Oct 31, 2012 | Pest Control
As humans, we are often amazed at the ability of pests, specifically ants, to locate food. If there is food available, ants will find it. New research is now available to help us understand how ants have been so successful in our ecosystem.
A study led by Lawrence Zwiebel at Vanderbilt University found that ants have 4 to 5 times higher odor receptors than most insects. Odor receptors are unique proteins that distinguish between different odors. Ants showed more than 400 odor receptor genes (the largest of any insect species) compared to fruit flies at 61, mosquitoes at 74-158, and honeybees at 174.
New information is being released daily to help us understand the make-up of pests. The more we know and understand pests, the better we know how to control them. Call a professional ant exterminator in your area who is knowledgeable, efficient, and effective in treating ants. Call Northwest Exterminating.
Source: ANI News
Oct 29, 2012 | Pest Control
One of the questions that our representatives get asked the most is “How To Keep Pests Out of The Home“. We regularly offer tips to readers on how they can keep pests out but here is a list of the Top 10 Ways to keep pests out of your home.
Top Ten Ways to Keep Insects Out of Your Home
- Go around the exterior of your home and seal up any areas where insects could enter your home. Check around windows, doors, plumbing entrances, fan vents, and electrical entrances. If your home has window screens make sure they are intact and if areas are torn or damaged replace them.
- Make sure to trim all hedges, trees, and other landscaping back away from the home. Creating at least a one foot barrier will keep insects from using easy methods to enter or get close to your home.
- Always remember that insects are living creatures just like humans and they need food, water, and shelter. Inspect the perimeter of your home, as well as the interior, and pay close attention to areas that could potentially provide all three of these needed resources.
- All food and beverages should always remain covered or sealed in air tight containers. Following this simple step will eliminate the risk of insects being attracted to your home. If you have fruit out in your kitchen make sure you eat it before it over ripens or store it in your refrigerator. If food or drinks are dropped or spilled make sure that they are cleaned up immediately.
- Routinely empty all the trash and place it outside in garbage cans with tight fitting lids. All trash cans inside the home should also have lids.
- Make sure to keep all pet food sealed in air tight containers.
- Remove extra clutter from your home. Get rid of items that are old and damaged and find a great charity to donate the rest.
- Keep all doors and windows closed while not in use.
- Make sure to change all your exterior lighting to low sodium vapor light bulbs. Most insects are attracted to light but they are less attracted to low sodium vapor lighting. Also make sure to point your security lighting away from your home and not directly on it.
- Don’t Bring Them In! Be careful whenever you travel, move, or bring home the groceries that you check everything before bringing it into your home. Especially as it gets colder make sure to check and clean all your firewood before you bring it in your home.
So there you have it. Northwest Exterminating‘s Top 10 Tips for Keeping Pests Out of Your Home. For more information, visit our website at callnorthwest.com. If pests still find there way into your home, call one of our professional exterminators to help you identify the source of your issue and get rid of the problem.
Oct 26, 2012 | Pest Control
If you’re a lover of tasty treats and creative costumes, then your favorite celebration is right around the corner! Halloween is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. This festival celebrated their new year on November 1 and marked the end of summer and harvest as the dark, cold winter began. Over time, Celtic areas became overtaken by the Romans and many Roman Catholic and Celtic traditions were intertwined. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III designated October 31st as All Hallow’s Eve, the day before a Catholic holiday known as All Saint’s Day.
Though today’s celebration is more about dressing up and having a good time, many of the older traditions and superstitions about Halloween remain the same. One of the superstitions regarding Halloween is that anyone who has seen a spider on this evening has encountered the spirit of a loved one watching over them. In actuality, you probably will not see too many spiders around this time because most of them have already laid eggs and died. In fall and winter, spiders might be found in the dark corners of your home or basement as they prepare to begin laying eggs again. If the site of these creatures troubles you, Northwest Exterminating has experienced technicians who can scare these pests away from your home!
Northwest Exterminating can take care of pests in the home for you, but if you would like to embrace pests in a different way, maybe some of these costumes will do the trick!
Lady bug
Bug eyed bug
Giant Cockroach
Melissa Brown
[email protected]
Sources:
http://www.history.com/topics/halloween
http://suite101.com/article/halloween-nature-myths-a151873
http://www.read-legends-and-myths.com/halloween-myths.html
Oct 5, 2012 | Pest Control, Wildlife
Q: My neighbors abandoned their home and the yard grew about 4 feet tall. The neighborhood had their lawn service cut it and they saw many mice and rats in the yard. The yard is behind mine. What can I do to prevent them from coming into my house?
A: It is a frustrating situation to be in when you are concerned about problems from another source that you do not have any control over!
All animals need three items in order to be successful: food, water and shelter. If you can eliminate these, in most cases you can help control any issue. It sounds as if cutting the grass from the neighbor’s yard took away the shelter and food causing them to search for these sources elsewhere.
We suggest that if you have any outdoor feeders for birds or squirrels to move them away from your home. Also, if you have any water sources such as fountains, bird baths, etc, it would be helpful to move them as far away from the home as possible. Additionally, make sure that any pet food, bird seed or grass seed is stored in a tightly concealed, rodent proof container.
If you find that you notice evidence of animals or rodents in or around your home, call Northwest Exterminating. A pest prevention program or wildlife control program may be needed to remove the unwanted visitors from your home.
Oct 5, 2012 | Pest Control, Wildlife
Q: My neighbors abandoned their home and the yard grew about 4 feet tall. The neighborhood had their lawn service cut it and they saw many mice and rats in the yard. The yard is behind mine. What can I do to prevent them from coming into my house?
A: It is a frustrating situation to be in when you are concerned about problems from another source that you do not have any control over!
All animals need three items in order to be successful: food, water and shelter. If you can eliminate these, in most cases you can help control any issue. It sounds as if cutting the grass from the neighbor’s yard took away the shelter and food causing them to search for these sources elsewhere.
We suggest that if you have any outdoor feeders for birds or squirrels to move them away from your home. Also, if you have any water sources such as fountains, bird baths, etc, it would be helpful to move them as far away from the home as possible. Additionally, make sure that any pet food, bird seed or grass seed is stored in a tightly concealed, rodent proof container.
If you find that you notice evidence of animals or rodents in or around your home, call Northwest Exterminating. A pest prevention program or wildlife control program may be needed to remove the unwanted visitors from your home.
As humans, we are often amazed at the ability of pests, specifically ants, to locate food. If there is food available, ants will find it. New research is now available to help us understand how ants have been so successful in our ecosystem.
