Most importantly, call a professional exterminator if you have fleas in your home.  A flea infestation can be very difficult to get rid of and is best left to the professionals so the problem does not continue to grow.

Interesting Flea Facts:

• The largest recorded flea measured almost ½ inch!
• Fleas consume 15 times their weight in blood each day. That is like a 140 lb. woman eating 8,400 burgers in one day!
• Fleas are the number one cause of allergies in cats and dogs.
• Fleas can live for about 100 days.
• Fleas don’t fly, they jump.
• A pair of fleas can produce 400-500 offspring in their lifetime.
• A flea can jump up to 8 inches high or 150 times its own height.

Got a flea problem?  Call Northwest Exterminating for professional, effective flea control.

Plants are often imported from other countries and can carry pests or even diseases.  According to msnbc, “On a typical day, the CBP seizes about 4,436 prohibited plant, meat and animal byproducts and finds 570 agricultural pests from abroad that could harm US agriculture.” (Source)

Read Getting the bugs out–literally–of Mother’s Day flowers at LAX on dailybreeze.com for more information on the inspection of plants that are being imported into the US.

Now you can appreciate that beautiful bouquet that you get on Sunday even more knowing all of the hard work that goes into them.  They have been thoroughly checked, put together, and purchased with LOVE!

Northwest Exterminating would like to wish all the moms a Happy Mother’s Day and say Thank You for all that you do!!

What was your favorite Mother’s Day gift?

Identification:

• 1/4″ long
• red bodies and black abdomen
• most often identified by the large mound that they build

The Mound:

The allegheny mound ant is known for the large mounds that they build.  This is the easiest way to identify the species.  Their mounds are made up of built up soil that can go up to 4 feet above soil and extend 3 feet deep into the ground.  A 5 month old mound can be about 2 feet wide and 8 inches tall.  A two year old mound can be up to 3 feet tall.  These large mounds are mostly found in unkept grassy areas, pastures, nurseries, and turf.

Allegheny mound ants produce formic acid that can damage bushes, plants, and gardens.  Formic acid can kill small trees and shrubs within 40-50 feet of a mound and the grass of your lawn that is located around a mound.  Most new mounds are made in late May and early June.  This can cause issues if you spend time in your lawn because the mound ants will bite if they feel like their colony is being disturbed.

Protect yourself and your lawn by hiring a professional exterminator that can eliminate ants around your home and prevent damage and harmful bites.  Call Northwest Exterminating to get rid of your ant problems.

The needs of community management companies and HOA’s are different than the individual homeowner.  That is why we have a team that specializes in meeting their unique needs.  Our Community Management Services team specializes in termite and pest control needs for community/property managers, homeowners associations, and property owners associations.  We provide services for single-family detached homes, multi-unit homes, clubhouses, amenity buildings, and condominiums.

Northwest Exterminating is the right choice for community managers when it comes to termite, pest, mosquito, wildlife, fire ant, and carpenter bee control.  Not only do we have an experienced team in place for community managers, we have a board-certified entomologist on staff, convenient billing, repair warranties, and multiple locations throughout Georgia and Tennessee.

Ask your HOA or community management company if they use Northwest Exterminating.  The healthier your community is, the healthier your home is.  If you need to contact someone in our Community Management Services team click HERE.

Do you have an HOA or CMA company?

Before and After

There are plenty of factors outside of your home that effect your health.  That is why it is so important that your home is a healthy place for you and your family.  If your home has a crawlspace, you are at an increased risk of having poor air quality circulating throughout your home.  One of the best ways to prevent mold growth and control pests in a crawlspace is to enclose it.  Closing your crawlspace has both health and monetary benefits.  The moisture, mold growth, high levels of humidity, and increase in pests can make your crawlspace an unhealthy area.  Because most crawl spaces are ventilated, these unhealthy factors can travel into the living areas of your home.  Not to mention that when the outside warm air meets the cooler air inside, it can lead to higher energy bills.  Enclosing your crawl space could save you up to 18% on your utility bills.

If you are interested in more information on Northwest Exterminating’s Complete CrawlSpace click HERE to visit Northwest Exterminating.  This is one of our many services that prevents and controls pests, makes your home healthier, and is a GREEN alternative.

When is the last time you were in your crawlspace?

How do I know if I, or my child, has an allergy to mosquitoes?

Usually people who ask this question already suspect they have an allergy to mosquito bites.  When they get bitten they get large swollen bumps that are red, itchy and painful.  These bumps tend to last longer than mosquito bites for other people and they cause more discomfort.  The reaction may not be classified as a true “allergy” but the problem is a larger release of histamine and other immunoglobulins that cause inflammation.

These people have a more severe reaction to the proteins that mosquitoes inject into the bite to keep the blood from clotting. The reaction is usually a large red whelp that itches, swells and is very uncomfortable. Although these bites are very irritating, it is rare to have a serious allergic reaction to a mosquito bite. Life threatening reactions would include difficulty breathing, low blood pressure, fainting or swelling all over.

If you or your child has a more severe reaction to mosquito bites than others, you may have what is known as the “Skeeter Syndrome.”  People that have the “Skeeter Syndrome” have more severe reactions and will have larger, itchier and more painful bumps associated with the bites.  The bites can also cause blisters and be associated with infections if the bites are scratched until they are open and bleeding.  True mosquito allergies can be diagnosed with allergy testing.

What to do if you are allergic?

The first thing to do is to avoid the mosquito bites in the first place. Have Northwest Exterminating, or your local exterminator, provide your home with a mosquito treatment.  Also, cover your body when you go out and use an insect repellent, such as DEET.

If you do get bitten, you can use an anti-histamine like Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) for the itching.  You can take the anti-histamine by mouth or use preparations that can be placed topically on the bite.  Anti-inflammatory creams like hydrocortisone may also be used. If the bite is scratched open, you will want to wash it daily and apply an antibiotic ointment to keep them from being infected.

If you have severe allergic symptoms like respiratory distress, swelling of the body, face, mouth or throat you will need to go directly to the emergency department.

Thanks,
Dr. Goo

Do you have a question for Dr. Goo?  Click HERE to submit your question.

Sand Gnat

Sand gnats are a major concern to our customers living in Savannah and the surrounding areas. By being proactive, you can ensure that mosquitoes and sand gnats don’t invade your yard. Our Savannah service center offers a Green Mosquito & Sand Gnat Program to reduce the annoyance of these pests while still using the lowest environmental impact possible. To ensure that our mosquito control program is effective and environmentally friendly, we use products that are derived from flowers and bacteria.

For pest, mosquitoes, and sand gnat control in Savannah, call Northwest Exterminating. Visit us online for more information at www.callnorthwest.com.

Did you know: Sand gnats are so notorious in Savannah that the city has a minor league baseball team named after them, the Savannah Sand Gnats.

Reports have talked about the early mosquito season due to the warmer temperatures that we’ve experienced early in the season.  But will this impact your summer plans of being outdoors anymore than usual?  The Atlanta Journal Constitution ran a story featuring Northwest Exterminating that gives a glimpse of what we have to look forward to this summer with not just mosquitoes, but ants, kudzu bugs, and other pests as well.  The article includes reasons why we are seeing so many mosquitoes and tips on preventing them from invading your yard.

Read The AJC article here.

Although there are many DIY products and other mosquito control systems, Northwest recommends a monthly mosquito control program performed by licensed, experienced professionals.  Our Green Mosquito control uses products that are derived from flowers and bacteria to ensure that our program is effective and environmentally friendly.  For more information on our Green Mosquito Control or for a FREE inspection, visit us at callnorthwest.com.