We’re in the heat of our northeastern summer as July draws to a close, ushering in the month of August. Pests that have been hiding in and around your house begin to creep into view. You may experience sightings of rats, cockroaches, mosquitoes and other insects. This is common.

Summer Pest Control – Why not DIY?

For many, upon sighting a pest, the first impulse is to take action immediately by eliminating that pest themselves. Out of sight, out of mind.

The problem with DIY approaches is that the pest you see is most likely not the only pest around. It may be just the tip of the iceberg with the real population somewhere hidden out of sight.

Summer Pest Control – Get at the cause.

Another issue: What conditions invited the pest into or around your home in the first place? View some of the articles on ApolloX Pest Control to learn the conditions that favor each type of pest. Your ApolloX pest control professional will not only eliminate the pests you see, but also the hidden pests. In addition, we’ll locate the cause of the pest infestation so that once the pests are gone, they won’t want to return.

Summer Pest Control – Be Safe.

DIY pest extermination can be dangerous. Over the counter pest applications can be highly toxic, especially when applied without proper training and experience. ApolloX Pest Control experts will ensure that pest applications are applied safely, protecting your safety and that of your family.

Summer Pest Control – Secure Your Home and Family.

DIY pest control is rarely effective, leaving the problem to progress. The pests are likely damaging your home. Termites, carpenter ants, cockroaches, rodents…these and others can permanently damage the wooden structure of your home, your electrical system (rodents chew through wires) while creating health hazards to your family (many of these pests spread dangerous bacteria and viruses).

Summer Pest Control – Eliminating the Pest Is the Least Expense.

It soon becomes clear that professionally eliminating the pest is far less expensive than replacing damaged siding, structural beams or recovering from a health issue caused by pests.

Summer Pest Control – Do It Right.

So, when you see that mouse, cockroach, spider, carpenter ant or yellow jacket nest, resist the DIY urge to just eliminate the pest you see. Call the professionals to safely eliminate the problem and its cause. 

Call ApolloX Pest Control

(888) 499-7378

The post Summer Pest Control – Safe, Efficient, Right appeared first on Pest Control.

Food Destroying Pests: Examples

Cockroaches

The American cockroach is the household cockroach. They are often found in sewers and basements, around pipes and drains. Cockroaches can spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria, 6 kinds of parasitic worms, and 7 other pathogens. Brownbanded cockroaches prefer warm and dry locations, such as near refrigerator motor housings, on the upper walls of cabinets, and inside pantries, closets, dressers, and furniture in general. The German cockroach is usually found in kitchens (near dishwashers, stoves, and sinks) and in bathrooms of homes.

Pantry Moths

A mature Indian meal moth female lays 100 to 300 eggs on food material, either singularly or in groups of twelve to thirty. The Mediterranean Flour Moth can be found in many foods in addition to flour, grain residues, broken kernels and various whole grains. The female moth lays from 116 to 678 small white eggs in accumulations of flour, meal, waste grain, and other food sources. Commonly, the eggs are attached to the food.

Mice

The deer mouse enters homes through small cracks in windows and doors and are in search of food and warmth. Deer mice damage upholstered furniture, mattresses, clothing, paper, or other materials they find suitable for constructing their nests. Deer mice are a particular concern because they spread hantavirus, which can be deadly to people. The house mouse consumes and contaminates food meant for humans, pets, livestock, or other animals. In addition, they cause considerable damage to structures and property, and they can transmit pathogens that cause diseases such as salmonellosis, a form of food poisoning.

Rats

Norway rats eat and contaminate foodstuffs and animal feed. They also damage containers and packaging materials in which foods and feed are stored. If roof rats are living in the attic of a residence, they can cause considerable damage with their gnawing and nest-building activities. They also damage garden crops and ornamental plantings. Among the diseases roof rats can transmit to humans or livestock are murine typhus, leptospirosis, salmonellosis (food poisoning), and ratbite fever. Plague is a disease that roof rats can carry.

Pavement Ants

Pavement ants feed on a wide variety of food. Sweets, including sugar, nectar, fruits, and syrups are readily taken. Grease, dead insects, and small seeds also are collected and stored in the nest. Nearly any morsel of food that falls to the floor will be consumed.

Food Destroying Pests Contaminate Food, Cause Allergies and Spread Disease

Adults of many of these food destroying pests pests fly toward lights and may be found in other rooms or floors quite a distance from your food storage areas. These pests do eat at least a small amount of the food they infest, but their presence, their droppings, cast skins, and certain chemical excretions contaminate much more of the food and sometimes cause allergies in those persons who ingest them.

Get rid of pantry moths. Schedule an appointment with ApolloX today.

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New Thought: Cockroach Value?

Here’s a different perspective on the hated cockroach. Some people are actually beginning to see the value of cockroaches. There’s a new trend in China: Cockroach farming. Yes, they’re actually breeding cockroaches. Why?

Cockroach Value Economically

Cockroaches have an economic value and entrepreneurs across China are cashing in on the increasing value of cockroaches. Pharmaceutical corporations are gobbling up dried cockroach supplies to make inexpensive drugs for China’s aging population. Cosmetic companies have found that cockroaches are an affordable source of protein and cellulose-like substances used in hair and skin care products.

Chinese farmers can earn a $20 profit with only $3 worth of insect eggs. For farming, the Chinese prefer the hardy winged American cockroach instead of the common wingless German cockroach. Fried roaches are also a delicacy.  Credits: Cockroaches: Pest or Payout? | Alpha Ecological Pest Control

What’s The Source of Cockroach Value?

“Some of these insects live in the filthiest places ever known to man,” says Naveed Khan, co-author of the new study. “These insects crawl on dead tissue, in sewage, in drainage areas. We thought, ‘How do they cope with all the bacteria and parasites?’”

Extracts of ground-up brain and other nerve tissue from the American cockroach,Periplaneta americana, and desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, killed more than 90 percent of a type of E. coli that causes meningitis, and also killed methicillin-resistant staph [MRSA]…
Credits: Cockroach Brains Have Medicinal Value | Health Policy Blog …

Cockroach Value in Conservation

In general, cockroaches are important ecologically as part of food chains, being consumed by various predators (such as bats, birds, and spiders) as well as by parasites. Even the feces of cockroaches are consumed by some animals. And cockroaches do provide some direct value to human beings in terms of being used in scientific research and adding to the wonder of nature. Credits: Cockroach – New World Encyclopedia

Cockroach Value Stops at Your Doorstep

Your home is not a very good place to breed cockroaches because their presence can spread disease.

If you’re not a Chinese cockroach farmer or a conservationist believing in the value of cockroaches, you’re probably looking for the best way to prevent an infestation. Here it is: Take action to get rid of cockroaches as soon as you spot the first one. Credits: Cockroach – New World Encyclopedia

It’s always a good idea to consult professionals. ApolloX Pest Control will quickly identify the source of the problem and kill cockroaches with commercial-grade treatments not available directly to homeowners.

Unless you’re raising cockroaches in your home for economic, medical or conservation purposes, you probably want them exterminated.

Call ApolloX Pest Control Now

(888) 499-7378

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Why Cockroach Prevention?

Here are some startling facts:

American cockroaches have been reported to spread

• At least 33 kinds of bacteria
• Six kinds of parasitic worms
• At least seven other kinds of human pathogens 

They can pick up germs on the spines of their legs and bodies as they crawl through decaying matter or sewage and then carry these into food or onto food surfaces.

Recent medical studies have shown that cockroach allergens cause allergies and exacerbate asthma attacks, especially in children and those living in metro-city areas. Credits: American Cockroach Control & Prevention « Bug Busters USA

Cockroach Prevention Begins with Identification

You can typically identify a cockroach infestation by their droppings. Cockroach droppings resemble a small amount of pepper, and they can be found in various places; they tend to prefer corners, crevices, and other small spaces. Check around your fridge, oven, and dishwasher to see if you have a cockroach problem. Your pest control professional can rid your home of these bugs using hand sprayers, traps, or foggers. Credits: A Look at Some Cockroach Prevention Methods – Payne Pest …

Image: Credits: American Cockroach Control & Prevention « Bug Busters USA

• Cockroach Prevention Actions

• Seal cracks around the outside of the home to prevent pest entryways.
• Properly ventilate basements and crawl spaces to eliminate harborage points.
• Seal all entrances around utility pipes and ventilate crawl spaces to prevent moisture buildup.
• Vacuum frequently and remove garbage from around the home on a routine basis.
• Do not allow dirty dishes to accumulate in the sink and remain there overnight.
• Keep food in the refrigerator or in containers with tight-fitting lids to prevent contamination.
• Periodically check and clean the evaporation pan under the refrigerator or freezer.

Credits: Cockroach prevention tips – Hulett Pest Control

Cockroach Prevention Professional Help

If you suspect you have an infestation, contact ApolloX Pest Control to identify the species and recommend a course of treatment. We’re licensed pest control professionals.

Call ApolloX Pest Control Now

(888) 499-7378

The post Cockroach Prevention: How to Keep Them Out of Your Home appeared first on Pest Control.

Winter pest control top activities are much easier than in the Spring and Summer. However, if you don’t accomplish the easier Winter pest control actions, pests may get a foothold in your home making pest control much more difficult the rest of the year, not to mention need to repair the damage to your home.

Winter Pest Control Top Activities – 5 Major Pests

Image Credits: Pest Control Do’s and Don’ts For Winter Pests | AAA Pest Control …

Five of the common pests that are encountered in winter are: 

1. mice
2. rats
3. raccoons
4. cockroaches
5. spiders 

Winter Pest Control Top Activities – 9 Actions to Take

1. Seal any visible and hidden cracks, gaps, and even small openings on the outside of your homes, windows, walls, and doors. Use caulk and steel wool for sealing.
2. If you store your summer and fall decorations, clothes, toys, and other seasonal gears inside boxes and containers, organize these boxes and containers on the shelves. Keep them off of the floor at all times to reduce potential hiding places for pests.
3. Inspect your crawl spaces and basements and make sure there are no sources of moisture or damp areas. These damp and moist areas are common hiding places of pests.
4. Vacuum the entire house frequently, most especially in the kitchen area where there are often crumbs and small pieces of food that have fallen on the floor. Keep your counters, cabinets, and shelves clean and sanitizes as well. Make sure there are no crumbs of food in these areas.
5. Pest control experts also suggest disposing your garbage regularly. Do not let it overflow and spill over to the floor.
6. Always keep the areas under your sink both in the kitchen and in the bathrooms clean. Also make it habit to sweep and/or vacuum under appliances frequently.
7. Trim shrubs and trees and make sure there are no branches or limbs overhanging your roof or near your windows. Keep in mind that squirrels, spiders, and rodents can use these branches to get inside the house.
8. Before placing your unused shoes and clothing inside boxes and containers, it would help if you place them inside plastic containers or bags that you can seal. Some pests like to hide in between sheets of clothes or inside shoes so you want to keep them tightly sealed while in storage.
9. If you have a shed, consider storing your trashcans or recycling bins inside them. Lock your shed and make sure no pests can get inside.

Credits: Pest Control Do’s and Don’ts For Winter Pests | AAA Pest Control …

How do you know if you’re covering all the bases effectively during the Winter? Pests are in hiding and not easy to detect.

Schedule a mid-Winter pest inspection. Gain the peace of mind that comes with knowing your home is free of pests that could breed and emerge this Spring in greater numbers!

Call ApolloX Pest Control

(888) 499-7378

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