Christmas Tree Bugs

There's nothing like the smell of evergreen needles to get you in the holiday spirit. But when you bring a live or cut Christmas tree indoors, some of the insects that call your Christmas tree home might be joining you for the holiday season. Here's what you need to know about Christmas tree insects. What Damage Can Christmas Tree Insects Do In My Home? You really don't need to worry about bringing any dangerous or destructive pests inside with your Christmas tree. The hitchhiking insects make their homes in coniferous forests. Your home isn't appropriate habitat for these insects, and they aren't going to move in for good. Lacking food and adequate humidity to survive, most Christmas tree insects die soon after moving indoors.

Mosquito False Advertising

Watch out for the fine print when dealing with companies claiming to be able to spray away mosquitoes- or even fog your yard for control. These treatments might last 2-3 days, and even with that will not 100% control mosquitoes. In years past, individual cities would send out fogging trucks. This works very well. Due to budget cuts, it's left to the HOA's to contract private companies to fog their neighborhoods. Some will, some will not - incur the cost. For homeowners, you're left with just a few options that work. There are Mosquito Misting stations on the market that work well or simply having regular pest control maintenance is very helpful. The regularity will keep mosquitoes from ever becoming an issue.

Bed Bugs only in ONE room??

That's a loaded question. 99.9% of the time...when bed bugs are present in ONE room, they are also in other rooms. You may not notice them at the same time, but they're generally there.

Heat vice Chemical Bed Bug Treatments

​A) Heat treatments are expensive and less reliable than chemical treatments. Reason being; When the correct chemicals and procedures are used, you receive a residual affect (the product continues to work AFTER the treatment). With heat, there is zero residual affect. B) Heat treatments demand A LOT of prep work (just to have a chance to work correctly). Reason being...the bed bug itself - not the air - must reach a temp of at least 140-150 degrees and be sustained for numerous hours (this means the air temp must be much higher to penetrate walls, box springs, etc). Part of the prep process involves removing anything plastic from the home, to prevent it from melting (including mini blinds, TV's, remotes, etc). You basically need to move out for a day. C) Insulation on wiring inside walls begins to melt at 170 degree. This can pose a short circuit issue in the future and possibly a fire. ​D) Many cases have been reported that DURING treatment homes catch fire: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Bed-Bug-Treatment-Radiant-Heat-Fire-Ice-Debate-Hazards-214087061.html Professionals using heat treatments have burned down buildings in other cities. See: Dayton, Ohio: A bed bug heat treatment set fire to a home. Manchester, New Hampshire: Blaze caused by heaters used by pest control company. Edmonton, Canada: Radiant heat treatments caused a large blaze that had 60 firefighters called in to put out a fire in a four story apartment building that had $3.5 million in damage. Cincinnati, Ohio: Bed Bug Heat Treatment burned down a home. AND A HEAT TREATMENT COMPROMISES SAFETY AFTERWARD: IT MAKES HOMES LESS SAFE AFTER TREATMENTS ARE COMPLETED Bed Bug Heat Treatments Often Damage Sprinkler Systems – so the treatment increases fire risks even after the bed bug service is complete. According to the National Pest Management Association, Heat also compromises the future effectiveness of a sprinkler, which may result in property damage, or human injury or fatality. There also is potential liability if a PMP disables a fire suppression system without an appropriate license or, if while the treatment is being performed, a fire occurs while the system is disabled. The NPMA warns in its bed bug protection guides that 11.3.3.4.6. Potential heat damage to certain materials, including the risk of activating automatic fire suppression systems (sprinklers). Care should be taken to safeguard these materials and systems. (page 13) The treatment area may also become a fire hazard after treatment because the heat dries out the wood beams and furniture. Put simply – heat treatments are not worth the risk to your life, health, and home- or to that of your neighbors and firefighters. ​

German Roach Reproduction

The German cockroach reproduces faster than any other residential cockroach,[13] growing from egg to reproductive adult in approximately 50 – 60 days.[14] Once fertilized, a female German cockroach develops an ootheca in her abdomen. The abdomen swells as her eggs develop, until the translucent tip of the ootheca begins to protrude from the end of her abdomen, and by that time the eggs inside are fully sized. The ootheca, at first translucent, soon turns white and then within a few hours it turns pink, progressively darkening until, some 48 hours later, it attains the dark red-brown of the shell of a chestnut. The ootheca has a keel-like ridge along the line where the young emerge, and curls slightly towards that edge as it completes its maturation. A small percentage of the nymphs may hatch while the ootheca is still attached to the female, but the majority emerge some 24 hours after it has detached from the female's body. The newly hatched 3mm-long black nymphs then progress through six or seven instars before becoming sexually mature, but ecdysis is such a hazardous process that nearly half the nymphs die of natural causes before reaching adulthood. Molted skins and dead nymphs are soon eaten by living nymphs present at the time of molting.

Super Roach

We all know that the most sly and sneaky creepy crawler out there is the cockroach. This bug will eat our pizza or snickers bar if open and left out; it will even raid our pantries and refrigerators. Over a span of many years this bug has put up quite a resistance in the war against mankind. The roach is one of the most exterminated bugs by pest control professionals, but in the 1990’s in Florida, some of the exterminator’s tricks stop working. This was because the roaches developed a trick of their own; ditching their sweet tooth. One of the professional tactics used against cockroaches is baiting them with a sweet, sugary poison. In the 90’s when this bait stopped working, researchers started speculating about this seemingly invincible pest. How had the bug avoided the sweet scent and taste of the concoction? Researchers from Raleigh’s North Carolina State University, Ayako Wada-Katsumata, Jules Silverman, and Coby Schal looked into that very question. THE FINDINGS Using the common German cockroach, researchers studied the reason for this change in roach behavior. Roaches use taste hairs all over their bodies instead of taste buds to taste their food. Researchers focused on the taste hairs around their mouths and two types of nerve cells that transmit signals to the brain. One of these transmits the taste of bitterness, while the other transmits the taste of sweetness. When the brain received the sweet signal, the roaches were, of course, inclined to eat the substance, and when it received a signal of bitterness, the roaches laid off. The three researchers from North Carolina determined that glucose, which is the main ingredient used in most sugary products, stimulates the bitter receptor in the roach’s brain. Entomologist at Purdue University, Grzegorz Buczkowski, and Walter S. Leal, the head of the entomology department in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis who were not involved in the research, made some remarks on the findings. Buczkowski said, “We lose baits all the time.” He expanded by saying that the bug industry has to keep up with the evolution of these bugs in order to maintain the effectiveness of their products. New poisons are constantly developed, because cockroaches and other pests become resistant to the poison, just as bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. The findings now explain that it wasn’t an ineffective poison, or that the roaches developed immunity to it. The cockroaches simply changed their genetic make-up and lost the attraction to glucose. Now some roaches are passing off this gene and evolving into some sort of super roach. Walter S. Leal says, “Sometimes the science is beautiful but you don’t know whether there is going to be an application five years from now, 10 years from now or 100 years.” These results seem to be well on their way to helping the pest control industry and mankind in general to keep a leg up on the evolving cockroach. Call your San Antonio Pest Control Pro....

Raccoons

With their furry black “masks,” bushy ringed tails and perpetual curiosity, raccoons can be extremely cute; but wild raccoons can also be amazingly destructive, are known carriers of rabies, and are really better off in the woods, not near your home. If you’ve started seeing toppled trash bins and other evidence that these critters are coming nearby, it’s probably time to take action. But figuring out how to get rid of raccoons can be tricky at best. Calling the professionals is always best – but if you’d like to try it yourself, here are a few different avenues you can take. Spotting Raccoon Problems First things first – how do you know you have a raccoon problem? Raccoons are mostly nocturnal, hunting for food at night and staying hidden in their dens during the day. They have sharp, dexterous claws and can handle objects almost as skillfully as monkeys. This all translates to a night-time creature which can easily open trash bins. Sure enough, pilfered garbage is a top sign you’ve got a raccoon problem. Other times raccoons may take up residence in an attic or wall of your home. Most people become aware of their coon guests when they hear scampering, growling and even squealing from baby raccoons. Left alone, a Atlanta raccoon trapping Besides causing damage, raccoons are also primary carriers of rabies, a central nervous system disease that can be fatal in humans if left untreated. Once you confirm you have raccoons, it’s definitely time to figure out how to get rid of them, sooner rather than later. Simple Tips To Get Rid of Raccoons Because raccoons can be aggressive and are known rabies carriers, it’s generally not recommended that homeowners try to capture them. Instead, the best way to get rid of raccoons in and around your home is to prevent them from ever getting close or by encouraging them to leave on their own. Lock trash cans Raccoons are opportunistic and omnivorous, eating almost anything that is available. If you have any food scraps that you throw away in your trash, then you need to make sure that the garbage can lids are locked or weighted down to ensure a raccoon cannot easily get into them. If they have no food supply available, then you have removed one of their needs, so raccoons may move on, looking for a better place to live. Move trellises Keep trellises, bushes, shrubs, and trees away from the side of your house. While these plants may provide a beautiful landscape, they’re basically ladders for raccoons, which are excellent climbers. Something as simple as a bush can provide the perfect route to gain access to your roof. Get a fence A good perimeter fence can create a nice barrier between your home and a raccoon – within reason. Remember that raccoons are great climbers! That means a fence would need to be made of a material their claws couldn’t penetrate or might even need to be electrified. This solution is probably better for a garden than an entire home. When To Call The Pros Raccoons can be among the toughest pests to get rid of and can cause you a lot of sleepless nights in the meantime. When the effort of keeping raccoons away becomes too much, it may be time to call professionals. Your San Antonio Pest Control Pro offers a comprehensive raccoon removal plan, consisting of trapping any raccoons out of your attic, repairing any damage they have done, and then animal proofing your home to prevent all types of wildlife from gaining access and causing you any future problems. Raccoons are definitely cute – when they’re not living in your home. Get rid of raccoons and take back your property!

Warm weather is just around the corner, and that means mosquito season is not far behind. These pests can be a real nuisance! Worse yet, in some cases, mosquito bites can even make you sick. Below, we’ll look at some of the diseases carried by mosquitoes and then we’ll offer our picks for the very best mosquito repellents. WHY SHOULD YOU BE CONCERNED ABOUT MOSQUITOES? Mosquitoes aren’t just a nuisance. They can carry diseases that can affect you and your family. In the Corpus Christi area, the biggest concern for mosquitoes is the West Nile virus, with July 2015 marking the first confirmed cases in the area. Lately, the media has also been reporting on the Zika virus, which has spread to Brazil and may be causing microcephaly, a birth defect that affects the development of an infant’s brain. The good news is that while there have been a dozen cases of Zika reported in Texas, all cases appear to be individuals who contracted the disease outside the US. The Best Mosquito Repellants Knowing that mosquitoes carry diseases, the best way to fight back is to choose a good insect repellent and use it properly. In our research, we’ve found that the best mosquito repellents are those that include the ingredients DEET, lemon-eucalyptus oil, or picaridin, a synthesized version of the chemical found in the black pepper plant. Here are our picks for the best mosquito repellents: DEET-BASED REPELLENTS Scientific studies have shown that products containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) are generally the most efficient at repelling mosquitoes, and also tend to be the longest lasting, meaning you have to apply them less frequently. While there have been some concerns about DEET, the Environmental Protection Agency considers DEET to be safe when used as directed, though it recommends avoiding its use on small infants. Consumer Reports and the American Academy of Pediatrics further recommend not using any products with a concentration exceeding 30% DEET. WE RECOMMEND THESE DEET-BASED REPELLENTS: Off Deep Woods Sportsmen II; contains 30% DEET Coleman High & Dry insect repellent; 25% DEET Cutter Backwoods Unscented; 23% DEET Off FamilyCare Smooth & Dry; 15% DEET 3M Ultrathon Insect Repellant 8; 25% DEET Cutter Skinsations Clean Fresh Scent; 7% DEET OFF Deep Woods insect repellent VIII; 25% DEET NON-DEET REPELLENTS Many families prefer to avoid DEET for health and safety reasons. Two newer active ingredients in insect repellents that are nearly as effective include picaridin, a synthesized formula similar to the chemical found in black pepper plants, and the oil from the leaves of the lemon eucalyptus tree. *Warning: The Centers for Disease Control does not recommend that you use products with lemon eucalyptus on children under the age of three. WE RECOMMEND THESE NON-DEET REPELLENTS: Avon’s Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus Anti-Itch Spray Repel Plant Based Lemon Eucalyptus; active ingredient oil of lemon eucalyptus Natrapel 8-Hour with picaridin; 20% picaridin Bite Blocker Xtreme (organic) Cutter’s lemon eucalyptus insect repellent BE SURE TO USE REPELLENTS SAFELY! Insect repellents, like sunscreen, are only effective when applied correctly. You can ensure safe skin exposure to repellents by following the label instructions that come with the package of repellent. Labels tell you how much repellent to apply and how often you need to reapply to keep mosquitoes away. Never use insect repellant on wounds or irritated skin Do not apply near eyes, nose or mouth, and do not spray onto face. Instead, either use creams or spray the mist onto your hands to apply to face and neck. Do not spray repellents in enclosed spaces. Open a window or go outdoors. Avoid breathing the mist and make sure your kids cover their eyes and mouths while being sprayed with repellent. Apply to exposed skin and clothing only. WHERE CAN I FIND REPELLANTS IN THE San Antonio AREA? Many local retailers, including Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Target, and Academy Sports + Outdoors, will carry a broad range of mosquito repellents for yourself and your property. Sporting goods stores, retailers for camping and outdoors activities, and home and garden stores will also carry repellents suitable for specialized activities. OTHER WAYS TO KEEP MOSQUITOES FROM BITING In addition to applying personal repellants on yourself and your children, here are a few other tips: When camping or enjoying an evening on the patio, use natural mosquito repellents such as citronella candles and torches to keep mosquitoes away from you and your family. Prevent mosquitoes from breeding by removing sources of standing water and keep your lawn mowed and your bushes trimmed. And if you have a significant insect problem and need to kill mosquitoes or find where they may be breeding, call out our professionals at Preston Pest Control for more assistance. We offer a misting system that kills mosquitoes and will keep you and your family safe.

Bed Bug Facts

http://www.bedbugexterminatorsanantonio.com/ Bed Bugs are asexual. It only takes ONE to begin a population and reproduction. They do not need to mate. Bed Bugs only came to the United States 10 years ago due to International travel. This is why Chicago has been the number 1 city for bed bugs numerous years in a row (the O'Hare Airport is the busiest International Airport in the world). VERY FEW exterminators have the knowledge to deal with Bed Bugs. Most Pest Control companies will not even attempt to deal with them due to the lack of knowledge. Bed Bug extermination is NOT taught or 'required knowledge' to obtain a pest control license. It is a 'specialty' much like Termites, however the laws and required knowledge haven't yet been fully implemented since Bed Bugs are a relatively new issue to the United States (not all exterminators are licensed to handle Termites and shortly we hope to see changes in the laws that will include a special license endorsement/category for those wishing to handle bed bug issues--as of now, even your pool guy is technically licensed). We are the ONLY company in the state of Texas who has repeatedly gone to Chicago to study Bed Bugs at The University of Chicago (our sister company resides in Indianapolis Indiana). NO other company KNOWS bed bugs like we do or offers the guarantee we do because they are still unsure of their products and procedures (most use the same products that are sold for fleas--bed bugs and fleas are NOT the same). We are the ONLY company in the US that has an active laboratory on site that studies Bed Bugs every single day. There are over 100 species of bed bugs; however there are only a few that humans need to be concerned with, as the rest are all attracted to animals/birds/bats. Bed bugs are blind but have a heightened sense of smell (particularly for CO2) Only ONE species of bed bug can live up to a year without feeding (not ALL). Bed bugs are "hitch-hikers. You can bring them home or take them to other locations very easily. Heat remediation does not work consistently and is outrageously priced. The bed bug itself (and eggs) must reach a certain temp and be exposed to it consistently, for hours. Should a bed bug or an egg be hiding inside a wall outlet or similar place, it will not be effected....leaving the door open for a re-infestation. The proper spray solution takes care of ALL species and their eggs at once. The internet is full of misguided and inaccurate information, as well as 'gimmicks' geared toward using your fear and lack of knowledge against you to purchase unneeded products. Not to mention, incorrect 'opinions' based on zero factual information. You DO NOT have to leave your home during treatment NOR do any major Prep work. The companies that ask you to do these things fall into the category of those who do not have the proper knowledge or use the proper products. For the same reason, these companies will sell you Bed Bug Encasements. Most of these companies are also using the same product/spray that you can purchase yourself at Lowe's or Home Depot. It simply will not work to kill the entire infestation. Do not fear bed bugs; they are easy to kill for a professional with the correct knowledge and training. It has been documented that BED BUG PTSD actually exists. Don't be a victim!!! The following 'widely used statement/opinion' is false..."Bed bugs are extremely difficult to control especially if they are not caught during the early stages of the infestation." Not all people will react to a bed bug bite (no bumps or rash after being bitten) It is not always necessary to throw out mattresses or furniture. Most always they can be treated. You may call/text/email us at any time with any questions. The answers are always free and truthful. The secret to a successful extermination of bed bugs is in the Products used as well as the Process used. One without the other, will not be 100% effective. A minimum of 2 treatments (occasionally 3) is required for homes, to ensure ALL adults, babies, and eggs have been eradicated. Most times with apartments, only ONE treatment is necessary. Bed Bugs reproduce every 14 days. They lay 5 eggs per day and 500 during a lifetime. The following products will not work and are a waste of your money: Foggers, Bed Bug Encasements, Diatomaceous earth, electronic bed bug repellents, all natural spays.....etc....