Americans love their Raid

As a professional exterminator about the only thing I ask people to keep on hand is a can of Raid. I don’t know why I say Raid, I’m not getting paid by them and me and Mr. Johnson are not fishing buddies. I guess it’s like we say Kleenex when we need a tissue, there are other brands but somehow the word and the product have been forever etched in our minds as the ipso de facto and no other will do. Regardless of why, Americans reach for Raid insect spray far more than any other product and the visible evidence of belly up bugs is hard to argue against.
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Posted in Tools of the trade | 1 Comment

Using water to trap spiders

I’m somewhat amused by the ads for spider traps that I see all over the web. (no pun intended) They claim they are for the brown recluse or the hobo spider and some even go so far as to say they are ‘pre baited.’ I say, “Pre baited with what?” All these traps are is nothing more than a glue board. Is there some factory out there that runs the boards through the glue machine and then just before the packaging dept gets ahold of it they stick a fly or cricket on the pad? What pray tell can you pre bait with?

These companies of course are just playing on your fears and placing a specific name and picture of a dreaded spider on the label probably increases sales. Spiders catch and eat ‘live prey’ and there is no picture of a bug or little plastic ant that you can put on a sticky that will get you any better results than if you just used a plain glue trap and threw it in the middle of the room. In my supply store you can find many things but a spider trap will not be one of them. The product reviews might be a clue as to why;
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Posted in Spiders | 3 Comments

The bug man is the life of the party

If there is one pleasant byproduct of my 26 years in the pest control industry it’s that I’m never without conversation. It doesn’t matter if I’m at the park, doing service in a home or attending a 25 year class reunion where everyone else in the room is searching for common ground on which to chat about. All I have to say is “I do pest control” and the flood gate of words open up and sometimes hours of conversation follow.

Now I have nothing against Doctors or mechanics but how much dialogue can come out of that ice breaker? Doctors are always guarded and don’t want to talk much about their jobs because it always ends up in a full physical examination right their at the buffet. Talking carburetors is nice but after about 5 minutes I’m sure both people would be looking to excuse themselves out of the room. Oh I’m sure you could listen to big game hunter who just returned from an exotic hunting trip but unless you have a Hyaena head mounted above your mantle it would just be a one sided discussion.
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Termites in your foreclosure purchase? Get the bank to pay

Years ago I used to do about 60 pest inspections per month on repossessed homes. The upsides were great for me because if I found any termite activity or other such infestation I almost always got the job no questions asked. The bank obviously couldn’t sell a home with rats running around and at the time (and maybe still) there was a law in Florida that no home could be sold with an infestation of ‘live’ termites.

Then came the housing boom and not only did my inspections drop like a lead balloon but the few I got could be half eaten and the bank wasn’t going to put out a dime. Part of the reason was that H.U.D. put out a memo that suggested certain inspections and services be cut in the interest of speedy sales. The realtors, banks and lending institutions took this to heart and began playing hardball with potential buyers. What they used to customarily pay for they were now pushing onto the buyer. No more termite work was ordered and the rats, well they were your problem if you wanted to get the home.
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Posted in Termites | 5 Comments

I love the smell of Dursban in the morning

For me it seems like just last month I was waking up every morning and scurrying across the still sleeping city of Baltimore on my way to my first of 20 accounts. With my B&G in one hand and my big stainless steel box in the other I would be met at the door by a man with shaving cream on half his face or a woman in her robe and undoing her curlers. “A mouse in the basement and some bugs at the back door” were the instructions I’d get as they quickly walked back to the bedroom to finish getting ready for work. I only had about 20 minutes to get the job done before they’d be pacing by the front door anxious for me to ‘get out’. That was Ok with me because my schedule at that time was on the 1/2 hour and just down the street was another half shaven man expecting me promptly at 6.
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Posted in In my opinion | 9 Comments

The black widow makes a terrible wife and a bad parent

Immature black widow pestcemetery.comIt is a common belief that the black widows gets her name because she eats the male after mating. While it does happen it’s not as often as you would believe but did you know it also occurs in many other spider species? This idea may have come about from lab testing where researchers were studying mating habits and put the spiders in a small controlled tank. The male had little room to escape and I guess the Mrs. just couldn’t help herself. Also it is quite common for a piece of the male to break off after mating as he makes a hasty retreat (he heard the same rumor) and this may have given rise to the notion that the female bites the head off of her mate after mating.
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Posted in Spiders | 4 Comments

The do’s and don’ts of termite shields

Termite Shield: A shield, usually of non-corrodible metal, placed in or on a foundation wall or other mass of masonry or around pipes to prevent passage of termites.

I don’t see many termite shields in my travels and of those houses that do have them, the chances of having termite damage go way down. In recent years companies have come out with modern shields for plumbing pipes in the slab made of durable plastic but little change has been made to the good old fashioned foundation shield itself. Shields are almost always made for homes with crawl spaces but occasionally I’ll find them on slab homes. Sometimes you may see copper but for the most part it’s always galvanized sheet metal that protrudes out over the edge of the foundation or piers, ever standing guard watching and waiting for the ravaging onslaught from the subterranean termite.
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Live Life With No Regrets

My all time favorite quote in life is;

“ON THE SANDS OF HESITATION, LAY THE BONES OF COUNTLESS MILLIONS. WHO AT THE DAWN OF VICTORY Sat down to wait, And waiting—died!”
– Evangeline Wilkes

No regrets pestcemetery.comIn my little way I like to think that pestcemetery is helping people all over the world with their pest control needs. I am just a miniscule amoeba in this great big world wide web but I have a voice and my work matters. On some nights I do not have this attitude as the frustration of writing to an unknown audience takes its toll. Does anybody care? Can anyone hear me? Just about the times when I am lowest I will receive a nice note or a thank you from someone whose question I answered saying their problem was solved or that my writing is something they look forward to. That is my reward for now and that keeps me going. This is not a how to article or a bug article at all but it is dedicated to those who feel this way in whatever endeavor they find themselves in.

The following is a summary of notes from seminars I’ve been to and although the words did not come from me directly, I have made them own. It does not matter if you want to start a business, be a better father or any other worthy undertaking, you need to take action. No one will do it for you but many good hearted people will inadvertently hold you back. Take heart, have hope and take charge.
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Posted in In my opinion | 3 Comments

Why ‘green lights’ work to attract fleas

green light flea trap pestcemetery.comHardly a month goes by where I’m not instructing someone how to build your own flea trap. During the summer it might be 3 or 4 times per day. We tell new customers, current clients and even those phone book lookers calling just to get a price or some free advice. One constant we always mention is the green light bulb. The traps can and do work with other colors but not nearly as effectively and we always get a puzzled look or the phone goes silent for minute and that silence is always followed up by;

“why green?”

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The $3000.00 frog

It’s interesting what motivates people to buy pest control service. In the spring homeowners can’t get to their check books fast enough to stop the swarm of termites coming out of their walls. When large yellow spots on brand new sod appear there is little hesitation to call anybody with a spray gun and when mice droppings by the hundreds are left behind marking a trail of where a furry little critter was all last night the housewife forgets all about her budget and frantically paces back and forth, check in hand, waiting for the bug man to pull in the drive.

check book pestcemetery.comJust this week I had such an encounter and oddly enough it came from a current client; a restaurant that we already service twice per month called our office and asked if it would be alright to start having weekly service and could we just add that to the bill. “Whoa, slow down say that again” I told my secretary when I first heard the news. Normally when we get a call like that it’s because things have gotten out of control or a breakdown in communication has occurred. No one wants extra service unless there is a problem and the extra service they want, they want for free.
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Posted in Tales from the route | 4 Comments

Thoughts from Probestblog’s Blog

probest logo pestcemetery.comThis article is written by Mr. Keith Birkemeyer a pest control professional from Arizona. Keiths writings can be found at Probestblogs blog and is a whirl wind of industry news, tips, pictures and helpful articles. If it’s happening in pest control you’ll find it there. If you happen to live in the area and need service call the Pro Best Pest Management Team where you’ll find his words become action and the people they service seem very happy.
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Posted in Safety | 5 Comments

Is your pest control company”the jack of all trades?”

jack of all trades card pestcemetery.comJust the other day I pulled my bug truck in for some gas and as so often happens another pest control company truck came in around the same time. There was however something different about this truck, something that didn’t quite fit the mold. Along with the big placard on the side that claimed they had the best pest service in town (how dare they say such a thing) was a list of all the other services they provided.

  • Lawn mowing
  • Weeding
  • Mulching
  • Pruning
  • Sod Installation
  • Trimming
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    Posted in Choosing a pest control company | 3 Comments

    Chemically sensitive people and posers

    chemical shopping pestcemetery.comEvery three months I get a notice of every registered ‘chemically sensitive’ person in my state. The list includes what pest control ingredient(s) they are sensitive to and how far away from them I can be before I need to alert them of my treatment. Some are adjacent only while others need to know even if you are a 1/4 mile away. The list is about the same as when I first started receiving them over the years but an unfortunate few are added from time to time. I have no reason to doubt these people because of the consistency of the list and to be honest I feel for anyone who has their quality of life hampered by everyday products that seem so trivial to the rest of us.

    At least 5 times per month however, I’m put on notice from a customer or person who’s in my treatment vicinity that they too, are chemically sensitive but they usually approach things in a whole different way and it’s with these people, I have an entirely different attitude.
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    Gnat Trap Gnat Trap Gnat Trap

    It’s literally harder to say gnat trap 3 times fast than it is to make one. So if you have pesky little gnats let’s give you a weapon to fight back. This trap also works for fruit flies as well so let’s get going.
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    Posted in Flies and Gnats | 12 Comments

    What’s in a bugs name

    You ever wonder how they come up with names for bugs? Usually names for things come from the people who invented or discovered them. For instance; John Crapper has been credited for the, em em, John and while everyone knows what a Ford is, you seldom think there was once a man named Henry who started the whole thing so many years ago.

    With so many kinds of bugs and different species etc. the formula today has to do with latin and may describe the bug by its features. A house fly is actually Musca domestica diptera which literally means fly house two wings. Odd, but it makes sense because only two wings on an insect is quite unusual, most flying bugs have four.
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