Pest Control Center Inc

FALL WEED CONTROL

Harry Case — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:32:00 +0000

In northern California Fall and Winter are mild seasons during which a wide variety of seeds germinate and become established. Since most of us spend these times indoors and pay little attention to our landscapes, these invasive plants grow and develop, unnoticed, providing us with a lot of yard work in Spring. Here are some things you can do to reduce or prevent excessive weed growth on your property:

Remove any existing weeds or vegetation which might go to seed in planting beds and areas you wish to be vegetation free.
Install landscape cloth as a barrier, to prevent weed seeds from contacting the soil and keep any seeds already there from growing.
Install a layer of organic mulch, such as cypress or fir bark, to act as a barrier against germination and assist in maintaining a proper moisture balance in the soil.
Call us: A Fall weed control treatment from Pest Control Center, Inc. is an important defense against this invasion. Our professionals can apply an appropriate post-emergent material to destroy any existing weeds and/or a pre-emergent to keep germinating seeds from growing.

Taking the needed pro-active steps now will save you a lot of work next Spring.

Letterman on Bed Bugs

Harry Case — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:58:27 +0000

Adult Bed Bug, Cimex, lectularius

You know New York has a bed bug problem when even David Letterman puts them on his Top 10 list.

Bed Bug Outbreak Reported in L.A. County

Harry Case — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:09:18 +0000

Adult Bed Bug, Cimex, lectularius

As I’ve said before, bed bugs are probably here to stay. Unless we’re willing to take some more “radical” measures to get rid of them they will become just a fact of life.

Watch this August 10, 2010 video report by Jaime Chambers at KTLA News, Los Angeles

Why Billions of Bed Bugs are Biting

Harry Case — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:50:35 +0000

The article printed here is, in my estimation, both accurate and timely. It illustrates some of the folly of the current “chemophobia” and it’s consequences in the real world.

: Bed Bug Infestations Can Be Severe

South Orange, NJ

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

By Alan Caruba

After decades during which bed bugs were a rare event, they now make headlines infesting places from the Jersey City Goldman Sacks building to a Victoria’s Secret shop on New York’s Upper East Side, along with dormitories, apartments and homes throughout the nation

The bed bug explosion is more related to the loss of the means to exterminate them than the bugs themselves. The bed bugs are doing what all insect populations do; they are reproducing by the billions.

On August 10, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a “consumer alert” whose sole purpose was to continue its drumbeat of fear regarding any use of pesticides and to imply that pest control professionals could not be trusted to help one rid themselves of this ubiquitous pest.

All pest control professionals are subject to state licensing and annual certification to ensure they receive training in the proper methods of applying pesticides. Many firms conduct in-house training sessions year-round and the profession’s trade associations provide seminars as well. Suffice to say that everything about the provision of pest control services is highly regulated.

Since its founding in 1970, the EPA has dedicated itself to banning as many pesticides as possible. Its first “victory” was the banning of DDT in 1972. The result has been upwards of 90 million deaths from malaria worldwide. The truth is that DDT saved more lives than any chemical in human history until being banned from use in the U.S. and by other nations.

I have worked with the pest control industry for a quarter century and in the 1980s I helped promote an extraordinary pesticide, Ficam, a product that effectively killed a wide range of insect pests and was applied with nothing more dangerous than water!

After years of safe use, the EPA told the manufacturer that it had to re-register the product. Having previously spent around $15 million for the original registration, the British-owned company did the math and concluded it would be too expensive to go through the process again. It is no longer available in America.

The EPA’s action had nothing to do with the efficacy of the pesticide. It had everything to do with its unspoken policy of driving pesticides off the marketplace, whether for use by pest control professionals, for agricultural use, or by the general public.

And that is why America is experiencing a bed bug epidemic.

According to a joint statement on bed bug control from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the EPA, “Though the exact cause is not known, experts suspect the resurgence is associated with increased resistance of bed bugs to available pesticides…” and other causes such as greater international and domestic travel.

One pretty good guess at the “exact cause” is the continued loss of pesticides with which to knock down insect and rodent populations that nature provides in the billions.

In the “Bed Bug Handbook”, a guide for pest control professionals, “People often assume that any EPA-registered product that has bed bug treatment instructions on its label must be effective at controlling bed bugs. But this is not necessarily true. EPA policy is to rely on market forces to ensure that a product does what it claims; the agency does not require efficacy testing.”

The EPA and countless “environmental” organizations have effectively “educated” Americans to be afraid of chemicals in general and pesticides in particular. The claim is that they pose a threat to people’s health and this is true if one drinks them direct from the container. All poisons are based on the “dose”, the amount of exposure and, in the hands of a pest management professional, that factor will be very-low-to-none.

Today’s pest management professionals go about their job using the principles of Integrated Pest Management. High on the list is the least use of pesticides to knock down a pest population.

Ask yourself why, a hundred years before the invention and widespread use of pesticides, was an American’s average life span was about forty years of age? Given the use of pesticides, why do we now live up to eighty years? The answer is that pesticides protect lives and property too.

There is no real logic behind the EPA’s continued efforts to ban pesticides, but there is an illogical, unreasoned, and a lot of very dubious “science” behind the relentless effort to deprive Americans of the protection pesticides provide.

As I frequently remind people, take away the pesticides and all you have left is pests.

In the case of bed bugs, you have a particular pest that is very difficult to eliminate without a lot of intensive effort and the need to return to the scene of the infestation to get at those bed bugs that were hidden away between blood meals and will survive, become active, and lay eggs that become nymphs in a new generation to be exterminated.

It should come as no surprise that the joint CDC-EPA statement was heavy with warnings about “pesticide misuse” and “greater risk of pesticide exposure for those living in a home.”

The advice offered is laughable. It recommends using “monitoring devices” when most people learn about a bed bug infestation when they get bitten!

The statement recommends “removing clutter where bed bugs can hide”, “vacuuming”, and “using non-chemical pesticides (such as diatomaceous earth” and, finally, “judicious use of effective chemical pesticides” as the last choice.

The message is that it is the pesticides that are the problem, not the bed bugs. The reason we have seen a bed bug explosion is that the EPA has eliminated many of the pesticides that were formerly in use, creating the perfect storm, a growing resistance to those still registered for use.

The bed bugs don’t care that a generation or two of Americans have been brainwashed to think pesticides are bad, but you should.

Alan Caruba writes a daily post at http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com An author, business and science writer, he is the founder of The National Anxiety Center.

Alan Caruba

Founder

The National Anxiety Center

South Orange, NJ

973-763-6392

	Contact Alan Caruba
	Ask a question with InterviewNet^SM

The War of the Voles

Harry Case — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:15:05 +0000

California Vole, Photo by: Jerry Kirkhart

Voles have become a huge problem in northern California this year. This video (below) from News 10 highlights the frustration of a lot of folks, over this destructive little rodent.

Effective Techniques for Eliminating Common House Mice

Harry Case — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:52:39 +0000

There’s an old saying in business. “Build a better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your door.” While this adage holds true when it comes to products and services that the public wants to buy, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we need better mouse traps for trapping real mice, because the secret isn’t so much in the trap you use as in the techniques employed. Beyond that, traps are not the whole answer. There are other measures you can take to keep your place mouse free.

Mouse Habits and Life Cycle

Control begins with understanding your target species. The common House Mouse, Mus, musculus, infests homes and businesses throughout North America, causing millions of dollars in damage annually. This species thrives in human occupied structures where food, water, shelter and nesting materials are readily available. Mice prefer to remain and forage within 10 feet of their nests (up to 30 feet when necessary) and their movements are not just horizontal. They will travel vertically as well. They can infest any part of a home or commercial structure. Mice defecate and urinate wherever they go. Their droppings can contain several disease organisms, including bacteria that cause Salmonella. (And in the case of the Deer Mouse, Hanta Virus, but this is for another article.) For this reason they are a public and individual health concern.

Description

The adult house mouse is gray or brown, with small eyes and relatively large ears, weighing roughly ½ to 1 ounce. Its over-all length, including its 3-4 inch tail, is 5.5 to 7.5 inches. In any given year the female will have five to ten litters, each consisting of five to six young. Gestation is 19 to 21 days, with the young maturing in 6 to 10 weeks. The typical house mouse will live 9 to 12 months. Under ideal conditions, unchecked by predators, disease and deaths caused by other factors, one pair, has the potential of giving rise to a population of approximately 1 million individuals, in only 12 months! If you don’t believe it, do the math yourself.

Prevention

Prevention falls into three categories: Exclusion, elimination of food sources and removal of harborage.

Exclusion:

Any time of year, but especially in the fall, as temperatures begin to drop, mice will try to gain entry into homes and other buildings. Building owners should thoroughly inspect structures to ensure that there are no openings of ¼ inch or larger as these are easy entry points for these rodents. Check doors and windows. Be sure they seal tightly. Replace defective thresholds and sweeps. Check walls where wires or pipes enter the structure, calk and seal gaps. Inspect all attic, crawl space and garage vent screens to ensure that they are tight and have no holes larger than ¼ inch. Also check crawl space doors for a tight seal. Have a look at the areas where perpendicular roofs come together. There are often gaps in these areas that will need to be closed. Be sure that all rooftop vents are properly screened.

Elimination of Food Sources:

Be sure that potential outdoor food sources are eliminated or cleaned up. Pet food should never be left out over night. Fallen tree fruits should be cleaned up daily. Keep garbage receptacles tightly closed. Indoors, be sure that food, including pet food, is properly stored in tightly fitting containers or in a refrigerator or freezer. Food should never be left out over night and food residues should be cleaned from all surfaces. It is best to have a metal indoor trash container, with a tightly fitting lid.

Removal of Harborage:

Harborage removal is a critical step in reducing the potential for mouse invasion into any structure. Construction debris, piles of brush and anything else that provides cover or shelter for mice must all be removed. Trim vines and thick ground cover back away from the building.

Baiting With Toxic Baits

The general rule is to bait outdoor and trap indoors. With indoor baiting the animals are likely to die in hidden and inaccessible areas of the structure and create an unpleasant odor. If you must use baits inside, make sure they are placed in locations that children and pets cannot get to them. There are mouse bait stations on the market that hold baits inside them, but just to be safe it is still recommend that you place these out of reach of children and pets.

If you have a large population of mice outdoors and wish to reduce the chances of the entering your home or business, you may wish to use baits to lower their numbers. In this situation most pest control experts very strongly recommend using tamper-resistant rodent bait stations that can be anchored down, with solid block baits fixed on spindles or bars, firmly locked into the station, so pets and children can’t pick them up and shake to bait out. To be safe, it is placing the stations in areas where children and pets won’t get to them, but the mice will is recommended. Place the stations in such a way that the entry holes are closest to a hard surface where mice are likely to feel their way around.

Trapping (The Preferred Method of Mouse Control)

The preferred method of controlling mouse populations is trapping. This is true for a couple of reasons. One is that you know immediately what your success rate is. The other is that the dead are easily found and removed, before any odor can develop.

There are a lot of traps on the market these days but the old fashioned, snap trap is still the simplest and best. And mass trapping is the best technique, especially with heavy to severe infestations.

The rule of thumb for how many traps you use is generally twice as many traps as you think there are mice. Don’t be stingy. The more traps, the more chances you have for success.

Use the most traps in the areas of highest activity. These areas can be identified by the large numbers of droppings. They are usually near regular nesting and feeding sites. Traps should also be placed in the active run areas where mice regularly travel.

Mice have poor vision and use surfaces, such as walls, to find their way around their environment. Place traps perpendicular to these surfaces. Orient them so that the bait pedestal is nearest to the wall, since this is most likely where the mouse will be travelling and be most apt to find the bait. It also takes advantage of the mouse being in the target area as the bail snaps (toward the surface). Place 3 or more traps next to one another so mice can’t just jump over them.

Mice are generally curious about changes in their environments and will investigate them almost immediately. This gives you the advantage when you first place the traps and gives you additional advantages when you move them around. Most experts recommend varying the placement of traps at weekly intervals, within the active areas, to keep the mice interested. You may also wish to leave the traps unbaited and unset for a few days after a week or two, then begin using them again. This can be helpful if the mice have narrowly escaped being caught and have become trap shy.

Contrary to the popular notion, mice aren’t really very fond of cheese. They do like dried fruits, nuts and will, sometimes, go for meat. Raisins and Craisins are a good choice, because they are attractive to mice and are easy to skewer with the bait holder. They hold pretty firmly to the pedestal, making them more difficult to remove, thus increasing the chances that the trap will be triggered. It is sometimes helpful to smear a little peanut butter on the bait to increase its attractiveness. Mice are also attracted to nesting materials so cotton balls or fabrics may also work as bait. Don’t be afraid to mix and match all of these baits to see what works best in your situation.

If, after following these steps, you still have a problem with mice try calling a professional to assist in locating additional access points, identifying more areas of activity and conducting a professional trapping program. The technician will have more knowledge, a wide range of experience and be better equipped to accomplish the task successfully.

NPMA’s Missy Henrickson Appears on the Today Show, Talks about Bed Bugs

Harry Case — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:40:07 +0000

Headline news:

National Pest Management Association’s Missy Henriksen Appears on NBC Today Show Bed Bug Segment

7/29/2010

The bed bug problem is far more widespread than most people realize. According to some experts, it has reached epidemic proportions. This Video contains valuable information

Dengue Fever and Other Diseases May Increase as We “Go Green”

Harry Case — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:51:07 +0000

Adult Mosquito

In my research on various pest problems throughout the United States and the world I ran across this article:

DEERFIELD, Ill., July 27 /PRNewswire/ — Several cases of dengue fever, a potentially fatal viral disease transmitted by the bite of urban dwelling Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, have recently been reported in the continental United States. Prevalent in Central America and the Caribbean, dengue fever’s most common symptoms include fever, chills, headache, and body aches lasting several days. The disease’s more threatening form, dengue hemorrhagic fever, can cause internal bleeding, loss of blood pressure, and death. Over the past five years, outbreaks of both forms of the disease have been reported in Texas and Florida… You can read the full article by clicking here

According to this article Dengue Fever, Spread by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes is back in the United States. One of the two forms, Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever is life threatening. The re-emergence of this disease in the US underscores the concerns of many people in the pest control industry who believe that the rush toward banning chemical sprays before truly efficacious, “natural” pest control methods are fully developed and completely tested, could already be causing real harm.

In another article Posted: 07.27.2010 at 10:29 PM at ConnectMidMichigan.com, by Jessica Harthorn, entitled, “Mosquito tax dividing Grand Blanc Township,” some folks in this Michigan community welcome chemical spraying to control mosquitoes (which can be carriers of West Nile Virus) while others fear the potential, long-term consequences of using such measures. Their concerns echo those of significant numbers of ordinary citizens, scientists and researchers who view chemical treatments as a threat to human health.

So, let me see if I understand the logic here…the immediate danger posed by West Nile Virus, Dengue Fever and Hemmoraghic Dengue Fever, are preferable to chemicals, which are proven to lower the incidence of such dangerous infections, but may possibly affect some people sometime in the future? If this is true, ladies and gentlemen, common sense has left the building!

According to a licensed pest control advisor of my acquaintance, insects and the diseases they spread are part of the normal and natural state of homonids throughout history. It is only over the last few decades that we have, through scientifice advancement and the use of chemical controls, altered that state and have gained control of common pests and diseases. I concur with his opinion. To quote my friend directly, “Now that the availability of chemical control tools is being minimized are we seeing the very beginning of a return to normalcy. I predict that there will be a drastic increase in other pest related problems, and diseases as well, if the trend continues. It’s about choice people, going “green” does have a down side as well!”

It is this authors opinion that we need to employ a little common sense, as we move forward. Lets keep using the chemical controls that have served us so well and saved so many lives, until on-going research provides us with better alternatives that actually work as well as or better than current methods. That is unless we wish to return to the ” natural and normal” state of humanity.

Thousands Of Yellow Jackets Found In West Deer Home

Harry Case — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:15:37 +0000

Yellow Jacket, Photo used by permission.

Yellow-jackets are nothing to play with. This father was smart to call a professional.

The article was posted at WXPI.com: 4:38 pm EDT July 22, 2010Updated: 7:10 pm EDT July 22, 2010

Thousands Of Yellow Jackets Found In West Deer Home

CBS News, “The Early Show” Features Bed Bugs

Harry Case — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:23:08 +0000

This video From CBS News’ “The Early Show,” illustrates the extent of the problem in the United States.

Bed Bug Adult

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