Newsletter

Nov/Dec Newsletter

Last Updated on Thursday, 27 October 2011 20:45 Written by Mark Puglisi Thursday, 27 October 2011 18:58

Termite Prevention Saves $$$

Termites are among the most damaging and costly of all insect pests. These pests cause 5 billion dollars of damage to structures in the United States every year .

One reason termites cause so much damage is that most homeowners are completely is the most homeowners are completely unaware their home is infested by these hidden pests. Typically it takes a new colony three to five years before it starts producing winged swarmers, the sign homeowners are most likely to see. By the time the swarmers are seen, substantial damage may have occurred. Worse yet, often an indoor colony releases swarmers outdoors, so the homeowner may never see them.

How fast do termites work? A typical mature colony of 240,000 subterranean termites (some colonies are much larger) consume an average of about 20 grams of wood in a 24 hour period. This converts to about 16 pounds of wood each year per colony, which gradually weakens a structure.

Termites are like a slow-spreading cancer. It's much better to catch the problem early, and control it then. That's why it's so important to have us do a regular professional inspection to detect these and other wood-destroying pests, as part of a prevention maintenance program to protect your investment in you home.

Catching these pests sooner rather than later means you spend less controlling them. Additionally, often we catch them before they have done substantial damage, saving you thousands of dollars in repair cost.

New Pest Are Arriving

Foreign pests have made an impact on this country since its beginning. Thomas Jefferson even declared that one pest helped speed the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. He wrote that on that hot, humid July 4th, biting stable flies (originally from Europe) help quicken the signers by swarming "thick and fierce, alighting on their legs and biting through their thin silk stockings." Those pesky biting flies actually helped something good get done.

By 1983, an amazing 1.683 species of foreign insects were thriving in this country. And more are coming-the invasion of new pests are greatly accelerated in a recent years, keeping us, as the area's pest control professionals, on our toes.

In fact, most of the worst pests we control every day are not native pests, but have migrated here from all over the world. Most of our worst pest ants came here from other countries, along with most lice, the common house fly, and our worst rats, mice, stored food pests, and pest bird species. Even our American, German, Oriental, brown-banded cockroaches all originated from Africa, despite the names they now carry.

Here are a few of the more recent immigrants that are rapidly spreading in this country: brown marmorated stink bugs, Asian lady bugs, Asian and Turkestan cockroaches, Africanized ("killer") bees, Asian tiger mosquitoes , Formosan termites, hobo spiders, brown widow spider, numerous new ant species, various wasp, and many others. Unfortunately, you'll be hearing more about these spreading pests in the years ahead.

Home Bed Bug Remedies Cause Illness

A new study by the Centers forDisease Control reports that people are getting sick when they treat their own homes for bed bugs. The study investigated 111 people who became ill, and one who died, from the misapplication of pesticides. The death, and nearly all of the illnesses, are the result of homeowners trying to control these pest themselves. The report recommends that people with bed bugs seek services of a professional pest control company.

We Are Grateful!

We want to take this opportunity to once again thank all our valued customers. We deeply appreciate your business and we especially appreciate those of you who referred new customers.

We wish you and yours a HEALTHY< PROSPEROUS, and BUGFREE new year!

Sept/Oct Newsleter

Last Updated on Wednesday, 31 August 2011 22:03 Written by Mark Puglisi Wednesday, 31 August 2011 20:33

Fall Invaders

Fall is typically a very pleasant time of year for people to spend time outdoors. But it's also a time when many pest are busy looking for a drier and more comfortable place to spend the winter. It's at this time that they start gathering on the outside of homes and other buildings, and can invade in huge numbers.

Fall invading insects enter through any exterior crevice or other opening. But they gradually move deeper indoors during the months ahead, attracted to the warmth and lights indoors, until they "spill out" into interior rooms.

Here are some of the fall invaders:

Asian lady beetles-This orange beetle with black spots was brought into this country to feed on agricultural pests, but they move indoors in the fall in droves, leaving orange-colored stains.

Stink bugs-We've always had stink bugs, but the new brown marmorated stink bug is a much more serious pest that is spreading, smells horrible, and often invades in large numbers.

Cluster flies-There are several species of these flies, and along with face flies the adults can invade in huge numbers in the fall. Cluster fly maggots parasitize earthworms.

Rats and mice- One by one, these rodents that had been living outdoors start coming indoors in the fall and early winter.

Other fall invaders are boxelder bugs, elm leaf beetles, wasp and yellowjacket queens, crickets, earwigs, entire ant colonies, various wild animals, and many other pests.

Other regular treatments are needed to prevent these pests from invading in the fall and winter. With some pests, additional special treatments are needed.

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Moisture Sources That Lead to Decay

Wood decay is the single most common structural problem in homes, costing owners billions of dollars a year. We have found that much of the damage could have been prevented or repaired at a relatively minor cost if it had been detected early. That's why a small investment in having us do a professional inspection that finds wood decay and wood destroying pests often pay huge dividends.

Here are a few of the many ways moisture gets to wood, causing wood decay and attracted wood-destroying pests like termites and carpenter ants:

• Direct soil contact. Whenever wood touches soil directly it will soak up any available moisture.
• wood seepage. Water most easily seeps into the ends of boards and where they are joined together, such as at the edge of a roof, house corners, and especially around door and window frames.
• Plumbing leaks. A common problem that can cause constant wetting and encourage wood decay.
• Condensation. This can happen in many places around a home-often around windows and under homes built a crawl space, especially if ventilation is poor due to an inadequate number of blocked vents.
  

• Roof water. Water may get inside a leaky roof or get backed up in clogged rain gutters and flow onto wood. The water may seep back under a foundation if it is dumped at the base wall.

Termites Are Arriving on Ships

The extremly destructive Formosan termite, originally from China, is spreading in this country. But that's not the only termite from another continent that has invaded the United States. Florida, the state with more new termites than any other state, now has six new termite species that weren't around a century ago.

How are these termites getting here? It has been suspected that many new termites species have come to our country on infested ships. One study showed there is a strong correlation between Formosan termite infestations and how far it is to where ships dock on the ocean.

Now a new study has confirmed that many termite infestations on boats and ships moored a U.S. docks are new termite species. This is especially true for boats registered in other countries, but U.S. vessels may become infested with new species if they have traveled to other countries and returned. While docked here, winged reproductive termites may emerge from these on-board infestations, fly to land, and start new colonies. It appears that requiring more thorough inspections of these ships is needed to prevent additional termite species from gaining a foothold here.

Stinky Socks Attract Mosquitoes

You may want to leave the room when you smell stinky socks, but mosquitoes are actually attracted to them!

Research showed a number of years ago that smelly feet are highly attractive to mosquitoes. They also discovered that limburger cheese, which smells somewhat like smelly feet, is also very attractive. Actually, some of the same microorganisms that cause feet to smell also give limburger cheese its delicious taste and smell.

The smelly foot odor is easily transferred to socks, making stinky socks very attractive to mosquitoes. Studies in Tanzania are now testing dirty socks to lure mosquitoes to traps. The smelly socks are a cheaper attractant than expensive chemical baits, and preliminary test have shown they are just as alluring.

Mosquitoes transmit a wide variety of pathogens here and around the world. About 800,000 people die from mosquito-transmitted malaria.

Pest Prevention Tip of the Month

Pet food and water left out overnight invites trouble with pests, so remove it nightly. Raccoons, rodents, and many insect pests such as cockroaches and ants actually learn where to look for food, and will return each night for another feast.

July/Aug Newsletter

Last Updated on Thursday, 30 June 2011 21:43 Written by Mark Puglisi Thursday, 30 June 2011 20:19

Crickets and Earwigs-OH MY!

Crickets and earwigs are two of the many insects which occasionally invade homes for outdoors, especially in the summer and early fall months. They are annoying when just a few invade, but are especially aggravating in large numbers.

There are many kinds of crickets that invade homes. Field and Mole crickets do not survive more than a few weeks indoors, but both house crickets(which look very similar to field crickets) and camel crickets can survive indoors, and even start reproducing. Females are nice and quiet--it's the males which chirp to attract the females, and the chirping can be extremely annoying. Both males and females occasionally eat holes in cloths, draperies, carpeting, and upholstery, especially if the item is in a dark, damp area, or is soiled.

Earwigs have a characteristic set of "pincers" or forceps on their rear end which they use for defense and to capture prey. They sometimes multiply so rapidly that they start wandering into homes and other buildings in large numbers. Earwigs are normally minor pests of plants outdoors. Indoors some kinds smell but mainly they are nuisance

Do earwigs actually enter ears? Yes, there have been reports of earwigs in ears, but it is extremely rare. The ear is a nice dark, moist place an insect can enter, especially when the person is asleep. The most common object in ears, according to hospital reports, is actually cockroaches, not earwigs. (Maybe they should be called "ear roaches"?) Fortunately, unlike the horror movies, none of these pest bore into a person's brain. Or at least this has never happened...Yet!

Don't Underestimate Termites!

Termites are an extremely successful life form. Too often people underestimate the destructive abilities of termites, and end up suffering the consequences. A mature colony of some termites may have a population of several million. Termites cost homeowners over five billion dollars each year in the United States in repairs and treatment cost.

Unfortunately, we humans unintentionally aid termites by building structures that concentrate wood-their only food-where they can get to it fairly easily. A concrete foundation doesn't stop them. Cracks, often hidden, develop in the concrete. There are also holes in concrete where pipes and electrical wire pass through. Sooner or later termites find holes and cracks, or build protective mud tubes over the concrete to invade the wood structure.

Not fully realizing the danger from termites, homeowners inadvertently do many things that further increase the likelihood that termites will enter a structure. They plant trees and shrubs too close to a foundation, and the roots from these plants may eventually crack the concrete. They let wood contact the ground, giving termites easy access to the wood. And they do many other things that encourage termites, like allowing moisture problems to continue and leaving form boards, tree stumps, and other wood laying around, which provides extra food for the termites.

Don't take these common pests for granted! Have your home inspected regularly-it's the best defense against these aggressive wood-destroyers.

Ticks & Mites Infest Exotic Reptiles

About 1.8 million reptiles are imported into this country each year for pets. Some of these pets escape, or are set free. In a study reported in a recent issue of the Journal of Medical Entomology, exotic reptiles were caught in the wild in Florida, and then inspected for ticks and mites. More than half of these non-native reptiles were infested. Both native and non-native ticks and mites were found-and some of these blood-suckers had never before found wild in this country.

This is very dangerous situation. Not only will some of these parasites jump to our native reptiles (lizards, snakes, turtles, etc.) and affect their populations, but parasites like these may be carrying new disease agents. The disease may eventually affect local wildlife populations, as well as domestic animals and humans.

These are important reasons not to let loose exotic reptiles and other pets, or not to buy them in the first place.

May/June 2011 Newsletter

Last Updated on Monday, 09 May 2011 18:22 Written by Mark Puglisi Monday, 09 May 2011 16:56

 Ants Are Moving In

As ant experts, we notice interesting things about ants. For instance they are no respecter of property-they invade homes of all sizes equally, and they infest every neighborhood. They are so common a problem that they are the #1 pest listed in Gallup polls. You can be sure that every day, ants are either invading your home or trying to.

     The first ants that march into your home are the "scouts" looking for food, water, or a nesting place. Once they find what they are looking for, they go back to their colony, laying down a scent trail as they go so other ants can more quickly find their way. Depending on the species of ants, they may prefer sweets, or proteins like meat and grease. Some ants eat both, and they may switch their food preferences-one day they may be attracted to sweets, and another day they may ignore sweets and go after proteins.

     Whenever possible, refuse to provide ants food and water. Clean up crumbs, grease, and liquid spills. Occasionally rinse out your kitchen garbage container, even if you use garbage bags. Place opened food in sealed containers.

     Some ant species would like to more their colony indoors. They may nest in oddest places, but favorite areas are behind walls and baseboards, beneath floors, in the soil or potted plants, and in other hidden areas.

     As the area ant experts, we effectively control these common and persistent invaders. If you know someone who suffers from these pests, please tell them about our professional and courteous services

Are You Encouraging Termites?

No one knowingly hangs a sign on their front door saying:

"Termites Welcome Here!"

But unfortunately, most homes have conditions that practically beg termites to invade.

     One of these "welcome" signs for termites is excess moisture in the structure. This is a common problem-one study found that 88% of all homes have one or more moisture problems. Some common moisture problems that study found include: improperly drained air conditioners and downspouts, leaks in the roof, windows, and gutters, poor drainage around the foundation, and sprinklers spraying water onto the side of homes. Excess moisture attracts termites and many other wood destroying pests, so fix these today and we can help.

     Here are some other important steps to take to discourage these home-destroying pests. 

 Do not allow shrubs or vines to even partially block any air vents.

 Make sure no wood in and around your home is directly contacting the soil. Termites can invade wooden fences, trellises, and flower planters too, and then use these as hidden routes to enter your home.

 Remove pieces of wood, roots, form boards and cardboard buried or lying on the soil.

 Never store firewood indoors until ready to use.

 Have Greenleaf inspect all potential termite problem areas on a regular basis (if we are not already doing this), and treat if needed. We can save you money by catching an infestation early, before extensive damage is done, and your inspections and treatments can help prevent termites from ever getting started in your home.

Clothing treatment for Ticks

Clothing that has been treated with Permethrininsecticide to reduce bites by ticks, mosquitoes, and other blood-sucking insects has been used for many years now, especially by the military and outdoors-man. This insecticide is based on a natural insecticide that occurs in certain flowers. Permethrin has an advantage that it is tightly bound to fabric so even after the clothing has been laundered many times it still is very effective at repelling insects. Plus, applying any repellent to a fabric, rather than directly to skin, greatly reduces skin exposure.

     Many people have the impression that to be effective, such clothing must cover their entire bodies. But a study in a recent issue of the Journal of Medical Entomology proved that even summer-weight clothing like treated sneakers, socks, shorts, and T-shirts greatly reduces problems with ticks. In fact, people wearing Permethrin-treated tennis shoes and socks were 74 times less likely to have a tick bite than people wearing untreated shoes and socks. (Most ticks are close to the ground when they contact a human host, so wearing treated shoes makes a lot of sense.)

     You can buy clothes that are pre-treated with Permethrin, or spray it on with a special kit. A combination of treated clothing and repellents on your skin would provide the most thorough protection from ticks, mosquitoes, and other blood-suckers.

Mosquito Breeding Sites

With all the wet spring weather, it's especially important this year to eliminate water where mosquitoes may be breeding right in your yard. Mosquito larvae don't need a lot of water to live and develop into adults mosquitoes-even a saucer underneath a potted plant can be a place they can breed in.

     Inspect your yard regularly and drain any standing water you find at least once per week. This included flower pots and saucers, buckets, wheelbarrows, pet watering bowls and birdbaths (drain and change the water often), and any other place where you find standing water.  All ornamental ponds and rain barrels should be stocked with mosquito-eating fish, or treated to kill mosquito larvae.