Nov 4, 2011 | Pest Control
Occasional invaders are a nuisance to homeowners. They often invade homes in massive numbers and have the potential to contaminate our food and bite or sting which has the potential to cause allergic reactions. Fall is prime time for occasional invaders to surround your home in great numbers. By winter time they enter your home to avoid the cold winter. If temperatures heat up briefly during the winter months, they will become more active inside your home. Once spring returns they will venture outside of the home during the day and return at night to keep warm. Once temperatures remain warmer, they will evacuate your home only to come back next fall.
Occasional invaders are attracted to artificial lights and windows. Change any exterior lights to yellow bulbs or sodium vapor lamps. Typical entry points are around doors, windows, light fixtures, and electrical outlets. To control these pests, it is important to ensure that all holes are sealed, paying close attention to windows and doors being shut tightly. The good news is that these pests do not mate while in your home. They are simply there for shelter and don’t mate until the spring. Frequent vacuuming is a good way to get rid of pests that may have found their way into the home.
If your home has been infested by occasional invaders it is best to call an exterminating company who will come out and inspect your home and create a detailed plan of action to solve your problem.
Some common occasional invaders include:
Nov 2, 2011 | Pest Control
There are over 40,000 species of spiders on our planet. Most are harmless and even beneficial, helping keep other pest populations in check. All spiders are venomous (not to be confused with poisonous), that’s how they capture and digest their food, turning the insides of the common pests into a soup. Lucky for us, most spider venom will have little or no effect on humans.
Spider control is best accomplished through proper housekeeping, the strategic placement of products, and reducing harborage and points of entrance. It’s impossible to keep all spiders out but a great reduction can be achieved.
Here are some steps that you can take to keep spiders out of your home:
- Remove all extra boxes, bags, and containers from off the floor.
- Be thorough in removing any and all webs.
- Allow items that must be on the floor or shelving that sits on the floor to have some space from the wall (at least 8”).
- Keep lights off of the home if possible. You can have a light shine onto the home for security purposes.
- Reduce all vegetation at least 18” from the house outside.
- Seal all areas around windows, doors, and other entrances into the structure.
- Reduce/eliminate standing water.
- If you can, capture the spider and set it free so it can continue to protect your home.
- Call a pest control company to assess and take control of your pest problem.
Oct 31, 2011 | Pest Control, Wildlife
Happy Halloween!!! Tonight, you expect to see vampires, ghosts and goblins around your neighborhood but it’s the bedbugs, spiders and other pests that will be giving you nightmares! Bedbugs, spiders and other pests are still on the rise this season! As temperatures begin to cool, pests are looking for a warm place to take up residency. Unfortunately for you, they are looking in your home.
Certain pests, such as bedbugs, have a scary resemblance to those Halloween characters you will be seeing out and about tonight. Bedbugs are similar to vampires in the sense that they are both nocturnal, bloodsucking creatures. Lucky for us, when bitten by a bedbug we do not turn into a bedbug the same way that vampires turn their prey into vampires.
A vast majority of rabies cases that are reported in the US are bat related. Bats make wonderful Halloween decorations but you don’t want them hanging around your house (no pun intended)!! Bats are a serious health risk and require in-depth control procedures. If you have a bat problem, contact a pest professional instead of doing it yourself.
To keep spiders, mice, roaches, and other unwelcome creepy crawlers out of your home, keep all food and sweets stored in air tight containers. Don’t let your kids leave their candy on the floor…this is an open invitation for pests.
Don’t let these pests be a nightmare in your home any longer!!! Call Northwest Exterminating for your pest solutions!
Oct 28, 2011 | Pest Control
A basic knowledge of insects is needed to identify and control insects that may be found in your home. Insects are the largest, most diverse group in the animal kingdom. According to studies, half of all known animals are insects. As much as we dislike insects inside of our homes, without them, our ecosystem would collapse within months. They are both beneficial and harmful. They pollinate our food, decompose organic matter, and solve crimes. On the other hand, they are known to spread diseases, and damage plants and structures.
The most basic definition of an insect is that it is made up of 3 pairs of legs and 3 body regions (head, thorax, and abdomen). Below is a breakdown of each region of an insect:
Head
- The head consists of the mouthparts, antennae, and eyes.
- Mouthparts are used to drink, chew, or even suck their food. Some insects bite and pinch using their mouthparts.
- The antennae are used to judge sounds, vibrations, and other environmental factors.
- Insects can have compound or simple eyes. Compound eyes are large with many lenses which gives the insect the ability to see complex images in its environment. Simple eyes contain only one lens.
- Some insects have both simple and compound eyes.
Thorax
- The thorax includes the wings and legs…all 6 legs!
- Legs come in different shapes and sizes depending on the insect and what their purpose is.
- Wings also come in different shapes and sizes. Some are colorful and vertical, while others are flat and transparent. Either way, these are very helpful in identifying the pest.
Abdomen
- Contains the insect’s organs.
- Organs include digestive organs and reproductive organs similar to that of humans.
If you have found an insect in or around your home and would like help in identifying it…contact Northwest Exterminating.
Oct 19, 2011 | Pest Control, Wildlife
Rats and mice are often confused for one another. Some people think that a rat is just an over-sized mouse – this is simply not the case. Although rats and mice have their similarities, they are different types of rodents. All differences aside, we can assure you that you don’t want either to be present in your home. Call your local exterminator if you have found evidence of rats or mice in your home.
|
Rat
|
Mouse
|
| Full grown weighs a few pounds |
Full grown weighs a few ounces |
| Full grown is the size of a full grown mouse |
Full grown is the size of a young rat |
| Dig deep burrows 3 feet or longer |
Live behind walls, under or behind appliances |
| Aggressive. Will attack if they feel they are in danger |
Shy, scared and timid. Will freeze if they are cornered |
| ½”droppings |
1/8”-1/4” droppings |
| Travel further for food and water |
Stay close to nest for food and water |
| Smart – become familiar with traps and poisons and don’t return to those places |
Mice keep returning to areas where traps and poisons are set |
| Rats will kill each other if nest becomes too crowded and food source is in danger |
Not known to kill |
| Most common species: Roof rat and Norway rat |
Most common species: House mouse and Field mouse |
| Have larger features such as feet, ears, nose |
Have smaller features such as feet, ears, nose |
| Have small ears relative to the size of their head |
Have large ears relative to the size of their head |
Oct 10, 2011 | Pest Control
Ants in the home are a common problem this time of year. NorPest Green from Northwest Exterminating is a green solution to this common pest control problem. For more information on how NorPest Green can eliminate your pest problem, visit us ONLINE or call us at 888.466.7849.
Here are some unique facts on ants that you probably didn’t know:
- Ants stay awake their whole life.
- Ants move their jaws sideways to chew their food.
- One single ant colony can house half a million ants.
- Certain honey pot ants become a colony’s warehouse. Their bloated abdomen produces a liquid food that serves as food to other individuals in the colony.
- A fire ants sting is worse than a hornet’s sting.
- A fire ant grows as big as a grain of rice.
Oct 7, 2011 | Pest Control
Crickets are not only annoying with their high pitched chirps that keep you up all night but they can also be damaging to your home. Crickets feed on just about anything. This includes clothes, wall paper, wood, food in your pantry and even wrappers. It is important to avoid crickets getting into your home to avoid damages and them laying eggs inside your home. Female crickets lay hundreds, sometimes thousands of eggs. The good news is that these eggs can take about a year to hatch. The bad news is that detection can be difficult, if not impossible. These are all reasons why it is so important to keep crickets out of your home.
The best way to control crickets is to prevent them from entering your home in the first place. Block off any entry points for the crickets which may include sealing any cracks and crevices, and covering any areas with screens. Crickets love vegetation and look for plants surrounding your home. Keep any vegetation trimmed and under control. General housekeeping is important in the control of crickets, as well as other pests. Clean up debris in the garage, basement and gardens. Messy places that are rarely visited are prime locations for cricket nests. Cover and seal garbage bins so you are not attracting them to your debris and food. Regular maintenance of your drains and roofs are important for cleaning out any nests that crickets may have built in the debris. Crickets, like other pests, are attracted to bright lights outside of the home. Replace any bright lights with low-lights that emit a yellowish glow.
If crickets have already invaded your home, call a pest control company to get rid of the pests.
Sep 28, 2011 | Pest Control
The bedbug infestation has been a biting issue in the news recently. Not only has the infestation hit homes but there are also reports of exterminating companies that have claimed to be able to get rid of the bugs but just take your money instead. This is another reason why it is important to hire a reputable pest control company, like Northwest Exterminating. Make sure that you research your pest control company by getting referrals, visiting the BBB, or other service review websites.
With all of the above being said, it is best to be proactive in preventing bedbugs from coming into your home. Here are some tips that can save you the horror of finding bedbugs in your home and the hassle of hiring a pest control company:
- Inspect all used furniture before you purchase and bring into your home. For tips on how to inspect for bedbugs click HERE
- Make any repairs where bedbugs could hide. Look for cracks in plaster, loose wallpaper, loose lights or fixtures, and gaps in baseboards or shelving.
- When traveling, always use a luggage rack instead of putting luggage on the bed or floor.
- When traveling, inspect the mattress and headboard before getting into the bed.
- Upon returning from traveling, unpack luggage directly into a washing machine.
- Wash and dry any clothing you may suspect has bedbug debris. The heat from the dryer will kill the bugs.
- Inspect and vacuum out luggage before storing away.
- Empty vacuum in a tightly sealed bag and immediately discard outside.
For more information on bedbugs, click HERE.
Sep 23, 2011 | Pest Control
Today marks the first day of fall. Just because most pests don’t tend to build nests in the fall doesn’t mean that they aren’t still present. While it is common for a number of pests to seek shelter in the fall and even winter in areas such as Georgia, Tennessee, and other areas in the Southeast, you may still be seeing activity around your home. There are a number of things that can be done to keep your home free of pests throughout the fall and winter seasons.
- Make sure outdoor lights are not located directly above a door. Insects are drawn to that area and will wait there for an opportune time to come into your home.
- Make sure all screens fit securely and any gaps around the structure, larger than a pencil, are filled or sealed.
- Keep doors closed when not going in or out.
- Reduce clutter at entrance areas or next to openings.
- Trim all vegetation around the structure to at least 18″ away from the building.
- Make sure any compost such as leaf piles and bags of leaves are located away from the structure.
- Treatments to the exterior of your home, such as your final mosquito control treatment for the season, can help tremendously.
- Vacuum inside the home often for pest prevention and to remove any pest that may have gotten inside the home.
