ants and termites

Do you have a termite issue?

Everybody values their own domain, their castle, their safe place, their home. Whether you own it outright or you are renting a home, we all want to feel comfortable in our very own house.

Many people will express this through adding their own flavour to the home, which might involve painting the house, inside or out, it could be simply that you have added your own taste by changing up & placing your homewares & ornaments.

This is all well & good, however when you suspect that your home may be under siege from termites or other pests & bugs, it instills a massive fear in many people. So what do you do in this situation?

My advice would be that you start searching online for a reputable pest exterminator or pest control company that is located in your local area. But how do you know you’re dealing with a professional? Luckily these days, online reviews are a prominent factor for many businesses. If you find a local pest control operator, you can usually search on Facebook or on Google for some previous client reviews. There are also other sites like Yelp where clients leave reviews about their experiences. Since these reviews can’t be removed by the business owner, you’ll find that with a few minutes of searching, you should get a good feel for the company.

Also, you will want to discuss the pest control companies guarantees & warranties offered. This can vary greatly from one business to another. Also ask plenty of questions about their experience.

One last tip – if you Google search for Pest Control Association or similar in your area, you should be able to find an industry association that has a member list. Why not review this & find some operators in your local area & start contacting them to find a suitable operator today.

How To Get Rid Of Household Cockroaches

Household cockroaches is one of the most common pest problems. If you are looking for ways to get rid of cockroaches in your house, then consider these ways to eliminate your pesky roach problems.

Look for Problem Spots

Before you look for ways to eliminate them, do a thorough inspection of your house. Use a flashlight to search for their hidden places. Check them under the sink, corners of closet doors, and back of the refrigerator.

If you find that there is cockroach infestation, try out glue strips. Based on your inspection, you will know where to place the strips keep them on the areas for a couple of days.


Seal The Gaps

Traps may lessen the roach population in your house. However, you will have to seal their way of getting into your house to reduce the spread of roaches. Use caulk to block their entry points. Look for gaps between tiles, walls and crevices.


Gel Bait

One of the most effective roach killers is the gel bait. Roach gels are available in tube form and applied in crevices, cracks, under baseboards and in other possible areas that may attract the roaches.

You may also try bait stations to attract the roaches and feed on the poison. The poisoned roach returns to its hole and dies. Other roaches will also die due to poison.


Boric Acid Powder

Boric acid is very effective in killing tiny insects such as cockroaches. However, this product is not the best option for killing roach as it can be harmful to pets and children.


Professional Pest Control Service

If the methods above do not seem to work for you and roaches are still scurrying around your house, you may want to use a professional pest control service to get rid of your cockroach problem. Professionals use a safe and effective technique to treat any kind of pest problem you may have in your home.

So, for effective ways to get rid of cockroaches from your home, consider the given methods to get rid of roaches above or use a professional pest control service.

Best Way To Get Rid Of A Possum Nesting In Your Roof

cost of pest control services leichhardtPossum loves to play in trees but they can still live under your roof if they are given a chance. If you hear strange noises in your roof cavity, better contact your pest control specialist so that they can properly remove the animal right away.

Two types of possums

The brushtail possum. This animal prefers to live by himself and is the larger variety of the two. They love to stay in fruit trees and vegetable gardens. The problem with these animals is if they find a chance to get into your property, they can create total chaos as they rummage through your pantry and trash bins.

The ringtail possum. Ringtail possums love to eat flowers and leaves so if you are missing dozens of your great looking roses, you can bet that these animals are just near them. This animal is a smaller version of the brushtail so it can get inside small gaps and enter the roof cavity of your home. They live mostly as a family unlike the brushtail and will create nests called dreys.

How to remove a possum

If you are hearing noises in your roof space, it may be because you have a possum nesting. To get rid of them, better call a pest control company that also specializes in removing possum. Your specialist will mostly identify where these animals are getting in and will close off all entry points.

Once all entry points are sealed, they will then provide an avenue for the animal to leave the roof. They will mostly create a specially designed one-way door to coax the possum to the door with a trail of food.

Once the possum is out, your pest control specialist will come back to your home and remove the one-way door. After that, your home will be free from any possum infestation and their work is done.

Pest Control – The Difference Between Wasps And Bees

pest control quote karaleeWasps and bees are very different insects but some people often confused them to be just the same. Both of them build large dwellings to protect their queens, they also create a network of honeycombs to protect young larvae. Both are winged insects that can sting people.

The difference between the two

  • Wasps have smooth skin while bees have fur on their abdomen
  • Wasps create nests while bees make hives
  • Wasp nests only contain less than 100 insects while bees can create large hives which can contain around 75,000 insects inside
  • Wasps are about 5 centimetres long while bees are 2.5 centimetres long

Wasps

These winged insects are more aggressive and will scare you if come into their territory. They have a distinctive black colour and four wings that create that buzzing noise. After hibernating, they will create a new nest. When wasps attack and sting you, their stingers will stay intact so you do not have to worry about removing it. However, you have to defend while running away from them since they can sting and attack you multiple times if you do not escape right away.

Bees

These flying insects appear to be more peaceful insects than wasps and will not attack unless provoked. They can only use their stingers once so they avoid conflicts whenever they can. However, when you get stung by a bee, make sure to remove their stingers since they can still inject poison into your body if you don’t.

How to solve wasp and bee nests

When handling wasp and bee nests, make sure to contact a pest control professional. Most pest control professional consider handling beehives with care and may remove them to your property and place them in a better location so as to not destroy them. Wasps, on the other hand, may be given a different treatment than bees.

What To Do When You Discover Your Home Is Infested With Termites

cost of pest control service one mileTermites are known to be “silent destroyers.” The pest can cause serious property damage to your home when not treated. If you have termite concerns, you will need the help of a pest control specialist to look into your home and assess the damage that has been done by this pest.

You will spend some money to get pest control service but that is better compared to the damage these termites would bring to your property when ignored.

Signs your home is infested by termites

Swarmers. Have you seen swarmers lately? These are young and male winged termites that will show themselves away from their nest to search for a new location and start a new colony. When they do, their next target may be your home. Search for discarded wings near doors and windows as this can be a first sign that they have already entered your property.

Mud tubes. The most destructive termite species is the subterranean termites since they create mud tubes inside the wood so that moisture can enter inside. They will continually consume the wood until you finally notice their presence.

Wood damage. Wood that has been damaged by these pests will become hollow when tapped as they consume the wood from inside and out.

What to do when you find termite infestation

Immediate action is important when you discover that your home has a termite infestation. But instead of doing it on your own, make sure to call a professional exterminator to get rid of them. Keep in mind that termites create tunnels and tunnels of colonies. So even if you get rid of their one colony, there may be more colonies inside that you don’t know.

A professional pest control service has all the right equipment in finding these pests where they nest. Also, they have all the right knowledge in using the right pesticides that are safe for your home. So make sure to find the right one and get rid of your termite problems right away.

Facts About Bed Bugs – Can We Avoid Them?

pest control quote woodendDo you know that bed bugs were almost eliminated before? But they have made their way back into our beds and is causing more havoc than ever.

The introduction of powerful insecticides during the mid-1950s to the late 1990s almost entirely killed these bugs and as they became so rare a lot of people could no longer identify them. The problem even became worst as a new generation of pest control professionals were not able to fight them properly.

Bed bugs came back and fast during the last years as people travel more, they have also grown resistant to conventional pesticides. Now, more and more homeowners are falling victims to bed bugs which when an infestation occurs, this could mean that they may have to get rid of their beds and some furniture that are infected by these pests and contact a pest control professional to handle the problem.

Can we avoid them?

Bed bugs are mostly small creatures but they are pretty fast. They can crawl into your luggage without you noticing them. You may carry bed bugs while you are travelling and it can happen anywhere.

To avoid them, inspect first your hotel beds when first checking in. Check the sheets, the seam and corners of the mattress, check the pillows and headboard. Look for signs of their presence like bed bug sheds, black spots yellowish skins.

Don’t spread your clothes first and place your luggage on a hard surface first. But don’t be paranoid while travelling because you might not enjoy your stay if you are always thinking about them.

Bed bugs are an annoying household pest and can pose potential health risks to you and your family. Identifying the signs of bed bug presence in your home can help you prevent these pests from becoming a bigger problem. If getting rid of bed bugs gets tougher, call a pest control expert.

Pest Control Treatments For Ants And Roaches In Your Kitchen

Your kitchen is the place in your home that has a lot of food that you bring in, that you clean up, and small tiny pieces can fall off. Something very tiny to you may feed a roach or an ant for a week or more. So your kitchen is a very attractive place for these pests.

cost of pest control service purgaSo what can you do around the sink to help prevent roaches and ants? We look at some pest control treatments you can use for ants and cockroaches.

Bugs come around the sink and stoves because there is a lot of food. A residual spray with a good chemical is going to do a lot to reduce that population as they come to the area. Spraying under the sink up under the bottom of the sink and even around outside around doors and windows will help protect those small cracks and crevices where ants and roaches will come in to feed.

We can also use a lot of baits to attract the insects to eat them. It contains poison that will kill insects. There are baits formulated to mimic food that you may have left around. Use little syringes for treating around cracks and crevices, doors and windows where ants and roaches may come in. The insect bait is also available in the aerosol can which is a lot easier to apply. These baits last for a long time and are very effective in attracting ants and roaches depending on the formulation it was designed for.

There is also dry baits. The dry formulations of the same ingredients are excellent. These dry baits are actually dry powder which is great for dusting in holes that you can’t see into or get into. This is also effective in getting behind switches and electrical plates because these dust will go in there and it will give ants and roaches someday for a long time.

There are different pests that may be invading your home and if you need solutions to rid of ants and roaches in your kitchen these pest control treatments will help prevent these insects from bugging you. There are pest control technicians that you can call when controlling these pests gets tough.