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Month: December 2017

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general

Why do Carpenter Bees drill perfect holes?

Carpenter Bees are known for drilling perfect holes. Carpenter bees do not build beehives in order to lay their eggs, instead they drill holes in wood and choose to deposit their unhatched eggs there. They tend to drill perfectly round approximately 1/4-1/2 inch holes in their favorite woods like redwood, cedar, pine and cypress. They also have been known to build their nests in wooden frames, usually door frames and window frames, rafters, siding, porch ceilings and the eaves of houses. Carpenter bees do not eat the wood, instead they drill holes for nests to lay their eggs and to provide shelter for their young. Although they are often drawn to most types of wood, they have a natural attraction to wood that is raw and unpainted. The fact that the wood is unpainted draws the carpenter bees because in order to drill the best hole, they need to drill against the grain of the wood. They also prefer wood that is at least 2 inches thick. A thin piece of wood would not allow them to obtain the perfect results needed to build a good nest.

Once the carpenter bee drills holes that are approximately 1 inch deep, they then make a right-angled turn and continue their drilling with the grain of the wood. Since carpenter bees do not have teeth, they use mandibles that they use like teeth to tear away at the wood in circular patterns. This allows them to drill perfect holes which are sometimes several feet long and containing multiple chambers for eggs, all leading off of the main tunnel path. The length of the carpenter bee holes could be impacted by the fact they tend to reuse the same hole multiple times for several batches of eggs.

Carpenter bee holes are about the diameter of a finger which allows easy access in and out for bees but also keeps larger predators out. One of the first signs of a carpenter bee nest being nearby is the evidence of very fine sawdust either outside or beneath the hole as well as the presence of several bees lurking around in the area. These lurkers are guarding and protecting their nests and are prepared to battle with any other species that tries to take over and invade their habitat. After all, building perfectly round holes in wood for nests takes both skill and a lot of time.

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Categories
fleas insects

Why are two applications good for controlling fleas?

There are many products presently available on the market for flea control. Everything from sprays, to chalky powders, collars worn on the animal, smelly shampoos and baths. If you search the internet you will also find advice on home remedies, methods your ancestors used, and some methods that sound like the concoctions of witch doctors. Flea control has modernized, and by demand the array of forces to control these pests available to consumers is incredible. Many of these OTC products are not equipped to handle infestations. For infestations the most popular or recommended modern methods of flea control are utilized through professional services rendered by pest control companies, and administering medications to your animal either topically or orally for additional control as well as prevention.
Fleas are a common insect-parasite that are not only an itchy inconvenience, they are also a disease risk for you and your pet. Animals can develop dermatitis, anemia, and parasites known as the tapeworm. Your first servicing or treatment against these bugs are an important step to eliminating them. However, the first treatment will not usually rid the infestation completely. A second treatment is key to most infestations, and considerably one of the most necessary defenses against these nuisances. Let me explain why this second treatment is so important. Fleas not only visit your pet, they also reside in your carpets, rugs, and upholstered furniture. Fleas are first introduced to your pet typically through the outdoors. Fleas prefer warm and moist conditions with temperatures which within the range of 70 degrees or higher. Once a flea jumps on its host, it will bite for a nice blood meal, and begins to reproduce.
The life cycle of a flea has started. Adult female fleas lay eggs once the female has fed on its host. It only takes one meal. One single adult female will then lay 25-50 eggs each day. These little white eggs which can resemble salt, are actually quite slippery unlike lice, some eggs may remain in the coat but typically most eggs usually fall off the host. The eggs fall from the coat into the environment, and will later hatch in a few days on your favorite rug or lawn. These larvae can grow into adults rapidly in as little as five days, and up to a month. These adults will then jump onto the host to mate and feed, and the cycle continues leading to more and more fleas. Adults represent just 5% of the flea infestation, and the eggs represent 50%. The life cycle of a flea is typically 18-28 days in favorable conditions.
The best way protection for your household against the flea is professional servicing of your home. Your flea control efforts should be implemented in a way that targets the entire life cycle because your first treatment is only a mild defense. The first treatment will eliminate the adults, but does not treat the eggs. It is important to have at least a second treatment that your pest control specialist will schedule to target the larvae. Sometimes additional services beyond the second treatment may be necessary, you should evaluate the need for continued pesticide after your second treatment with your pest control specialist.

W.J. Arnold. © 2016

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Categories
general

What is quarterly service?

Quarterly service is designed to maintain a pest free environment. It is a standing service, available to the client, that will keep all pest infestation at bay. While each pest infestation is unique, a quarterly service will provide customers with the peace of mind that pests have been terminated and the chance of a new infestation taking place is minimal because of reoccurring service from a well established and extremely knowledgeable and reputable company. It is a piece of mind that can only be provided by a consummate professional.

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Categories
bees insects

What can you use to keep carpenter Bees Away?

The Carpenter bee – Xylocopa violecea are natural professional woodcutters that are prevalent throughout North America in the United States. Although there are many species of the Carpenter bee, one of the most common is big and resembles the familiar bumblebee. In order to keep Carpenter Bees away, it’s important to understand how they operate. The carpenter bee is a pollinator, that forages around flowers and shrubs, under the eaves of buildings, and makes a loud buzzing sound. This bee though it looks like a bumble bee, can be quite destructive because it will bore into wood to make a nice home for itself, causing damage to the wood on your property. They appear aggressive, harassing or attacking people, however, they rarely sting unless they are female.

Carpenter bees burrow in your property most often through cracks in your walls, however, they do bore holes into any suitable wood for nesting by drilling holes which are approximately on average ½” wide. They will drill chambers from there which become their nest. The female bee will sting when defending her nest. Carpenter bees can be difficult to eradicate because the bees will often return to the wood location where they were born.

Focusing on prevention is the first step in eradicating these pesky bees. Carpenter bees generally prefer untreated or soft wood, so treating the wood outside your house may be a good idea. Painting the wood is also a good way to prevent carpenter bees as they like woods that are unfinished or weathered. Painting those untreated surfaces and filling in any areas that have holes or cracks with caulk is a good step to deter carpenter bees, and will keep them from making their homes in the wood.

Next, you may want to consider treating the wood with sprays that are designed to repel the carpenter bees. There are many different brands and types of sprays which effectively repel carpenter bees. Outlast NBS 30 Additive is an effective low toxic option which is formulated to help deter Carpenter bees from borrowing into your wood. It is also understood that Carpenter bees don’t like citronella. You can also make your own repellent with citronella oil, and lavender oil, jojoba oil, and tea tree oils. Spraying that mixture on the areas of the house or garden that needs repelling.

If you are wondering what sprays kill carpenter bees, there are plenty of options, and many wasp or hornet sprays will work against Carpenter bees also. You can spray these directly on the bee. Or these sprays can be sprayed into the holes where their nests are. You will want to seal the holes immediately with caulk if you are spraying the nests, and nighttime would likely be the best time for this option. W.J. Arnold. © 2016

https://my.carbonmade.com/portfolio/projects/6040653

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at https://wjarnold.carbonmade.com/.

Categories
insects termites

Why are stoops, a dirt filled porch, ideal for termite infestation?

Termites are small insects which are harmful for humans in many ways. These termites can eat the wooden furniture in homes and lead to damage. These termites eat clothes and make holes in them. These termites can bit on the skin of humans and lead to pain and infection. There are many types of termites and they are spreading in large numbers.

Spreading places

Termites are mainly spreading due to dirty places. Dirty places have all the required items for termites to grow. They get their food from dirt and grow in huge numbers with the passage of time. They start to spread and make their lines on walls and continue to spread to different places. You can see large bulks of termites which have many types of termites in them. Some types have wings and these fly when the shelter is removed. Some types are not having wings but these types move faster and find another shelter for safety.

Elimination of termites

It is important to use protective measures so that termites could be eliminated. Different types of sprays are available in the market which can be used for elimination of termites. Many types of sprays which can kill insects are also effective for killing termites. These sprays are quick in action and kill the termites on the spot. However these are not killing the whole colony and area of termites.

It is important to use such chemicals in sprays which can kill the termites slowly. When a slow killing spray is used for elimination of termites then the poison will be taken to the whole colony by some termites. As a result the entire colony will be infected with the poison and eliminated in a short time period. You can select such slow killing poisons to be used in sprays so that termites can be eliminated.

Termites can be eliminated by using sprays which will fill the soil. You can use these chemicals and mix them as per directions and make small canal around the walls. Then you can fill the canals with chemicals to make sure that termites could be resisted. When your home is covered with a protective layer of chemicals then termites will find it hard to get entry.

If any types of termites get entry in the home then you can use sprays on them to eliminate them. Slow killing chemicals are good for elimination of termites as these will spread the poison in the whole colony and kill it in a short time period.

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Categories
insects mosquitos

Which pest is considered the world’s deadliest animal and why?

The Mosquito: Nature’s Assassin

Ask anyone what the world’s deadliest animal is, and you’re bound to get replies ranging from the merely uninformed to the downright ludicrous. The rogue’s gallery typically consists of the usual suspects such as various types of snakes and spiders, as well as sharks and jellyfish, with many suggesting (and not wrongly so) that, indeed, Mankind is the deadliest animal to roam this green planet of ours. After all, are we not the ones who wage wars and plant bombs?

 

But the abovementioned transgressors do not form the subject of this article. No, the notorious star of our show is a much more insidious specimen altogether. One that is responsible for more deaths than any other animal, an estimated 1 million people every year.

I am talking, of course, about the mosquito and, if the abovementioned figure seems ludicrous to you, consider that mosquitos spread a host of deadly diseases including malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever.

 

Mosquitoes came into the spotlight again recently with the outbreak of the dreaded Zika virus – a pathogen that has been linked to microcephaly in babies – in Brazil, causing global panic.

 

A contributing factor with regards to the high mortality rate associated with mosquito-borne diseases, is the fact that outbreaks often occur in developing regions with poor sanitation and limited access to healthcare. For example, sub-Saharan Africa currently has the highest malaria fatality rate (some 90%) with countries like Mozambique, Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast being known for the presence of malaria mosquitos. The humid, wet conditions in these countries – as well as the prevalence of bodies of stagnant water – make for the perfect breeding conditions for malaria mosquitos. The symptoms of malaria are flu-like in nature and include headache, fever and chills. Organizations like Malaria No More are working toward bringing about the end of death caused by malaria.

 

Even in malaria-free areas, mosquitos are considered pests, their bites (or, more accurately, the antigens in their saliva) resulting in red, swollen, maddeningly itchy and often painful bumps on one’s skin. Many a sleepless night during the summer months can be attributed to this irritating nocturnal visitor.

There are many different ways – with varying degrees of efficacy – of keeping mosquitos at bay. From creams and aerosols to citronella-scented candles and electronic plug-in devices, many companies have made it their mission to help people ward off these pesky parasites. However, in regions affected by malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases, it is imperative that the proper prophylactics are taken prior to visiting the areas so affected.

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