Where do you leave your key?

Posted on March 25, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

We in the bug business must be a trusting lot. Is it because of our uniforms with the cute bugs on our pocket? Or you are so busy you just can’t wait around for the service man? Maybe it’s more of a case that you just don’t want to be there when we come through your home spraying for all those nasty bugs. Whatever the case I got to wondering today as I did 3 key accounts and 2 “doors are open” jobs, just where do you leave your key? Do you leave keys for other people as well or is it just the bug man?

I have been in the pest control industry for over 25 years and it’s been this way from day one. My first few days training with my manager, we must have serviced 3 or 4 homes where keys were left for us. I remember how that amazed me and perhaps over the years I’ve forgotten that till today.

Our office has 4 key drawers chock full of keys to houses, sheds, gates and even a boat. We have a large file that is also brimming with gate codes, alarm codes and combinations for the ‘newest craze’ on hide a key devices. I’d like to say I’ve known some of these folks for years and years so that’s why they trust us. The truth is that I haven’t even met some of my customers because they are never home and these people have been with us a long time and happily refer us to friends and neighbors.

Besides the keys we have our daily route sheets almost always have in the note section just where the key is hidden or which door of the home has been left unlocked for us. Some accounts always leave the doors open and we don’t even need the note anymore. People do get pretty inventive as to where they hide their keys but sometimes it’s so obvious that I think any ol ner do well could come by and let himself in.

Some of the weirdest places I’ve had to get keys have been; in decorative ponds or fountains, electric meter boxes, fake rocks (which LOOK fake), dog houses, in unlocked cars, under dog bowls, in barbeque grills, mail boxes, fake sprinler heads, landscape statues, phony thermometers, on dogs collars, flower pots, nooks of trees, under the mat” which is what 95% do and so many more. Like I said some are too obvious and really if you’re going to leave a key you should think about it and maybe consider just giving the office one. In our company we code the keys and they never leave unless being used for service. If God forbid one was lost, nothing on it is identifiable except to us.

Leaving a key does make life so much easier, you don’t need to wait around or rush home and your tech can also breathe a bit easier knowing that if he needs to, he can be a little late or a few minutes early depending on how his day goes without the fear of inconvienencing you. It’s kind of a win win. Over all I’m thankful for the trust but I still have one question.

So, just where do you leave your key?

Posted in Tools of the trade | 2 Comments

No such thing as a ‘termite bond’

Posted on March 25, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

There’s something that just bugs the heck out of me. It’s not earth shattering and if I were king for a day and forgot to change this one thing I wouldn’t be heartbroken; that being said I wish that people would stop calling a termite guarantee a termite bond!
A bond is referred to as a binding contract of course but it is money that is set aside (or partial monies in some cases) for a specific person or contract. In other words if I go to jail and you put up a bail or a bond, that money is set aside specifically for my circumstance and no other. If I was a really bad person and had to go to jail again you would have to put up more money for that situation but you’d still be on the hook for the first bond as well. Am I making sense? Good thing I’m only king for a day.

In the termite business I could never be able to put up a ‘bond’ for every specific customer. I’d go broke, instead I pay insurance and all of my customers fall under one blanket policy and it’s just one price. Each year as I add or subtract customers the price may fluctuate and I do have a deductible I have to meet in the event of a claim but there is no specific money set aside for your house alone.

In many states the agencies that regulate termite and pest control are getting pretty sticky about the language we use in our advertising and on our contracts. For instance if we use the word guarantee, it must be accompanied by the words full or limited. These words have to be in bold type and prominently placed on the front of the contract. The word bond is not used in any regulatory agency that I know of but I see it quite a bit in ads by pest companies and customers often refer to it when asking about termite contracts.

Well like I said it is not going to change the world if you start calling it a termite guarantee instead of a bond; but if I were in need of a bond to help me out in a bad situation, do you mind if I call you?

Posted in Termites | 2 Comments

The pitfalls of 3 bids

Posted on March 24, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

As a consumer most people think it wise to get at least 3 bids or estimates when looking to hire a service for your home. I tend to think so too. I’ve been at both sides of this and maybe I can offer you my vantage point.

There are some unintended consequences that can come along with this approach and I see them quite frequently. Hopefully this writing will help you avoid these pitfalls and allow you to make the best possible choice when choosing a pest control company.

Over lapping appointments

If you’re like me you’ll want to schedule your estimates all in one day to get them over with so you can make a decision. The problem is if you schedule on the hour you may run into one salesman running long with his presentation or the 2nd guy’s early. There are a number of combinations of this happening but in the end you get one guy waiting in the driveway while the other is at your kitchen table. This is an uncomfortable situation usually and it may skew the salesman’s pitch. It also lends to it being a popularity contest and you may overlook some key points that salesman ‘A’ has because “he wasn’t as friendly as salesman ‘B”. I guess that’s a prime motivator anyways when choosing a company but having the parade of inspectors in and out magnifies it somewhat which may not be fair. One solution would be to try and have them schedule their appointments further apart. This will also give you time in between to digest some of what you’ve heard.

Get it in writing

That’s a phrase that is really cliché I know but it is very important. Written quotes or contracts are a must when comparing companies because you’re not depending on your memory. Believe me after you have 3 pest control sales people in one day you’re going to be swimming in facts and figures you never thought were possible about bugs. What usually happens is that salesman ‘A’ says he’ll treat the attic but ‘B’ never did and if you choose ‘B’ thinking he will as well you may be suddenly disappointed. This is probably the biggest pitfall of the 3 bids so have them write it out and you should also take notes on a separate piece of paper for each. One way which is really clear cut is to have the inspector draw up a graph. Every bug man knows what this is and few use it very effectively. It’s a pain to sketch up a small drawing with notes apparently but if you insist on it, they will.

Read what’s already written

You’re about to enter into a legally binding contract and you must read what the company has to say. The sales personnel may say one thing but the contract may be completely different. If worse comes to worse and you end up with litigation the fine print may be the difference between you and a favorable outcome, regardless of what they told you. You may not have the time to read it while he’s there but since you didn’t overbook you’ll have all that you need when he leaves.

Use your resources

I have a lot of Medical Doctors as customers and most hate Web MD. The reason is that people come into them and have already made their diagnosis and prescribed their medicines already. This is frustrating and the Doctors claim the patients are usually wrong anyway. Regardless, it does keep them on their toes and the same is true for us bug doctors. Use the internet to verify any information you think sounded a bit outlandish. For example if salesman ‘A’ said termites can eat through concretehowever salesman ‘B’ said they could not; you would at least have a un biased third party of sorts to try and help you find the answer. At the same time however, the web may not always be reliable so check out at least a couple sources. The two links above illustrate this point. One says no but he other (which was a weird read) says yes. The ‘yes’ answer was on page 13 or so of Google and 99% of the others said definitely not so logic would help out a bit here.

Compare

Now that the last one has left, assuming you haven’t signed with anyone. Sit down with all 3 presentations and see which one will suit you best. With whatever you decide your choice should now be an informed one that you can honestly say you’ve done your due diligence and hopefully you’ll have avoided the pitfalls of the 3 bid system.

Posted in Choosing a pest control company | 1 Comment

Termite work can be messy

Posted on March 22, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

It’s rare in pest control to get a nice letter; our job involves mess and dead disgusting bugs. So much so that Mike Rowe of “Dirty Jobs” did a whole episode on pest control. I remember when I was first starting out in this career that our branch manager posted a kind letter from a happy customer. One phrase struck me as odd and it has been with me ever since.

“our termite man was very professional and he even swept up all the dirt when he was done with the job.”

Being new I had no idea what a termite job entailed but my first thought was “what a sloppy guy, if he has to make such a mess.” I never had to use a broom or clean up. This guy gets a nice letter for that?

Since then I’ve done thousands of termite jobs and let’s just say, I see the light. I spend almost as much time preparing and then cleaning and putting things back as I do actually treating the home.

A termite job means you need to treat access points which are usually along foundation walls. To get to those points you normally have to move a ton of furniture,(for basement homes) roll back carpets or cut out small circles where you intend to drill, Cut any bath traps in drywall on the backside of plumbing areas, dig a 6 inch trench all around the home (deeper in some areas), chip excess stucco from the base of the home also all around. With that done you can begin drilling. In basements and on attached outdoor slabs you use a hammer drill for a 1/4 inch hole every 12 to 16 inches. If the home is of hollow block construction then each brick void needs to be treated as well so you drill each block,twice.That’s a lot of holes, a ‘full drill’ job could take over 200. Now you can begin to spray which is really what you’ve been hired to do.

Spraying is probably the longest part of the job because you use low pressure to keep the mess to a minimum. (Fat chance) As you drag your hose along it bends bushes and knocks over your ‘winkle bottom’ statue and perhaps up roots a few small plants. Vertical treating is especially messy because even though you drilled to the soil through the slab, there’s no guarantee that it will take. In other words many holes spit the liquid back up and out as fast as you can spray it in. There are techniques to minimize this but it happens just about on every job. So with treating you do create a small puddle or two. Flooding the trench is quick and painless but the most experienced termite guys tell you to ‘make it like soup’. So you can imagine that might create a bit of a mess.

Ok so the treating is done; now you need to patch all those holes with cement, I have yet to find a tool or applicator that cleans this process up. You need to sweep up the drill dust first and then mix up a small bucket of cement and patch them with your hands. The end result is a home that looks like someone shot at with a machine gun as they were driving by. If you cut carpet or tile each patch needs to be glued back down. This hardly ever looks as good as new but a skilled tech can come pretty close. Now back with the furniture, how did it go? Assuming you didn’t dent any lamp shades a room can look relatively unscathed in this regard.

There’s no way to unbend a bush or tape up a flower stem and the trench even with the dirt back in place still stands out especially if rock or mulch was involved.

Overall a termite job is not a pleasant experience and your home may receive some nicks but in the end with a little tlc it can be touched up and back to normal minus the hungry termites who wanted to make even more of a mess for you.

Posted in Termites | Tagged | Leave a comment

Planning a trip?

Posted on March 21, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

May I suggest Blenheim New Zealand? It’s beautiful this time of year; It’s a sunny climate, perfect for wine growing, spectacular mountains, beautiful farms and a great plague of roaches. What’s not to like?

What could be better than staying in a villa overlooking the valley below and having German roaches in your bed? You’ll enjoy every moment as you walk through large wine presses in your bare feet feeling the squish squish of baby roaches in your toes. Enjoy lunch at a beautiful sidewalk cafe while sharing your sandwich with these winged wonders of nature.

Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. Take the trip that you’ll remember for years to come;

Roach plagued New Zealand awaits.
Travel accommodations provided by Palmetto airways and flight patterns subject to change, certain label restrictions apply;

Posted in Pests in the news | Leave a comment

The truth about pretreats for termites

Posted on March 19, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

Well here I go; I’ll probably get in trouble from this one. Maybe I should post this under an assumed name on a different blog:

Pretreating is suppose to be for the consumers protection against the ravages of the subterranean termite, instead it’s a huge money making scheme for the termite company.

Well too late now, I better explain myself.

A pretreat really is the best chance a home has of staying termite free for years and years. There is nothing in the way, no slabs to drill, no roots to try and trench through and the technician can actually see where he’s applying his product on 100% of the job. What really happens however is that a weak solution is either sloshed around or lightly sprayed in an uneven pattern and as soon as it’s applied the construction crew begins walking all over the treated soil punching holes in the barrier with their boots.

Well, that’s the end result let’s look at how we got there. To pretreat there are many rules on the label one must follow to be in compliance. The label is the law. This is the first step down; the labels of almost all pretreat products call for a 1% solution to be applied at a rate of 4 gallons per 10 square feet. Let’s take a 2000 square foot home as our example.

2000 / 10 = 200 (200 10 foot squares that require 1 gallon each)
200 * 1 = 200 (200 total gallons of mix to treat the entire 2000 square feet)

It’s obvious that in order for any company to properly do a pretreat job for this home you would need a huge truck, that’s # 1. Secondly, I believe most foundation work at this stage would be washed away with so much liquid being applied, and lastly the cost of doing a job this size would be a lot higher than the .09 cents per square foot that most companies bid them out at.

That’s right, I said .09 cents. I don’t do pretreat work not because I don’t want to but because I can’t match anybodies price in town. Let’s do some more math;

Also not included is the ‘final grade’ treatment(required by the label) which is done after the shell is up and just before landscaping is put in. That is 4 gallons of mix per 10 linear feet around the home. That should add to the cost but you rarely hear about it. Or should I say the consumer is quite often surprised by the extra bill if the company comes back.

I almost forgot the most important part, profit, companies need to make a profit to stay in business, don’t they? I’m not sure how they can at .09 cents.

I realize there are different business models out there such as volume selling but this is a bit overboard to say the least. I also realize that ‘mega’ companies such as Terminix or Orkin can buy products a lot cheaper than smaller companies. But try this for yourself if you don’t believe me. Call the number 1 and number 2 companies in the world and see if you can get a phone quote for a pretreat. They’ll usually do it because it’s not a situation they want to send a salesman out on. I’d venture to say you’ll get a price of .25 to .30 cents per square foot. Why? Well I’ll let them answer that but I can assure you they are successful because they do most things right, and to do it right requires getting the right price to make a profit.

So why are companies selling so low and just how do they make a profit? The why is that they now have you as a customer and if they get in with a builder that could mean a lot of customers. It’s automatic, you contract to have a house built, and the builder has chosen the lowest bid for just about everything including the termite company. You didn’t pick them, they didn’t have to advertise and wella, you belong to them. Now that they have your name and address it’s only logical that they send you brochures on the other services they offer.

The how is where I break from their business plan. They have either got to take a 100% loss the first year hoping to make it up with other sales or they may be tempted to use less product than is required and make at least a small margin right off. Either way, I want no part of that or most consumers wouldn’t either I’m sure if they knew the details.

Regardless of the method and assuming the company stays around, the 2nd year is a complete turnaround from red ink to black. Most if not all states require a company to give a 5 year guarantee with pretreats at one year increments. That means next year you get a bill in the mail to renew a termite contract you might not even know you had from a company you didn’t know existed. This bill is usually around the same price as the original pretreat cost so from our example that would be $ 180.00. The kicker?, remember I said the label is the law, and by that same label they are not allowed to spray any more chemical unless they find due cause. So now the company sends out a pest control technician who inspects the home (5 minute inspection/20 minutes of selling) and his job is to sell you the other services they offer assuming you didn’t respond to their mailers. At the end of the state mandated 5 years this company is now released from their obligation and can either choose to sell you a whole new job or walk away. The ‘new’ jobs vary in price but can be quite steep because now they have to do the drilling and trenching of the standard termite job.

So there you have the scoop and I am aware that not all companies operate this way but, ask yourself if saving a few cents is worth all the potential pitfalls. If .09 or .10 cents were the norm why aren’t all companies doing it? At the risk of sounding rude, ‘Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish.’

Posted in Termites | Tagged | 2 Comments

Star Wars for mosquitoes

Posted on March 17, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

The dreaded mosquito; man has devised all sorts of ways to rid himself of this plague.

sprays
Lotions
Creams
Netted clothing
Vapors
Foggers
Dunks
Aerial sprays
Sonic sound waves
Truck mounted rigs
Biologic controls
Tablets

The list goeson and on but now introducing, The mosquito laser. It’s true my friends and it’s being funded by none other than the richest man in the world, Bill Gates. As part of an effort to wipe out mosquito borne disease ongoing research is being done on the use of laser technology to shoot down the winged blood sucker.

Apparently the laser targets the sound of the mosquito’s wings and fires off a shot lopping off both wings. That’s a neat trick. The research has not addressed the fact that only the female mosquito bites so millions of male mosquitoes will die needlessly. I’m sure P.E.T.A. will be thrilled.
I applaud this effort and am excited to see if this comes to full fruition. While the world of insects is an amazing to behold, the strides mankind has made in the last 100 years in the pest control field is equally as stunning.
I wonder however if it’ll make it all the way? What kinds of problems could a laser pose? Would it stop as soon as it hit? Or would it continue to a harder target? Would these be sold to the public and if so how safe would that be? Tell us what you think it would be like and what problems you see.

Posted in Pests in the news | Leave a comment

Carpenter Bees

Posted on March 17, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

It’s that time of year where bees begin to buzz and phones begin to ring. Carpenter bees are waking up and looking to do what they’ve been doing for thousands of years.

The Carpenter bee is a solitary bee that is basically harmless to you and I. Try telling that to the upset homeowner who is being dive bombed by 15 or 20 of them around her back deck. Although they are not part of a colony they are all attracted to the same exposed wood so it’s not uncommon to find several dozen of them competing for their stake in eave or section of your wood siding. The heavy bee also produces a menacing buzz when she flies which usually sends the Mrs. into a panic.

The male Carpenter bee has no stinger but the female does, she’s not known to bite or sting unless caught in clothing, your hair or your hand trying to swat them. This big bee is simply drilling out a hole where she can lay her eggs and deposit food for the next generation.

The hole drilled is ‘perfect’ by any carpenters standard. Sometimes called the drilling bee she prefers drilling vertically from under the wood but will go right into the side as well. The hole almost always goes with the grain and may extend about 11 inches. I’ve seen some boards so riddled with Carpenter bee caverns that they literally fall apart with the touch.

The Carpenter bee resembles the Bumble bee which is aggressive and will sting with less provocation. Both bees have yellow and black markings but the carpenter bees abdomen is shiny black and appears hairless. The Bumble bee is noticeably hairy all over.

The Carpenter bee over winters in abandoned holes only to come out in the spring to complete the life cycle. Using balls of pollen to feed the larva they are considered beneficial. Well if you don’t count the 11 inch hole in your deck awning.

Although painted or sealed woods are less desirable they can chew right through it and since they don’t eat the wood, Cedar which is naturally a pest deterrent has no effect. To control the bees you can treat the exposed timber with borate such as Timbor. The bee still will begin to drill but die soon after. Most times control methods come after the bee is through the surface and into the heart of the board where your borate won’t reach. At this time it will be necessary to use an aerosol or dust and treat the cavity. This can be done with an injector tip. Be careful however because she may be inside working and come out hopping mad if you don’t get in a good shot.

For the bees undoubtedly buzzing around you at this time you should do nothing. I say this because they are very unlikely to sting unless aggravated and being that they are very skilled fliers you won’t get in a clean whack and they will begin to defend their ‘stake.’ Just keep your mind on the hole you’re treating and move away when done. Later you should come back and seal the hole with putty or wooden plug.

For next year’s invasion and they will come, treat the wood with the borates and you shouldn’t have to endure this nerve racking process.

If for any reason you feel this is too much, just call in a pro, they know what to do and can at least provide some relief and then come back later to set you up for next year’s drilling party.

Check Out This Awesome Homemade Trap That Helps Eliminate This Bee
Posted in Bees and wasps | 12 Comments

Can Fruit flies cure cancer?

Posted on March 16, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

Scientist descend upon Chicago this month with a spring in their steps. Promising new research could unlock crucial information and possibly lead to a cure of such debilitating diseases such as cancer, autism, genetic disorders and more.

What’s different about the studies is that it doesn’t involve rats or mice, no this breakthrough could come via the bothersome Fruit fly. The same fly that buzzes your mouth and nose and is so annoying when it’s in your home could hold the keys to a healthier life for us all. Genetic testing has been going on with the Fruit fly for about 100 years now but recent advances in DNA research has got these scientists, well, buzzing!

So the next time you have one of these little guys swooping down to get a taste of your oatmeal or bouncing off your computer screen, maybe just this once, give him a break.

Posted in Flies and Gnats | Tagged | 6 Comments

Exterior chemical barriers: pest proofing part 4

Posted on March 15, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

We have discussed quite a number of things and I hope it’s given you some insight on how insects enter our homes. I realize this isn’t a complete work on the subject and there may be other ways to exclude pests but if we tackle just these few and minimize them as entry points we can all live as bug free as possible.

The final aspect of pest proofing is the one almost everyone turns to right away. The first time you see a roach, it’s quick to the cabinet and out with the raid. Blast him and all is good. A mouse scurries across the floor and the D-Con box gets put into place in between 15 snap traps drooling with peanut butter. While quick action is sometimes needed it is often unnecessary if you take the time to ‘proof’ the home before this occurs. Once all the other steps have been taken a good exterior treatment may reduce inside spraying to a bare minimum.

Chemical barriers can be quite effective in sealing up the home in that they kill, reroute or repel the pests on the outside before they come in. Well placed treatments can make up for areas they can’t be sealed completely such as garage doors, under decks or tiny unseen cracks. Treatments can also extend out further than the house to the source itself like a fire ant mound in the yard or a Box elder tree that would be too costly to cut down. The flexibility of a chemical barrier is only limited by your knowledge and of course the label on the product you are using. Take time to be familiar with both and your barrier will be very efficient.

There are many products you can use and I’ll suggest a few as we go along, for now let’s use for categories to work from and see how each compliments the other.

Liquid residual sprays

One of the easiest barriers to place and quite versatile liquid barriers are a mainstay of your exterior treatment. Care should be taken to wear the proper PPE (personal protective equipment) when spraying however and I can’t stress this enough. You’ll wish you had a mask and eyewear the first time the wind kicks some back in your face believe me. Hand pump sprayers can work for you but a back pack sprayer will be far superior. It usually can shoot the higher parts such as peaks of eaves a lot easier and you won’t wear out your arm pumping it up every few feet. Set the sprayer on the finest pin stream you can get and you are ready to go.
I like to think of myself as an artist when using any sprayer. Quirky? Yes but I hate being sloppy and it helps me to be more thorough and that’s what you want to be. Start at the garage (there’s a reason for that) and treat around frame work, the eave line above and the expansion joint in the cement where the drive meets the garage floor. I almost always treat inside the garage on exterior treatments and any screen porches or attached sheds for that matter so move in and spray the garage before continuing.

Now start around the home moving from left to right. Spray the eaves along the top of the walls. Be in front of the spray as best you can so any drift falls away from you. Treat around any window frames, doors, water spickets, cable portals, shutters etc. You can spray the base of the home using the pin stream but it’s not going to be real effective. I recommend you place the sprayer on fan or cone spray when done and walk back around the opposite way and do the 1 and 1 rule. One foot up on the house and one foot out. Going the opposite direction may allow you to see things at another angle that you possibly have missed. When you get back to the garage (if you have one) retreat the door frame areas one more time. This by far is the largest opening any home will have and so a second go round may serve you well.

Granule Barrier

This is a simple process and it gives you a nice fresh barrier every time it rains or the sprinkler comes on. Most granule insect ides come in ready containers so you simply walk and shake. The granules work best in the soil areas around your house and I hardly ever put granules on cement. It’s too easy for a dog or child to come in contact with them and they get displaced to unwanted areas when you mow, sweep or use a leaf blower. A 2 to 3 foot wide placement is fine and this process is done.

Granular Baiting

Much the same as granular insecticides they are available in shaker containers. Place the bait also in a 2 to 3 foot swath all around the home on the soil or grassy areas. I wouldn’t be too concerned about the baits being contaminated by the granules or even by the 1 foot spray barrier. Some might be but very little, they’ll be enough that lands in optimum places where hungry bugs can find it and take their last meal. I always shake a bit more at entry points like the dryer vent, a/c drip lines and on each side of the garage door.

Dusting

This final step is an excellent way seal the home using a chemical barrier but one seldom used, even by the pros. It would be best to have a ‘Puff or bellow duster’ discussed in the How to kill bugs using dusts article. Many of the same techniques used for inside dusting apply here as well but if all you have is the store bought squeeze bottle you’ll do fine. Assuming you have caulked and sealed all the entry points such as cable portals etc. let’s go around the house to see what else could use this barrier. I usually dust in the louvers of shutters (even though I sprayed), weep holes of any brick veneer, voids behind trim boards, pool deck drains, under wood decks in between the boards and any other areas I can find. Even if you have sprayed a void with the liquid do it again with the dust. Liquid runs to the lowest point where dust will fill and coat a void giving you maximum protection. Dusts as a general rule will last months and months so you won’t need but a couple applications per year.

Products to use

For liquid spraying I like to use Bifen I/T, or any pyrethrum. These have long residuals and ‘flush’ the bugs out by agitating them when you first treat. My choice of granule is almost always Talstar PL, it’s a sand type material and hides nicely in the treated area and if need be it’s the only type I might shake onto a cemented area. For baits you can’t go wrong with Niban Granular. It’s labeled for a lot of the major insects you will face and it is somewhat water resistant. Dusting with Delta dust or Drione is your best choice in my opinion because both are light so you don’t use to much for greatest effect and do not clog. Delta is also water resistant while Drione is not.

There you have your final barrier and now insects should be something you see on the Discovery channel and not in your home. Depending on your area of the world or your immediate surroundings you will need to repeat the treatment a few times per year. So now that you have put all your chosen pest products away safely let’s go see what’s on TV.

Posted in Pest proofing series | Tagged | 4 Comments

Tubes in the wall

Posted on March 12, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

How many of you would like to have inside pest control without having the service man ever coming inside? No more rushing home at lunch to meet the tech. You wouldn’t need to leave the key in a flower pot or under the mat. Your home would still receive a professional, even treatment without all the hassle. For many, this is a valuable service that they had built right into the home.

Tubes in the wall have been available for some 10 years now, maybe longer and it is recently becoming more popular. Realtors include it in the listing when marketing a home, building contractors actually advertise it as a feature product much the same as thermal windows or appliance upgrades and more importantly people are asking for it by name when searching for a place to live.

One caveat is that it must be ‘built’ into the home during original construction. Installing the system on an existing home is very costly and unless you were gutting the house to remodel it would not be worth it. Tube systems consist of very small plastic tubes that run through the walls to all the control points such as around plumbing areas, doors and windows. The tubes have tiny laser cut slits in them every few feet. (Some tubes vary) The tube shoot portal is located outside usually in a small plastic box that looks very much like an electric socket.

The premise of the system is pretty simple, high pressure air (co2) is shot through the tubes first to clear the tubes and open the slits. The co2 also acts as an agitator, bugs don’t like it and it helps to flush them out a bit so they come in contact with the residual insecticide. Liquid pesticide is then shot using co2 as well. The air and chemical mix whizzes through the tubes and shoots out of the slits in a fine mist. Each tube is shot the same way and some are color coded to signify where they go. Yellow usually means plumbing areas and you may want to give that an extra burst.

On a normal service the tech would also treat the outside perimeter giving you a complete barrier. Since bugs travel the voids of the walls as we’ve seen in our pest proofing series the idea is to stop them before they ever see the light of day. The tubes are only for voids however so spaces like the attic or crawl usually will not be treated. Also it doesn’t help much for that occasional pest that wanders in and is resting nicely on the kitchen counter.

Overall it is a valuable service that most people swear by and would insist on having if they were to move to a new home. It’s a real win win situation in that the service personnel never runs late and the home owner gets a good quality service without ever having to be home.

Posted in Tools of the trade | 4 Comments

Failure is not an option but it is a reality

Posted on March 11, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

Without excuses or lofty explanations of why, I thought it best to let you know that I have failed at my craft on more than one occasion. Pest control is not an exact science as one would think. There are many times where situations dictate you to think outside the box. Move to slow or make the wrong decision and you will fail.

While some of you are undoubtedly sitting there reading my articles and thinking, “Man this guy conquers all”, I would like you to realize that even with 25 years I still fail. I may know the habits and tendencies of a whole host of insects but still sometimes the solution eludes me.

I do my very best to learn from the experience and while it doesn’t happen as often these days, failures still come my way.

Here is one of them.

A very dear friend of mine wanted their home treated for pest control, they had no real issues at the time and for about a year everything was fine. I serviced inside and out and always did what I thought was a good job. That changed.

I got a call from the Mrs. saying she was seeing large ants appear and could I come out. I inspected the area and to my surprise there were quite a few carpenter ants roaming around the living room floor no worse from the wear even though I had recently sprayed. I did, again what I thought was enough to rid them of the ants. It did not help and the ants got worse.

My friend was a laid back guy but after about my 7th trip out and no real results he was getting frustrated. I was now going way beyond ‘just enough’ and pulling out every trick in the book. I went out at night (Carpenter ants are nocturnal), I treated every void I could find, the attic, the trees in the yard, the fence line you name it I did it all. The ants got so bad the Mrs. was putting towels down at the base of her bedroom door to keep them out while they slept. Nothing worked and I was out of anything new to try.

My good friend (still is to this day) still had options and he called me to tell me he was going to try someone new. It was an uncomfortable call to say the least and I know he felt bad but I’m sure I felt worse. It ended there and my confidence was shaken for a while but to be honest I was a little relieved as well.

I never asked him again about it but I wonder what finally happened and what the answer I could never find was. It’s been almost ten years now so I suppose I could ask but I never do. I’d like to say I’m way past that but since I’m writing about I guess not quite 100%.

I take pride in my work as I’m sure you do as well and I endeavor to impart as much helpful knowledge I can on this site. So let me leave you with this.

Lloyd Jones:
Those who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try nothing and succeed.

Posted in Ants | 5 Comments

Dieting for dummies

Posted on March 10, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

It seems that America has a weight problem these days. There are books, reality shows, life coaches, magazines and let’s not forget Oprah. Obesity is causing all sorts of health problems and no one has yet come up with the answer.

We at pestcemetery.com recognize this and are offering our assistance. Now I know you’re probably asking; what can a pest related web site do to solve this dire epidemic?

Our results are guaranteed to work with anyone at any age. In fact if you don’t instantly lose your appetite feel free to hit the ‘back’ button on your mouse to take you away from our site and back to your original web page at no direct charge to you.

Our plan is very simple my friend, please read the following article and you will be cured.

Results may vary, see you Doctor or local politician before entering any programs. Not available in all states.

Posted in In my opinion | Leave a comment

3 easy steps to get rid of German roaches

Posted on March 9, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

Step 1;

Clean Everything from top to bottom! Mostly this will mean the kitchen and bathrooms but should include ALL areas where you’ve seen them. Leave no stone unturned. Bleach, sweep, wash, discard unwanted clutter and just go to the extremes. Clean cabinets, pantry, drawers, and floors, under sinks and behind appliances.

This is the most crucial of all 3 steps and can produce the most results. When this task is finished you will have immediately put the German roach population under serious stress which will affect, feeding habits, harborage points and availability of water. Without these 3 key elements the roach population will decline very quickly, the roaches will turn to cannibalism and it will make the other 2 steps so much more effective.

Step 2;

Baiting is the next most logical procedure now because the German roach will be on the move for food and water which use to be so readily available. There are hundreds of baits to choose from at this point and while you can’t go too far wrong with your choice I recommend using gel bait. The gel supplies the roach with both food and the so desperately needed moisture and assures you of quick acceptance with equally quick results. One other nice feature is that it is dispensed using a syringe so you can put it almost anywhere you like. (within reason-read the label) Du Pont makes an excellent bait called “Advion”. This delicious roach treat not only kills those who feed on it directly but also the nymphs (younger roaches) who don’t travel out much at this stage but get their food by eating the fecal matter of others. The Advion gel in the fecal feast will kill them as well and even goes further as others feed on the nymphs waste.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to use 2 or even 3 different kinds of baits as well. You don’t have to break the bank on baits especially since syringe gels go along way and you should have a lot left even from one tube for follow up treatments. The small disc baits such as “Maxforce” work nicely and usually have a sticky strip so they’ll hang just about anywhere. Attacking roaches through their stomachs can be very effective.

Step 3;

Treating your home with a chemical barrier will be the finishing touch. This should include sprays and dusts. One note about this step, if you treat and your spray touches the bait placements, you have just ruined the bait and no roach will touch it at this point. Try to steer clear of those areas and if you need to, mark the baited areas with a post it note or something similar to remind you where they are. The most important dusting areas will be the voids where the plumbing enters the wall under your sinks. For instructions on dusting see our article “How to kill bugs using dusts.”

Set your sprayer as best you can on ‘pin stream’ so you can be very accurate as to where the spray goes. If you have the squeeze trigger spray that is popular at the big box store the spray tends to be messy so use caution. Treat the base of the cabinets, cracks and crevices, behind and under appliances as well as any areas you know the roaches to be hiding. You must be careful with this so as not to spray food contacting surfaces such as counter tops, dishes, etc. As always Read the label.
There you have it, 3 easy steps you can take to rid yourself of German roaches. I purposely made it as simple as I could but I would warn you. German roaches have been around for 350 million years and may not go down so easily for everyone. I’d be willing to bet however if you did these 3 steps as thoroughly and completely as you could you would have great success.

Posted in Roaches | Tagged | 4 Comments

Good stuff on Bed bugs

Posted on March 8, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

Here is a great article on Bed bugs: It kind of restored my faith in the good stuff you can find on the web so I thought I’d share it with you.You may want to book mark it, I did.

www.bedbug.org

Posted in Bed Bugs | 1 Comment