All posts in “attics”

Mice Control

Mice Control

Mice Control

No matter what you do they will sneak in and gain access into your place. It can be the dreaded rat or mouse, and once in they are tough to chase out. But you can’t afford to let them take over your home or business, They need to live outside while you live inside. Mice in general prefer to build nest, they may be in out of way places or walls. You may see bits of chewed paper, or plastic in an attic area. You may smell fecal or urine smells or maybe even the odor of death.

Call a Professional, they know the little secrets and they know rodents and can help with Mice Control. They can identify feces and markings and plan the strategy to solve the issues.

Here are the Top 5 Reasons to keep mice/rodents  out of your home: More mice/rodents = more issues

  1. They bite and can cause rat bite fever.
  2. Rodents carry parasites.
  3. Mice/rodents/rats can carry disease & bacteria on their bodies.
  4. Their urine & feces can influence asthma and contaminate lungs etc.
  5. They can damage your house by gnawing, or urinating in attics etc.

Bite marks

Bite marks and pipes or wires, what’s the damage from? My first guess is rodents, they love to gnaw things which in turn helps to keep their teeth from growing to long. Don’t wait until they attack your pool pump or air conditioning – I’ve heard that that can cost upwards of $350 +++++. See the picture and the Bite mark, can it cause a fire, you bet ya? Don’t wait call ProBest today 602-249-7378 or 623-414-0176

I think fire ants which like vibration maybe rodents are drawn to the noise. Maybe the wires are like the car engines years ago that had a waxy coating from soy on them. Whatever it is they like to gnaw so don’t let them destroy your car or pumps.

Front door wreaths and the birds

2014-06-12 08.14.40I really thought thought this was cute, the bird thinking that the wreath was indeed nature decided to make it’s nest.

Lucky for the dove the owner decided to let nature takes its course.

Not all birds and or people are so forgiving, pigeons will roost and nest anywhere. Pigeons will lay eggs, poop and allow dead chicks to inhabit their old nesting. While this scene above may be cute, don’t allow birds to nest in attics. The amount of fecal material and the parasites may cause real issues within a home.

  1. Check entry point from outside, check those louvered vents.
  2. Check weep screens which allow attics to breath.
  3. If you have a/c on roof, enclose the bottom.
  4. Check chimney for screening.

Great information on Mothballs.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pi254

I’ve always been worried when I hear stories about people throwing them into attics or crawlspaces.

This product can be dangerous and shouldn’t be used without reading and following the label and sds.

Birds and their damage.

probestpestmanagement20140425_124037     probestpestmanagement20140425_124340

So you just noticed that birds or something is getting into your attic, well if you ignore it maybe it will just go away? Probably not, but even if you fix the problem that might not be the end of it. Birds, critters or even pests can cause other problems. The animals might have parasites and once you get rid of them the parasites might come down from the attic looking for food. That might be you!

So one of my suggestions would be to do periodic checks of your property, look up and down. Look for openings or rub marks (like the picture on the right), or for feces buildup on your home (left picture). My recommendation is to do monthly or at the very least quarterly checks of your property.

Does your pest company still power spray or spray inside monthly?

 

There are several things happening around the U.S. which may impact pest control in your specific area.

  • The EPA has been trying to reduce the use of rodentcides, mainly due to secondary poisonings. My hope is that people use common sence in placement of poisons, don’t randomly throw packets throughout attics or crawlspaces. ProBest has not used any of those packets since 2005 and we have swtiched to Terad3 in rodent stations.
  • The restrictions of pesticides continue, power spraying of Permethrin type chemicals are just one of the ways the EPA is limiting chemical usage.

The use of IPM or Integrated Pest Management continues to be the choice of real prevention of pests. So here are a few tips to reduce the use of pesticides and allow them to continue to be used in the future.

  1. Be aware of placement especially of rodentcides. I’m a big fan of not using any rodenticide within a structure, use of snap traps can be just as effective.
  2. Use pestcides that can be hidden and placed where insects will find them, crack and crevices, block voids and wall voids.
  3. Don’t spray any flowering plant.
  4. Follow IPM standards.
  5. Always read and follow label and use directions.

Chagas disease and the Assassin Bug…

 

Neglected Tropical Diseases: An unfolding Tragedy of Chagas Disease in North America.” As many know this is my favorite looking bug, the one I think has the patterns and artistic shape that just looks cool for a bug. If you read the home seal you also know that this little bug is a biter and transmits a nasty little disease called Chagas.

The data shows that incidents in Mexico could be in the area of 1-6  million cases, USA 300,000 – 1 million and Canada less than 100,000.

 

Tips for keeping them out of your home:

  1. Repair screens and make sure they are in place.
  2. If your spending time outside, wear some type of repellent.
  3. If you live near horses or cattle, pay particular attention – they prefer these animals but given the chance will come after us.
  4. Close doors and install thresholds and door sweeps.
  5. Repair weep screens on attic rooflines.
home_page_image_chagas

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/chagas/

 

Lots of animals can cause stinky messes…do you live around messes like this?

 

IMAG0426

Animals and birds can really cause some major issues, such as bad air and parasites. Bad air within a structure can cause serious Asthma issues and depending on the circumstance can be caused by German Roaches, rat droppings and urine and hair left behind.

At least in the case above all the droppings were on the outside but we can always track them into the home and that’s another great reason to clean carpets. We definitely don’t want that mess in the attic and we don’t want animals of any kind nesting or raising babies.

How do rodents get into homes and attics?

  How do rodents get into homes and attics?

         

It is extremely important to understand how and why critters try to get into our homes. Animals/wildlife need the same thing we need – Food, Water and Shelter. As you can see by the pictures, these holes are all that is needed by birds and other small animals to gain access into the house. Along with these critters some other pests can get into your attic or crawlspace and if you get rid of the original critter the parasites may linger behind.

You should conduct an inspection of your home or property at least once a month, just to be sure you haven’t invited any unwanted pests. If you need some help sealing up your home just give us a call 602-249-7378 or 623-414-0176 ProBest Pest Management.

Rodents and fire.

 Rodents and fire.

 

Rodents cause approximately 20 percent of undetermined fires in the United States each year according to fire experts. Rodents include mice, rats, squirrels and they chew constantly because their teeth are always growing. They have incisor teeth that butt up against each other. They will chew through soft concrete, aluminum, wall boards, and pvc and lead pipes.  Mice move inside in the winter months and prefer to live near the warmth of electrical components. We receive more calls as the weather becomes cooler as mice and rodents attempt to move into homes and businesses. The photo above is a good indication of how fires are started and this rodent was electrocued. 

Contact Us