Sep 5, 2012 | Pest Control
With kids being settled back into the school year, September is the perfect time of year for Head Lice Prevention Month. Here are some tips on how to keep head lice from bugging your household:
- Avoid sharing clothing or other belongings that might have come in contact with lice or nits (lice eggs).
- Avoid head-to-head contact.
- Do not share hats, brushes, combs, hair accessories, helmets, coats, or other pieces that come in contact with someone’s hair.
- To disinfect combs, brushes, or towels that have come in contact with lice, soak them in hot water for 5-10 minutes.
- Avoid laying on linens, pillows, or carpets where someone with lice has recently been.
- Wash and dry clothing, linens, or towels that have come into contact with someone infected with lice during the 2 days prior to treatment. Wash and dry on the highest heat.
- Vacuum carpet and furniture where a person with lice has recently come in contact.
Using the simple tips above can help prevent the spread of lice from one household to another. For more information on preventing head lice visit the CDC’s website.
Other useful blogs about head lice:
September is Head Lice Prevention Month
School Has Started…So Has Lice
Jun 20, 2012 | Mosquito
Nobody likes mosquitoes! Especially, your four-legged friends. Besides being just plain annoying, mosquitoes carry many diseases that affect both humans and animals. Heartworms are among the diseases that are carried by mosquitoes and can be a horrible disease for your furry friend to contract. The key to mosquito protection is prevention.
A heartworm is a parasitic worm that lives in the heart and lungs of an infected animal. The worms travel through the bloodstream, damaging arteries and vital organs as they go, finally finishing their trip to the lungs and heart about six months after the initial infection. Several hundred worms can live in one dog for up to five to seven years. Heartworm disease can be fatal and should be taken seriously.
Mosquitoes carry heartworms and transmit them from animal to animal. The life cycle of the heartworm is intricate. An animal must have at least two heartworms (a male and a female) in order for female heartworms to reproduce.
Struggled breathing, coughing, vomiting, weight loss, weariness, and fatigue after only moderate exercise are signs of heartworm infestation. However, some dogs exhibit no symptoms at all until late stages of infection. Heartworm treatment can be very expensive for you and very painful for your precious pet. This is why it is so important to have your pet examined by a veterinarian on a regular basis and to keep them on a preventative plan. Heartworms do not discriminate – any dog can get infected. And while it is less of a threat to cats, they can still get heartworms as well. So keep your feline friend protected too!
Turn your mosquito magnets into mosquito repellants with Northwest Exterminating Mosquito Control!
Has your pet ever been heartworm positive?
Jun 1, 2012 | Termite Control
A Columbus family recently had some unwelcome guests in the form of Formosan termites. Out of over 2,000 species of termites, Formosan termites or “Super Termites” are the most aggressive. They are native to Asia and often make their way into the US through shipped wood. Formosan termites gather in large colonies and can cause thousands of dollars of damage to a home. Once a home is infested with Formosan termites, they can be difficult to control. That is why termite prevention is key!
In this particular case, a family member noticed “flying insects” and called Northwest Exterminating to identify the pests as Formosan termites. Northwest President, Steve Phillips, personally went out with the team to inspect the home. The termites were found swarming in several areas of the home. We installed a termite baiting system, The Sentricon System with Always Active, an effective and environmentally friendly option to eliminate and prevent termites. Always Active offers continuous property protection from the termite colony – not just the individual termite.
We strongly suggested that this customer’s neighbors have their homes inspected for termites as well. If a neighbor has termites, or some other pest or rodent infestation, they can easily make their way over to your home. That is why termite protection is so important…prevention is key! Preventing termites from ever getting into your home will ensure that you don’t get a termite infestation. Call us or visit us online for a FREE termite inspection
Watch Steve Phillips and some of the Northwest Exterminating team on Columbus’ WRBL News 3.
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May 21, 2012 | Pest Control
Protecting ourselves and our pets from ticks are a big concern this year. The EPA has put out information through the NPMA on tick bites and Lyme disease prevention:
An ounce of prevention
It is important to know about tick habitats and personal protection techniques because most people are exposed to ticks in residential areas. Here are a few ways to prevent ticks:
1. Keep the lawn mowed to make your property unattractive to ticks. Ticks are found in high grass, yards with trees and shrubs.
2. Keep backyard grasses set back from the woods around a home by eight feet. Place a three-foot wood chip, gravel or mulch border area between grassy edges and tick-prone zones. Ticks prefer moist areas like leaf litter and the edge of woods. Ticks don’t like the sun and wait in shady areas on brush and grasses.
3. Practice personal protection. Personal protection involves using repellents, wearing appropriate clothing and checking for ticks on one’s person, which is the most effective practice of all. In tick habitats, wear long, light-colored pants tucked into socks or boots, and long-sleeved shirts. This keeps ticks from reaching the skin and makes them easier to see. Ticks like places on humans that are warm and moist, most commonly the backs of the knees, armpits, the groin, the scalp, the back of the neck, and behind the ears. Attached ticks should be removed as soon as possible using fine-point tweezers since risk of disease transmission is increased the longer the tick is attached.
To read the full article click HERE.
To protect your home and loved ones from ticks, call Northwest Exterminating.
May 11, 2012 | Pest Control
How can something as small as a flea be such a huge pain? Pet owners are all too familiar with the annoyance of fleas because they make us AND our pets miserable. Fleas attach themselves to warm-blooded animals (pets and humans) and feed on their blood. A flea bite can cause discomfort, painful, itchy red bumps and can lead to an allergic reaction. In some cases, they can even transmit diseases like the bubonic plague, murine typhus and transfer tapeworms in pets.
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.
