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Yep, those cockroaches learn another trick to stay alive!

Most of us learned in our early years that cockroaches would survive a nuclear attack, I know its hard to believe but they have adapted well to us and our ways.

Well it appears that they have learned to avoid some of the sweet baits, which we (Pest Industry) may be using. “Wily Cockroaches Find Another Survival Trick: Laying Off the Sweets” By James Gorman – The New York Times – Science section.

One thing I didn’t notice with the research was that in certain time periods cockroaches prefer different food like proteins and will readily avoid anything sweet. So I think the research will continue and will continue to offer us new products to keep roaches at bay.

Cockroaches: An Asthmatic’s Worst Enemy.

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Cockroach. Just the word is enough to send a shiver down anyone’s spine, and it’s no mystery why. Besides being unpleasant to look at, these creepy critters readily transmit disease, produce offensive odors, and trigger severe allergic reactions. Plus, they’re everywhere – according to the National Institutes of Health, detectable levels of cockroach allergens can be found in at least one location in 63% of all US homes.

For asthma sufferers, this is especially problematic – exposure to the insects can aggravate symptoms, trigger asthma attacks, and make life miserable. The link between cockroaches and asthma has been extensively studied, and experts agree that they pose a significant risk. Cockroach allergens are found in the feces, saliva, shells and shed body parts of the insects. It may sound strange, but dead roaches pose a greater risk than living ones! That’s because all of the aforementioned toxins readily diffuse into the air, and into your lungs – even if you’re not spotting the bugs on a daily basis, you still might be exposing yourself to the allergic culprits without knowing it.

Unfortunately (and ironically), the chemicals used to eradicate roaches can exacerbate asthma just as much as the pests themselves. Luckily, there are plenty of steps you can take to make your home a roach-proof, less-triggering place – without all the nasty chemicals. Read on to learn about how to kick the creepers to the curb for good, and get relief from the asthmatic complications they cause.

1. Don’t Let Them Get a Free Meal – Cockroaches will eat anything – crumbs from last night’s pot pie, stale dog food, and even the glue from book bindings! Obviously, you shouldn’t burn all your books, but you should restrict their access to food. Keep your kitchen clean – clean up crumbs and spills, make sure food is kept in tightly-sealed bags or containers, don’t leave pet chow in Fido’s bowl overnight, and take out the trash regularly.

2. Keep it Sealed – If there’s food and moisture in your abode, chances are that roaches will want in – but if you don’t provide any entrances, they’ll be out of luck. Carefully examine your home for cracks in the walls, ceilings, and floors; the openings around pipes are also common entryways. Close up any crevasses with a caulking gun, and make sure to fix leaky pipes or faucets – cockroaches are attracted to water.

3. Get Rid of the Grease – Grease and grime are irresistible to cockroaches, and the longer you go without cleaning your counter-tops, drains, ovens, and vents, the greater the risk of unwelcome visitors. Don’t give in to the temptation of leaving your dirty dishes to sit in the sink overnight, and clean vents, counter-tops, and drains often.

4. Vacuum. It’s not so much the roaches themselves that causes problems for asthmatics – it’s the microscopic particles they leave behind. Once you’ve made strides in roach-proofing your home, it’s important to tackle the debris. Vacuum your floors frequently, wipe down furniture with a wet washcloth, and consider investing in an air purifier to improve air circulation.

5. If all else fails, call a professional. Tackling a roach infestation takes a massive amount of time and energy, and it may be weeks or even months before your condition starts to improve. If you’re still having problems, reach out to a pest control company – but do some background research beforehand to see if they may offer low-toxicity, environmentally-friendly treatment methods. Do NOT try and take matters into your own hands with harmful chemicals – they will only make symptoms worse!

Cockroaches have been creeping around longer than mankind’s entire existence – hundreds of millions of years longer, to be exact – but that longevity need not translate into misery. By taking preventative measures against these meddlesome insects, you can protect yourself and your loved ones from asthma attacks and other pulmonary troubles.

Zoe Camp is an avid home sealing for http://www.justnebulizers.com and a student at Columbia University who spends her time researching and writing about health care, specifically pulmonary health issues. She hates cockroaches as much as you do.

Photo courtesy Univar

The scurge of restaurants or what freaks you out?

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They sneak into kitchens, homes or restaurants in a variety of ways. They might make their way in by hitching a ride in a box or in paper products. Once in they multiply quick, reproducing and making that nightmare a top priorty to handle. In my opinion don’t waste your time using bug bombs, call in a Pest Management Professional. They have the tools to adequently handle and solve the issue.

I love this photo for a couple of reasons:

The wire rack was up against the wall and the roaches were hiding behind it (thigmotropic) roaches like to have the top and bottom of their bodies resting against crevice or box – makes them feel safe.
Notice the fecal spotting (the females poop and the babies are drawn to this area by pheromones).
Roaches will hide just about anywhere.

What are my Top 4 pests that I run into daily?

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Drum roll please, my Top 4 pests that I run into daily are:

Scorpions
Crickets
Cockroaches
Termites

I get calls daily about scorpions and they are by far the most difficult to deal with, reduce their food source helps and getting rid of any harborages also help to make them move somewhere else. Crickets are just about everywhere and provide scorpions with all the food they need in my opinion. Its also amazing but I can spot termite tubes from the street and often spend hours putting cards on people’s doors to give them a heads up on termite activity.

Who cares about bugs and rodents?

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Who cares about bugs and rodents?

Each and every day I’m reminded of the valuable service ProBest Pest Management offers, why you ask? Let me share some of my most memorable days of Public Health:

Customer called me because they couldn’t even get into their home because the fleas were so plentiful.
In all my 20+ years I had never seen Bed Bugs until 2009, that year we received our first call. In 2012 I witnessed over 1000 Bed Bugs in a very small home – I was amazed and also creeped out and itched all day. We were able to alleviate the problem but it stills worries me that people will put up with something like this until it virtually becomes a real BIG problem.
A young woman continued to call about Ticks, we treated her yard but she wouldn’t let us inspect her home. We did find ticks inside under a couch and solved the problem after finally finding the source.
I may have mentioned this before but a mobile home with at the every least 5 million cockroaches. I’m not kidding, I felt almost hopeless for this family. It took some time but I think we did a good job for them.
I once had the task of doing some Drywood Termite work in a church, the tower or steeple had more pigeon feces than I had ever seen. It was probably 10 foot deep and went down walls and was just gross, we fumigated the building and they had someone remove the feces and prevent them from gaining entry anymore.
Sometimes architecture often allows entry points into a structure, stucco not properly sealed or pipes or cable opening not sealed. I once particpated with a fumigation for cockroaches and never thought about rodents until the job was completed. Many, many dead rodents, by the way do you know that rodents love cockroaches?

Well anyway you get the picture, Public Health equals quality pest control.

How often do you check your A/C filters?

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How often do you check your A/C filters?

I think most replacement filters suggest every 60 days, but I think a more appropriate answer is when they are dirty. The rest of the answer is how many contaminates are involved with your home? Do you have pets, do you live in an area where they have smog days and how many people live in your home? What about allergies, do you or someone living in your home have allergies? If you answered yes, then you should consider special filters that collect more contaminates. Dust mites, German Cockroaches and other pests can increase asthma conditions and should be prevented.

What can you do when you find a bug at a restaurant? part1

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What can you do when you find a bug at a restaurant?

As much as none of us want to deal with a situation like this I think it is important to address the issue with the staff or management of the restaurant. Why is it such a big deal? A complaint isn’t always a complaint, it is a way of solving a mystery or potential problem. What if the issue was a bug in a salad, was it washed properly before serving? Was it an issue with the kitchen and cleanliness? Here are a few tips for a restaurant and sanitation.

Sanitation is and always will be the key to a clean and well managed restaurant! The kitchen must be cleaned every night and once a month or more depending on clean-up procedures that are in place. A single cockroach could live on a spot of grease for a month.
When taking in supplies, as soon as possible discard the boxes. Empty the boxes into other containers, cockroaches love to hide in boxes and will disperse the longer they are left in the building.
I don’t care what kind of restaurant you are but you need a Pest Management Professional at the very least on call for advice, I really believe every restaurant needs a regular service.
If you spot one (1) bug it is time for action, grab the bug by the horns (its a play on words) and find the solution to the problem. In the pest management industry we use a word called threshold – it is the number of a pest that determines the action – for example if a food facility has a 0 limit threshold that equals shutting down the line until the issue is resolved.
As I stated in number 3, if you want advice please call me. Some of advice is free and if it becomes a longer amount of time I will discuss the fee.

part 2 tomorrow will be, what you as a consumer can do…

The scourge of kitchens and restaurants.

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The scourge of kitchens and restaurants. The German Cockroach

What can you do to keep them out of your kitchen?

German Roaches love to hang out with their tops and bottoms of their body touching, so a cardboard box is a great place for a roach. So if you bring home boxes, take them apart and throw them out. Store the contents in Tupperware type containers.
These roaches don’t live outside, so if you caught something trying to get in – it’s not a German Roach.
Sanitation is important, I often find (I’m guilty of this as well) that you need to clean the sides of whatever is next to the stove. Grease splatters and a single roach can make dinner of a grease spot for a long period of time. These roaches will eat enything.
See that thing attached to the right hand roach, that is an egg-case and it contains 30 eggs and potentially 30 brand new roaches.
Don’t use a bug bomb, it will drive them deeper and make it all the more difficult to get rid of them.
These bugs carry and transmit diseases and germs so it is extremely important to stop them in their tracks.
If you find one, figure out where you think it came from and maybe it is time to call a Pest Management Professional.

Given the GreenLight!

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Given the GreenLight!

Way back in 2005 the Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA) indicated this statistic:

72% of Homeowners surveyed agree that their pest control company providers help me protect my health”.

Do you agree, what if you found flies in your home or cockroaches or more importantly what if you suddenly found Bed Bugs? I’ll bet you would agree quite quickly and that is why I’m sure that that figure above is right on up there.

85% of the people that purchase pest control are women, parents (either Mom or Dad) these days generally have the role of Protector’s of the Home. While some may do their own pest control, more and more are choosing to call a Pest Management Professional especially when they encounter something as nasty as Bed Bugs. When seeking a Pest Management Professional you can check out the National Pest Management website at http://www.pestworld.org and receive information on a QualityPro member.

Give us the GreenLight to manage those pests at your home or business.

Pest Control by ProBest Pest Management

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Pest Control by ProBest Pest Management

Bugs tremble at the sound of my name “Dr. Bug” ProBest Pest Management

I’m not kidding, I live in Phoenix and have only seen four bugs in my house in the last 10 years. Two American Cockroaches, one in master bathroom shower and one downstairs. One beetle (no idea what kind) but it was trying to hide in an electrical outlet cover and some black ants. Not bad but just the mere presence scares these bugs enough, that they know not to mess with the “James Bond” of pest control. A customer just last week called to complain of bugs and by the time I walked in they were all dead. Hahaha – maybe it’s my new thing, no pest control just (IPM) Integrated Pest Management without any pesticides. Just me wishing the bugs DEAD.

Just another reason to call ProBest Pest Management 602-249-7378, I know what you are thinking why call when I should call you – I’m not Physic…. Just really good at my job!