Earth Guard's Blog

Spiders, long a favored subject of sci-fi movies and horror novels, seem to provoke an especially strong yuck factor in humans. Although we know on an intellectual level that they have many beneficial purposes in the eco-system, including eating other insect pests, most of us don’t want them in our kids’ bedrooms.

Now that warm weather has arrived, spiders are proliferating outdoors and often making their way into our homes.

Of the more than 50,000 species of spiders, only a relatively few of them are able to bite humans, for the simple reason that most have mouth parts too small to break human skin. Only one type of California spider, the Black Widow, is considered to be a serious medical danger, particularly to small children, elderly or frail adults. (See our article, “Why Spiders Don’t Make Good House Guests,” for more information about Black Widow spiders.) Even at that, it has been more than 10 years since anyone died from a Black Widow bite, largely because effective treatments have been developed.

A few years back, we heard a lot in the news about brown recluse spider bites, whose bite can be fatal or create serious, debilitating injuries. Brown recluse spiders are found in the Southern United States and do not live in California, although there are occasional reports of one having hitched a ride on a moving van and showing up here. A cousin of the brown recluse, the South American native Loxosceles laeta, has been spotted in Los Angeles County. Another cousin, the Lososceles deserta, or desert recluse, is found as far north as Merced and Fresno counties, but not in our Sacramento pest control region.

One source of confusion is that it can be hard to distinguish one type of spider from another. Even the distinctive shiny black of the Black Widow can vary, and immature females may have lighter brownish and variegated markings.

A number of spiders that are sometimes found in or around our homes may be mistaken for a brown recluse. And while their bites are not nearly as serious as that of the brown recluse, they can leave a painful wound that resembles a brown recluse bite as well as other symptoms. These include the running spider, jumping spider, wolf spider, tarantula, sac spider, orbweaver spider and hobo spider, also known as the northwestern brown spider.

The household spiders most commonly encountered by our Sacramento pest control technicians are the yellow sac spider and the hobo spider. In fact, although its bite is not fatal, the yellow sac spider is believed to be responsible for more human bites than any other species.

Symptoms of a spider bite may include pain and burning at the site of the bite, a circle of pale skin surrounding the red center of the bite, which may form a blister or ulcer and burst. Care should be taken to keep the bite clean and disinfected; seek medical attention immediately if infection sets in. In some cases, the victim may develop a red, itchy rash within the first three days, muscle and joint pain, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headache, nausea and vomiting. Hobo spider bites, in particular, may cause a painful, open wound that is slow to heal and is frequently misidentified as a brown recluse bite. See your doctor if the bite becomes infected or healing is delayed. Wolf spider bites can result in blackening of the skin in the bite area, and pain and swelling may persist for 10 days or longer. In most cases, symptoms of a spider bite will go away without treatment within a week to 10 days.

The best way to determine the type of bite is to trap the critter who did it, if you can do so safely, or collect it in a plastic bag if it has been killed, and take it to a pest control professional or University extension facility for identification. But many times, the victim doesn’t even know he or she has been bitten until a sting is felt or other symptoms develop. Stings or bites from other insects, poison oak or staph infections are often mistaken for spider bites. In cases where the bite is believed to be from a Black Widow or brown recluse spider, seek medical help immediately.

Here is some additional advice for treatment of spider bites from the California Poison Control System:

• Wash the site of the spider bite well with soap and water.
• Apply a cool compress or ice pack over the spider bite location.
• Over-the-counter pain relievers may be used to relieve symptoms. (Remember, do not give aspirin to children; use acetaminophen or ibuprofen instead).
• Call the doctor or seek emergency treatment if the victim is a young child, if you think the bite may have been from a black widow or brown recluse spider, if any signs of an allergic reaction occur, if the bite area becomes infected, or if the victim develops a rash or severe illness.
• If possible, retrieve the spider and bring it with you to the health care practitioner so that it can be definitively identified.
• A tetanus booster shot may be necessary, depending upon the date of the patient’s last immunization.

Remember, it is difficult to control spiders with over-the-counter pesticides. Reducing clutter, de-webbing, cleaning in corners and sealing cracks and crevices where spiders can get in may help. If you need help with uninvited spiders in your home or place of business, call our trained Sacramento pest control professionals at 916-457-7605 for a same-day inspection, free estimate and information about our integrated pest management services.

Our friends at Sacramento News 10 called recently about a story they were doing on how to get rid of ants without harming the environment. Long story short, it seems one of the newscasters had woken up that morning to find ants in her kitchen!

The news team gathered some home remedies from their Facebook fans, such as baby powder, cayenne pepper and cinnamon, white chalk and even dried cream of wheat. Then they turned to the experts!

Earth Guard Pest Management manager Barbara Romig and technican Lito Marquez from our excellent team of Sacramento pest control professionals were happy to share information about Earth Guard’s line of green pest control products, which include botanical oils that stop the ants without the use of toxic chemicals that can get into the air or water. Here’s a link to the clip on Earth Guard’s YouTube channel:

Most of the spiders we find here in our Sacramento pest control region are not capable of severely injuring we humans. But our area does host one of the most dangerous spiders in North America, the black widow, or Latrodectus hesperus.

With the rain gone and warm summer weather finally here, many of us will be tackling neglected yards and gardens. Take care where you stick your hands. Black widow spiders are most commonly found outdoors, in nooks and corners of your yard that haven’t been disturbed for a while. Black widow spiders often build their webs in wood or rock piles, culverts, meter boxes, crawl spaces and sheds, but may move into basements or garages where undisturbed clutter gives them a sense of security. It’s always a good idea to wear long sleeves and gloves when you start cleaning out your tool shed or clearing a corner of your yard the first time of the season.

Only adult female or large juvenile female black widows have mouth parts large enough to harm humans. The adult female black widow usually has a shiny black body, with a large spherical abdomen, and long black legs. She is distinctively marked with a red or orange hourglass on the underside of her abdomen, so you may not see it if she is running away from you. If you catch her on her web, you may spot the hourglass, since she typically hangs upside down from the underside of the web.

Although the male black widow spider also is venomous, he is significantly smaller than the female, and his mouth parts are not large enough to injure humans. His coloration is pale green-gray with lighter markings. He also has a yellow or orangish hourglass on his underside, but its shape is broader in the middle. The old myth that the female black widow eats the male after mating is usually not true, but she may do so if she is hungry.

Young female black widows are colored much like the male but grow darker and shinier in stages as they shed their skin. Baby black widows, too tiny to bite, are pale or white in color and scatter in all directions when their nest is disturbed.

Although black widow bites are seldom fatal to humans, they can cause a serious reaction, with young children and the elderly most at risk. Symptoms, which may range from mild to severe, include pain that spreads from the bite site to other parts of the body, muscular spasms, sweating, fever, increased blood pressure, difficult breathing and speaking, restlessness and nausea. Irritation at the bite site may be limited to redness and swelling. Symptoms usually peak within a day of the bite and improve over the next two to three days. Black widow bites are fairly common in California. Seek medical advice immediately if you or a family member is bitten, and have someone trap the spider for identification if possible to do so safely.

While spiders—even black widows—serve beneficial purposes in our eco-system, when they move into our homes or infest areas where our children play, intervention is needed. Call our trained pest control professionals at 916-457-7605 or e-mail contact@earthguardpest.com  if you need help identifying spiders in or around your home, or to learn about our environmentally friendly pest management services.

By Dave Picton

The Termite Institute, an informative online resource created by the makers of Termidor® termiticide, offers a U.S. map depicting termite “hot zones.” Most of the state of California is depicted on that map in hot orange, indicating “high homeowner risk” for termite infestation, according to the map key.

In our Sacramento pest control region, the most common type of termite is the Western Subterranean Termite, an insect that also holds the title of most destructive termite in California, according to the University of California Statewide IPM Program.

Now that warm, sunny days have arrived, it’s increasingly likely that homeowners may see termite swarms. Often, the visible swarm is the first evidence the homeowner has that he or she has a termite problem. But just because you don’t see a swarm doesn’t mean you don’t have termites.

In fact, the Western Subterranean Termite swarms only after a colony has been established for four years or more. The damage the termites cause to your home or commercial building occurs year-round, not just when you can see the swarmers. These termites can get into your building through cracks smaller than 1/16th of an inch large and can even come up through tiny fissures in the concrete slab. This type of termite needs moisture and contact with the soil. It builds tunnels of mud and sawdust or wallboard fragments, and sometimes you can spot the tunnels running up the side of your foundation.

Although the Western Subterranean termite is most common, there are several other types of termites that may infest our Sacramento-region homes, including the Nevada Dampwood Termite, which can occur in our Sierra foothill and mountainous areas. Drywood termites are more common in Southern California but also can occur in our Sacramento Valley environments.

Termite treatment and damage repair is a $5 billion problem in the United States. The best way to determine whether your home or commercial property is at risk for termite infestation or damage is to consult a licensed pest control professional. For more information about California termites, see our March 2010 article. Or call us at 916-457-7605 to schedule an inspection by our Sacramento termite pest control experts!

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are once again a problem in the United States, around the world—and even in Sacramento—a problem that doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon.

Bed bugs were seemingly eradicated in the United States and much of the rest of the world back in the 1940s, largely due to the widespread use of the pesticide DDT.  Use of DDT was banned in the United States in 1971, and later in the rest of the world, due to environmental and health concerns. The resurgence of bedbugs has been attributed in part to the ban on DDT, to increased global travel, and to the possibility that the insects have developed resistance to pesticides. Increased use of baits to control insect infestations, which results in less pesticide residue, and the use of very targeted insecticides—both mainstays of modern integrated pest management methods—may also be contributing to the bed bug problem.

Whatever the reason, there has been a 71% increase in reports of bed bugs since 2001, according to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). The problem has become so serious that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has included research into prevention and treatment of bed bug infestations in its Healthy Homes Strategic Plan (www.hud.gov/healthyhomes).

Bed bugs have been known at least since the 1700s in Jamaica and are believed to have been transported to the United States by European colonists. Although they thrive in crowded and cluttered conditions, which give them lots of hiding places close to the humans they feed upon, bed bugs don’t discriminate between clean and dirty environments. “The cleanest living area can have a very large infestation, and improving sanitation alone will not eliminate an established bed bug population…,” said Dr. Harold Harlan, a former career bug expert for the military in a recent MSNBC interview. “Almost anyone is at risk of having an infestation if bed bugs are brought into their home.”

Bed bugs can be brought into your home from hotels, theaters, even public transportation. They are nocturnal, typically active after midnight into the early morning hours. Flat and brown and about the size and shape of an apple seed, they hide in the tiniest of cracks and crevices, usually near where their human hosts sleep. Check for brownish stains or black specks in the seams of mattresses and behind bed headboards.

Although bed bugs do harbor germs that can make humans sick, there is no evidence anyone has ever become ill as a result of bed bug bites. However, their bites often cause a red rash or welts, and some people who are especially sensitive may have serious allergic reactions.

As the bed bug population continues to explode, scientists and pest control experts are focusing on the biology and habits of these distasteful pests. A recent article by leading pest control industry publication PCT Magazine reported on a fascinating three-year scientific study of bed bugs in a high-rise apartment building in Indiana. Using interceptors, or traps, the scientists learned, among other things, that the bugs spread from one apartment to another by simply walking out the front door and down the hall to the next apartment.

For more information about bed bugs, see our December article, or call our office, 916-457-7605, to speak with one of our trained pest control professionals.

Western Subterranean Termite Colony

When it comes to termites, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Termites are just as damaging as they ever were, and in some parts of the country (including the San Diego area), new species, such as the Formosan termite, have arrived from other parts of the world to voraciously attack homes and properties.

A few years back, when the real estate market was booming, a lot of homeowners and business owners in our Sacramento pest control region didn’t worry much about termites; they figured by the time any damage was done, they’d have traded up to a newer or larger home or commercial property. These days the real estate market is a lot slower, and many of us are stepping back and planning to stay put for a few  years. This means it is more critical than ever that we maintain and protect our existing properties… so that when the economy does turn around, and the time is right to make a move, we haven’t lost value due to negligence or damage.

The most effective way to protect your property is prevention. Our Sacramento pest control company encourages our customers to invest a small amount for an annual professional termite and wood-destroying organism inspection and avoid expending tens of thousands of dollars later on for expensive extermination and damage repair.

One of the most potentially damaging conditions in any structure is moisture. Dripping pipes, cracks in concrete foundations, deteriorated grout around windows and doors–any of these and more can create inviting conditions for termites as well as mold, mildew, fungus and wood rot.

Seventeen types of termites make their homes in California. Of those, the western subterranean termite (Reticulitermes hesperus) is the most destructive. Subterranean termites require moisture and must maintain a connection with the soil, either by boring tunnels through wood that touches the ground or by constructing mud-like shelter tubes.

Termite shelter tubes

Dampwood termites, which, as their name implies, live in moisture-saturated wood, are often found in beach houses, but some types, such as the Nevada dampwood termite (Zootermopsis nevadensis) live in drier highland areas. Drywood termites, which can survive long periods of time without any moisture, are most commonly found in Southern California, but some also occur in the Central Valley and on the coast.

A building can have more than one infestation of termites and may even be infested by more than one type. Our Sacramento pest control company uses integrated pest management techniques to (1) identify any potential points of entry to a structure or conditions that may lead to infestation, (2) repair leaks, apply moisture barriers or take other preventive measures, (3) eliminate all existing infestations. Following inspection, the property owner receives an official WDO (wood-destroying organism) report documenting the inspection results and any resulting treatment.

In this tough economy, all of us are looking for ways to economize and responsibly manage our investments. Your home or commercial property is one of the most important investments you will ever make. Consider carefully spending an ounce or two on termite and WDO prevention today to avoid several pounds of cure in the future!

 As always, visit our pest control blog at http://www.earthguardpest.com/blog for more articles and information about termites, or call us at 916-457-7605.

My next-door neighbor is going to have his house treated for termites. Are the termites going to attack my house next?

The answer to this and lots of other questions about termites can be found at The Termite Institute website, http://www.termiteinstitute.com.

The Termite Institute is a program developed by the experts at Termidor® termiticide/insecticide, a product that Earth Guard uses where appropriate, and that has revolutionized termite prevention and control.

The website is full of great information about how to identify a termite infestation, steps you can take to avoid an infestation, how to locate and hire a creditable pest control professional if and when you need help, even audio recordings of termite sounds! (Ewwww)

We have a brief respite with the recent rain and chilly temperatures in our Sacramento pest control region, but termite swarm season is just around the corner. See our earlier article on termites at http://earthguardpest.com/blog/?p=103, or give us a call at 916-457-7605 to schedule an inspection.

One of the best things you can do to protect the value of your home or commercial property is to schedule an annual inspection for termites and other wood-destroying organisms, conducted by a certified, licensed pest control professional. A small cost today (usually around $100 for a single-family home) can result in savings of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in future property damage.

A professional termite/WDO inspection not only will identify termite inspections, it also will provide you with a checklist of problem areas that could result in future damages—issues like plumbing leaks, leaky window frames or doorsills, dry rot, cracks or places where wooden structural supports are in contact with soil. Often you’ll end up with a list of easy and inexpensive fixes you can make now to keep your property pest-free and structurally sound for the future. Sometimes a fix can be as simple as recaulking, screening or fixing a dripping pipe. If it turns out you do have a termite problem, there are modern effective treatments available to eliminate the infestation and prevent a recurrence.

Termites and other wood destroying organisms cause some $2 billion worth of property damage each year in the United States alone, according to the Louisiana State University Agriculture Center, destroying or damaging some 2 million homes or buildings. Don’t be a statistic—apply an ounce of prevention in the form of a professional WDO inspection today to avoid a pound of expensive cure tomorrow.

For more information about California termites, their life cycles and signs of termite infestation, see our earlier article, “Termite Swarm Season is Here!” (http://earthguardpest.com/blog/?p=103).

Termite swarm season is upon us, and it won’t be long before scores of households in our Sacramento pest control region will be horrified by the sight of small, winged insects emerging from living room carpets or cracks between walls and tiled floors.

Western Subterranean Termite Colony--Photo by Jack Kelly Clark

A couple of years back, about this time of year, a young single mom called our Sacramento pest control office in a panic. She had just received a phone call at work from her junior-high-age daughter: on arriving home from school, the daughter had walked into the living room to find the carpeted floor swarming with tiny wiggling bugs. By the time our customer got home, her resourceful daughter had the vacuum out and was sucking the little critters up—exactly what we had advised mom to do until our crew was able to get there.

Termites are small, white, tan, or black insects that live in large nests or colonies. Individual “castes” of insects within the colony vary in appearance and perform different jobs, much like other social insects such as ants. The large queen lays the eggs, sometimes thousands in a single day. She is always accompanied by a king. Soldier termites typically have large heads with powerful jaws used to fend off their enemies—usually ants. In some species the soldiers have snouts that squirt a poison liquid at the enemy. Most numerous are the workers, who tend the queen, build the nest and forage for food. In some types of termites, such as dampwood and drywood termites, workers are not truly different but are actually young termites. Many types of termites have long lifespans: queens and kings can live for decades; workers for several years.

Termites belong to an ancient order of insects, Isoptera, that has been in existence more than 100 million years. While humans think of them mainly as a destructive force, in fact termites make positive contributions to the ecosystem by breaking down and recycling wood and plant materials and aerating the soil.

However, when they move into our houses and buildings, termites become a destructive force that results in some $2 billion worth each year in the United States alone. Because they feed on wood, they can cause serious damage to our homes, apartments, commercial buildings or outbuildings such as barns or sheds, even to structures such as wooden mailbox posts or light poles.

There are some 2,500 different species of termites worldwide, and 17 types of termites in California. Termites that occur in California can be divided into three basic groups: dampwood, drywood and subterranean.

Dampwood termites are found only in a few parts of the world, primarily in California and the Pacific Northwest. The Nevada dampwood termite lives mainly in high, drier mountainous areas and along the Northern California coast. The Pacific dampwood termite is the largest of the California termites, growing to nearly an inch long. Dampwood termites live and feed in very moist wood, especially in stumps and fallen trees on the forest floor. In our homes and commercial structures, they are attracted by damp conditions such as plumbing leaks or leaky window frames. They nest in wood buried in the soil but can also be present in very moist wood that does not have contact with the soil.

Drywood termites are most common in Southern California but are also found in coastal regions and the Central Valley. They infest dry, undecayed wood, both in structures and in forests. Drywood termites can survive long periods of drought. They live above ground and do not connect their nests to the soil.

Subterranean termites live in the soil, sometimes several feet below ground, and must have moisture to survive. They stay in contact with the soil by building hollow tunnels, or shelter tubes, from dirt, wood or drywall particles, about the diameter of a pencil.

Termite 'shelter tubes'

The western subterranean termite is the most destructive termite found in California, causing dangerous and costly damage to wooden foundation and structural support beams.

Often homeowners like our customer discover they have a termite problem when they discover a swarm, which in most species happens in spring or fall when the termites are ready to reproduce. Other signs of termite infestation are the presence of dirt shelter tunnels on walls, dark or blistered wood, or areas of thin, easily broken wood.

Termite infestations are difficult if not impossible to control with do-it-yourself methods. New technologies are extremely effective at eradicating termites and preventing reinfestation. In addition to traditional termite control measures, Earth Guard offers a line of earth-friendly treatment solutions.

To learn more about termites and our termite inspection and treatment services, go to: http://www.earthguardpest.com/commercial_real_estate/termite/.

We’re still getting calls about ants with every shower. This great article about a 2001 Stanford study of 69 California households explains that bug spray and ant baits simply won’t stop them. The culprit is weather: The study concludes that ant “abundance is highest in winter when the weather is cold and wet, and there is a second, smaller peak in the hotter, drier part of summer.”

 The article goes on to discuss the ecological impact of the Argentine ant that has successfully invaded California. Among other impacts, the Argentine ant has decimated native ants that are a food source for the native horned lizard found in the San Diego area. The Argentine ants are so successful in part because they do not fight among their own species but rather treat other Argentine colonies as part of their extended family. Hmm, maybe a lesson there for our human species…