Pest control is the elimination or management of undesirable organisms, such as rodents, ants, termites, fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes. These organisms damage or brinofer
g disease to plants and animals.
Monitoring involves checking a field, landscape, garden, or building for pests and their numbers. This information helps determine whether control is needed. Contact St Charles Pest Control now!
Insects are among the most difficult home pests to control. Their insect’sives from their propensity to infest hotel rooms, but they can also be found in apartments, condos, and multi-family homes, as well as commercial properties like office buildings and hospitals. The increase in global travel has been cited as one of the main factors behind their recent resurgence.
The best way to prevent an infestation is to involve a professional exterminator early on. This will help prevent the bugs from spreading from suite to suite in a multi-family building. They should also be consulted during renovations to prevent the bugs from being brought into new areas by contractors and workers.
Vacuuming is an important part of a bed bug treatment. But it should not be the only method. The bugs are small enough to fit into tiny cracks and crevices, and vacuuming alone will not remove all of them. Be sure to vacuum around the edges of mattresses, beds, and furniture. Also vacuum under and around the legs of beds and furniture, in the cracks between baseboards, along wall seams, under pictures, posters or clocks, and any other hidden area where a bed bug may hide.
It is also a good idea to encase all mattress and box springs. This will eliminate a lot of the hiding places for the bugs and make it easier to inspect and treat.
Other treatments include washing clothes, bedding, curtains and carpets in hot water, drying them on the high setting, and sealing cracks where bed bugs can hide. If a serious bed bug problem is encountered, professional pest control may need to be called in to apply liquid and dust treatments directly into cracks and crevices harboring the insects.
The pesticides used in these treatments should be labeled for use indoors and follow safety directions to avoid contamination, injury or death to family members and pets. In addition, the pesticides should not be used near sensitive equipment or electronics such as computers and televisions. If a pesticide is accidentally sprayed on these items, the owner should immediately dry them and wipe down any surrounding surfaces with rubbing alcohol or another suitable solvent.
Termites
Termites are not only destructive to homes and other wood structures, but they can also eat the vegetable matter within plants, depriving them of nutrients. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent termites and treat them once they have invaded.
Taking a few simple steps can cut off access to the wood and other material that attracts these pests. Keeping the soil around your home dry will help, as well. This can be done by diverting rainwater away from the house, promptly repairing leaky plumbing, and removing damp soil or fallen trees and stumps from the property. Keeping firewood above ground and away from the house is also a good idea, as are removing dead trees or branches that could fall on your home.
A professional can check your home for a termite infestation and recommend a treatment plan. For instance, Terminix is a company that uses spray treatments to kill existing termites and prevent them from returning. They use liquid termiticides that are sprayed on the soil around the house and on other affected areas of the yard.
The company also offers bait stations that lure termites in with a food source and then poison them. These are effective for eliminating active colonies and can be installed throughout the property. They can be a more cost-effective alternative to fumigation, which requires tenting the house and can be hazardous to pets and children.
Nematodes, small worm-like creatures, are another option for killing and controlling termites. These nematodes can be purchased in packets and applied to the ground, where they will prey on the pests. The best part about this method is that it wonwon’trm your lawn, trees or other plants and wonwon’tfect humans or pets.
All termite species share a caste system that includes workers, soldiers and reproductives. The workers are sexually and developmentally immature, but they take care of the colcolony’seds, including gathering food, building out the nest and caring for young. The next level up are the soldiers, who have well-developed mandibles and protect the colony from predators. Then come the reproductives, which swarm in warm weather and shed their wings before settling down to become the kings and queens of new colonies.
Ants
Ants are a pest in homes and workplaces, where they scavenge for sweets, grains and other foods. They also build colonies outside, in rotting logs, stones and mounds of soil. In some areas, ants are valued for their ability to clean up dead animal carcasses and other debris that would otherwise litter the environment. In many parts of the country, ants are more of a nuisance than a benefit, however, as they forage inside homes seeking food and moisture sources.
Ants can be controlled by understanding what attracts them, how they enter a structure, and where their nest is located. A key to successful control is correctly identifying the type of ant encountered, as different species crave different types of food and have distinct nesting habits. A good place to start is with your local university extension service, which can provide information about the specific ant and its habits in your area.
If you see a trail of ants entering your home, identify the species by its color, length of legs and the number of nodes on the petiole (look for a straight or convex thorax profile). You can purchase ant identification kits online that include specimens, isopropyl alcohol, an ant guide, and other materials to help you determine what ant you are dealing with.
Once you know what ant you are dealing with, purchase and set out baits that target its taste. For example, if you have Argentine ants, choose bait that is geared to its preference for sweets over proteins. You can also kill ants by spraying them with a household insecticide, but this is risky and should be done only if the ant species is not a health concern.
Effective prevention is based on sanitation, which means keeping counters, floors and other surfaces free of crumbs, sweeping frequently and storing foods in airtight containers. In addition, make sure that all windows and doors are sealed, as ants can enter structures through cracks and crevices around the homhome’sundation. Keep landscaping away from the house, and regularly inspect and repair any ant bridges that may have developed between the yard and the foundation.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are nuisance insects that bite people and animals to feed on their blood. Female mosquitoes require a blood meal to produce eggs, and some species of mosquito carry diseases such as malaria, West Nile virus and encephalitis.
Mosquios breed in water and are attracted to people, pets, livestock, birds, frogs, bats and horses. They also feed on fish, annelid worms and leeches, and can even cause disease in humans. The most common mosquitoes are the Aedes aegypti, which is responsible for yellow fever and dengue, and the black salt marsh mosquito (Aedes sollicitans).
There are many things that can be done around a property to prevent breeding of mosquitoes. Tightly cover all water storage containers, including buckets, rain barrels, tyres, plant pots and toys to stop mosquitoes from breeding in them. If you have a pond, regularly clean it out and change the water and scrub the edges to stop mosquitoes hiding in them. A surface film of oil or a larvicide, such as Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) available as donuts, briquettes or granules, can be used to clog the breathing tubes of mosquito larvae and kill them. Larvicides need to be replaced regularly to remain effective.
Other measures to control mosquitoes include keeping the vegetation trimmed and avoiding accumulating pools of standing water. A pond or other body of water that is not in regular use can be agitated by adding a pump or fountain to re-oxygenate the water and discourage mosquitoes. Ponds can also be fitted with a netted lid to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in them.
It is also possible to introduce natural predators and parasites that can help to reduce mosquito numbers such as bats, purple martins, dragonflies and frogs. However, these may not be enough to keep mosquito populations under control in some areas.
Chemical pesticides are widely used to repel and kill adult mosquitoes, but they need to be regularly replaced or reapplied, especially if the population is high. In addition, mosquitoes are developing resistance to some of the most commonly used pesticide formulations. A professional pest control company will have extensive knowledge of mosquito ecology, and can assist with recommendations to manage the local mosquito population.