Uncategorized Archives - Tampa Pest Control Services

Animal Control By Emergency Pest Control of Tampa

owner — Wed, 04 May 2016 03:53:47 +0000

Carl’s working on trapping a raccoon and fixing the entry point.

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Beating Down On Ants, Roaches, And Fleas

owner — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 18:41:00 +0000

The big three bugs to watch out for for any homeowner or business are ants, roaches, and fleas. These three buggers can bring about disaster ranging from disease and illness to lost revenue. That being said, it’s time to look at not only how to get rid of them but also the most important step of pest control, prevention.

These creatures are age old combatants of mankind. They’ve infested human domiciles since the dawn of civilization and even further back. They’re resilient and aggressive and even in today’s digital space age, they’re still pests to be reckoned with. They’re built that way. They’re survivors. Paleontologists will tell you that samples of these insects found trapped in amber that we know to be 100s of millions of years old show little if any change in these creatures. Yes, they’ve outlived the dinosaurs and would probably outlive mankind.

That makes pest control ever the more difficult. Nature has equipped these bugs with super strong and adaptable immune systems, strong exoskeletons and more. They can live extended amounts of time without food and water and exist within extreme temperatures.

Man has a problem with these insects because he attracts them. Fleas follow into the home attached to pets and people. Once they get a foothold, they’re tough to get rid of. The same with roaches and ants. They follow the scent of food and water and other refuse. They can gain entrance into a home or business and get so deeply embedded it would take a major extermination solution to get rid of them.

To battle them first off calls for preventative measures that aren’t too tough. It’s starts off with making sure your living and working areas are clean and neat. Let no crumbs or stains remain for even a few minutes. Make sure all jars and boxes in cabinets are sealed properly and hopefully in plastic bags. Clean up around appliances especially. Ants and roaches will exploit every nook and cranny they can get their antennae on. Make sure kids don’t have those snacks stashed away in their backpacks or hidden in their dressers. Same goes with cooking oils and so on. Next is to seal the home. Look for those access points from the outside. Once ants send out their scouts, those scout ants find openings and food sources, go back to the hive and bring in the troops. Roaches aren’t as regimented but they’ll follow one another and breed like wildfire once they’ve gotten in.

Fleas you have to vacuum the floors regularly. Check pets from head to toe. Don’t leave shopping bags or other items on the ground outside for too long and then drag them into the house. Wiping your feet before entering the home or office is very important. You might be picking up eggs.

If there is an infestation you need to act fast. Call in a professional. Don’t try to do things all yourself as a professional will let you know your next step. They may recommend certain pesticides or other industry products or if worse comes to worse, a full extermination solution.

Either way, pest control starts with you. Know the right steps and you’ll save yourself lots of time and money.
Image credit: kuruneko

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Getting The Facts On Termite Control

owner — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 18:38:13 +0000

Ever sine man started making his homes from wood, the pesky termite has had him in battle mode. Termites around the world can wreak havoc, destroying entire structures and causing injury and sometimes death. Fighting these creatures has involved a variety of methods and to get an idea on how to combat them, we need to look at some facts about them.

The first question to ask is, why should you be that concerned about termites? The answer is simple. They are highly destructive. Once they gain a foothold on your property, whether in the home or below it, nothing will rid them except that of a professional pest controlspecialist. Make no mistake here. There are no home remedies, easy ways out, only pro-level termite control. The reasons are multiple. Termites can assault your property in many ways. Often undetected until it’s too late. They may compromise a support beam where if it should collapse, could bring down a ceiling or wall thus injuring or killing. They can compromise parts of the house where plumbing and electricity are at and lead to flooding and fire. In short, they’re dangerous.

Now that you know the danger afoot, you should ask yourself, how do I find the right termite control company? First of all, they should be licensed and certified by the highest authority. It’s because it’s your home, your biggest investment. Ridding termites is a tasking job calling for extreme precision and tools. You don’t want some idiot digging around your house causing more damage than the termites themselves. The pest control company you hire should be licensed by the Department of Agriculture or official agencies that are responsible for regulating termite control in the state. They should also have memberships in their state pest control associations and/or National Pest Management Association. Look also for reviews and awards. Pest control companies take pride in their work and can’t afford a bad reputation. If they’ve done a bad job anywhere, it will show up.

Another question is price. In all fairness, when it comes to the safety of yourself and family, money shouldn’t be an object. That’s how deadly and troublesome termites can be. It doesn’t cost an arm and a leg and you have the option of getting price quotes from several high standard companies. Don’t let anyone push you around or try to intimidate you into doing something rash. Infestations take a long time, but nipping it in the bud is the best route and cheapest.

Getting rid of termites takes two things, recognizing the severity of the problem, and hiring the right professional to do the job.

Image credit: Alton (Wikipedia)

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Everybody Hates Mosquitoes

owner — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 18:34:46 +0000

It’s summer and mankind’s #1 adversary is at it again. The pesky mosquito, the welt raising, disease spreading, winged insect that has killed more people since the beginning of time than any other cause of death.

Yes, the mosquito is humanity’s worst enemy. It brings disease, death, discomfort no matter where they dwell. They’re the bane of existence to just about every other animal as well. A swarm of mosquitoes can drain a cow of over 9 pints of blood in less than a week, crippling the animal and in many cases killing it. Humans are somewhat more protected as we live in dwellings and have come up with numerous ways of repelling the pests and eradicating their breeding sources.

It’s been a battle that predates recorded history, and nature as well as our minds have worked together to stem off the horrid affects of their bites.

Mosquitoes are a pest in two ways. First, they drain the body of blood and cause an antihistamine reaction in the body thus raising the itchy welts that can disfigure a person.
Next, they carry a number of diseases in their intestines that can turn into debilitating or deadly. These pathogens can either directly cause illness or compromise the immune system leading to other diseases taking hold.

Malaria is the big killer. It kills tens of millions of people each year but recent breakthroughs in vaccines may have finally put this killer in check. The key to all this is prevention, or pest control. Mosquito control consists of hitting the source where the creatures breed, like standing water. Tactics include draining standing pools of water like old discarded tires, or anything where a pool of water can be collected but not noticed. Next is spraying down insecticide. This tactic is tricky as whatever kills the mosquitoes can be toxic at some levels to humans and other life forms.

Bats are the mosquito’s primary predator. A single bat can eat several times its weight in mosquitoes in just one night. Without bats, there would probably be no mankind, and the extinction of several other mammals, birds, and even reptiles. It’s the female mosquito that does the biting and blood drinking and it’s rumored that people who have Sickle Cell, actually have an adaptation by nature to combat malaria from mosquito bites.

Overall, every home, community, must be on the lookout for mosquito breeding sources. Clean them up, run the buggers out of town. We can’t wipe them all out but we can perform mosquito pest control at some levels effectively.

Image credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

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Pest Control Means Ants Control

owner — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 06:32:09 +0000

One of the most pesky pests in the US are the common carpenter ant.

These industrious creatures are a marvel to behold, with their engineering, community infrastructure, self sacrifices, and proliferation. They are called carpenter ants because they dwell in damp wood and excavate the wood so that they can colonize it. Their efficiency is rarely matched in the animal kingdom, and are respected by scientists even though they can cause extensive damage to a home.

The basic way to prevent them from infesting your home or structure is to locate them by the clues. They’re the largest of ants and are generally black or reddish brown in color. They have fearsome large mandibles for rending their prey or excavating wood. They are ferocious creatures often waging war on other insects in campaigns that rival that of human warfare. They are fearless and self sacrificing. Durable and adventurous. Once they get embedded into the wood and infrastructure of the home, they can be difficult to eradicate and can cause considerable damage leaving the home vulnerable to many structural dangers like exposed wires, support compromising, and more.

Once you’ve located the colony, look to see how close it is to your home. If it’s in your yard at a good distance, you’re not going to have a major problem. You can remove the wood and use a safe insecticide either shelf bought or from a professional service. It takes time, a long time for them to build a sizable colony so if you miss a few ants, you won’t have to worry about them establishing a new threat of a colony for a long while, especially if you’ve gotten rid of the queen. If they’ve infested your home, that’s a bigger problem. They might infest at the wood at the lower more accessible areas of the home making it easier for a professional ants control service to get at them, or they might have discovered more inviting deeper access into the infrastructure which means pulling up floors or taking down walls to get at them. If this is the case, expect to pay a good sum to get rid of the beauties.

Prevention calls for not leaving edible products out of them like sweets and meats. Once they find you’re being sloppy by not cleaning off counters, leaving things around the house, they will begin their assault and make sure to come back for more.

So try to prevent the carpenter ants from taking hold and don’t leave wood lying around the yard, especially near the house. Barns and garages and workshops should be damp free and wood packaged up when not in use. Taking these precautions will protect your property and be less of a headache in the short and long term.

This is pest control and ants control the smart and responsible way.

Image credit: OXANA BERNATSKAYA

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Pest Control Means Keeping An Eye Peeled

owner — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 18:30:30 +0000

The various pests that can inhabit a home are numerous. Some are benign and others can be quite a threat. Keeping a sharp eye out for them means you can both prevent and apply the right pest control.

From rats and mice to fleas and ticks, you’re going to have to be vigilant regarding every area of the home, inside and outside.

Most pests like those dark, out of the way places to set up shop. They just want to chill out and enjoy themselves while looking for food and avoiding predators. This is the domain of spiders and ants. Termites are a whole ‘nother problem.

Taking time each month to survey your home is highly recommended. Look between baseboards, attics, basements, behind big appliances, under beds and of course closets. Most pests avoid busy areas but some are just bold and will reveal themselves if it’s time for searching for food or just playing around being curious.

Prevention comes from keeping places clean and keeping windows and doors shut. Flies love to get into an area and lay their eggs and leave. Don’t leave open food or stuff for the compost out in the open. Clean the sink and stove as well as countertops all the time. Never give pests a reason to invade in the first place.

If you’re storing things in attics and basements, keep them well spaced from each other especially walls. The more areas pests can sneak around in, the more they will. If your home is inviting, they’ll take that invitation.

Keep areas dry and don’t pick or sweep things up later. Procrastination is your worse enemy in this regard. Old bags are a most appealing hang out for pests and that means you should store them more efficiently. Never save a bag that has debris or organic stains. These attract bugs, bugs attract spiders, and so on.

Rats and mice bring fleas and ticks. So do pets that have been outside playing around. Check your pets regularly and keep their food and water dishes clean. If you do outside work or if you have kids who play in the brush you should check their clothing for ticks.

Keeping brush and grass cut short and away from the house won’t give pests protection and a way to sneak in. Check your packages that you get from the store too. Sometimes pests can hide in produce like fruits and veggies. Also, be careful of pesticides. Look for natural, organic like products. What kills a bug or a rat can often kill you.

If you do find pests that are too much of a challenge to handle, hire a professional pest control service. This will assure you that the right job is being done. Check reviews for the services and also ask the right questions in regard to what they use and their procedures. The professional pest control company will gladly hat you on all they do so you’ll be able to best take advantage of their services.

Taking the right steps at the start will mean a better and safe, pest free home.

Image credit: senkaya

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Black Widow Spiders Are No Joke

owner — Mon, 04 May 2015 18:21:50 +0000

We’ve all heard horror stories about the Black Widow spider. These tiny black spiders with the bright red hourglass like patch on their backside, are one of the most legendary fearsome in the spider family.

Spiders invoke all sorts of terror in people. Some people suffer crippling forms of arachnophobia, fear of spiders, to the pint just the picture of a spider can send them into a tizzy. This is for good reason as some spiders, not many, can kill from their bites.

The Black Widow however is rarely fatal but can cause lots of discomfort and misery if the bite is not handled by a professional medical treatment as soon as possible. The female is the the most aggressive of the species and gets her name from the rumor that such spiders eat their mates after mating.

These spiders spin webs and nests in hidden spots like close tot he ground, in baseboards, cluttered areas, in woodpiles and other yard places that aren’t moved or disturbed. Outhouses, sheds, and so forth. As long as you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you, however, spiders don’t always take into account the goings and comings of humans. They do however avoid busy areas so you won’t find them at doors or windows but it’s still cautious to look around.

Taking precaution means being vigilante if you live in areas where Black Widows and other poisonous spiders dwell. Routine examination of your property, inside and out is a good idea. Use a broom for those hard to reach areas and don’t try to capture the critters. It may seem harsh but killing them means they won’t return. You have to think about your family and your safety.

If you have kids and pets, check them if they’re out in wooded areas. Also, check furniture, tools, and any items that have been outside, even if it’s only been for a day or so. You never know what could be clinging to them just waiting for a chance to get inside your home.

Overall, the best part of spiders that they don’t come en masse. You won’t see an army of spiders like you see with ants and roaches which is another reason they can be hard to detect. Look for webs, old and new, and take the proper steps to remedy the situation and you’ll be spider free.
Image credit: Wikipedia

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Some Neat And Natural Ways To Protect Your Plants

owner — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 02:17:23 +0000

Since the dawn of agriculture, people have been looking for ways to protect their plants from bugs and other pest. Believe it or not there are some simple everyday items you can use to effectively do this.

Growing a garden is a big investment of time and money. Having pests around that undermine things can lead to all sorts of problems especially if you use your gardens to produce food for yourself and family, not to mention also to market. The big chemical companies offer all sorts of solutions but they may also be toxic to people as well as the plants and pests. Avoiding this by using simple stools around the house that you can pick up at any grocery store is a way around all this.

First of all think simple. What does nature do that allows for protection and can you duplicate it or improve on it? Yes you can.

For example, to get rid of aphids, try putting aluminum foil around the base of your plants. This will reflect the sunlight upwards where aphids like to hide. Not too much or the reflective heat and radiation might damage the plants.

Getting rid of fruit flies is as easy as getting a funnel type bottle and placing some apple cider vinegar with chopped up apples in the bottom. The flies will cease and desist.

To make a hot pepper spray just take a few tablespoons, around 3 or 4 and mix them with a gallon of water. Put on the stove to simmer for around 15 minutes and then let it sit for a day and then strain it. You can then apply it to plants. Cayenne peppers do the best job.

A cup of coffee ground a day will keep the ants away. That’s right, using old coffee grounds is a great way to getting rid of ants. It’s deadly to them. Sprinkle some of the grounds where you see the ants hanging out and they’ll back off big time.

Garlic proves once again its overall benefits as it can be used as repellant! Just mix some up with some mint leaves with a dash of cayenne pepper and some dish washing liquid and you’ve got yourself one mean anti-bug spray. Not to mention it probably keeps just about anything away with this potent combination. Just mix them up to a boil and let it sit a day, strain it and put it into a spray bottle.
So those are just a few of the simple, safe and effective ways of protecting your plants. There are many others and not only do these work, they’re cheap too. Not to mention it probably keeps just about anything away with this potent combination. Just mix them up to a boil and let it sit a day, strain it and put it into a spray bottle.
Image credit: Graham Oliver

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Pest Control Tips: How To Keep Pests Out

owner — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 06:27:53 +0000

Living organisms that are detrimental to humans directly or indirectly are called pests. Pests can animals as well as plants. Typically, organisms that can cause plague or epidemic diseases with high mortality are counted as pests too. Due to the nuisance-causing nature of pests, other organisms that have destructive nature are classified as pests too. Mice, cockroaches, crickets, spiders, etc. are some of the common insects or organisms that are described as pests in daily life. These animals are small but are capable of affecting the human life or quality of life. People often remain worried about the invasion of pests and go to their extent prevent the intrusion.
There are various techniques to prevent the house from getting invaded by pests. The pest issue is so common throughout the world that municipalities have pest control departments, various companies produce speciality products and the developed countries have websites dedicated to it. However, there are some general and common things such as cleanliness that everyone should ensure before looking for special anti-pest products. A number of pest control steps that can be carried out daily can effectively keep pests out of houses:
Floor should be kept clean by wiping any spill off it immediately. Wiping with a mop or rag thoroughly is enough. However, use of safe cleaning substances is recommended. If the spill was wiped only with a mop or rag, it should be cleaned immediately to eliminate breeding ground for germs. Floor of the entire house should be thoroughly cleaned at least once a week and that of kitchen twice a week.
Trash should be removed daily ritually. Trash encompasses everything that is of no use in the house and has to be eventually disposed off. Trash should not be left overnight since night is low-activity period for humans and vice versa for pests.
Vegetables and fruits, especially the ripe ones, should be stored in refrigerator.
Dishes should be washed daily. Dirty dishes should not be left overnight.
All types of food containers should be tightly sealed. Open vessels should be covered with a lid. Bags of pulses, cereals and grains should be kept in sealable containers.
Keepings things in the home dry is an effective trick. Bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms should not be kept excessively and unnecessarily wet. Leaks should be repaired as soon as possible.
Pets are more vulnerable to pests and may act as hosts many. Many insects such as fleas and ticks thrive on the skin and/or coat of pets. So, they should be shampooed, bathed and brushed regularly.
Pest control chalks can be used to effectively seal crevices and cracks on fittings, ducts, pipes, cabinets, baseboards, etc.
Keeping the ground is clean and clear is important part of any pest control initiative. Piles of wood, heaps of leaves, jammed gutters, etc. are suitable breeding and thriving grounds for pests.
Following these pest control tips will significantly reduce the chances of insect entry into the home and subsequently prevent the house from infestation.

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Natural garden pest control using insect-eating insects

owner — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 07:19:54 +0000

Gardens need thorough maintenance in order to retain their charm. Any degree of negligence by the gardener or the owner can become the cause of its gradual decay. Gardens in large office premises are typically cared by professionals. However, vast majority of people do not hire nor do they intend to hire gardeners for gardens at their homes. Gardening is a good habit and has beneficial effect on health too. However, owners indulge in gardening as part-time activity while the pests that destroy plants and soil do so round the clock throughout the year. So, the knowledge of safe, sound and proven techniques of gardening is important for everyone with any size of garden.

Pesticides and fertilisers are available in varieties for pest control in the market. However, people with fair understanding of ecology and ecosystem know how harmful regular chemical products can be. They are hazardous not only for the garden but for humans too. Most of the commercially available pest control chemical products affect soil and nearby water-bodies too. Thus, they are hazardous for those who take care of the garden as well as those who enjoy being in it. Especially, children are susceptible to the effect of chemical compounds as they play innocently in the garden.

Many people who know the hazards of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers switch to botanically derived solutions. However, botanically derived fertilisers and pesticides are not always good and certain types are more dangerous than synthetic counterparts, according to Linda Chalker-Scott, who is an extension horticulturist Puyallup Research Center of Washington State University. She elaborates that any pesticide can contaminate nearby aquatic and terrestrial systems. Home remedies should not be used either since its use may be illegal and fatal to several good creatures and entities in the garden. According to her, natural garden pest control using insect-eating insect is the best technique.

Chalker-Scott neither adds fertilisers nor uses pesticides. She rather relies on prevention by maintenance of healthy soil and insect-eating insects for natural control. She mulches her garden with woodchips, which is habitat for predacious ground beetles and other beneficial insects. Jessica Walliser notes that 99% of insects found in any garden are either benign or beneficial. The most illustrious example of beneficial insects is a ladybird, which eat up to 5,000 aphids in its lifespan on average. The key to maintenance of garden with the help of such insects is the knowledge of how to attract them and retain them in the garden.

Diversity in the garden and zero presence of pesticides is important to attract and retain beneficial insects. Flowers with exposed nectarines are crucial for the sustenance of beneficial insects that do not have specialised mouth for sucking nectar of tubular flowers. The aster family and the carrot family plants are great for the purpose to begin with. Garden owners can even buy beneficial insects at garden centres as well as online. However, one needs to observe which pests have infested the garden so that the beneficial insect can be bought or attracted in the accordingly.

Image credit: Freeimages.com

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