Cockroach Control

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) reports that one-in-five children in the United States have severe sensitivities to cockroach allergens, which increase the severity of asthma symptoms. These allergens are most commonly introduced in homes through cockroach saliva, droppings and the decomposing bodies of these pests.

Cockroach control and management is extremely important for health and safety reasons. The best treatment is done by a trained pest control professional.

If you're concerned that you have cockroaches in your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
1-800-400-6009
A Central Massachusetts Extermination and Pest Control Company
Worcester County Pest and Rodent Exterminators
www.davespestcontrol.net  

Reference: www.pestworld.org

Insights from Pest Professionals

• The top four pests of concern for users of professional pest control were Ants (75%), Spiders and Termites (56%), and Cockroaches (48%)
• The top four pests of concern for non-users of professional pest control services were Ants (59%), Spiders (48%), Mosquitoes (41%), and termites and rodents (mice/rats) tied at 35% 
• Given the list of mosquitoes, cockroaches, ants, termites, ticks, spiders, mice/rats, and bees/wasps, mosquitoes were perceived as the most difficult to control among almost half of the respondents (47%).

Call Dave at 1-800-400-6009.

 If you're concerned that you have insects or rodents in your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
1-800-400-6009
A Central Massachusetts Extermination and Pest Control Company
Worcester County Pest and Rodent Exterminators
www.davespestcontrol.net

Commercial Pest and Rodent Control

Preventing pest infestations and practicing proper pest control in your business are a vital component of an outstanding business. The sooner you address a pest problem, the sooner you can rid your business of a more serious pest infestation.

Dave's Pest Control provides the experience and expertise needed to protect your business, employees, and customers from pest threats.

If you're concerned insects or rodents in your place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
A Central Massachusetts Extermination and Pest Control
Company
Worcester County Pest and Rodent Exterminators
www.davespestcontrol.net

The Brown Recluse Spider

The brown recluse spider, also called,the 'fiddleback spider' or 'violin spider' due to the dark violin shape on its head. These spiders are nocturnal and eat other bugs like cockroaches and crickets. Males wander farther than females and will crawl into shoes or other clothing. Brown recluse spiders often live outdoors in debris and wood piles and can be found indoors in storage areas and dark recesses.

The brown recluse spider bites in defense and does not bite humans instinctively. They will bite humans when the clothing they are hiding in is worn.  They have a  bit of a bad rap because their bite can produce an open, ulcerating sore and cause severe tissue necrosis at the bite site.

Brown recluse spider bites often go unnoticed initially because they are usually painless bites, producing minor burning that feels like a bee sting. Symptoms usually develop two to eight hours after a bite; you may experience severe pain at the bite site after about four hours, as well as severe itching, nausea, vomiting, fever, and muscle pain

If you think you have been bitten by a brown recluse spider, see a doctor immediately. If possible, bring the spider to the doctor's office for proper identification of the spider is very helpful in making the correct diagnosis. If you are unable to be seen by a doctor that day, go to a hospital emergency room.

To avoid brown recluse spiders, keeping clothing off of the floor. Store clothing and shoes inside plastic containers, and shake out all clothing that has been in a hamper before wearing or washing.

If you're concerned that you have spiders in your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
Serving Central Massachusetts
www.davespestcontrol.net

References: Copyright © 2009 National Pest Management Association
http://www.medicinenet.com/black_widow_brown_recluse_pictures_slideshow/article.htm

Autumn Pests

As the autumn months settle in, please be vigilant about biting and stinging pests. As cooler weather becomes more routine and many insects species have reached their annual population zenith, we see significant surges of activity from fleas, ticks, crickets, ants, spiders, etc.

This is the time of year where numerous instances of yellow jackets and hornets are sited around homes. Any observed entrance and exit locations should not be sealed as this will trap them in the wall. They will bore holes through interior walls to escape and enter your home.

The cool weather initiates rodent activity around the home and announces the pre-cursor for the over-wintering insects to begin looking for that winter resting location. The falling leaves and decaying vegetation materials accumulate around and provide food and harborage for pill bugs, millipedes, earwigs, etc. These nuisance pests then become invasive and show up inside your home in significant numbers.

If you're concerned about stinging bugs or rodent activity in your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
A Central Massachusetts Pest Control Company
www.davespestcontrol.net

Highlights from the 2011 Bugs Without Borders Survey

Here are several key highlights from the 2011 Bugs Without Borders Survey:

1. Nearly all professional pest management companies have received bed bug calls in the past year. Respondents attribute the growth in bed bug infestations to increasing travel and movement of people, continued need for awareness, changing pest control products and methods, and bed bug resistance to available pest control products.

2. While nine out of ten respondents have treated bed bugs in apartments, condominiums and single-family homes in 2011 and 2010, in the past year reports of bed bug encounters have become more common in a many other places. For example, the numbers of professionals who treated college dorms, hotels, nursing homes, office buildings, schools and daycare centers, hospitals, public transportation and movie theaters for bed bugs have all increased compared to last year. More specifically:

* College dorms (54 percent, up from 35 percent a year ago)
* Hotels/motels (80 percent, up from 67 percent)
* Nursing homes (46 percent, up from 25 percent)
* Office buildings (38 percent, up from 18 percent)
* Schools and day care centers (36 percent, up from 10 percent)
* Hospitals (31 percent, up from 12 percent)
* Transportation (train/bus/taxi) (18 percent up from nine percent)
* Movie theaters (17 percent, up from five percent)
* Survey respondents also report finding bed bugs in retail stores, laundromats, libraries, restaurants and airplanes.

NOTE: Percentages denote professionals reporting treating bed bugs in specific locations and percentage increases from 2010.

3. Bed bugs continue to be THE most difficult pest to treat, according to 73 percent of survey respondents. By comparison, 17 percent pointed to ants, nine percent said cockroaches and one percent said termites were the most difficult pests to control.

4. Six out of 10 respondents consider bed bug infestations a year-round phenomenon, while approximately 25 percent say that summer is the time of year when they receive more bed bug calls. As people tend to travel more during the summer months it may be likely they’ll have a higher risk of taking hitchhiking bed bugs with them from hotels and transportation sources to homes more so than at other times of the year.

5. When it comes to evaluation and treatment, visual inspection remains the most common method pest professionals use to determine if a bed bug infestation exists. However, the use of canines has grown from 16 percent to 43 percent in the past year.

6. Despite the many warnings that bed bugs are not a DIY pest, 25 percent of customers attempt to treat bed bug infestations by themselves before calling a professional. This number has decreased from the 38 percent who elected to treat bed bugs by themselves in 2010. Those who attempt to treat bed bug infestations by themselves often engage in dangerous and risky DIY practices putting themselves and their property at risk and are often ineffective at controlling the infestation.

If you're concerned about bed bugs in your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
A Central Massachusetts Pest Control Company
www.davespestcontrol.net

Reference: www.pestworld.org

Autumn Is Coming...

As cooler weather becomes more routine and many insects species have reached their annual population zenith, we see significant surges of activity from fleas, ticks, crickets, ants, spiders, etc. This is the time of year where numerous instances of yellow jackets and hornets are sited around homes. Any observed entrance and exit locations should not be sealed as this will trap them in the wall. They will bore holes through interior walls to escape and enter your home.

The cool weather also initiates rodent activity around the home and announces the pre-cursor for the over-wintering insects to begin looking for that winter resting location. The falling leaves and decaying vegetation materials accumulate around and provide food and harborage for pill bugs, millipedes, earwigs, etc. These nuisance pests then become invasive and show up inside your home in significant numbers.

If you're concerned about insects or rodents in your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
A Central Massachusetts Pest Control Company
www.davespestcontrol.net

Fascinating Pest Facts

These tidbits of information never cease to fascinate me. Hope you are enjoying them too! (If you have an interesting bit of pest or insect trivia, be sure to share it with me by posting it below. ~ Dave)

• All insects have a hard exoskeleton, six jointed legs, two antennae, compound eyes and a body divided into 3 main body sections - a head, thorax and abdomen.
• Men claim their number one pest concern to be termites (24%) while women put spiders as their number one pest concern (16%).
• Powderpost beetles larvae will tunnel into hardwood floors, wooden antiques and the like, turning the wood in its path into fine, powdery sawdust.

If you're concerned about insects or rodents in your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
A Central Massachusetts Pest Control Company
www.davespestcontrol.net

Reference: www.pestworld.org

Powderpost Beetles

Powderpost beetles lay their eggs in cracks of wood and the larvae tunnel into the surface, filling it with a very fine powder-like dust. Powderpost beetles have long, narrow, flat bodies that allow them to easily attack wood surfaces. These beetles are reddish-brown in color. Adult powderpost beetles are very active at night, enjoy flying and are attracted to the light.

Powderpost beetles often attack hardwoods, and can be found in hardwood floors, timbers and crates, antiques and other objects made of hardwood materials.

Some researchers believe that powderpost beetles are second only to termites in the United States in their destructiveness to wood and wood products. Powderpost beetles can be prevented through vigilant inspection of wood sources in the home.

If you're concerned that you have powderpost beetles in your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
A Central Massachusetts Pest Control Company
www.davespestcontrol.net

Reference: www.pestworld.org

More Insect and Rodent Trivia

I've got to admit...I LOVE this stuff!

• A cockroach can hold its breath for 40 minutes.
• 36% of homeowners surveyed said they had problems with spiders during the past year.
• Rats can squeeze through a space as small as a half dollar.
• Ants are able communicate with each other about danger and directions to food.

If you're concerned insects and rodents in your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
A Central Massachusetts Pest Control Company
www.davespestcontrol.net

Reference: www.pestworld.org

Insect Trivia...

Did you know...

• The abdominal area of the firefly beetle glows a bright yellow-green color. The firefly can control this glowing effect.
• The long cerci, or clippers, on their backsides can easily identify an earwig.
• The largest spider in the world is a species of tarantula found in South America where one specimen had a leg span of over 11 inches.

Dave's Pest Control
A Central Massachusetts Pest Control Company
Call Dave at 1-800-400-6009.
www.davespestcontrol.net

Reference: www.pestworld.org

Japanese Beetles Are Active

At this time of year, we see a great amount of activity from Japanese beetles. The Japanese beetle, although native to Japan, was first found in the United States in 1916 in a nursery near Riverton, New Jersey. It is thought that beetle larvae entered the United States in a shipment of iris bulbs prior to 1912 when inspections of commodities entering the country began.

During the larval stage, the Japanese beetle lives in lawns and other grasslands, where it eats the roots of grass. During that stage, it is susceptible to a fatal disease called milky spore disease, caused by a bacterium called milky spore.

Japanese beetles feed on a large range of hosts, including leaves of plants of the following: strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, grapes, hops, roses, cherries, plums, pears, peaches, raspberries, blackberries, corn, peas, and blueberries.

If you're concerned that you have Japanese beetles at your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
Serving Central Massachusetts
www.davespestcontrol.net