Do you dream about pest control?

Posted on August 23, 2010 by The Bug Doctor

Ever have a dream where you go to school but you forgot to put on pants? I have and what’s weird is that nobody around me even noticed. How bout one where you’re being chased and whatever it is that’s after you is right on your heels and you just can’t shake it no matter what you do? They say dreams are your unconscious mind working through the problems or even rejoicing in the good that’s occurring in your life but I wonder then, why are they usually so weird? The most frustrating part of dreams for me is that I almost instantly forget them when I wake up unless they are really profound. I have had a few that I still remember and get the same emotions when thinking of them that I dreamt close to 40 years ago. I don’t remember having any problems back then but I’ll never forget those dreams.
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Why do spiders die with their legs curled up?

Posted on August 20, 2010 by The Bug Doctor

I never really paid it much mind before but have you ever noticed that dead spiders (ones not squashed by your shoe that is) die with their legs all curled up underneath them? Just a curiosity and it wasn’t until recently when I was really hitting the books for my A.C.E. certification and an upcoming book I have planned that this fact came to light. What is it that makes them curl up so tightly? I guess while I’m at it I’ll ask and hopefully answer another question and this one too isn’t earth shattering but a simple observation I’ve always seen but never took the time to question. First things first however, let’s take a quick look at spiders legs and see what we can discover.
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Kiss your spider fears goodbye

Posted on August 19, 2010 by The Bug Doctor

Spiders are perhaps one of the most feared creatures on earth. Stories of arachnids abound and the fantastic tales grow each time they are told. From the spider who lived in a woman’s hair for years to the lore of the blood thirsty arachnid actually stalking people whom they would kill and wrap up in huge tombs of web. In reality spiders are almost a non factor when it comes to human activity. Sure you may see them frequently on a orb up by the gutter or have one scamper across the kitchen floor from time to time but the mere fact that there are untold numbers and varieties of this beneficial creature living amongst us and so few encounters ever end up with a problem is fact enough that this loathsome being is nothing to be unduly feared.
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What’s the difference between an Asian and a German…roach?

Posted on August 18, 2010 by The Bug Doctor

The german roach has been around for ever it seems like and is spread worldwide. Scientists have studied the thing ad nauseam which a quick check of any search engine will confirm. We know what it eats, how it lives, where it hides etc. etc. etc. So imagine the frustration of pest control professionals of Florida back in 1986 when suddenly this pest was found outside hanging around your back porch light and it flew like a bird! This went against everything we were taught and the question came up at all the meetings along with horror stories of this new flying german roach invading homes and yards by the tens of thousands. Certainly we were witnessing a mutation or evolution on steroids-no wait this was before Mark McGuire- This roach was the spitting image of the dreaded german roach but it broke every rule that the german roach lived by. Not light adverse, lived outside, could fly, (which germans cannot) and yet for all our questions to the experts we got very few answers.
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Silent signs of pest control

Posted on August 17, 2010 by The Bug Doctor

It’s just another day on my very busy route and I make my way across town to a very large high rise apartment complex. There’s really nothing unique (well almost nothing) about the building itself and the roaches and mice scurry in between the walls back and forth just as they do in any of the other 1000’s of similar buildings I’ve done. I use the same techniques, the same chemicals and struggle with the same challenges of sanitation, exclusion and education I always do but this building in particular was with all it’s similarities, completely different and much more demanding than all of the regular buildings combined.
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The highly mobile carpenter ant

Posted on August 16, 2010 by The Bug Doctor

An interesting observation I’ve had over the years about carpenter ants is that they tend to move nests sites quite a lot. Now if you’re looking for that little blue link where I send you to wiki ant encyclopedia or googles god of all pest control knowledge to back up my claim you might be disappointed. These are simply my observations and conclusions and I’d like to think I have some authority in this field after 25 years. Hey, did you click that link? You know you can’t trust the intranet nowadays, just stick with me, forget that guy.
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Why attached sheds attract termites

Posted on August 13, 2010 by The Bug Doctor

When you think about termites and why they would be attracted to your home you ultimately come up with a list of conducive conditions. Leaking water spigots, cracks in the foundation, stored wood piles right next to the house and the list goes on and on. While it’s great to realize these areas could be a problem and even better to correct them there is an area most people don’t think twice about but one where I find a large percentage of termite activity and damage. Not every home has an attached shed but typically they are on mobile homes or houses with carports. These handy add ons give us space to keep our tools or have the washer and dryer but unfortunately they also give the subterranean termite easy access to the main structure, your home.
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When you’ve got bed bugs there’s not a ‘dry ice’ in the house (bed bug trap)

Posted on August 12, 2010 by The Bug Doctor

How many of you cried when you watched the movie “Old Yeller?” Some stories are just real tear jerkers and you can’t help but feel so connected to the people, pets or events and before you know it, you’re reaching for the tissues. Bed bugs can be like that and boy do they ever connect themselves to you in a big way. Problem is that they just don’t want to leave! People are searching for answers for this epidemic and getting down right desperate. Pest control professionals all over the country are scrambling to keep up with the demand and new techniques and equipment seem to be unveiled on a weekly basis. I found the latest bed bug trap which really caught my eye and the principle behind it is fairly simple.
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Rafter tag and bird control

Posted on August 11, 2010 by The Bug Doctor

I grew up in the good ol state of Iowa and we always lived in very old farm houses with barns, corn cribs and abandoned tractors in the yard. Now we weren’t farmers per se, we just rented the home but we always had a horse or two around and other assorted critters. Since the Wii wasn’t invented yet we had to get a little creative to have fun and rafter tag was an all time favorite which we would play for hours on end or until one of us was bleeding or 1/2 unconscious on the ground. The game was just like ‘tag’ but with a little twist. Our game was played in the rafters of the old rickety barn and NOT touching the ground was the only rule. As you can imagine this made for some dangerous play time and we took some real chances all in the name of not being “it”. I guess this prepared me for my career in pest control because I have definitely had to pull a few olympic moves in some of the work I’ve done. The following is a quick story of my life after rafter tag and bird work.
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3 critical areas forgotten in flea control

Posted on August 10, 2010 by The Bug Doctor

Ok I know if I mention treating the pet or the carpets you’re gonna hit the back button lickidty split because every site says this so I won’t say a word about those two-Deal? Deal. So here’s the scoop on some inside knowledge that bug men have been keeping from you for years (not really) and once you start addressing these spots your flea control is gonna reach a whole new level. These spots are critical in any flea work yet we walk right by them everyday as the fleas hop on our socks and plague our precious pets and we wonder why our bombs and ‘scorched earth’ approach just isn’t working.
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Don’t let your ant inspections go in the tank (Inspection tips)

Posted on August 9, 2010 by The Bug Doctor

In my opinion battles with ants are won or lost before the first ounce of pest control is ever applied. It is in the inspection that you can formulate your plan and see exactly what you’re dealing with and only by taking a few minutes to survey the situation will you ever get ahold of any hard to deal with ant problem.
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If You Build It Pests Will Come

Posted on August 8, 2010 by The Bug Doctor

Moisture attracts bugs, they need it to survive and they are well adapted to finding it anywhere it may be. Unfortunately, our homes attract moisture and offer insects and vermin not only harborage and protection but also this life giving staple. No one can ‘bug proof’ a home 100% to keep every unwanted pest from entering but we can take positive, simple steps to to eliminate the h2o they need which will discourage them from becoming a problem in the first place. The following short video is an explanation of the most common moisture problems I see on a daily basis and a few tips on how you can correct it.
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What do bed bugs look like?

Posted on August 6, 2010 by The Bug Doctor

What do bed bugs look like has been a common question on my Ask The Bug Doctor tab so I thought I’d take a minute and run it down. As much press and talk going around about this nasty creature it’s surprising to me that not a lot of people have seen them. Actually up until recent years not even professional pest control operators knew much about them let alone ever treated for them. Bed bugs use to be a very prevalent pest in America but after the introduction of DDT in the 1940’s they were all but wiped out. They have however made a huge comeback and are now on the verge of becoming the countries #1 pest that ‘we the people’ have to deal with again. So here’s a quick run down of what to look when it comes to bed bugs.
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Having Your ‘Green Cake’ And Eating It Too

Posted on August 5, 2010 by The Bug Doctor

I’m amazed at the amount of hypocrisy in the green movement, specifically when it comes to pest control and pest control products. It seems that any pest control operator better be using organic, natural or environmentally safe products out there or they are demonized as being evil and irresponsible purveyors of death. Oh it doesn’t always come out so crudely in the ad’s but read a few of them and tell me what you think the intent is. Words like TOXIC, DANGEROUS and CANCER fill the precious copy space but then near the bottom we’re all treated to a lovely picture of a green meadow and a can of Earth Soft Ant Repeler, How nice.
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Raise the white flag against the whiteflies

Posted on August 4, 2010 by The Bug Doctor

Normally I don’t do garden or plant pest articles and concentrate solely on house hold pests but these little buggers get me so riled up every couple of years and I just know there are others out there who have been as frustrated as I was. Whiteflies in fact aren’t a true fly but are related to scale and mealy bugs but I purposely put this article in the gnat and fly topic area just to make it easier for people to find. In the end who the heck cares what family they’re in when you’ve got literally hundreds of thousands filling the air seemingly out of nowhere and your plants are wilting? You just want them GONE!
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