Aug 29, 2012 | Fire Ant, Pest Control
Though having pests in your home may be a different story, books about bugs have always been favorite reads for children. Below is a list of fictional stories about bugs that your kids are sure to enjoy:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
This picture book features the tale of a caterpillar’s metamorphosis into a butterfly accompanied by vivid colored pictures. Children will not only learn about caterpillars, but also about numbers, healthy eating and days of the week as they chronicle his journey from newborn to cocoon.
Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg
Ever wonder what ants are up to when they invade your home? Before you call the exterminator, let this picture book give you a glimpse into the mischievous adventures of two ants. Children will learn the importance of following directions and the consequences of their choices.
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
This classic of children’s literature features a fun-filled cast of characters starting with a young orphan named James. With the help of a magic potion, James causes a peach tree to blossom an abnormally large fruit, which becomes home to an assortment of interesting insects. This perfect first chapter book will offer your children lessons of friendship, bravery and loyalty.
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
This American classic comes from the author of another well-known tale, Stuart Little. Told from the perspective of a pig, this novel follows the life of barn house creatures, one of which is a spider named Charlotte. Charlotte offers Wilbur much wisdom in one of the most beautiful friendships ever written.
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
This story follows a cricket from Connecticut who boards the wrong train to Times Square in New York. There he meets many interesting characters, both human and animal, that teach him many lessons, including how to play classical music.
Melissa Brown
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Aug 13, 2012 | Fire Ant, Pest Control
Ants are one of the pests that can be an issue year around. Although controlling ants can be difficult…it is possible.
Size is a big advantage to the small ants. Because they are so small, they can enter a structure through even the tiniest of entryways. When ants enter your home, they are looking for food and water. Sweets and greasy foods are amongst some of their favorite foods. To lead other ants to food, they leave behind a pheromone that allows the other ants to follow to the source of food.
Ants are social insects, meaning they live in large colonies. You can find 300,000-500,000 ants in a single colony. Ants can uproot and move their whole colony rather quickly. Worker ants can live up to 7 years while queens can live up to 15 years.
Although size and quantity are on the side of ants, there are ways to keep ants out of your home:
- Eliminate standing water. This will help keep away ants, as well as other pests such as mosquitoes and termites.
- Keep foliage away from the structure. Ants and other pests can use branches, leaves, etc as a way to enter your home.
- Seal your home. Cracks and crevices around your home are used as entrances to your home by pests.
- DIY methods. Although some DIY methods can be helpful in getting rid of ants, you are not getting to the real source of the problem. A professional pest control company can inspect your home and help you come up with a customized plan to get rid of and control future ants from coming in your home.
Call Northwest Exterminating at 888.466.7849 if you are having ant problems in your home or business. Visit us online to find out more information about ants and how to control them.
Aug 6, 2012 | Pest Control
Do bees give you the creeps or do they down right frighten you into hyperventilation? If it’s the latter, you are possibly suffering from entomophobia. Entomophobia is a fear of insects or bugs. This predicament can bring about emotional and mental states such as panic attacks.
A famous entomophobe was the artist Salvador Dali. When Dalí was five years old, he witnessed an insect that had been eaten by ants where the shell was the only thing that remained. The swarming ants in Dalí’s pieces and models are innuendos to death and decomposition, and are hints of human mortality and uncertainty.
Ant Face by Salvador Dali
Dalí had an extreme phobia of grasshoppers, brought on from his adolescent harassment by other kids, who frequently hurled grasshoppers and other insects at him. When they emerge in Dalí’s art, grasshoppers are utilized as an indication of devastation, decay and despair. Dalí characterizes them with a fearsome nature, as huge and alarming in comparison to the other figures, and they are shown in the act of eating the main subject of the work a number of times.
Although Salvador Dali was an odd guy, we can all agree that some insects are just plain creepy.
What is your phobia?
Cara Carver
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Jul 30, 2012 | Bed Bug, Pest Control
It’s a rite of passage for many college students to be on their own in a dorm or apartment. Parents go to inspect the new place of residency, making sure all is safe. But is it really safe? Dorm room bed bug problems are becoming increasingly more prevalent.
Bed bugs are small insects that are brown to reddish brown in color and broadly oval and flat in shape. Bed bugs harbor in cracks and crevices during the day and come out to feed at night. They prefer to feed on humans but will feed on other warm blooded animals. Typically, they can be found around mattresses, in box springs or their coverings, and in any crevice of a wooden bed frame, such as where members join. Before students move ANY of their belongings into their new home, they should check in and around wall hangings such as picture frames, night stands, stuffed furniture, baseboards, floorboard cracks, behind loose wallpaper, light switches, door and window frames, conduits, etc. Also check mattress covers for small, brownish stains. It would be wise to purchase mattress and box spring encasings as a precaution.
Bed bugs can be introduced into a structure via used furniture, clothing, boxes, suitcases, or other goods that are moved from residence to residence. Keep this in mind when your kids come home from college to visit. Make sure to check bags and boxes thoroughly before they enter your home.
Bed bugs are most active at night and bite any exposed areas of skin while an individual is sleeping. The face, neck, hands, and arms are common sites for bed bug bites. The bite itself is painless and is not noticed. Small, flat, or raised bumps on the skin are the most common sign; redness, swelling, and itching commonly occur. If scratched, the bite areas can become infected. A peculiarity of bed bug bites is the tendency to find several bites lined up in a row. Infectious disease specialists refer to this as the “breakfast, lunch, and dinner” sign signifying the sequential feeding that occurs from site to site.
Getting rid of bed bugs is not an easy process and most cases of bed bug infestations will require treatment by a pest control expert. If bed bugs are suspected in a dorm room, contact the RA (Residential Adviser) immediately and make sure that they use a pest control expert like Northwest Exterminating.
Do you have a child going off to college this year?
Jul 6, 2012 | Fire Ant, Pest Control, Wildlife
People love a good myth. These narratives contribute bright symbolism of interactions between higher powers, people, and nature. They assist in many relevant functions as well as further adding colorful stories. One valuable role of myths is to illustrate some angle of life.
Several myths describe the beginnings, morphology, and conduct of various insects. Here are just a few:
The origin of mosquitoes is revealed by The Tlingit Indians of North America. The narration tells of a blood sucking carnivorous giant who dines on humans. This giant is eventually avenged after his horrific death by coming back to feed on humans in the appearance of blood sucking mosquitoes.
An Algonquin tale of North America justifies why bees, wasps, and hornets have stingers. This myth grants that the god Wakonda bestowed stingers to bees because the bees were industrious, but required a defense. Since wasps and hornets are linked to bees, The Great Spirit willingly endowed them with stinging weapons as well.
Ant actions are revealed in an African myth that reminds us of the everlasting punishments of Atlas, Prometheus, and Sisyphus of classical mythology. An infinite punishment of bearing a burden is handed down to ants by deception in the African myth. Accordingly, we see the outcome today in ants repeatedly transporting things in their everyday routine.
Atlas
And on an absolutely universal spectrum, the composition of our galaxy, The Milky Way, is translated in an insect myth of the Cochiti. This myth tells of an Eleodes Beetle that was in charge of depositing stars in the sky. The stars were dropped due to his ego and recklessness, thus forming the Milky Way. The beetle was so distraught at what he had done, that even today, the beetle hides his face in the dirt when approached – will lower its head, raise its abdomen, and emit a disagreeable odor probably for defense. This simple insect myth explains not only insect behavior, but also the start of our own galaxy.
Beetle
Who are your favorite mythological characters?
