 What is the difference between an Ant and a Termite?
Sometimes people mistakenly identify termites as "white ants” when they see them in the ground or as "flying ants” when they see them swarming. Both ants and termites have two pair of wings, but ants' wings are different sizes while termites' wings are all the same size and length. Also, ants have narrowed waists (air-glass shape) and elbowed antennae while termites have thick waists and short, straight antennae that resemble strings of beads. Ants can vary in size, and winged termites can be brown like ants.
Is the pest control service that The Wheeldon Company provides more effective than over the counter treatments?
Over-the-counter products are certainly an option for you. But homeowners lack the training that professionals have to treat pest problems effectively. A professional can correctly identify the insect and develop a course of treatment that takes the insect's habits into account. It is also important that the treatment products used are handled correctly to ensure effective treatment and environmental responsibility. A professional pest control operator is trained and has the expertise to do these things, leading to a very effective solution to your pest concern.
Termite Facts
"There are two types of homes, those that have termites and those that will.”
No matter how your home is constructed, where it's located or how old it is, it could be attacked by subterranean termites. They are a threat across 70 percent of the world and in every part of the United States, except Alaska. They cause $5 billion worth of damage each year in the United States alone. They are, in fact, the most serious threat your home may face. In any given year, termites damage more homes than fires and storms, including floods, tornados, and earthquakes.
Tell Tale Signs of TERMITES
Possible signs of termites may include: |
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 Pencil-sized diameter, or larger, mud tubes running across bare concrete or masonry between the soil and wooden parts of your building.
- Thin, small papery wings, all the same size and shape on your windowsill, counter top or floor. (especially if it is late spring and there has been a recent rain)
- Thin, "bubbled” or distorted areas of paint on wooden surfaces when feel cool to the touch.
- Any wooden building parts (especially if they are support structures) that begin to "sag” unexpectedly.
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Termite Trivia
The total weight of all the termites on Earth is estimated to be much greater than the total weight of all humans on Earth. Termites communicate mainly via chemicals called pheromones, but the majority of species also strike their heads against the sides of their nests, tunnel walls or even their own thorax. Variations in frequency and pattern of such "tapping” seem to constitute "messages” which seem to be understood by other colony members.
Furry Little Houseguests
The house mouse is the most common pest in living and working places. Adults weigh about an ounce, but they eat often and leave telltale droppings in places where that sat down to feed. A house mouse can breed 35 days after being born and can have its first litter of up to 8 pups by the time it is 60 days old.
Mice can jump about a foot straight up and can jump down more than 6 feet without getting hurt. An adult mouse can squeeze through a crack or hole as small as 3/8 -inch across and can quickly climb straight up an eight foot wall of brick or wood paneling in less than half a minute.
In a year, one mouse produces up to 18,000 droppings and deposits hundreds of micro-droplets of urine everyday. House mice can spread more than 20 kinds of disease organisms to humans and pets.
If you need help to detect, survey for, and eliminate rodents from your home, give us a call today. 270-745-1934 or toll 1-866-457-PEST.
These Ladies are a Nuisance
About the time of the first frost, Ladybugs or Ladybird Beetles may gather on the southern or western sides of your house. They will come into your house through any crack, crevice, open window, or hole. They come in and remain inactive until spring, and do not cause any big problems except for their presence, sometimes in great numbers. They become active when it gets warm again and try to find their way back outside.
Some kinds of Ladybugs, like the common, wide-spread Multi-colored Asian Ladybug, can come into a house in unbelievable numbers, often tens-of-thousands. The best thing to do when they become a problem is to do a preventive careful examination and sealing of all likely entry points before the first cold nights. This will help keep most and sometimes all of these pests out. It is good to get treatment, especially heavy infestations, at this point and will also help with secondary pest problems that occur, like carpet beetles, or booklice.
Did You Know?
Did you know that Asian Ladybug beetles have been found to cause allergies in a large number of people having their infestations.
Cockroaches have been around more than 350 million years. There are about 4000 different named species of cockroaches in the world.
Tips for Managing Pantry Pest
Many beetles, weevils, and moths infest stored grain and end up in your homes. You can manage pantry pest by taking the following steps. Usually, limited treatment is needed for these pest. Finding and disposing of all infested foods can solve the problem.
You must find the source of the infestation. Check packages you seldom use, especially such foods as cereals, grain products, nuts, flour, raisins, spices, dry pet food, and bird seed. Also make it a habit to thoroughly inspect all such items when you first bring them home after purchase from your grocery store. Look for webbing, small silk spots damaged food or live insects. When you find infested packages of food, you should wrap and seal them in a heavy plastic bag and dispose of them with your normal garbage. Store all foods in tightly closed glass, plastic, or metal containers.
Contact us if you need help identifying or locating and assessing these or other problem pest.
Sleep tight; Don't let the BEDBUGS bite!
By the late 20th century, bed bugs had gone from being a major pest to being quite rare. Bed bugs have made an amazing resurgence in the past few years. The resurgence may be attributed to the following factor:
- More common travel
- More transient society with people moving more often
- More modern pest control technology that targets pests so whole areas are not treated, but rather certain areas where pests are known to live.
The most common bed bug is flat, has a reddish to brownish color, and about the size and shape of a lentil. Bed bugs are nocturnal so you normally won't see them during the day.
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