Winter Pest Control Tips

As the temperature drops during fall and winter months, rodent control becomes an important concern. Just as humans and pets seek shelter inside cozy warm homes, so do unwelcome visitors including mice, rats and other animals. Rodents can represent a major health risk to you and your children as they can carry and transmit many different diseases. In order to avoid having these dirty, diseased pests in your home, this article will provide a three-step approach to blocking entry to your home, making your house less appealing to pests by removing food sources, and finally, in the event you still have a pest problem, ridding your home of the rodents.

Mice and other small rodents can squeeze through very small cracks and holes, so be sure to seal any visible openings or cracks along the exterior or your house. Carefully look near windows and doors - as foundation settling can be significant, and gaps will often appear along these areas. Be sure to also look for and seal any openings inside your home: look around your baseboards, behind kitchen cabinets and appliances, closets and other areas rodents may gain entry.

Just as rodents are looking to stay warm during winter months, they're also looking for food! Any available food supply makes an attractive target for rodents and should be cleaned up to cut down on possible infestation. If you store food in kitchen cabinets or a pantry, be sure to keep it in sturdy containers. Any thin or loose-fitting food bag is no match for a hungry animal. The same goes for pet food and garbage. Keep pet food in a heavy plastic or metal container that can seal out unwanted critters and keep your garbage area clean. Promptly remove especially messy trash and any food waste and consider using a garbage container with a lid.

Taking precautionary steps to eliminate sources of entry and sources of food will go a long way toward keeping pests outside your home this winter. But what happens if those nasty pests still find their way inside? The next step is pest removal or eradication.

Before dealing with a bug or rodent infestation, ask yourself if you are willing to tackle the problem on your own. Depending on the nature of the problem, some rodents, especially larger ones, should be handled by professionals. These critters carry a risk of disease and other health hazards. It's not advisable to mess with them if you aren't sure what you're doing. However, if you're up to the challenge, the first step in taking care of rodents is identifying what type of pest you have.

Identifying rodents can be easily done if you actually witness them, but if they're aren't visible you can tell by signs left such as gnaw marks, droppings, body trail marks (body marks left by animals running alongside wood), odor, etc. Once you know what uninvited guests you have, you can take the appropriate measures to get rid of them.

Handling a rodent infestation usually means using traps and bait, repellents, poison and more. Types of traps typically include live traps, glue traps, electric traps and snap traps. Plan ahead to determine the most appropriate trap for your situation. For example, live traps require you to remove the trapped animal, otherwise the rodent will suffer a painful death. Poison traps may result in a poisoned rodent dying in an out of the way place you can't get to, resulting in foul odor and disease from the decaying carcass. Finally, the use of poison represents a major health risk for your family and pets.

Be sure to wear gloves, protective clothing and a mask when discarding trapped or dead animals to avoid contact with parasites, the risk of being bitten and other dangers. If you aren't willing or able to deal with the necessary steps to physically block pests from entering your home including removing food sources, or to properly identify and eradicate pests (including with handling dead animals), consider contacting a professional pest control company.

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Five Signs It's Time To Call An Exterminator

Most homeowners have dealt with minor pest problems in the past. The stray spider, the trapped fly, even the errant rodent are relatively easy to outwit. But when these unwanted guests join others of their ilk, they can prove a formidable foe. Whether insect or critter, any kind of infestation requires professional attention. Here are five unmistakable signs you need an exterminator ASAP.

1. Daytime Visits

Because most pests are nocturnal, they rarely venture out during the daylight. If you should spot a mouse, cockroach, or termite when the sun is up, there's a good chance your residence is infested. This goes double when the trespasser is an insect, such as an ant or cockroach, since rogue insects are often scouts searching for food; and where there are scouts, there's often a colony nearby. You might even be able to follow them back their home, which is often in a moist area like underneath the refrigerator.

2. Scratching Noises

Even if you don't believe in ghosts, scratching noises at night can give anyone a fright. More often than not, however, mice and other rodents are to blame for nighttime noises in your walls and ceilings. As we mentioned, these pests are nocturnal, which means they search for food at night. So all of that scratching and scurrying you hear is nothing more than hungry critters. Because rodents can multiply at incredible rates, it is important to contact an exterminator the morning after you hear nighttime scratching sounds.

3. Excrement

It should come as no surprise that pests have lousy bathroom habits. They leave their dropping wherever they please, hoping you won't find them. When it comes to insects, you might need to pull out your magnifying glass to spot them on your carpet or floor. Roach droppings, for example, are quite small and look a bit like ground pepper. Much easier to track are mouse dropping, which are, individually, about the size and general shape of a grain of rice. Because mice go number two several times a day (or night), their droppings should be easy to spot.

4. Strange Smells

If your home suddenly stinks, there's a good chance a rodent has died in some inaccessible space like the walls or heating ducts. The foul odor will not go away until the dead critter is removed by an exterminator. An insect infestation may also produce strange smells that can be overpowering in small spaces. Depending on the size of the colony, the smell may be somewhat musty or oily.

5. Bite Marks

If you have itchy red marks on your body after a good night's sleep, there's an excellent chance you're sleeping with several thousand guests. Bedbugs are pesky parasites that will feed on your blood for as long as you let them. Pest control professionals can easily eliminate these unwanted bunkmates in no time.

If you observe any of the aforementioned warning signs, contact an exterminator immediately.

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Professional Pest Control Services

Are you in need of a Professional Pest Control service?

Even if we take the maximum amount of precaution and try to keep the house and office clean, as time passes by pests do try to enter the house and bother us and create embarrassment for us. Pests can sometimes be very bothersome, and they can also be the root for health hazards in the family and among the office staff. It is beyond our control to keep them away from our homes and office as they find a way to get in and dwell inside our buildings. There are so many different types of pests, and the building can be infected by more than one type of pest at a time. There are different methods to control each type of pest, and it is not possible for us to control it all by our self. Moreover, we will never be able to manage it as good pest control service professionals as they have specific equipment and chemicals needed to remove the pests.

Cockroaches are the most annoying pests because they can creep in the living room while you are entertaining your guests. Some people have a sensitivity to cockroach allergens; it is especially more in children below five years. The cockroach allergen can spread through its droppings, saliva, or its decomposing body. It can lead to severe asthma conditions in those with sensitivity to it. A cockroach can survive anywhere and hence it can spread so many different types of bacteria and parasites which is unimaginable. They also carry dangerous pathogens like E. coli and salmonella. They can spread it wherever they move, from the dirtiest environment to the most sterile environment like an operation theater, it can spread its dangers, and that is why professional pest control service is needed.

Bed bugs are another type of pest that is difficult to get rid of. They are not easy to access as they hide in nooks and crannies of the beds and other furniture. Even if you get rid of them, they still leave back their eggs, which are difficult to detect. So while you think you got rid of them, it is just a matter of time, and you will be bothered again. Although they might not spread any disease, but their bites can cause allergy to many, and it can cause redness and itchiness in the bitten areas. They can also lead to sleeplessness because of their bites. These bed bugs can easily be spread to other places through bags, shoes, clothes, and through people. Hence, it is important to get rid of these uses professional service.

Termites are those pests, which you most likely wouldn't know were there until you start seeing swarmers on a wooden surface in your house. They survive on the wood, and that is their home. You will not even have a guess that your house is infested by them until the wooden structures in your house have become weak or until you see the swarmer flying around to the wooden surface. It is very difficult to know how deep into the wood they have spread, and, therefore, it is the job of professionals to identify it and eradicate it.

Rodents are another form of the pest which can spread disease in the house or office. They can enter the building through any cracks or by burrowing their way in. Once they enter the house, they can gnaw through the cloth, wood, paper, cardboard or anything. It is very distressing to see them run around and ruin your stuff. Their droppings can also cause allergy among household people. Nothing is safe when a rodent is on the loose inside the house. They also multiply faster. Hence, professionals are needed to locate them and remove them entirely from the building. Professionals will also be able to educate you on how to do early identification of these rodents.

Other pests are ants and flies. Ants are social insects, and if you spot one, that means many more are nearby. They can contaminate food. Flies are also known to contaminate food and surfaces, and they can spread several pathogens which can cause disease in human beings.

Hence a regular pest control service by professionals is necessary to keep your house and office safe and also keep yourself and your family members healthy.

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Bugs in Your Home? Tips from a Pest Control Expert

If you find a few ants marching along the wall in your kitchen, it may be time to call an exterminator. It can also mean that making a few changes to your environment will likely take care of your pesky issue.

Best Ways to Prevent Pests

Nobody likes having intruders and that is what pests are. If it is found that your home or office is the source of easy food and a safe shelter where they won't be bothered, pests will have no problem making your space their home.

Pests are not only unpleasant to look at (after all since when is a rat cute or cockroaches pretty to look at?), they can cause significant and costly damage to your home or office and can cause unsanitary conditions that give rise to potential health issues.

The ongoing battle of keeping pests out is nothing new. Unfortunately, many people don't take any pest control measures until after they notice the damage or unpleasant evidence of pests. Sometimes, by that point, it can be too late and the damage already done.

Like other potential problems that can quickly get out of hand if not addressed, pest control is more effective and cheaper the sooner and quicker you take preventative measures.

A reactive approach to pest control can easily result in more time and energy than expected or desired. It is also more costly.

The reactionary approach to pest control also increases the reliance of unpleasant, sometimes expensive pest control chemicals and products. These products can have an unpleasant odor, cause serious injury and health problems if mishandled, accidentally eaten or used in an area without adequate ventilation. When used outdoors, it can kill or damage plants or grass.

Preventative Pest Control Measures

When preventative pest control measures are taken, there is a lesser need for harsh pest treatment chemicals.

Pest love to hide in areas in and around the home or office buildings that don't get routine, regular maintenance and upkeep. Occasional, thorough cleanings are the foundation in pest prevention.

Besides keeping the inside and outside of the buildings clean, here are some easy, additional pest prevention measures you can take:

· Keep the attic, basements and crawl spaces dry and ventilated

· Seal up cracks and holes along the outside of the home including those around pipes, utility entry points, around door and window frames and those in the foundation where it meets the ground or bottom of the house.

· Properly store and dispose of trash in a way that it is securely contained and keep it away from the house or office building.

· Keep trees, bushes and shrubbery well-trimmed and way from the building.

· Replace worn weather stripping around doors, windows and the basement foundation.

· Repair any worn or rotted building components such as siding, stairs or roof shingles.

· Store fire wood away from the house and make sure it is off the ground.

· Clean up food crumbs from off the counters, desks and on the floors. At home, don't eat in bed.

· Store all non-perishable food in a cool, dry place and keep it securely enclosed.

· Don't leave unused pet food sitting out and properly store any pet food that is not used.

If you are still concerned about your risk of bugs or rodents, you should contact a qualified, professional pest control team. They will be able to provide an assessment of your home or office and offer suggestions, advice and treatment if necessary.

Keeping your space clean, dry and well-ventilated, the landscaping well-maintained and secure storage of wood and trash away from the building are some easy and effective preventative pest control measures you can take. If you wait until you see pests, damage could already be done and you'll need to put in more time and costs into pest control than you would have liked.

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Contact Your Exterminator to Eliminate Bed Bugs

In 2012, news that one of New York City's most luxurious hotels was infested with bed bugs stunned the world. For weeks, the Internet buzzed about the unlikely infestation. A critter long since thought to have been eradicated found its way back into the public consciousness, as well as its furniture. In truth, there is not much you can do to prevent an infestation in your home. Fortunately, your exterminator can help in the event you find that the pests have infiltrated your space.

Bed bugs can infest and thrive in even the cleanest home because they feast solely on blood. Even sealing off cracks in windows, doors, or the foundation will not keep them out of your house. Bed bugs usually enter your home by hitching a ride in your luggage or clothes. They may also be concealed in used mattresses or sofas. Once inside, the pests find a place to hide and reproduce. They can spread into any and every room over time. Typically, the critters live in cracks or crevices associated with the bed frame or mattress. However, they can also be found in curtains, the edges of your carpet, in the corners of furniture, cracks in wallpaper, or inside spaces of wicker furniture.

Rest assured that the pests are not considered dangerous. Although they are creepy and gross, they are not known to spread disease. They are typically active at night and bite areas of the skin that are not covered by clothes. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the intruders pierce the skin and draw blood through their elongated beaks. They feed until they become engorged and crawl away. The bites typically turn into red bumps that might itch. Most bites can be treated with a topical steroid cream or oral antihistamine.

Because of the variety of physical responses to the bites, people attribute their symptoms to that of other pests, like the mosquito or flea. Therefore, physical evidence is required to confirm a bed bug infestation. Look for live or dead bugs, molted skins, spots of fecal matter, or cream-colored eggs in dark crevices. Your exterminator is trained in recognizing the tell-tale signs of an infestation. He or she will conduct a thorough search of your home in areas where the pests typically hide

If your exterminator determines that your home is infested by bed bugs, he or she will offer some recommendations on how to eradicate them. Your exterminator will first try to isolate the source of the infestation. Then, you will need to remove your bedding and clothing from the area and wash it in hot water. Finally, your pest control expert will apply the appropriate spray, dust, or aerosol to the areas where the insects are observed or where they are known to hide.

Although you cannot prevent bed bugs from coming into your home, you can make their stay a short one. Talk to a pest control expert about quick and effective solutions.

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Obsessed with Collecting Cockroaches | My Kid's Obsession

9-year-old Shelby Counterman shows off her thousands of cockroaches and beams with pride as she describes each one's special attributes.