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Updates on the Pest Management Universe
We are constantly monitoring the latest and most current news on developments in and about the Pest Management Industry. We review comments and studies from such luminaries of the Industry as Dr. Bobby Corrigan, Dr. Larry Pinto and Dr. Austin Frishman. In addition we monitor input from; The National Pest Management Association, Ohio Pest Control Association, and The Kentucky Pest Control Association. Our informational resources include; The Ohio State University, University of Kentucky, Purdue University, and Cornell University just to cite a few of our renowned learning institutions.
4 Signs you may have carpenter ants
The largest ant in Ohio—as well as the nation—can be found right here in our part of the state. Ohio is home to 13 different ant species, with carpenter ants being the largest. The biggest carpenter ants (winged queens) measure up to three-quarters of an inch.
Carpenter ants eat plant and animal matter, but they can cause serious damage by chewing through wooden structures and other materials to form pathways between their nests and food sources.
Winter doesn’t stop raccoons
During winter months, food sources become scarce, and weather becomes frigid, which can drive raccoons to seek food and shelter in human environments. Consequently, raccoon populations are higher in suburban and urban areas than rural areas.
With their masked faces and ringed tails, they may look cute, but raccoons can be real pests. The average raccoon is 2-to-3 feet long and weighs 10-to-30 pounds. Though relatively tiny, these critters can cause some big damage.
Raccoons wreaking havoc
Raccoons can cause considerable destruction by dumping and tearing through garbage cans, scratching vehicles by climbing on or over them, and digging up gardens and bulbs planted in the ground.
Animal invaders: Do you have uninvited guests in your attic?
Santa has come and gone, so if you’re still hearing the prancing and pawing of reindeer hooves on your rooftop, it is quite likely coming from some other four-legged (or flying) critter.
Attics are a common place for pests to move into, especially during winter months when they’re seeking shelter from cold conditions. Identifying what kind of wild animal you have in your attic can be difficult, since it’s not an easy space to navigate and many of these pests are evasive.
Is pest control really necessary during winter?
An average middle class house in the midwest. Typical of a suburb where automotive workers around Detroit live.Explore More of Detroit!
Winter typically provides much-needed relief from all the insects that plague us during warmer weather. So, you’d think pest control wouldn’t be necessary during winter, right?
Wrong! As a matter of fact, winter can be one of the best times to provide pest control service. Winter is the perfect time to prevent infestations before pests can populate and become an issue in the spring and summer.
10 crazy facts about cockroaches
Cockroach bug insect brown with antenna. 3D renderingClosely associated with dirt, filth and the spread of disease, just the mere mention of cockroaches can make your skin crawl. Most homeowners are at least somewhat familiar with the health and safety risks associated with cockroach infestations, including allergies and asthma.
Even if you’re completely “icked-out” by them, these bugs can actually be quite fascinating. Here are ten of the most interesting facts about cockroaches:
1. No head? No problem! A cockroach can live for a week without its head. Due to an open circulatory system and the fact that they breath through little holes in each of their body segments, they aren’t dependent upon their mouth or head to breathe.
Commodity fumigation: Budget-friendly way to fight personal item infestations
Faced with an increased demand for better pest control options, it’s the A-1 Able Pest Doctors goal to deliver just that, while creating less stress and labor for our customers. As a result, we’re expanding our Vikane gas fumigation offerings with “commodity fumigation.”
features 100% effective kill rates for many insects, including bed bugs. An inorganic gas called sulfuryl fluoride is pumped into an enclosed, sealed space that is filled with your household items. The gas replaces the oxygen, and penetrates into insects and their eggs, which suffocate and die .Utilizing our do-it-yourself fumigation program, you can load a truck or other container with your items, then we will fumigate that space.
Mouse in your house? Tips for preventing unwelcome winter houseguests
As the weather gets colder, we want to spend more time indoors…and so do rodents. Rats, mice and squirrels are in search of a warm, toasty place with food and nesting materials nearby. That’s why winter is a prime time for mouse infestations.
In fact, according to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), rodents invade about 21 million homes each winter. Roughly 24 percent of homeowners will report mice or rats on their properties during this season.
While spotting a mouse in your house may not seem too ominous, mice quickly can become a big problem — chewing through electrical wire, getting into and contaminating food, and spreading disease.
Do-It-Yourself bed bug treatment
As a continuation of the best bed bug treatment options, we would like to focus on A-1 Able Pest Doctors “Do-It-Yourself” bed bug kits. For the entire month of October, we are running a bed bug kit special at our three Miami Valley retail locations (1320 N. Keowee, Dayton; 406 W. McCreight, Springfield; 1190 N. County Rd. 25A, Troy), also available at our Bug Store online. During the month of October, you can purchase one bed bug kit at full price and get a second kit for half off.
Bed bugs are one of the most well-known natural hitchhikers. That is how they have become so easily transferred from friends, family, social, public and medical gathering sites. More often than not, you will have to perform treatments at several locations, including vehicles, to ensure elimination and reduce the repeated exposure. That makes now the perfect time to stock up on two kits, or more, depending upon your needs.
Fall: Prime season for stink bugs in your home
There are so many things to love about the fall season…but the increase in the stink bug population isn’t one of them.
Why couldn’t we have an increase in butterflies, dragonflies or hummingbirds this time of year, instead of the insect world’s version of the skunk?
When they are disturbed or crushed, stink bugs release an odor that smells a lot like stinky feet. So, learning that fall is their peak season for invading homes in high numbers is quite disturbing.
Vikane gas fumigation: Explaining this bed bug treatment
In a previous post (“3 effective treatments for eliminating bed bugs”), we addressed three of the most common and helpful treatments for getting rid of bed bugs in your home. Vikane® fumigant is the most effective eradication method we offer, so we’ve decided to take a deeper dive into explaining this treatment
1. What exactly is fumigation? Fumigation occurs when an inorganic gas called sulfuryl fluoride (originally marketed under the name Vikane®) is pumped into an enclosed, sealed space that is stuffed with your household items. In a controlled environment, the gas replaces the oxygen, and penetrates into bed bugs and their eggs, which suffocate and die.