Killing dead roaches/it’s that time of year

Posted on November 3, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

Cooler weather tends to drive all kinds of bugs inside our homes. Because bugs are not warm blooded animals and roaches in particular are very sensitive to the air around them this only makes sense. Add to this our open doors and windows or the heat being cranked up and the bugs that were once happy to be outside want to continue their pursuit of happiness inside our homes.

Typically this time of year big roaches move in and aren’t really that inconspicuous. Even folks with regular pest control service often find a behemoth roach high on a wall or scurrying on the kitchen floor. One might think that because of their size they would be slow moving only to be shocked at their speed when dodging your best stomp moves. At times you might see more than one but so often it’s just the same one that eluded you earlier just coming back out thinking the coast is clear.
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Weird roach facts

Posted on November 2, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

headless player pestcemetery.comHave you ever heard that one before? It’s been around for awhile and although estimates vary from 9 days to a month most agree that 14 days is the average time a roach could live without its head. Oh and by the way, that headless roach won’t die because he lost his noggin. He dies because of starvation.
(Click the pic to enlarge)

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3 easy steps to keep bed bugs off your bed

Posted on October 30, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

One of the most prevalent pests in America today if not the world is the bed bug. It’s been around for ever it seems but was reduced to just a cliche after centuries of tormenting mankind. There are so many different treatments now for this new surge and everyone claims to have the edge over the other. We have freeze guns, heat treatments, sprays, powders, specialty vacuums and the list grows with everyday the infestations spread.

There is a couple sure fire methods that any do it yourself pest controller can use and I’m surprised that not more do. Ok, it won’t rid you of every bug in the room so you should expect to treat for them. This recipe however uses very little chemical and should allow you to sleep in your bed without getting bitten.
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Posted in Bed Bugs | 6 Comments

Which bug would make you freak if you found it in your home?

Posted on October 29, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

The earwig has gotten by far the most questions and comments on pestcemetery.com but not far behind is the roach and the millipede. Recently I posted this question on www.sodahead.com and got some interesting results. Voice your opinion and let us know here or on soda head what it is that would freak you out.

Vote Below

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Posted in In my opinion | 2 Comments

It’s raining roaches

Posted on October 27, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

I thought you might enjoy this, I know I did. This guy might want to read my article on Bug a phobia.

Posted in Roaches | 7 Comments

Sexy exterminators kill more german roaches

Posted on October 26, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

Can you imagine the door bell ringing and you open up to a beautiful woman in a bikini with a sprayer and a tool belt?

While that business model might work for a burger and wing house I’m not sure it would be real effective in the pest control industry. Still. sex just might be the best weapon against roaches since this age old fight began. Researchers at Cornell and North Carolina State Universities have developed a pheromone that so closely mimics the female german cockroaches mating lure that the males ran to the spot in less than 9 seconds of it being placed. Even starving roaches passed on peanut butter in their paths to get the alluring scent in hopes of, well you know.

Pheromones are nothing new but unlocking the german roach sexual lure has been a mystery for many years. Isolating the gland took more than 15,000 samples and tests to get the male reaction for the exact pheromone. Disembodied male antenna were used, hooked to a wire and connected to a machine that could detect the reaction. I wonder what these scientist do for fun?
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Why are there ladybugs on my windowsill?

Posted on October 23, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

Ladybugs are generally thought of as being lucky. Apparently this came about from gardeners who had bugs such as aphids, scale or whiteflies eating their plants but as soon as the ladybug showed up they knew help had arrived. It is said that if a ladybug lands on your finger one wish will be granted or if one flies into your bedroom this too will bring good luck.

With over 5000 different species worldwide the ladybug is almost universally thought of as beneficial. 450 species are found in North America and come in a wide variety of colors and arrangement of markings. The classic red with black spots is what most people think of when speaking of ladybugs but some have no markings at all and even entomologists have trouble identifying the different kinds or figuring out the beetles that closely resemble them but are in fact not ladybugs.
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A wood rotten lady

Posted on October 22, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

Several years ago I was called out to do a wdo inspection for a real estate purchase. There was no realtor involved and I was to meet the prospective buyer at the home. Upon arrival I was met by a sweet elderly woman and I could tell she was quite anxious about the home and it’s condition. She had already had the home inspector out and all that stood in the way of her and the keys to this quaint little home was me and my inspection results.

I’m used to people following me in my job and asking questions as I go but this lady did a little more than most. She pointed out almost every dimple in the wall paper or scratch on the baseboard and wanted a full explanation of why it wasn’t a termite or some other wood destroying bug. We went from room to room and this small 2 bedroom home seemed more like a 10,000 square foot mansion with each step. If there was a dent in the wood or some seam with a little dust in the crack she would practically push me to the side so she could take a closer look.

“What could have caused that?” she’d ask in somewhat of a suspicious tone and her look of disappointment and mistrust each time I told her it wasn’t bug related was beginning unnerve me.

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Bee sting therapy – life on the edge?

Posted on October 20, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

Do you know how many bee stings it takes to kill an average human being? The answer is 10 stings per pound of body weight. In other words a person who weighs 150 pounds would need 1500 stings to get enough venom for it to be lethal.

How about someone who is allergic? The answer; as little as one sting can send an allergic person into anaphalactic shock which can cause your airways to restrict and possible suffocation till death.

Still there are some who propose using a bees sting also known as apitherapy to relieve symptoms to such diseases as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, tendonitis, and fibromyalgia. Greek and South Korean researchers have determined that bee venom which contains melittin, slows interluken-1 which is a compound that when increased in the body produces pain and swelling caused by arthritis. Of course they used the unlucky lab rats for this conclusion but as far as hard facts that’s about as good as it gets. No conclusive proof or testing has been produced to show any benefit for the other diseases listed. Research as far back as 1941 came up inconclusive and even as recent as 2005 when a small scale ‘human’ test was conducted;
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Posted in Bees and wasps | Tagged | 4 Comments

The Brown Recluse bite; watch if you dare

Posted on October 18, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

Almost everybody who’s ever been bitten by a spider will adamantly tell you it was a brown recluse. They describe the ulcer type wound and speak of the painful months that it took to heal and how at one point they could actually see the bone. Now I really don’t want to doubt anyone and I am not a Doctor who diagnosis’s wounds but at least in my state of Florida these claims are hard to believe. You see, in the last century there has only been 6 confirmed brown recluse bites in the sunshine state. Part of the reason is that they are not native to Florida and although the recluse is at times a hunting spider they prefer to stay hidden in a web spun home usually in a undisturbed area.

In other areas where the recluse is common there are definitely confirmed bites but there are also many misdiagnosis as well. The yellow sac spider is a very common arachnid whose bite wounds are very similar to the recluse and so in many cases this spider is the true culprit but the brown recluse gets the automatic blame.
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Posted in Spiders | 8 Comments

Why fogging fails

Posted on October 16, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

Today I had an account that tried the often futile fogging approach to german roach control. A total of six ‘bombs’ were used in this small 2 bedroom apartment but you’d never know it by the hundreds of happy insects running around.

In normal circumstances I rarely fog but the place was empty and german roaches were everywhere and I couldn’t spray the ceiling and walls without making a mess and going against the product label. Most pest control companies have fog machines which are far superior to any 6 ounce can you can buy and the difference in results spoke for themselves almost immediately.
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Posted in Roaches | 9 Comments

Surprises from the attic/Bugs in your Christmas storage

Posted on October 15, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

Yes it’s getting to be that time of year when homeowners across the country make their annual pilgrimage up into the dark abyss to once again bring down costumes, decorations and those dreaded Christmas lights that by now are a tangled mess. Now some folks don’t use the attic to store these holiday adornments instead opting for their shed but the results are almost always the same and bug companies everywhere will soon be getting the calls for help.

I’m not sure why it comes as a surprise to these people but the horror of finding a dead mouse in their Halloween decor or the Indian corn that has maggots, moths or weevils is almost always a shock. Artificial trees in old beat up cardboard boxes make a great retreat for roaches and the silverfish love the collection of Christmas cards and popcorn strings. Carpet beetles can make lunch out of your favorite wookie suit that you were gonna wear at this years Spooky office party and let’s not forget the funnel weaver spider who has spun her trap on the cardboard handle cutout in the box of Christmas tree balls.
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Open door policy

Posted on October 13, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

Normally an open door policy is a great thing but when you’re talking about keeping insects or vermin out of the house I can’t imagine a worse policy to have. Still there must be some great allure to leaving doors and windows wide open to the world because we see it all the time on our routes. Now I’m not saying you can’t have the windows open on a nice cool day or any day you choose for that matter. But if the screens are missing or in need of repair or you don’t even have a screen door on the front or back then it shouldn’t be a surprise if a bug or two makes it in.

Even though it would seem obvious that a bug could just saunter on in at any time through the open door people still seem amazed when they find a huge roach or spider on the kitchen floor. What’s more incredible is when we get the calls from sometimes angry customers demanding service to remedy the problem and pointing out the obvious is occasionally treading in dangerous waters.
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Posted in Pest proofing series | 1 Comment

Fire ant life raft

Posted on October 8, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

I’d love to say I found this awesome video for you but alas I did not. Pete Grasso from PMP’s blog does a great job on finding all kinds of useful information on anything pest control and I mean anything. He is the managing editor for this national leading magazine and his quick insightful writing is an excellent resource for anyone in the industry. Pete always seems to be in a different city or heading to a conference or meeting so how he finds this stuff is beyond me. Cleveland Ohio is where Mr. Brasso calls home and besides bugs and his magazine his next passion lies with the ups and downs of the Cleveland Browns. I couldn’t help but think that maybe the Browns need to band together like the ant and ride this one out in much the same manner. Having been a Packerconfused Favre pest cemetery.com fan all my life I have seen my share of these same ‘life raft’ years. Now with the whole Favre thing, I’m just in a state of confusion, wonder how the ants would handle that?

I do not believe Pete has been around the industry for 100 years, well at least I never hear him lamenting the downfall of chlordane, but it’s obvious he has a vast network of contacts, colleagues and peers that check in on his view points to get the current pulse of the pest control industry. It’s definitely worth your time to check him out and follow him, if you can keep up, on Facebook or his blog itself.

The following video is about fire ants faced with flood waters and how they deal with this life threatening ordeal. The resiliency of this ant is truly amazing and once you hit play on this video, you’re likely to watch the entire thing in awe of the fire ant. I know I did.

Posted in Ants | 2 Comments

Where Did The Termites Go?

Posted on October 7, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

Unlike the disappearing bees, termites vanish on a regular basis but it has nothing to do with colony collapse disorder or some unexplained phenomenon. The problem with this vanishing act is however that it is an illusion that lulls the unsuspecting homeowner into a sense of relief and even though they don’t know how the trick was pulled off, the termites are gone and so any further control measures are not needed. This usually results in only two things; higher repair bills and having to pay the treatment costs you thought you had avoided.

If you’ve ever held a termite in your hand or tried to pick one up with your fingers you find out quickly that there isn’t much to them. No heavy armor plating, they don’t have a stinger and lacking eyes they really can’t run away from you very well. Sure holding a soldier might get your palm nipped but it barely registers on the pain meter and honestly I’ve probably squished more termites than I’ve ever held even when I try to be so gentle in scooping them up for a closer look. Their bodies are mostly water and the slightest touch just smears them into a slick sugary mess. (sugar is what they convert the wood they eat in to)
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