Sep 12, 2012 | Pest Control
We know that bugs are gross and unsanitary but did you also know that they can be bad for our health. WebMD discusses some of the worst bugs and the potential harm they can do to our health:
- Ticks –Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and allergic reactions.
- Black Widow Spiders – Poisonous.
- Brown Recluse Spiders – Poisonous, can cause serious wounds, infection, and in some cases can be deadly.
- Head Lice – Itchiness can lead to infection, loss of hair.
- Fleas – Itchiness can lead to infection.
- Bee, Wasp, Hornet, Yellow Jacket – Painful sting, and can cause allergic reaction.
- Fire Ants – Painful sting, venomous, red bumps that burn and itch, and can cause allergic reaction.
- Chiggers – Itchy red welts.
- Scabies – Itchiness, sores.
- Bedbugs – Itchy, red bumps, can develop infection from scratching, and can cause allergic reaction.
- Puss Caterpillar – Poisonous, painful sting, rash, fever, vomiting, and muscle cramps.
- Scorpions – Poisonous, painful, and can be deadly.
- Deerflies – Infection, and Tularemia.
- Mosquitoes – West Nile virus, dengue fever, other diseases, and scratching can cause skin infection.
- Houseflies – Carries more than 1 million bacteria, intestinal infections by contaminating food.
- Cockroaches – Salmonella and other diseases, dead carcasses can trigger allergic reactions and asthma.
Tips to prevent feeling the sting of these health issues:
- Make sure your home is treated by a professional exterminator. A professional can diagnose current problems, and prevent new issues from coming into your home efficiently and effectively.
- Wear long clothing when outdoors.
- Wear DEET repellant when outdoors.
- Keep a clean, sanitary home and yard. This will prevent insects from seeing your home as a place for them to call home.
For more information on these insects and their health hazards, visit WebMD: Bad Bugs Slideshow: Identifying Bugs and Their Bites.
If you think you may have been bitten or stung by any of the insects above, please take note of your body’s reaction and seek medical assistance immediately.
Jul 9, 2012 | Pest Control
The NPMA recently released the results of a survey that listed the Top 5 Pests of the Summer for homeowners. The results are not too surprising to us here at Northwest Exterminating.
- Mosquitoes
- Ants
- Ticks
- Wasps & hornets
- Spiders
Along with being an annoyance, these pests can cause health and sanitary issues for homeowners and their families. Stings, bites, and disease are all risks that come with such pests. Luckily, with good housekeeping and an exterminator that you can trust, you can rest easy.
The NPMA has offered tips to avoid these pests throughout the summer:
- Clean out all parts of your kitchen where food products are stored to ensure that there are no crumbs or spills. Keep foods like cereal, crackers and cookies in sealed containers. This eliminates the food supply that attracts ants, mice, and cockroaches.
- Dust and vacuum regularly to prevent cobwebs and the spiders that weave them.
CLICK HERE to view the rest of the tips to avoid these summer pests.
Do you agree with the Top 5 pest results?
Jul 4, 2012 | Community/Events, Pest Control
Happy 4th of July!! We’d like to take a second to say how proud we are to be Americans!! We’re proud to live in the country of the land of the free and the home of the brave!! And like always, we’d like to thank all of the brave men and women and their families that have given so much for this great country!!
But before you go enjoy those fireworks…here are some tips to stay bug free this 4th of July:
- Avoid standing water in areas like flower pots, bird baths, buckets, barrels, etc. Areas like these are breeding spots for mosquitoes that can carry diseases like West Nile and encephalitis.
- Wear an insect repellant, such as DEET, to protect against mosquitoes and other bugs.
- Keep food covered when possible to avoid attracting mosquitoes, flies, and ants.
- Tightly seal garbage and put it in a sealed garbage container on the outside of your home. Make sure that the lid to the trash can is on securely to avoid rodents from getting in and going through the trash.
- Keep your lawn mowed and clear of debris.
- Protect your pets from fleas and ticks by using a preventative. These can be purchased over the counter or by your veterinarian.
- Have your exterminator treat your yard and home for insects and other rodents that could BUG you this summer! (Get it, BUG you!)
What other tips do have for staying bug free this 4th of July?
Jun 22, 2012 | Pest Control, Termite Control
After doing a post on bug movies, we thought it was only appropriate to have a post about bug songs! We came up with some classic kid songs, some well-known mainstream songs, and even found some songs that we’ve never heard of before!
Here’s our list of Songs about Bugs:
- Itsy Bitsy Spider
- Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee
- Ants Go Marching
- Shoo Fly, Don’t Bother Me
- The Flight of the Bumblebee – written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
- La Cucaracha
- The Bugs Bunny Theme Song
- All My Friends Are Insects – Weezer
- Butterfly – Weezer
- Butterfly – The Verve
- Greedy Fly – Bush
- Between Angels and Insects – Papa Roach
- Termite Song – Joseph Arthur
- Dune Buggy – The Presidents of the United States
- Butterfly Kisses – Bob Carlisle
- Bugs – Pearl Jam
- Spider – They might Be Giants
- Ticks – Brad Paisley
- Fireflies – Owl City
- Ants Marching – Dave Matthews Band
While coming up with songs we also came up with some band names that were based on bugs:
- The Beatles
- Alien Ant Farm
- Papa Roach
- Adam and the Ants
- Daddylong Legs
For more “Ticky Tunes” visit Northwest Exterminating‘s Pinterest page!
What bug themed songs or bands can you think of?
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.
