All posts in “roaches”

Who takes the heat on pesticides?

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Who takes the heat on pesticides?

It’s difficult for me to side any other way than to say Pesticides are good! Many will disagree but the fact is that pesticides have saved countless lives throughout history. I was reminded of this through my distributor “Univar Environmental Services” in a story they posted in their monthly newsletter.

  • When mosquitoes are controlled, you help prevent West Nile Virus transmission.
  • When products help ensure proper termite control, they save you from massive property damage.
  • Helping to keep cockroach allergens at bay lowers asthma triggers for children.
  • And fewer ticks and rodents can mean less Lyme disease and Hanta Virus.

It all adds up to Univar supplying both the products and services to help you improve your customers’ environments.

Just the facts please…. provide info to expedite the treatment!

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Just the facts please…. provide info to expedite the treatment!

Today I received a new lead from an online referral site and I’ll tell you I love getting referrals but I need more information. So here is a list of things to tell the bug guy when they show up at your home.

  1. When you call the office please tell the receptionist what you’re experiencing, for example are you being bitten. It is really important to answer the questions like Who, what, where,  when, why and how. To me its almost like being a detective, we need all the information so that we can make an intelligent recommendation on treatment.
  2. After receiving the information the technician comes up with the treatment plan and discusses this with the homeowner.
  3. We have talked about this before but before the technician arrives please reduce clutter and vacuum the area (if you have a bag vacuum please throw it away). I remember years ago in Florida, someone had vacuumed and put the entire vacuum with bag into the closet. I was amazed at the numbers of fleas in the closet and elsewhere in the home, but they were concentrated within that closet.
  4. A lot of the treatment plans may include a followup visit – remember this occurrence took time to build up and probably will take time to completely solve it. Don’t think for one minute that we are magicians and can make this outbreak disappear overnight, won’t happen…. This usually surprises me the most, even after discussing this with some customers they are upset that they still might see the occasional roach or two. I learned many years ago, we attempt to eradicate at least 97% on the first visit to get control but depending on a variety of circumstances this number may change. Sanitation is a leading cause of failure, if the place has grease or oil everywhere all the pesticide in the world won’t change the outcome. The pesticide will lose it efficacy and the roaches will have plenty to eat and not be affected by the product.
  5. Work with the technician and follow any advice, he has probably seen it all so it won’t be a big surprise to him. Clean behind the stove and refrigerator yearly, pay particular attention to the fan motor (warm and probably close to the overflow pan).

The pest scurge of homes – German Cockroaches!

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The pest scourge of homes – German Cockroaches!

If I asked people in general to name the one one pest that afflicts their home, I think it would be roaches. So what is it about roaches that makes them a up close pest within our homes? Basically these roaches have adapted well to humans and they will eat anything we eat. Cockroaches are among the hardiest insects on the planet.

Cockroaches typically become established in homes after being introduced in grocery bags, with laundry or, in some cases, wandering in from outdoors. Once cockroaches become established they are prolific breeders capable of producing several thousand offspring in a year.

 

Cockroaches prefer to live where there is food, warmth & moisture. Since cockroaches flourish where food and moisture are readily available, sanitation is an important step in prevention and control. Empty soft drink bottles, cardboard boxes and paper bags should not be allowed to accumulate. Food containers should be sealed and any crumbs or spillage cleaned up, along with any grease that accumulates around the stove area.  I also suggest that you pull out the stove and refrigerator yearly and clean the area, including the fan motor. If you are going to store food items, I prefer to freeze them and then seal them in food containers.

If you notice one roach react quickly because they are breeding machines. Don’t just let it go because one roach may become several roaches quite quickly. The German cockroach produces more eggs and has more generations per year (three to four) than other roaches.

PestTube! What is this thing

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PestTube! What is this thing.

Pestubes-In-The-Wall™is a proactive, centralized pest control system designed to deliver a mild residual pesticide inside the walls of your home where bugs live and breed.

Pestubes-In-The-Wall™eliminates 90% of the need to spray within in your home’s living area by equipping your new home with a fundamental barrier against pests. Pestubes-In-The-Wall™ is a reliable, modern approach to pest control that can help keep your family and home free of harsh pesticides.

The innovative Pestubes-In-The-Wall™system, shown below, incorporates a network of precision perforated tubes built into your home’s framing, which are linked to a pesticide injection port located on the home’s exterior.

OK for my take, I have investigated numerous versions of this device both under concrete and in walls. The version under concrete which I have seen in action was more of a pvc pipe versus tubing (TermGuard) and I really liked the ability and adaptability of this product. The only issue is pricing and with the advent of repellent termiticides such as Termidor or Transport I just don’t see this catching on.The stuff in the walls I’m not sold on, I think the tubing kinks to often and this prevents the products from being delivered to the area in question. The other problem is the product used whether dust or liquid often blocks the tubing and now we have to address the propellent. This propellent needs to ensure that the product is pushed to where it is needed and unfortunately I just haven’t seen anything that really gets the product to the end source.

German cockroaches can cause serious sanitation issues & asthma.

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German cockroaches can cause serious sanitation issues & asthma.

German roaches can sneak into your home by way of boxes, bags or even used clothes or furniture. The picture below which by the way looks like an American Cockroach also can spread germs and bacteria. This picture just grosses me out every time I see it. Here is a story recently published on chocolate – Bugging out chocolate allergy linked to roaches.

Does your Pest Company treat where the bugs live?

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Does your Pest Company treat where the bugs live?

     

A few years ago I received a call from a homeowner frantic about roaches, after my inspection I thought I had found the problem. It was long after I started that I knew I had done the correct job. In the block wall next to the garage wall I dusted the bump out and out came the roaches (100’s) I immediately located the homeowner and pointed out the issue and she was just amazed. I really do believe that I could do all my pest control with just 2 or 3 tools. Here is my secret:

  1. My brain = knowledge of Pest Control and bugs
  2. A hand duster
  3. Some kind of dust (Delta) and DE or Diatomaceous Earth.

Agree or Disagree? Comments please!

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