There are a number of different insects that can plague homeowners around the Virginia Beach area. It is important to be aware of the different insects and the signs of an infestations so that you can identify any issues before they become too serious. Here are five different insects and signs that they may be an issue. Fire Ants There are fire ants in Virginia Beach. Fire ants are actually a growing problem in the area. They can cause issues because they have painful bites and will swarm and bite pets or children. You may first notice these when someone in your family is bitten, but you can also keep an eye out for their mounds. These will appear like sand and can be up to a foot high and eighteen inches across. Unlike other ant mounds, you will not see a hole in the top of the mound. Cockroaches Cockroaches can be an issue throughout the year. You may first notice that you have cockroaches if you see one scurry out of site when you flip on the light in your kitchen. Cockroaches are usually nocturnal, so you may not notice them until an infestation has set in. You may notice droppings which look similar to ground pepper flakes. You may also notice egg casings around your home. If the infestation is serious, you may also notice a distinct odor. Termites Termites are not dangerous to people. However, they can cause serious damage to your home. Termites tend to swarm in the spring to start new colonies. You may also notice piles of discarded wings at this time. Other signs of termites include seeing narrow tubes of mud along your foundation, hollow sounding wood and damage to the wood in your home. You will see long grooves in the wood. Mosquitoes Mosquitoes are an issue from the spring into the fall. They can spread a number of different illnesses. You will likely notice mosquitoes when you are outside and being bitten. The best way to deal with the mosquitoes is to address the standing water in your yard and schedule regular treatments. Wearing insect repellent can also help. Ticks Ticks are a problem throughout Virginia. They can make you quite sick by spreading Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. These illnesses all need to be treated with antibiotics. You should check yourself and your pets for ticks on a regular basis.
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4/18/2018 0 Comments 5 Things That Attract RodentsNo one wants any to have to deal with a rodent infestation. Rodents carry a number of diseases and can quickly wreak havoc on your home causing damage and spreading germs and bacteria through your home. Understanding what attracts them can help you prevent rodents. Here are five things that can attract rodents to your home. Trash One thing that will attract rodents is strong smells, like those that are in your trash can. There are a few ways that you can address the trash in and around your home. The first is inside of your home. Keep the trash in your kitchen covered at all times. Be sure to take it out each evening. This will prevent the rodents from coming in. It is just as important to be sure that the trash outside is covered and sealed tightly. This will prevent rodents from hanging out around the home. Food Sealing your food will help with the smells that will attract rodents. Invest in airtight containers and put your food there instead of in the original packaging. This has the added benefit of protecting the food from other pests like cockroaches and ants that may be looking for easy access to the food. Water Rodents need easy access to water. Be sure that you do not have any leaks anywhere in your home. Additionally, leaks can weaken the structure of your home, and make it easier for the rodents to chew through the floor or surrounding wall to make an easy access point to your home. It is important to regularly check on these areas to make sure that you do not have issues. Easy Access It is also important to check other areas of your home that may be giving the rodents easy access into your home. Tree limbs that are hanging over your roof, or holes in the eaves of your attic or around your foundation. Any place where wires or pipes or vents enter or exit your home can serve as an easy access point for the rodents to come into your home. Be sure to check these areas on a regular basis. Past Infestations Past infestations can attract rodents to your home in a few different ways. The entry points and inside tunnels can make it easy for new rodents to find their way inside of your home. Another issue is that the smell that they leave behind with their urine and nests can attract other rodents to your home. It is important to clean up all areas that they may have been with bleach to protect yourself and your family from future infestations. Many people hear the word termites and immediately have their hearts sink. Termites are considered a pest in large part because of the extensive damage that they can do to a property in a short amount of time. The cost of repairs and treatments can add up quickly, but it is also important to remember that termites actually perform an important function in the ecosystem. Break Down Old Wood into Soil One of the biggest benefits that termites have on the environment is the ability to break down the dead wood into soil. As termites eat the wood, they break it back down into soil so that it can be used to help other plants to grow. The termites can not only deal with the wood that you see above the ground, but can also help to clear out the roots that are underground that you do not see. If they did not do this, then there would be issues with the amount of wood around the world. Aerate the Soil The tunnels that the subterranean termites build actually help with aerating the soil. This is important because it addresses soil compactness, which can make it easier for plants to take root and grow. Aeration makes it easier for water and nutrients to reach all parts of the soil which helps the plants to grow overall. Help with Drainage In dry areas, the termites that tunnel can also make it easier for water to drain when it rains instead of causing floods. It can also limit the amount of soil erosion in these areas because the water is able to drain properly. Protecting Your Home While termites have benefits for the environment, this does not mean that you want them on your property. You can combat this by making sure you that do things to protect your home. Understanding things that can attract termites can help you to stop termites from coming onto your property and possibly damaging your home. The biggest step that you can take is to remove dead wood from your property. Check for rotting or sick trees. Avoid using wood mulch around your property since termites like to feed on that. Clearing out leaf debris can also protect your home. Another thing you may want to do is to address your crawlspace to be sure that it is well ventilated and sealed completely so that it does not attract termites or other insects. 4/6/2018 0 Comments Termite FAQTermites are a common problem throughout the country. They can cause thousands of dollars of damage to your home in just a few months, and can cause issues throughout your home. Termites are spread throughout the world and there are number of different types of termites. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about termites. Can I Stop Termite from Getting in My Home? There are steps that you can take to stop termites from getting into your home. The first is just to keep your home in good repair. If your home is well sealed and does not have any areas with moist wood, you make it harder for termites to come in. Check your roof and crawlspace for weak areas. Look at the vents in your home and be sure that a grate is installed to keep the termites out of your home. What Happens to My Property After I Get Termites? When you find out that you have termites, you may be panicked at what it does to your property value. Once you treat the home for termites, and make the repairs, then your home should return to its previous value. You will need to continue to monitor your home and possibly have continued treatments. There are a few more steps to preparing to sell your home after termites. You will need to keep copies of the receipts for treatment and repairs to show they buyer when you sell your home. How Many Types of Termites Are in the United States? There are three main types of termites, subterranean, dampwood and drywood. Within those types are subspecies of termites. In the United States there are about forty-five different subspecies of active termites. In the world there are more than 2,000 different subspecies that have been identified. Termites tend to be active in specific regions, and it is important to know the types in your area so you can watch for signs of them. How Can I Tell if Termites are on My Property? There are signs of termites that you may see around your property including dead wood that has signs of damage. Mud tubes on your foundation or termite mounds depending on where you live. There are monitoring systems that you can install that you can check regularly to see if you have any termite activity on your property. If you detect termites, you can begin treatment. Can I Treat Termites on My Own? There are termite treatments that are available at the stores, but because termites can just move to another section of your home if disturbed but not treated completely, it is best to have treatments done professionally. This way you can be sure that the termites are completely eliminated and that any damage that they may do to your home is stopped. When it comes to your home and your family, it is important to take steps to keep insects out. Many insects spread disease and can cause issues in your home. Most homeowners will have to deal with insects trying to get into their homes at one time or another. Here are three of the most common issues of insects that can invade your home. Cockroaches Cockroaches are a very common pest, especially in climates where it is very warm in the summer and at lower elevations. There are number of different types of cockroaches in Virginia, but the German and Oriental cockroaches are the most common type to invade a home. They can come into your home through cracks in your walls, under the door or they can be brought in through packages. They are attracted to places that have water and easy food sources. They like clutter and small spaces to hide. You can prevent a cockroach infestation by following some simple steps. One of the best steps to prevent cockroaches is to keep your home as clean as possible. You can treat the exterior of your home with a barrier spray to stop new cockroaches from coming in. Another way to prevent them is to seal your windows by caulking them and installing weather stripping around the door. Ants There are two types of ants that can invade your home. Household ants will build their colonies outside of your home and send workers inside in search of food and water. They tend to be in the kitchen because that is where food is, but if you eat in other rooms of your home, ants may follow you there. Carpenter ants will build their colonies in the wood of your home and can cause damage like termites. They do not eat the wood, so you may notice piles of sawdust around your home. You can prevent ants in a few different ways. For household ants, you should keep your home as clean as possible. Wipe down the counters and tables after each meal and do your dishes right away. Take your trash out each night. Making the same repairs to your windows as you did for cockroaches will also help. Preventing carpenter ants can be trickier, but repairing leaks and damaged wood can help. Termites Termites are tricky because most people do not realize that they have termites until the damage is already done. They can cause thousands of dollars in damage as they chew through the wood in your walls and floor joists. Dampwood termites can even chew through the casings around your electrical wires and cause a fire hazard. You can prevent termites by repairing any leaks in your home. Make sure that your roof is in good repair and that no shingles are missing. Be sure not to stack wood against your home. Any wood structures connected to your home, like a deck, should be built out of treated wood, because termites can eat through the deck and then begin to eat through your home. Installing grates over the vents into your home will stop them from coming into the home that way. When you live in an apartment, townhome or condo, you may have additional challenges in regard to pest control. The shared walls mean that pests can move between the different units and while you may be working to get rid of an infestation, your neighbors may not have the same focus. It can be frustrating, and it takes a different strategy in order to deal with the issue. The first step in all issues with pests is to contact your landlord and request that the entire building be treated. If you own your place, you can contact the home owner’s association to have the entire building treated. Then request regular exterior treatments. Tips on Dealing with Cockroaches in Your Apartment If you have cockroaches in your apartment, the first step is to clean up clutter and trash that may be in your apartment. Cockroaches love clutter and this may mean the extra knickknacks you have around your home, or the boxes that are storing extra items in your hallway. If you do not have ready food and water sources ready for the cockroaches, they are less likely to set up shop in your home. This means keeping your food stored in airtight containers, tackling your dishes as soon as you eat, and wiping down the counters and sweeping up the floors after each meal. Tips on Dealing with Ants Ants may be coming in from the outside and are less likely to be coming from a neighbor. Make sure that your doors and windows seal tightly to keep them out. Keeping your kitchen clean and taking out your trash on a regular basis should also help with the ants. Try to determine where they are coming in and seal the area. This may include sealing where the baseboards meet the walls, especially if the ants are coming up through your crawlspace. Tips to Prevent and Deal with Rodents and Wildlife in Your Home The rodents or wildlife may be living in between your walls. They may be moving from apartment to apartment in search of food and other material. The first step is to search for any entrance points into your apartment. Look around the pipes and dryer vents to see if you notice any chewing or additional holes. Repairing this damage can help keep them out. If you have a problem with rodents, it is essential that you take to your management company so that the issue can be addressed by a professional. General Tips There are a few things that you can do to help prevent insects from moving from other people’s unit into yours. These steps can reduce the chances of you having a problem, but the best solution is to make sure that the entire building is pest free.
Once you have had an issue with cockroaches, chances are you do not ever want to deal with it again. It can be difficult to combat a cockroach problem. You will want to make sure you take steps to make sure that you do not have anything attracts cockroaches in your home. Here are some things that you should be aware of. Keep Your Home Clean Cockroaches are attracted to strong smells. They like easy access to food whether it is on your counters or in your trash can. They will wander into other rooms of the house where food is available including bedrooms. The best way to combat is to clean your kitchen after every meal. Be sure to take out your trash each evening. Additionally, you may want to limit the food to the dining room and kitchen. This will limit the places that you will need to clean thoroughly each night to avoid attracting cockroaches. Be sure not to leave pet food out, since roaches love the high protein food. Get Rid of Paper and Cardboard If you are storing cardboard for your next move, or you have items in your attic inside of cardboard boxes, you need to clear them out. Give your cardboard boxes to someone that is currently moving and replace the carboard boxes in your attic with rubber or plastic containers. This can cut down on the number of roaches, since they will eat cardboard. The other containers will provide better protection for the items you are storing. Stop Any Leaks Cockroaches need an easy source of water to survive. They tend to gather in the rooms in your home that have water like your bathroom, laundry room or kitchen. Be sure to mop up any spills right away and after a shower or bath, but more importantly make sure you do not have any leaks in your home. Check under the sink or in your crawlspace to make sure there are not leaks. Clear Up Clutter Roaches like small enclosed spaces. They like to be able to run undetected along the baseboards or next to the wall. If you have a lot of clutter in your home, it makes it easy for them to move from place to place and then can easily become an infestation. A home free of clutter will make it easier to spot any cockroaches before it becomes a problem. 1/23/2018 2 Comments How Can I Tell If I Have Bed Bugs?Bed bugs can be a serious problem. Although they were nearly eradicated in the United States in the 1960s, they have made a comeback in the last twenty years. It can be difficult to treat them since they are resistant to many different chemical treatments. Also, it can be difficult to find and treat them since they can go up to thirty days between feedings. This means that you will not necessarily notice an issue right away. Complete a Check According to the article How to Check for Bed Bugs, there are three different areas that you should check for signs of bed bugs.
Schedule an Inspection If you are unsure whether or not you have bed bugs, then you should call a professional and have them do an inspection. A professional can quickly determine if you have fleas or bed bugs. He can also apply a treatment that will kill the bed bugs and stop them from being a problem in the future. Bed bugs are usually found in one bedroom, but they can spread to other rooms of the home, including the living room if the infestation is bad enough. Prevent Bed Bugs Bed bugs will come into your home by catching a ride on something. They will hide in your luggage and come home with you from a hotel. It is important to carefully inspect the hotel room before you stay the night. Additionally, you should keep your luggage off the floor and off the bed. Be sure to carefully inspect any furniture that you buy second hand. In fact, you may want to treat it with heat or isolate it for a time and regularly inspect it before you move it into your home. It is also important to be careful about where you put your duffel bag at the gym since they can crawl into your bag there too. https://notehub.org/zrjxs ecotektermitepestcontrol.skyrock.com/3306853626-EcoTek-Termite-and-Pest-Control-of-Virginia-Beach.html http://www.anobii.com/groups/01b7d660af8ddebab5/ http://ecotektermitepestcontrol.iktogo.com/post/ecotek-termite-and-pest-control https://wallinside.com/post-63239263-ecotek-termite-and-pest-control-of-manassas.html http://all4webs.com/ecotektermitepestcontrol/lgltlqxqrf202.htm https://www.bucketlistly.com/users/ecotektermitepestcontrol http://EcoTekTermitePestControl.soup.io/post/640404684/EcoTek-Termite-and-Pest-Control-of-Manassas https://ecotektermitepestcontrol.picturepush.com/profile https://ecotekpest.kroogi.com/en/content/3483861-EcoTek-Termite-and-Pest-Control-of-Manassas.html Cockroaches can quickly become a problem. These insects are resilient and can survive in difficult conditions. They also carry a number of diseases and can cause issues for people. It is important to recognize the signs of a cockroach infestations and understand the associated dangers so that you can work to eliminate them as quickly as possible. Signs of an Infestation There are a few signs that you need to keep an eye out for when you are concerned about cockroaches and a possible infestation.
Dangers of an Infestation Cockroaches are associated with filth and illness. According to the article Diseases that Cockroaches Spread, there are a number or serious illnesses that cockroaches can carry and spread to you when they crawl through your food or over your dishes. These diseases include salmonellosis, typhoid fever, cholera, gastroenteritis, and dysentery. Most of these diseases have symptoms that include vomiting and diarrhea. They can make you feel very sick and you may need to sick medical care in order to deal with them. It is important to watch for signs of dehydration with all of these diseases. Another danger is that cockroaches can cause serious issues for people who asthma or allergies. Some people may develop a severe allergic reaction that makes it difficult to breathe around the roaches. They may also increase the chances of having an asthma attack. If you have a family member with these issues, it is important to take care of the cockroach problem right away. http://www.chictopia.com/ecotektermitepestcontrol http://www.icsi.edu/capitalmarketweek/UserProfile/tabid/4706/userId/1763848/Default.aspx http://www.foodspotting.com/4740310 http://www.magcloud.com/user/ecotektermitepestcontrol http://www.cyprus.com/user/brendon-cordell.html?section=member_info http://ecotektermitepestcontrol.pen.io 1/9/2018 0 Comments 3 Common Bed Bug QuestionsBed bugs are on the rise in the United States. Bed bugs were basically eradicated from the United States in the 1960s, but in the last twenty years, they have begun to pop up again. Bed bugs are resistant to many types of pesticide and can be difficult to find and treat because of their nocturnal habits and because they can go several weeks without feeding.
How Did I Get Bed Bugs? According to the article, “How Do Bed Bugs Enter Your Home?” bed bugs often come into your home after a business trip or vacation. The bed bugs ma crawl into your luggage when you are at a hotel and then come into your home that way. You can also bring them home in your gym bag. You can avoid bringing them home by carefully checking your hotel room before you stay and by keeping your suitcase off the floor and bed. The luggage racks are a great tool to help you prevent bringing a bed bugs home. Do Bed Bugs Spread Diseases? Bed bugs do not spread diseases from person to person. Although the bites themselves can be quite itchy. Some people may develop a serious allergy to bed bug bites. Other than that, you do not need to worry about any diseases that you can pick up from bed bugs. Where Can I Find Bed Bug Nests? Bed bugs are found near the headboard of your bed. They may be in the cracks along your bed frame or in or along the baseboard. They may also make their home in the mattress or box springs of your bed. While they do not create a colony like an ant, they do tend to hide in the same places. You may be able to see the bed bugs or the droppings from bed bugs. What Can I Do to Get Rid of Bed Bugs? The process of getting rid of bed bugs can be quite extensive. You will need to identify where the bed bugs are hiding so that you can treat those areas. You will also need to wash and dry all of the bedding in hot water and on high heat to take care of the bed bugs. An exterminator can help you effectively treat for termites and keep them from returning. It is important that you kill the bed bugs as well as their eggs and larvae. http://ecotektermitepestcontrol.postbit.com/ecotek-termite-and-pest-control.html http://all4webs.com/ecotektermitepestcontrol/lgltlqxqrf202.htm https://www.bucketlistly.com/users/ecotektermitepestcontrol http://EcoTekTermitePestControl.soup.io/post/640404684/EcoTek-Termite-and-Pest-Control-of-Manassas https://ecotektermitepestcontrol.picturepush.com/profile https://ecotekpest.kroogi.com/en/content/3483861-EcoTek-Termite-and-Pest-Control-of-Manassas.html https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/350621136/about |
AuthorEcoTek pest control blog manager Archives
April 2018
Rodent Control
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