Peak time for Rat and Mice infestations is starting!

Rats and mice are able to reproduce at unbelievable rates as shown in the videos below.  It is important to take care of these problems as quickly as possible.  Don't wait to start trapping them when the population is so large that the trapping process will take so long that they reproduce faster than you can trap them, or worse they become trap shy.  In some cases rats cam even become bait shy making them very difficult to poison. 

Rats and mice forage for food in garbage and will even use sewers as avenues to get from place to place.  Because of this they are exposed to all kinds of bacteria and disease.  Rats are carriers for over 70 diseases.  Rats are often linked to the Bubonic Plague in the Middle Ages, and today they are still a threat to human health. So take rodent problems seriously. 

Boston Restaurants Infested with Rats


New York KFC infested with Rats


Nova/PBS special on Rats


Guinness World Record for Mouse Plague


So how do you avoid having serious rat problems?

1.  Minimize their opportunities for food.  Keep pet food in sealed rat proof containers.  Set out food only when they eat.  Don't allow grazing.  Bird feeders are big attractants.  If you must use them, use rodent proof feeders.  Clean up the yard of pet waste.  Rats are recyclers and even dog droppings make a sufficient meal.
2.  Seal up the house.  Copper wool,  Pur Expanding Foam are excellent for minimizing rodent access.  Use the Black Foam at roof lines and be sure to get an applicator gun and Gun Cleaner.
3.  Get rid of the population.  There are many traps available for rats and mice. Including standard traps, live traps,  T-Rex, Snap-E, Rat Zapper, and Glue Boards.  For mice there are many of the same options in a smaller size including standard mouse traps, tin cat, mouse master, kwik katch and live traps..  Be sure that what you are dealing with are mice and not just young roof rats.  Using undersized traps for rats may allow you to catch a few young rats, but will ensure you have an impossible time catching older more weary adults.  When this happens only live traps seem to work.   I see this mistake made daily by homeowners. 
4.  Just like restaurants and warehouses use bat stations around the perimeter of  the home.  Especially if you insist on feeding birds.  This station can be placed directly under a bird feeder, and curious rats and mice will find their way in and feed on the bait.  This also protects  non target animals from getting into the bait. 
5.  If you have had problems in the past, using repellents around the home, dog pens and garbage can be very helpful at masking old scent trails left by previous visitors.  Rats travel by scents, not sight.  So using the rat and mice repellent is very effective at keeping them out of an area. 

Stored Product Pests Do Damage To More Than Just Food!

Stored product pests is a category that includes beetles, weevils, moths and  mites.   These pests cause customers to loose thousands of dollars in damaged  food every year.  So it is important to not only take action when you see these pest in your home, but to have a good strategy. 

Action Plan:
1. Remove infested items.
2. Inspect everything for damage...even new unopened products.
3. If you want to keep anything of value heat the material in shallow pans in the
oven at 130ºF for at least 30 minutes or place in a deepfreeze at 0ºF for four days.
4. Empty and vacuum cabinets and shelves to pick up loose infested material; then
wash them with soap and hot water.
5.  Treat previously infested areas using insecticides and growth regulators labeled
for treating these areas. 
6.  Use Traps for monitoring progress. 
7.  Replace products to shelves, but compartmentalize by keeping in air tight storage
containers. 

Ladybugs are invading!

Those of you who have never experienced a serious lady bug infestation will likely be wondering why we would have a video on how to treat for lady bugs.  You may even be asking why would you want to kill such a beneficial insect.  The reality is, a pest is only beneficial when it is living in it's natural environment.  The lady bugs this article and video are referring to are Asian Lady Bugs or Asian Lady Beetles.  They are not indigenous to the  United States.  They have been imported with the intention of protecting many types of trees from Aphids.  They were imported because they are very hearty and can survive over winter.  This allows the population to thrive in even cold climates.  This is also the reason they are such a problem.

Once the Lady Bug has chosen your home as an over wintering site, you can count on ever increasing populations from year to year if you do not intervene with aggressive pest management principles.  This includes spraying both indoors and outdoors, but is not limited to spraying only. 

It is also essential to use other pest control methods to protect your home from these invaders.  One way is sealing up all potential access points with IPF Foam and using the Pur Basic Gun to apply the foam will give you great control in making very precise applications.  This is something that I have never been able to do with retail foam products.  When offered as a service, sealing with this foam can cost a homeowner several hundred dollars.

There is a lot more to this treatment that we cover in our complete article at www.bugspray.com.  So if you are dealing with lady bugs, even a little, get ahead of the problem before the lady bug pheromones are all over your home causing ever increasing numbers that will be much more difficult to control.

Another way Wasp Freeze can Save a Life.

On the heels of a break-in home invasion and beating that left an elderly woman in Toledo dead, police and self defense experts have a tip that might save your life.

Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School . For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door. (or bed) Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them." 

Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says, "Spray the culprit in the eyes".    Maybe even save a life. 

    A lady who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them while they were counting their Sunday tithes. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead. The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray the criminals have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote.

She keeps a can of the Wasp Spray on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray might. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection.

Video somone captured of a drunk squirrel.

Apparently the squirrel recovered from his bender on fermented pumpkin. So it's okay to laugh. This is something that you do not see every day.

Wicked Cool Video Showing the inside of the Bald Faced Hornet Nest!

I have to say that this is one of the coolest opportunities that I have had in a long time. Customer calls and says the nest is on the window! You can see everything from the inside of the house. "I really need to use equipment around the outside of the house, and I am concerned about them attacking." So I gathered up some tools and my camera and headed out to help out.

Raccoons Attack 74 year old women.

Wow, this is crazy.  In all my years in this industry I have never heard of a story like this.  I have heard of a Raccoon attacking, but never a group of five.  I can not stress enough how important it is to never think for a moment that a wild animal is anything but a wild animal.  Especially one as strong as a raccoon and one that has such a high incidence of being rabid. You can easily trap them using Loganberry Paste and a Live Trap. Animal control in most counties will be more than happy to pick up the trapped raccoon.

 

Follow Up to Mold and Mildew Post

Just wanted to add this video on Mold Blocker which is an excellent compliment to the Mold Blaster.  It is a great way to not only prevent the regrowth of mold but also delay the frequency of actually having to remove that regrowth which can be time consuming.  This can be used on the interior and exterior of a home.

• Basements
• Vinyl Siding and Gutters 
• Carpets
• Sun Rooms 
• Upholstery
• Patios and Decks
• Boat and RV
• Bath and Showers
• Wood & Stucco
• Pool and Sauna
• Concrete and Tile