Jul 1, 2013 | Uncategorized
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a…MOSQUITO?!?!
Source
Yes, that is right mosquito season is here! And although we all enjoyed the mild winter, we may not be able to say the same this summer. Mild winters usually mean an influx in pest pressure for Pest Management Professionals and their customers…including mosquitoes.
There are currently 63 different species of mosquitoes found in GA. Approximately$125,000,000 is spent annually in Georgia in an effort to reduce and treat the effects of disease and nuisance caused by mosquitoes. That’s a lot of money to control one insect. But is there a cost to protect the public’s health? Because the mosquito has become a big threat!
Worldwide malaria remains the most important human disease transmitted by mosquitoes. Malaria counts for almost 2 million deaths each year and is estimated that there are over 400 million cases in the world. In Georgia, we see about 50 to 60 cases of Malaria a year. Although Malaria affects the most humans worldwide there are two other diseases that we see more frequently in Georgia.
The West Nile virus was first found in the states in 1999. In 2002, the virus spread over most of the United States and caused over 4,000 cases and 277 deaths. The virus is transmitted from the mosquito to a host bird, where the virus grows and then is transmitted to an incidental host (humans) by another mosquito. To date, there is no antivirus for those affected with the disease.
Another common disease doesn’t affect humans directly but it does affect the family dog. Dog heartworms are a serious problem and are spread by mosquitoes. Infection rates in some states have been reported to be as high as 80% in dogs over 2.5 years old, and almost 100% in dogs over 5 years old that are left un-vaccinated. There is approximately $60,000,000 being spent on heartworm prevention in Georgia each year and it cost nearly $1,000 to treat a case of heartworms. Bottom-line…make sure you treat your dog for heartworms BEFORE it’s an issue.
So what can we do? Mosquito prevention at Northwest Exterminating is a five step program following the basic principles of an Integrated Mosquito Management program:
- Education
- Surveillance
- Source Reduction
- Larviciding
- Adulticiding
It is important as homeowner’s that we do our part. Here are some simple steps to help reduce mosquitoes around your home:
- Reduce water collection sites
- Clean gutters regularly
- Remove yard clutter
For more tips like these and to help reduce the amount of mosquitoes around your home call Northwest Exterminating. Our goal is to create a healthier environment around your home so you can enjoy your yard!
Adam Vannest
Director of Pest Services
Northwest Exterminating
[email protected]
Dec 12, 2012 | Uncategorized
Builders in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and South Carolina can rest assured knowing that they have Northwest Exterminating in their corner during the termite pretreatment phase. Time is money in the new construction business and Northwest’s New Construction Team helps make sure that your projects stay on track. We are dedicated to providing superior services to the builder market.
Northwest’s New Construction Team is a department that is dedicated specifically to builders and their needs:
- Prompt Scheduling
- Online Scheduling
- Online Letter Ordering
- Quick Response Time
- High Quality Service
- Accurate Paperwork
- 24 Hour Online Service
- Damage Repair Warranty
- Centralized Scheduling and Billing Department
- Convenient Emailing of Closing Documents
- Termite Treatment Options: Sentricon, Borate Wood Treatment, and Soil Treatments
A Northwest Exterminating New Construction representative will meet with you and customize a pretreatment plan to meet your needs. We also continue this same great service once the home has been sold. We take care of pest control, termite control, wildlife, commercial, TAP, lawn care, mosquito, fire ant, and bed bug solutions for homes and businesses. Builders and homeowners alike can Trust the Mouse.
Sep 3, 2012 | Mosquito
West Nile Virus has made its way back into the news for 2012. After a few years of laying low, health officials have warned that the virus is once again on the rise. Reports state that four times the usual number of cases for this time of year have been identified. As of August 27, the AJC reported that Georgia had seen 21 cases of West Nile so far, which is only 1 case away from the 22 total that were reported in 2011.
Labor Day weekend is often spent outdoors enjoying the last little bit of summer. If you and your loved ones are going to be outdoors for the holiday, we urge you to take steps to keep the mosquitoes away.
Steps for keeping away mosquitoes/West Nile:
- Apply DEET, or any other EPA approved product that repels mosquitoes.
- Get rid of any standing water. These areas of standing water will be a breeding ground for mosquitoes and needs to be drained or removed.
- Use a bug zapper.
- Mosquitoes are active all day but the species that carry West Nile are most active at dusk and dawn.
- Use citronella candles.
- Wear waistbands or bracelets that have repellants built in or that can be clipped on.
- Wear loose, long sleeve pants and shirts when possible.
- Use screens on open doors and windows.
If you are bitten and start to experience symptoms like dizziness or fever, contact your physician.
Happy Labor Day to all from Northwest Exterminating!
Jun 27, 2012 | Company News, Going Green, Mosquito, Pest Control, Termite Control
Introducing Green Elite by Northwest Exterminating
We’ve been working on something really big for our customers and we’re proud to announce that it’s finally here…GREEN ELITE!
At Northwest Exterminating, we have made a name for ourselves as the GREEN leaders in pest and termite control! So it is only fitting that our newest program allows customers to continue to GO GREEN with us! We wanted to develop a program that would benefit our customers and be an environmentally friendly solution for our environment. Many of our customers have more than one service with us. Since these services were typically on different schedules, our representatives were oftentimes making more than one trip out to a property to complete different services. Customers were also getting billed individually for each service. We knew there was a Greener way! Keeping with our “Go Green” mentality, we thought that by grouping green services like pest, termite, and mosquito, we could reduce our carbon footprint by making fewer trips to complete services, reducing fuel costs, and reducing the amount of paper that we use in our billing process…all while saving the customer money! It’s truly a WIN-WIN!
Green Elite customers get our Sentricon Termite Elimination System and NorPest Green Pest Control. Green Elite Plus customers get our Sentricon Termite Elimination System, NorPest Green Pest Control and our Green Mosquito Control services. When you are a Green Elite or Green Elite Plus customer you get the benefits of convenience billing, low monthly payments, and discounts on additional services:
We like to have fun around Northwest Exterminating! So to get our team members excited about Green Elite, we had a party!! And to spice things up a bit, we’re having a competition on which service center had the most Green Elite spirit! You can help us decide the winner by visiting our Facebook page, going to the “Green Elite Spirit” photo album and voting for the branch with the most Green Elite spirit! You are NOT going to want to miss these pictures!
Want to join the Green Elite? Click here or call us at 888.466.7849 to Group Green & Save Green!
May 16, 2012 | Community/Events, Mosquito, Pest Control
Every good party has a theme! And what better time to have a party than the summer? Summer is a great time for cookouts, family get-togethers, birthdays, or just because! And what goes together better than summer and bugs? So why not have a bug-themed party?
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.
