Pest Control

Your Guide to Home Mosquito

a comprehensive mosquito control guide all about mosquitoes; what they are, how they feed, why they bite and most importantly, how to get rid of them.

Mosquito Anatomy

Mosquitoes are relatively small insects, measuring an average of just more than 6 mm long and weighing about 2.5 milligrams. They’re divided into three basic parts: the head, thorax and abdomen.

Head

The head is crammed with sensory equipment that help the mosquitoes find and feed on people and animals.

Compound eyes

They have two large compound eyes covered with tiny lenses called ommatidia that are capable of detecting even slight movement. On the top of their heads, they also have ocelli, simple photosensitive eyes detect variations in light.

Antennae

Their antennae, long feathery organs, jut forward from their heads and contain sensitive receptors that detect carbon dioxide in human breath from distances of more than 100 feet. The maxillary palp between the antennae pick up the odor of ocentol and other chemicals released in human sweat.

Proboscis

Right in the middle, also between the antennae, is the proboscis, a long serrated mouthpart used to pierce the skin and suck out blood. The proboscis holds two tubes, one that injects saliva containing an anti-coagulant and mild painkiller, and a second that actually draws the blood.

Thorax

The thorax, or what you might think of as the torso, is connected to the head. A pair of wings and a pair of halteres, small wing-like organs used for steering, sprout from the thorax. The legs also come out of the thorax, six in all, with tiny claws at the end of each to help the mosquitoes stay attached to surfaces.

Abdomen

The abdomen hangs from the thorax and serves as the mosquitoes’ stomach and lungs.

Spiracles

Small openings called spiracles line both sides of the abdomen, allowing the mosquitoes to draw in air. The abdomen holds the blood that female mosquitoes take in, and a nerve in the abdomen signals when it is full. A female’s eggs are also stored in the abdomen.

 

Mosquito Life Cycle

Eggs

Female mosquitoes lay eggs about every third day during their lifespan, usually in clumps of 100 to 300 eggs. The eggs are deposited either as “rafts” floating on the surface of standing water or on the ground in areas that regularly flood. Mosquitoes can lay eggs in as little as one inch of water. The eggs, generally white when laid, cannot hatch unless they are in water, usually for two to three days.

Larvae

When the eggs hatch, the larvae emerge. They are called “wigglers” because that’s how they swim. Most of the time, they hang from the surface of the water, breathing through tubes. The wigglers feed on organic matter in the water, shed their skins four times over about a week, and develop into pupae. Larvae are the easiest to kill, using oils that block their breathing or bacteria that poison them.

Pupae

The pupae are called “tumblers” for the way the fall into the deepest part of the water when threatened by predators. They are shaped like commas, partially encased in cocoons, with the head at one end and tiny flippers at the other. The pupae do not feed while developing, but breathe through tubes like the larvae. It takes about four days for the the adult mosquito to emerge.

Adults

The newly emerged adults climb out of the water to rest and wait for their bodies to dry out. The males will take a day or two to fully develop their reproductive organs, then seek out a female, by the sound of her wingbeats, for mating. They’ll live about three to five days after that, feeding on fruit and plant nectar. The females mate once, but continue laying eggs after every blood meal. Under the best conditions, they can live up to a month or two.

 

How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes in Your Backyard: A Step-By-Step Guide

From the inside of your house, it looks like a beautiful night. The stars are out, the lightning bugs are dancing, and you want nothing more than to go outside to enjoy it. But when you do, what happens? You’re met with a swarm of mosquitos. Backyard mosquitoes can prevent you from enjoying outside time. So what can you do to stop them from being a problem? Keep reading for a guide on how to get rid of mosquitoes.

Before learning about how to get rid of them, you should understand some facts about mosquitoes. Although all mosquitoes seem similar and awful, there are around 3,000 different types. In the US, there are around 200 species.

Many people believe that mosquitoes are parasites that suck blood for food. However, the reason they suck blood is to ensure that their bodies have enough nourishment to lay eggs. Mosquitoes lay a large number of eggs at once. In some instances, they can lay over 100. This means that it’s easy for mosquito populations to get out of hand if you don’t control them.

Consider Where They’re Coming From

When you’re looking into cutting down on mosquito populations, consider where they can be coming from. Understand that mosquitoes need standing water to breed. If you have open containers of water at your home, look into repairing leaks or removing them. You can also dump the containers, which will kill the mosquito larvae before they can mature.

Repel Them

If you don’t want to use harsh chemicals and treatments, you can look into more natural ways to keep mosquitoes away. If you’re outside for an evening, there are some other repellents you can use. Burning certain kinds of candles, such as citronella, will help keep them away. You can also use essential oils with lavender, eucalyptus, or lemon. Mosquitoes don’t like these smells and will steer clear of where they originate from.

 

Home Mosquito Control

Mosquitoes can breed in as little as one inch of standing water, which means there are numerous places around a home that might support them. It is important to get rid of those possible breeding sites to avoid a yard full of biting insects.

Remove empty containers

Start by cleaning up any containers left lying around the yard. Put away buckets, pick up toys, and dump any pet dishes kept outside. If the dog must have a dish in the backyard, made sure the water is changed daily. Other containers might need to stay outside, as well. Punch holes in them so water drains.

Cut the grass and trim the bushes

During the day, mosquitoes like to rest in tall grass or among shrubs in a moist, shady spot. Keeping the grass short deprives them of a resting place. Also, rake up any fallen leaves. An overturned leaf can hold enough water for a mosquito’s eggs, and also give them a place to wait out the day.

Check the rain gutters

They will often become plugged by leaves, blown branches, or other debris, and water will accumulate instead of draining out. Clean them out regularly, especially during the summer. If water is left standing in the gutters more than a week, mosquitoes will lay eggs in them.

Fill in any low-lying areas in the yard

These depressions can hold water after a rain or when the lawn is watered. Without proper drainage, the water will stay for days, allowing mosquitoes a chance to breed. Add dirt and sod, or install a drainage system.

Look after your pool

Keep the water in the pool clean and chlorinated. Drain and cover it when it’s not in use, and the same goes for wading or collapsible pools. Make sure any decorative items, such as birdbaths or ponds, get fresh water at least once a week. Stock the pond with fish that will eat mosquito larvae.

 

How To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes Naturally

Remove Stagnant water sources

Mosquitoes lay eggs in water, hence its important to change the water in flower pots, pet dishes, bird baths etc on regular basis. Make sure potted plants (indoors/outdoors) never have standing water in trays. Most mosquitoes eggs hatch within 48 hours and it takes only 8-10 days for eggs to turn into adults. It doesn’t take too long.

Throw out all the junk from your yard

If your yard has any items you don’t need, chuck them out. Old tires or any other yard debris hiding at some corner in your yard can retain moisture and provide a breeding area to mosquitoes.

Cleaner surroundings

Keep your gutters cleaned out, fill in unnecessary ditches, mow the lawn, basically tidy surrounding, giving no place for mosquitoes to breed.

Use of anti mosquito herbs

Citronella is the most common ingredient in most mosquito repellents. It’s a beautiful perennial grass that emits a strong aroma which masks other scents keeping mosquitoes away from things located around this plant.

Placing garlic and lavender plants around the home is considered a useful deterrent for mosquitoes.

Lemon balm, basil, Marigold, catnip, rosemary & peppermint are some plants which can make your house smell wonderful as well as keep mosquitoes away.

Use of Oils

Tea light candles made with citronella oil are popular for this purpose. Lavender oil can also be applied to outdoor seating areas or windowsills.

Coconut oil combined with neem oil repels mosquitoes from humans upto 12 hours. It is also an excellent moisturizer for the kin.

Peppermint oil & lemon eucalyptus oil are also useful anti mosquito solutions when applied to the skin.

RACCOONS

How to Get Rid of Raccoons Humanely

Getting rid of raccoons takes an integrated approach; applying several control methods at once will give you better success at eliminating raccoons and keeping them away

Remove Food and Water

Raccoons invade your yard or home in search of food. Make your yard less inviting and your raccoon control plan more successful by eliminating any potential food sources that might attract them.

Identify Areas of Damage

Knowing where your raccoon is spending most of its time and pinpointing the damage will help you target your control method.

Choose the Right Control Method

Once you’ve identified where your raccoons are frequenting, you will be able to choose a control method. It’s important to note that the more layers of defense you have against raccoons, the better your chances are at getting rid of them and keeping them off your property.

Raccoon Repellents

Use a repellent to keep raccoons out of frequented areas or to keep them off of objects and surfaces.

 

How to Get Rid of Raccoons

They’re furry. Even cute. They’re pet-sized and adorable enough to earn nicknames like Trash Panda and Shuffle Cat. But raccoons can be a menace when they make their homes in your attic or crawlspace.

The Damage Raccoons Can Cause

Those cute little furballs can be a whirlwind of damage in your attic or garage. They’ll do damage to your house itself, your property and even bring in the threat of disease.

Raccoons Bring Parasites, Leave Smell

Perhaps the worst damage can come when the raccoons decide to use an area of the attic for a latrine. It can stain the ceiling beneath with droppings, urine and their objectionable odors.

Raccoons can even bring parasites and diseases into your home. The raccoon roundworm is an infection spread to people by the accidental ingestion or inhalation of the roundworm eggs from raccoon feces. And it’s especially dangerous to children.

Protecting Your Home From Raccoon Damage

With cold weather and the raccoons’ breeding season just around the corner, now is the time to make sure your house doesn’t become a raccoon’s winter getaway.

 

How to Get Rid of Raccoons

The rustling sounds you hear near your garbage cans at night may not be wind gusts or a top-heavy container falling over.

Your yard may have become the favored feeding spot of a furry visitor. While raccoons may seem cute, they can be a pest to homeowners and farmers – and even a carrier of disease. That’s why it’s important to understand raccoons and their behavior should you spot one near your home.

Physical Characteristics

Researchers believe that over 10,000 different species of ants exist, but only a handful of breeds regularly venture indoors.

Here’s a guide to the most common household invaders and the risks they carry:

Adults may weigh from 10-30 pounds and measure two to three feet long (tail included)

Distinctive blackened areas around the eyes

Grizzled-gray fur with a bushy tail that features dark rings

Eats both plants and animals

May run up to 15 miles per hour and also swims

Found throughout most of the U.S.

Less active in winter, but do not hibernate

More active at nighttime as they seek out sources of food

While their activities are defined by the seasons, raccoons only live three to five years in most cases. Roughly 50-70% of their populations consist of animals under a year old. Their role within the food chain helps to prevent overpopulation.

A Raccoon’s Life Cycle Moves as Follows:

The spring months see the birth of a new generation of raccoons after a gestation period of about 63 days. Most new groups consist of one to four babies, called kits. The young stay with the mother for six to ten months.

The youngest raccoons are weaned during late summer and fall, at which point many will leave home to build their own dens.

As they reach adulthood, raccoons will roam about during winter and early spring in search of mates. Males (called boars) are known to travel greater distances than females (called sows) during breeding season as mating occurs only once per year.

 

How To: Get Rid of Raccoons

Behind that adorable masked face lies a determined forager and a potentially destructive intruder. When it comes to dealing with wild animals, there are seldom guarantees. But if you’re determine to get rid of raccoons on your property, you can do worse than start with the tips and tricks detailed here.

Sure, raccoons are sort of cute, but know this: If it feels threatened, a raccoon can be dangerous, particularly if it’s carrying a disease (e.g., rabies). Tread carefully, and remember that there are professionals trained to deal with raccoons and other creatures. Your local government most likely includes an animal control department with field operations aimed at helping residents cope with wildlife. Of course, if you’ve been frustrated by repeated incidents or feel the need to get on the case immediately, continue reading to learn how to get rid of raccoons safely and effectively, whether they’re causing trouble under your roof or strictly outdoors.

OUTDOORS

Raccoons are scavengers; if they’re hungry, even mere morsels of food left out in the open can lure them to your property. To eliminate a raccoon problem, therefore, it’s important to keep discarded food waste out of sight and to the greatest extent possible, contain or mask its odor. Purchase and use receptacles with lids that close tightly and lock into place. Additionally, consider double-bagging any trash that’s going to spend at least one night outdoors before your next scheduled garbage collection date.

Any food—even pet food—left outside can attract raccoons. If you must feed your pets outdoors, feed them only at certain times of day, and remove anything uneaten. If you and your family like to cook and/or dine al fresco, always take the time to clean up afterward. Here, it’s well worth being thorough; as a precaution, hose and wipe down your picnic or patio table at the end of a meal. For best results, use a cleaner that contains bleach, a chemical that goes a long way toward vanquishing odors. Note that bleach works so well at eliminating food odors, you might even pour some over any trash bags left outdoors in a unsecured receptacle.

INDOORS

While raccoons can make a real mess of your yard, strewing trash in all directions over a surprisingly broad radius, they can wreak even greater havoc indoors, endangering your family’s health and safety.

 

How to Get Rid of Raccoons

There are plenty of humane ways for how to get rid of raccoons. Here are some easy ways to get rid of raccoons.

It’s no secret that raccoons are a nuisance. On the hunt for food and a place to establish their den, they can show up in your yard, your attic, your chimney, rummaging through your garbage and more. While they’re not out to destroy your home sweet home, it is important to get them out and keep them out. Here’s how to get rid of raccoons.

If you see a raccoon nosing around in your neighbor’s trash, they would probably appreciate a heads-up. However, here’s a list of things your neighbor really wants you to STOP doing.

If you don’t have a raccoon problem yet, but you’ve seen them in your area, you’ll want to start with prevention. Keep food sources out of sight, with garbage well-secured in outdoor trash cans, using a thick lid and a weight or pressure straps on top. Also, be sure your pet’s food is kept indoors. Install a tray on bird feeder polls roughly six inches below the feed to catch any dropped seed, and be sure the feeder isn’t in a location near trees that the raccoon could use to jump from to get on the feeder. Also, be sure to cut trees back to six or eight feet from your home so raccoons can’t get to your roof and make their way into the attic to form their den.

How Do You Get Rid of Raccoons?

You can even deter raccoons from coming with cayenne pepper. These masked marauders hate the smell of the spice. Add one small canister of cayenne and one bottle of hot sauce to a gallon of water, then spray the solution all over your garden plants, bushes and shrubs, and reapply after a rainfall. There are various other repellents you can use as well, like Mint-X trash bags, which are specifically designed to repel raccoons. They’re all-natural trash bags that have a mint fragrance, which raccoons dislike. Motion-activated floodlights can also serve to deter raccoons.

Tips For Finding The Best Termite Control Company

Hopefully, you will never have to deal with looking for a termite control company, but if you are a homeowner, chances are you will have to face this problem at some point. If you do find yourself with an infestation problem, this article will give you a few tips on how to find the best termite control company.

One of the best ways to find the right termite control company for you is to ask your friends and family who they have used in the past. They may already have a rapport with a certain company that is top notch in the field of termite control. Or they may know the name of a friend who has experienced similar infestation problems and has a go-to-guy to fix them.

 

Tips On Choosing The Right Termite Control Company

As a customer, before hiring any pest control technician

Ensure that you have a look at his/her qualification with their respective regulatory authorities.

Following these tips ensures that you get the best company that will offer the best termite control measures and drugs.

Check on the qualification the employees who work for the company.

Pest control is like any other profession. It should never be looked down upon. While most people have the tendency to think that pest control jobs can be offered by any unskilled individual, the truth of the matter is that the Singapore Government expects all pest practitioners to be well qualified with proper certification.

Safety measures

Almost every pest control drug is dangerous to humans. Every pest control company should be willing to discuss about the dangers of its products. It should explain on how to use the drug in order to reduce such effects. The company should also be willing to address the environmental concerns. It should be able to come up with measures that will reduces any sort of accidents and any unnecessary exposure to the dangerous risks involved in it usage.

The customer relations

The best company is the one that adheres to its customers’ requirements. The company should be willing to address any concerns raised by its customers. They should be ready to clarify in details the degree of pest control and its effects. They should be able to explain the behavior that relates to the use.

Quality and value of the work.

You should identify the company that offers the best drugs at affordable prices. One thing to consider before buying anything from a shop is their prices. The price of a product should represent its quality. If any company requires you to sign up for a long term contract, you should consider their costs and if they offer guarantee to their products.

 

Tips For Finding A Termite Control Company

Reviews

Since the market these days is flooded with a lot of contractors who are infamous for shady practices, knowing the reputation of the termite company is essential. You can search for online forums that talk about termite control companies. The good thing about online forums is that you will obtain practical information from the discussions by other clients. Of course, the information you will get will help you with your decision on which company to pick.

Licenses

It is vital that you only deal with companies who have the right paperwork to operate as a termite control company. Keep in mind that companies offering pest control services need to adhere to many regulations set by the relevant authorities. More often than not, fly-by-night contractors failed to secure a permit because they did not make an effort to follow the standards.

Affordability

Your first course of action when in search of a termite control firm is to know their rates.  Visit the official site of the company of choice to ask for free estimates. Most of the contractors these days will provide estimates free of charge, so you do not need to worry about finding one.

Your goal here is to find a company who offers services at a reasonable price. Hence, it will be a wise decision to contact several companies to find out who provides the most pocket-friendly prices.

 

Must-Know Tips for DIY Termite Control

Guard Your Air Conditioner

Because of the way that air conditioners and heat pumps work, they are always creating and draining moisture via a natural condensation process that occurs as temperatures change. And that’s one type of moisture that you won’t be able to eliminate. It’s important to make sure that your AC unit is difficult for termites to find, and that your moisture drainage system is clear and carries water way instead of depositing it near your house.

Use Plastic for Storage

Cardboard is another big draw for termites. If you store anything in cardboard around your house or garage, replace that cardboard with plastic bins. If you store cardboard for recycling, make sure it’s in a recycling bin and not just piled up somewhere.

Building in the Garden? Buy Treated Wood

When building something new for your garden or yard, remember to use pressure-treated wood to help prevent termite damage. Termites rarely try to eat wood combined with chemicals.

Heat Can Also Kill Termites

Termites are heat-sensitive, so heat can be an excellent termite repellent and an easy homemade termite killer. If you can heat up a space to at least 120 degrees F. for at least half an hour, the termites there will die. This is a cost-effective way for DIY termite control without using pesticides. However, you can’t try this near plastics or wiring, and it doesn’t work as well on especially large beams, so be careful.

Use Repellent Termiticide on Safe Wood Structures

Repellent termiticides help you protect wood that has not yet been located by termites. Use it around sheds, decks, fences and similar areas to help prevent termites from discovering them.

 

How to Get Rid of Termites and Never Think of Them Again

How Much Damage Can House Termites Do?

The most dangerous thing about house termites is that they are almost impossible to detect at an early stage of infestation. Often called hidden invaders, they can eat away at your home for years, and you’ll never even know. Termites hollow out wooden structures and beams from inside out, leaving them with no visible damage on the outside. Their traces are not easy to spot, either. It takes house termites 2-3 years to completely devastate the house in which you were going to live for several decades. In different countries, these insects cause billions of dollars worth of property damage each year.

DIY Termite Prevention

The struggle against these pests is long, difficult and expensive. Therefore, it is much cheaper and easier to conduct do it yourself termite prevention, take all necessary precautions during house construction, follow a simple set of rules and inspect wooden structures regularly.

The most effective measure for termite prevention is conducted during the construction of a wooden house or wooden structures. You need to treat all wooden parts with a 0.1% solution of permethrin. This way, you will perform a good termite prevention and ensure that pests will never approach the building. If this wasn’t done initially, you can treat all wooden structures in the basement, as well as outside and around the house after the construction is finished.

Professional Wood Treatment For Termites

In case of severe infestation, getting rid of termites is better left to professionals. But in this case, some caution is also necessary. There are lots of unscrupulous or unskilled “professionals” on the termite extermination market. Before applying professional termite treatment services, you should familiarize yourself with the services offered by the company, check their qualification certificates, read the reviews. You should pay special attention to quality warranty, free treatment result inspections scheduled after a specific time period, and free re-treatment in case of unsatisfactory results of the termite extermination.

Termite Treatment Chemicals

The best way to get rid of termites is to use termite treatment chemicals. They are selected depending on how they act and which is more suitable for the situation.

Choosing Best Termite Treatment

Termites can cause serious damage to your property. Luckily, you can find many special termite treatments on the market that can help you to protect your home. However, there are so many products available that it may be difficult to choose the best one right away.