A New Jersey homeowner used a combination of a space heater, hair dryer and a heat gun to get rid of the Bed Bugs BUT that set-up caused an explosion and BOOOOOOM. Please use caution and common sense in dealing with Bed Bugs. Please check out our website and the National Pest Management Association for helpful tips and the way to contact a Pest Management Professional near you.
Bed Bugs continue to show up in weird and strange places. So do you have a plan before you vacation or stay in a hospital?
Tricky termite treatments
Pavers, flagstone and tile always make a termite treatment more difficult. Sometimes it almost impossible, these pavers are in fact put in place with cement or sand. It is possible to drill but it also is worrisome because you might crack the paver. It is essential to the treatment to get the termiticide to the area where the termites may try to get into the home.
I also run across built in cabinets and they pose another obstacle to getting the termiticide to that expansion joint. What other issues do you think we run across on our daily termite treatments and do you have any unusual obstructions at your home or business?
Do you know what’s going on here? Post Tension or not?
Honestly I have no idea, it is stamped with Post Tension but there appears to be an expansion joint visible in both garages. There is also evidence of termites coming up the expansion joint. So I’m guessing but I think its a combination of Post Tension and Floating Slab.
What do I do? Do I drill the slab or not? Well if you hear screaming coming from Arizona it’s me!
How can you remove honeycomb from a structure?
Honeybees can take up residence in any home if there is space available and sometimes they don’t make it easy to get to them.We don’t always remove the honeycomb, it is not always necessary. Maybe the bees haven’t been there very long or it is just impossible to get to as the case above is. depending on the location you may have to cut stucco, or come in from the inside out and this all involves dismantling and construction. All of this is time consuming and somewhat dangerous unless you know what you are doing.
Sometimes it is necessary to call in someone with more construction ability than I have. If it involves cutting stucco or getting into a brick structure then I think you need a professional that understands construction and building plans.
What’s behind your refrigerator?
Have you ever pulled your refrigerator or freezer away from the wall only to find – what? How about that spoon or fork you couldn’t find, how about rodent feces or maybe a termite mud tunnel?
Here are some excellent reasons to check behind those big items in your home:
Any other ideas on what you might find under or behind those big items in your home?
Mud daubers are not Termites!
I sometimes get called to homes to find that they see a Mud dauber nest and not a termite mud tunnel.
Picture #1 is a Mud dauber wasp nest and there are a variety of shapes and styles but basically a glob of dirt molded by the female wasp to hide/protect her eggs. She will lay an egg and usually provide it with paralyzed spiders.
Picture #2 and #3 are Subterranean termite mud shelter tubes, typically much more slender in size.
http://en.wikipedia.org
The good news – if it is a Mud dauber – just scrape the mud off the house – that’s it. The bad news if it’s termites – I think you should call ProBest Pest Management!
Chicken Wire or Hardware Cloth?
Without a question in my mind, Hardware Cloth! It just looks more professional, not like it was just thrown together to get it done in a hurry.
The other thing we do from time to time is to spray paint the hardware cloth, it can almost blend in and almost becomes invisible. Hardware cloth is more durable and can be secured in place with washers and screws.
Hey it’s your house, you can do what you want right? Do it right, it looks way better…
Incredible story of those crafty termites.
As good as you may think you are, termites are probably better! What’s that you say, no way. Termites have been working out their problems over the last 250 million years and what do we do but build houses (wood) right on top of their homes. If you give them an inch they will certainly take it and that is evident of the picture posted below.
You never know how or where they will enter a home and you almost have to play detective to understand and eventually solve the problem. So be prepared to investigate and you will be rewarded with the clues to solve the dilemma for the customer.
Can you guess how many ways the bugs or rodents can get into your home?
Lets see how many ways we can come up with:
Picture from this site http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us
Can you think of any more, make comments below and thanks….
