The Associated Press article explains why, if you have bed bugs, its important to call a professional:
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-health/20100830/US.Bedbug.Conundrum/
For more about these tiny blood suckers, see our blog.
Sweeping across the world and measuring no larger than a few millimeters, bed bugs are making a name for themselves these days.
As of Monday, August 23, the Dayton Daily news reported that Ohio can very well be known as “The Bedbug Capitol of the World.” Homes are invaded on a daily basis, and the critters are “not cheap or easy to get rid of.” An exterminator there reports nearly 10 bedbug jobs a week; a massive increase from 2005, where the report was nearly 20 jobs over the course of the whole year!
Though not poisonous, bed bugs feed on human blood and live in beds, carpets, linens, toys, luggage, and clothes. Imagine taking a trip to the famous Times Square in New York City. You decide to catch a movie with your family at the iconic Empire 25 Theater. Little do you imagine that, during the two hours of cinematic explosions, romance and drama, your clothes have picked up a couple of teeny-tiny hitchhikers ready to start a new life in your hotel, luggage, then back at your home days later. This theater was the exact setting for that horror story just a few days ago, according to CBS News.
For California residents, sites such as the Bed Bug Registry have been set up to help keep a running tab on these pesky little bloodsuckers. Stay informed, especially before traveling. As there are still no home remedies found to be successful, prevention is the best plan. A few travel tips include:
If all else fails, and a bed bug does sneak past your keen observing eye, it is best to contact a professional exterminator as soon as possible. Bed bugs are resistant to DDT and other pesticides and can cause hundreds of dollars worth of loss in furniture, clothes, and even sentimental items. Check out our previous bed bug article, Bed Bugs Pose Irritating Pest Control Problem, for more information, and don’t hesitate to call our Sacramento pest control professionals at 916-457-7605.
Yellowjackets are already making the headlines this year, even though it’s early in the season. The San Francisco Chronicle and other NorCal newspapers reported a July 3 yellowjacket attack on more than 70 attendees of the Alameda County Fair. Apparently, the ground-dwelling yellowjackets were disturbed by a fireworks display in the fairgrounds arena. None of the victims, who ranged in age from a 6-month-old infant to a person over age 60, exhibited allergic reactions or required hospitalization, although some received multiple stings.
In the Seattle area, also over the July 4th weekend, at least five people were treated for anaphylactic shock from stings believed to be from yellowjackets in separate incidents, according to a Pierce County public health official.
A small paper in Northeastern Ohio recently published a follow-up story on a man who nearly died from stings last summer after he ran over a ground nest of yellowjackets with his lawn mower. He’s been receiving weekly doses of bee venom over the past year in attempt to build up his immunity, the Hudson Hub Times reports.
And last month in Atlanta, several police officers chasing a DUI suspect who had abandoned his vehicle following a high-speed car chase were stung and one seriously injured when they ran through a clump of kudzu, disrupting a swarm of yellowjackets.
There are two types of “social wasps” in our Sacramento pest control region: yellowjackets and paper wasps. Of the two, yellowjackets are more aggressive and dangerous to humans. Yellowjackets will attack if their nest is threatened or, less frequently, if someone tries to swat them away from a food source. Paper wasps are less defensive, less apt to sting, and shy of humans unless their nest is located near a traffic-way such as a door or gate.
Both yellowjackets and paper wasps start building their nests in early spring, when a single queen emerges from winter hibernation as the weather warms. From spring to late summer, they forage primarily for protein, usually in the form of other insects, to feed their growing colonies. Later in the summer and early fall, the colony may have grown to as many as 15,000 individuals. Large amounts of sugar are needed to feed the queens and workers, and this is when they become more troublesome to humans. It’s not uncommon for swarms of yellowjackets or wasps to aggressively forage around trash cans, dumpsters or human picnics and barbeques, where they may crawl into soda cans and sting when the unsuspecting victim takes a drink.
The most common type of yellowjacket found in our Sacramento pest control area is the ground-nesting western yellowjacket, (Vespula pensylvanica), sometimes called the “meat bee.” Other types of yellowjackets common to Northern California include Vespula vulgaris, often found in dead trees in foothill or mountain terrain, and the German yellowjacket (V. germanica), which often nests in houses in urban areas. Most types of yellowjackets have distinctive black and yellow stripes on the abdomen and have a very short narrow “waist.” Paper wasps are larger, about an inch long, usually black or brown in color with red or yellow patches, and have a long slender “waist” and long legs.
Yellowjackets may build their nests in abandoned rodent burrows or even inside the walls of houses, where a hole in the wall may result from the insects’ work to expand the next space. The nest contains rows of cells and is enclosed in a paper envelope the insect manufactures from wood fiber and saliva. Other types of yellowjackets build hanging nests beneath eaves or tree branches. Paper wasp nests, usually built under eaves or branches, also contain rows of cells but are open, with no paper covering. A nest normally contains no more than 200 individuals.
Mud daubers, which may be mistaken for yellowjackets or paper wasps, build nests out of hardened mud. Mud daubers are usually not aggressive and rarely sting.
In most cases, a single yellowjacket or wasp sting does not cause serious injury. However, in some cases people have allergic reactions that can be life-threatening—even when previous stings caused no reaction. The risk of a severe reaction increases with multiple stings.
Initial symptoms of a sting usually will be pain, redness and swelling. In more severe cases, the victim may have hives, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps or headache. Symptoms of severe allergic reaction typically occur within 30 minutes and may include shock, dizziness, unconsciousness, difficulty breathing, and swelling of the throat. Anyone exhibiting this type of allergic reaction must receive immediate emergency medical attention—call 911.
Unlike honeybees, whose barbed stingers are usually left in the victim’s skin, yellowjackets and wasps can sting repeatedly. The best thing to do if you are attacked is to leave the area.
Here are some tips to avoid stings, courtesy of University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management System:
For more information about yellowjackets, wasps and other stinging insects, feel free to call our experienced Sacramento pest control professionals at 916-457-7605.
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:
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:
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).