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hiding places insects rodents

In pest control what is a hot zone?

Hornets,Termites Carpenter Ants, Spiders, and Mice. These are just a few of the critters that are considered pests, and they all share some things in common. In trying to control pests there are “hot zones” in which these animals may thrive. Homes that are leaky, and have poor construction, would be an example as the animals may have an easy way to enter. So if you don’t want a squirrel or a Raccoon in your attack, make sure to have it sealed well. Often times pests love moisture and high humidity areas, because they’re fond of damp wood, you should check your pipes, roof and window sills for water leaks.This would be an example of a hot zone. Certain materials are pest Hot zones for example like cedar shingles and stucco, which animals can scale and birds can wiggle into Another example of a pest hot zone, is a building that is shared with other tenants. If you live in a multiunit building, any pest control measures you take individually will be ineffective in the long term simply because insects travel from one apartment to another. In many cases the entire building must be eliminated at one time to truly fix the problem.

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Categories
bees insects

How does a honey bee make honey and what are the benefits of local unprocessed raw honey?

Honey bees work tirelessly to produce one of the world’s most renowned substance: honey. While mankind has all but perfected the collection and distribution of honey, it turns out nature got it right. Unprocessed, raw local honey offers the most in terms of antioxidants, immune system boosters, and overall health value. It is even considered to be a performance food in that athletes use it to replace vital carbohydrates and complex sugars in the most rigorous of competition. It is also of course praised for its taste and use in a variety of recipes. The process of making honey begins with bees collection nectar from flowers close to their hives. They collect nectar and begin processing it to convert it from raw, natural sugars into the familiar yellow, sticky substance. Once they return to their hive, bees deposit their find where other bees chew on this unprocessed substance to increase its viscosity and add even more beneficial substances. The end result is placed in a wax container and stored. Purchasing directly from the source ensures its freshness and health benefits. Shoppers should aim to purchase from local, organic sources to reap these benefits while enjoying a delicious, time-honored food that has long been perfected by nature.

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Categories
ants insects

Why do fire ants move only to 5 to 10 feet when you treat just the mounds?

When a person hears the word “fire ants” mean usually comes to mind due to their aggressive nature. Most people know fire ants for their reddish color and sting that inflicts pain on their victims. If a fire ant mound is disturbed, most people know immediately from the swarm that occurs that they have just made a horrible and painful mistake. Fire ants are not insects that should be taken for granted or should one wait for them to move on to another location. Once you have realized you have a fire ant infestation, your problem becomes even more difficult to eliminate.

Unless you kill the queen herself, spraying the mound is not the only answer to resolving your problem with fire ants. In fact, you may find that spraying the fire ant mound is only a temporary solution as within just a few days, you may find the return of the fire ants to the original mound area. In order to work on reducing your fire ant problem, you will need to target as many areas as possible in which the fire ants may be dwelling other than the mound. Unfortunately, you will not be able to completely eliminate your fire ant problem, as it is nearly impossible to find all of the fire ants’ hiding places. Also, fire ant tunnels are extremely complicated and deep in the ground so it is important that one is aware of this when treating a fire ant mound. It may require more than just a simple treatment of the mound to kill those fire ants deep in the mound.

Many people believe that home remedies are the best way to resolve their fire ant problem. However, most home remedies only cause the fire ants to move to another nearby location. In fact, many believe drowning fire ants is the answer to your problem but fire ants cannot be drowned. They have actually figured out a way to survive drowning! This is the type of insect you are dealing with so it is important that you hire a pesticide company with experience in fire ants to try and alleviate your problem sooner rather than later. Treating a fire ant problem can become very costly long process so it is best to get the right company for the job immediately as opposed to spending a lot of money on inexperienced companies. Hiring an experienced company can not only prevent the pains to your wallet but can also prevent the pains to your skin from the stinging inflicted by the fire ants in your yard.

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ants insects

Why should you treat your whole yard for fire ants?

Fire ants are particularly nasty pests and their presence has become commonplace in over 15 different states in the U.S. Some Fire Ants are native to the United States, but some were accidentally imported. They tend to thrive in warm, humid areas, as they are susceptible to cold, harsh conditions. When treating for fire ants, whether there is an existing infection or just for preventative measures, it is important to treat the entirety of the property.

These ants are incredibly aggressive and often territorial. When they attack, they bite with their strong mandibles and then sting their target. This sting can cause as little as mild irritation and nausea to much more severe kinds of reactions, including death in sensitive people. When stung, it feels similar to being burned by flames, hence their name. They also don’t discriminate against what they view as a threat, so they may attack people and even pets who disturb them. Fire ants may also cause severe damage, affecting plants, homes and even wiring. This makes treating the whole yard an absolute must to protect everyone in the household, the property as a whole, as well as the four legged family members. They pose a threat to everything!

Not only are these pests destructive, they spread rapidly. Depending on how many queens are within a colony, there can be up to 200 mounds and 40 million fire ants in one single acre. Each mound alone can hold up to 500,000 fire ants, a veritable army. The life cycle of these ants ranges from 30 days all the way up to six years, so when an infestation starts, they mean to stay around long term.

When looking for signs of an infestation, mounds of loose dirt are indicative of a colony and worker ants are readily seen when out scouting for the colony. These workers are most likely to be seen in greater numbers after rainfall, as they are drawn out of their colonies by flooding. Yards and open areas are the most likely to become infested by fire ants due to the higher sun exposure. They tend to prefer warm areas, which is why they’re also attracted to electrical wiring and the generated heat.

When it comes to treating a home and yard, it is imperative that the entire area be treated to prevent the Fire Ants from establishing and maintaining a colony that poses such a serious threat to people, pets, and property.

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Categories
ants

Carpenter Ants

Camponotus fellah MHNT.jpg
“Camponotus fellah MHNT” by Didier Descouens– Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 viaWikimedia Commons.

Carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.) are large (0.3 to 1.0 in or 0.76 to 2.54 cm) antsindigenous to many forested parts of the world.[1]  They prefer dead, damp wood in which to build nests. They do not consume it, however, unlike termites.[2]  Sometimes, carpenter ants hollow out sections of trees.  They also commonly infest wooden buildings and structures, and are a widespread nuisance and major cause of structural damage.[3] The most likely species to be infesting a house in the United States is the black carpenter ant(Camponotus pennsylvanicus).  However, over a thousand other species are in the genusCamponotus.

Habitat

Carpenter ant species reside both outdoors and indoors in moist, decaying, or hollow wood. They cut “galleries” into the wood grain to provide passageways for movement from section to section of the nest.  Certain parts of a house, such as around and under windows, roof eaves, decks and porches, are more likely to be infested by carpenter ants because these areas are most vulnerable to moisture.

Carpenter ants have been known to construct extensive underground tunneling systems.  These systems often lead to and end at some food source – often aphid colonies, where the ants extract and feed on honeydew.  These tunneling systems also often exist in trees.  The colonies typically include a central “parent” colony surrounded and supplemented by smaller satellite colonies.[4]

Food

Carpenter ants are foragers that typically eat parts of other dead insects or substances derived from other insects.  Common foods for them include insect parts, “honey dew” produced by aphids, or some secretions from plants.  Carpenter ants can increase the survivability of aphids when they attend to them.  They attend to any aphid species, but can also express preference for specific ones.[citation needed]

Most species of carpenter ants forage at night.  When foraging, they usually collect and consume dead insects.  Some species less commonly collect live insects.  When they discover a dead insect, workers surround it and extract its bodily fluids to be carried back to the nest.  The remaining chitin-based shell is left behind. Occasionally, the ants bring the chitinous head of the insect back to the nest, where they also extract its inner tissue.[5] The ants can forage individually or in small or large groups, though they often opt to do so individually.  Different colonies in close proximity may have overlapping foraging regions, though they typically do not assist each other in foraging.  Their main food sourcesnormally include proteins and carbohydrates.[6]

Nesting

Carpenter ants work to build the nests that house eggs in environments with roughly 12-15% humidity due to their sensitivity to environmental humidity.  These nests are called primary nests.  Satellite nests are constructed once the primary nest is established and has begun to mature.  Residents of satellite nests include older larvae, pupae, and some winged individuals.  Only eggs, the newly hatchedlarvae, workers, and the queen reside in the primary nests.  Since satellite nests do not have environmentally sensitive eggs, the ants can construct them in rather diverse locations that can actually be relatively dry.[7]

Control

While you can certainly use your own methods of pest control to include diatomaceous earth, we strongly suggest to let Atak Pest Control, Inc. use their exclusive Home Pest Control Package to manage all of your ant problems.

Don’t hesitate call us today (281)291-9222!

REFERENCES

  1. Cranshaw, Whitney; Richard Redak (2013). Bugs Rule!: An Introduction to the World of Insects. Princeton Univ. Press. p. 329.ISBN 140084892X.
  2. http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/dk1015.html
  3. Strauss, Levi (January 2005). “Carpenter Ant Fact Sheet”. Spokane County Extension. Washington State Univ., Spokane, WA. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  4. Colony Size and Polygyny in Carpenter Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Roger D. Akre, Laurel D. Hansen and Elizabeth A. Myhre Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society , Vol. 67, No. 1 (Jan., 1994), pp. 1-9
  5. Pricer, John. The Life History of the Carpenter Ant. Biological Bulletin , Vol. 14, No. 3 (Feb., 1908), pp. 177-218
  6. Yamamoto, Marcela, and Kleber Del-Claro. “Natural History and Foraging Behavior of the Carpenter Ant Camponotus Sericeiventris Guérin, 1838 (Formicinae, Campotonini) in the Brazilian Tropical Savanna.” Acta Ethologica 11.2 (2008): 55-65. Print.
  7. Pararas — Carayannis, Carolyn. “Carpenter Ants.” Colony Behaviors of Carpenter Ants. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 October 2013.

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Categories
ants

Ants

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant#mediaviewer/File:Scheme_ant_worker_anatomy-en.svg

Diagram of a Worker Ant License: Public Domain

WHERE DO THEY LIVE?

 

The Earth seen from Apollo 17.

The Earth seen from Apollo 17. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ants have colonised almost every landmass on Earth. The only places lacking indigenous ants are Antarctica and a few remote or inhospitable islands. Ants thrive in most ecosystems and may form 15–25% of the terrestrial animal biomass. Their success in so many environments has been attributed to their social organisation and their ability to modify habitats, tap resources, and defend themselves. Their long co-evolution with other species has led to mimetic, commensal, parasitic, and mutualistic relationships.

Ants are found on all continents except Antarctica, and only a few large islands such as Greenland, Iceland, parts of Polynesia and the Hawaiian Islands lack native ant species. Ants occupy a wide range of ecological niches, and are able to exploit a wide range of food resources either as direct or indirect herbivores, predators, and scavengers. Most species are omnivorous generalists, but a few are specialist feeders. Their ecological dominance may be measured by their biomass and estimates in different environments suggest that they contribute 15–20% (on average and nearly 25% in the tropics) of the total terrestrial animal biomass, which exceeds that of the vertebrates.

NOT AN ANT!

 

English: Termites which seems like Ants. So, i...

English: Termites which seems like Ants. So, in general viz White termites. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Termites, although sometimes called ‘white ants’, are not ants. They belong to the order Isoptera. Termites are more closely related to cockroaches and mantids. Termites are eusocial, but differ greatly in the genetics of reproduction. The similarity of their social structure to that of ants is attributed to convergent evolution. Velvet ants look like large ants, but are wingless female wasps.

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY KILL AN ANT!

Ants communicate with each other using pheromones, sounds, and touch. The use of pheromones as chemical signals is more developed in ants, such as the red harvester ant, than in other hymenopteran groups. Ants use pheromones for more than just making trails. A crushed ant emits an alarm pheromone that sends nearby ants into an attack frenzy and attracts more ants from farther away. Several ant species even use “propaganda pheromones” to confuse enemy ants and make them fight among themselves.

The sure way to kill an ant is with the Home Pest Control Package from Atak Pest Control, Inc.! What are you waiting for? Call us today and eradicate those ants without igniting the battle alarms!

Categories
wasps

Wasps! They’re not all bad!

Oriental Wasp 1

Oriental Wasp 1 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Without the common paper wasp such as hornets and yellowjackets that make the nests that hang from our eaves,  we wouldn’t have such extravagances as ripened grapes for the making of wine and bread.  That’s because the wasp in addition to its spidery and insect-ful diet also loves a good juicy bit of fruit on occasion. In doing so, they ingest the wild yeast which will survive the winter freezes in their digestive tracts while the wasp hibernate.  Upon emergence the following spring when the wasps goes out for its juicy snack the yeast in its tract will be reintroduced into the wild.

This same wild yeast is helpful to those of us that capture wild yeast for creation of homemade breads.  The self-same methods that our ancient Israelite brothers did to capture yeast during the time of Pharaoh and the Exodus. However, with the advent of commercialized yeast many of us do not think of this and perceive the wasp as stinging pest that deserves our most vile of reactions, extermination!

If your relationship with the common wasp is not so beneficent then give Atak Pest Control, Inc. a call today for all of your wasp extermination needs.

Categories
ants

The Pharoah Ant

The pharaoh ant (Monomorium pharaonis) is a small (2 mm) yellow or light brown, almost transparent ant notorious for being a major indoor nuisance pest, especially in hospitals.[1] The pharaoh ant, whose origins are unknown, has now been introduced to virtually every area of the world, including Europe, the Americas, Australia and Southeast Asia.  This species ispolygynous, meaning each colony contains many queens, leading to unique caste interactions and colony dynamics.  This also allows the colony to fragment into bud colonies quickly.  Colonies do not display aggression toward each other; this is known as unicoloniality.  Monomorium pharaonis is also notable for its complex foraging system, involving intricate trail routes maintained with several pheromones.  It was the first ant species discovered to use a negative (repellant) pheromone. These chemicals are integral for communication in this species.  Pharaoh ants are a tropical species, but they thrive in buildings almost anywhere, even in temperate regions provided central heating is present.

Biology and Nesting Habits

The Pharaoh ant colony consists of queens, males, workers, and immature stages (eggs, larvae, pre-pupae, and pupae). Nesting occurs in inaccessible, warm (80 to 86°F), humid (80%) areas near sources of food and/or water, such as in wall voids.  The size of the colony tends to be large but can vary from a few dozen to several thousand or even several hundred thousand individuals. Approximately 38 days are required for development of workers from egg to adult.

Mating takes place in the nest, and no swarms are known to occur.  Males and queens usually take 42 days to develop from egg to adult.  The males are the same size as the workers (2 mm), are black in color and have straight, not elbowed, antennae.  Males are not often found in the colony.  The queens are about 4 mm long and are slightly darker than the workers (Smith and Whitman 1992).  Queens can produce 400 or more eggs in batches of 10 to 12 (Peacock et al. 1950).  Queens can live four to 12 months, while males die within three to five weeks after mating (Smith and Whitman 1992).

Part of the success and persistence of this ant undoubtedly relates to the budding or splitting habits of the colonies. Numerous daughter colonies are produced when a queen and a few workers break off from the mother colony.  Even in the absence of a queen, workers can develop a queen from the brood, which is transported from the mother colony.  In large colonies there may be as many as several hundred reproductive females (Smith and Whitman 1992).

English: Compared size of a pharaoh ant

English: Compared size of a pharaoh ant (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Management

Control of Pharaoh ants is difficult, due to their nesting in inaccessible areas.  Treatment must be thorough and complete at all nesting sites, as well as the foraging area.  Thus, treatment must include walls, ceilings, floor voids, and electrical wall outlets.  Baits are now the preferred method of control for Pharaoh ants and several baits (insecticides) are labeled for indoor ant control.  A Pharaoh ant infestation of a multifamily building requires treatment of the entire building to control the infestation.  Ants nesting on the outside may be controlled by also using a perimeter barrier treatment (Smith and Whitman 1992).

Baits cannot be placed in just any location and be expected to work.  Pharaoh ant trails and their resources (both food and water) must be located for proper placement of baits and effective control (Klotz et al. 2000).  Non-repellent baits (such as boric acid, hydramethylon or sulfonamide) should be used, as repellent baits can worsen the situation by causing the colony to fracture and bud.  As a result, ant activity will briefly diminish as the new colonies establish, then become a problem as the foragers resume activity (Smith and Whitman 1992).

In addition, insect growth regulators (IGRs) are marketed for indoor control of Pharaoh ants. The IGR is used as a bait, and ants must be allowed to transport the bait back to their nests. The IGR prevents the production of worker ants and sterilizes the queen. Therefore, it is necessary to allow up to several weeks or months (depending on the size of the colonies or number of colonies) for ants to die naturally with the use of IGR.

Eradication

While you can certainly use your own methods of ant control and natural methods such as diatomaceous earth applications, it would be far more convenient and less worrisome on your part to let Atak Pest Control, Inc. manage them for you.  We will use our industry standard Home Pest Control Package to quietly and effectively keep your pharoah ant problem at bay, away from you and your guests and giving you that peace of mind that you have worked so hard to attain.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharaoh_ant, http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/ants/pharaoh_ant.htm

Categories
cockroach

Cockroaches

WHO HAS THEM?

Every house, business and location has cockroaches.  The key is you want to control them so they are out of site and out of mind.  Whether you live in an apartment, house or neighborhood in Conroe, Katy, Pearland or The Woodlands, you have cockroaches.  However, if your current eradication methods or pest control company is not up to the task of keeping them at bay, give Atak Pest Control, Inc. a call today at (281)291-9222.

WHAT KINDS OF COCKROACHES DO YOU HAVE?

According to information freely available on the internet the four most common types of cockroaches in The United States of America are the American, German, Asian and Oriental cockroaches.

TRIVIA

The name cockroach comes from the spanish cucaracha.  It originally was the spanish word for the wood louse or the sow bug, but eventually became used to mean palmetto bug aka the flying cockroach (cucaracha) from there it became to mean these little bugs that infest the supposedly clean parts of homes and bring with them diseases and other problems.

LIVING CONDITIONS

The cockroach loves it warm and cozy, just like you.  Unlike you, they can’t easily get inside of things to have a snack, so they rely on you to leave it laying around in opened containers, bags, uncovered bowls, uncleaned spills in the cabinets, on the floor, when was the last time you pulled out your refrigerator or stove!  If you feed them, they will come, just like an imaginary baseball field for ghosts.

Unless you have an Asian cockroach infestation, turning on the light will cause them to run for cover because the cockroach is nocturnal.  The Asian cockroach is not however and runs towards the light apparently trying to get to heaven or something!

THE PROBLEM

Cockroaches like ants leave a pheromone trail wherever they go.  This trail of chemicals tells other cockroaches what is going on, where the food is and whether or not there is a party happening (maybe). However, this chemical trail attracts bacteria.  These bacteria are what make you sick and is the number one reason, you should clean thoroughly and call Atak Pest Control, Inc. to help set up a barrier that will stop cockroaches in their tracks for several months at a time!

DON’T IGNORE THE PROBLEM!

Female cockroaches are sometimes seen carrying egg cases on the end of their abdomens; the egg case of the German cockroach holds about 30 to 40 long, thin eggs in a case called an ootheca.  The egg capsule may take more than five hours to lay and is initially bright white in color.  The eggs are hatched from the combined pressure of the hatchlings gulping air.  The hatchlings are initially bright white nymphs and continue inflating themselves with air, becoming harder and darker within about four hours.  Their transient white stage while hatching and later while molting has led many to claim the existence of albino cockroaches.

A female German cockroach carries an egg capsule containing around 40 eggs. She drops the capsule prior to hatching, though live births do occur in rare instances. Development from eggs to adults takes three to four months.  Cockroaches live up to a year.  The female may produce up to eight egg cases in a lifetime; in favorable conditions, she can produce 300 to 400 offspring.  Other species of cockroaches, however, can produce an extremely high number of eggs in a lifetime; in some cases a female needs to be impregnated only once to be able to lay eggs for the rest of her life.

Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockroach “Eggs and Capsules”

PREVENTION

In addition to a good pest control program such as the Home Pest Control Package provided by Atak Pest Control, Inc., cleaning and vacuuming your home and furniture regularly is the number one best way to control them.  Furthermore make sure that all liquids and solids are stored in sealed containers, because cockroaches can eat and drink quite a lot of things that are harmful to humans in general.  Make sure to repair any dripping pipes, faucets and water leaks that you have as they will provide a supply of life giving water to these and other pests.  Also make sure that holes, cracks, crevices, etc. in your walls, ceilings and floors are properly sealed off.  You want to make it as hard as possible for these infectious invaders to get into your home.

A homeopathic remedy that works fairly well if you have good exterminator and cleaning policy is the application of Diatomaceous earth.  Applied as a fine powder, Diatomaceous Earth works very well to eliminate cockroaches as long as it remains in place and dry.  Diatomaceous earth is harmless to humans and feels like talcum powder.  Most insects, including bed bugs, are vulnerable to it.  Diatomaceous Earth can be found at most livestock feed stores.

Categories
fleas insects

Why should you treat for fleas inside and outside the home?

Fleas are a type of parasitic insect, the little buggers are known as an itchy nuisance, but they also come with a risk of further disease. These pests if left untreated can cause your animal to get sicker with other illnesses such as dermatitis, anemia, and other parasites like the tapeworm. You can easily spot these pepper looking bugs inside your pet’s coat where they feed on your pet.

Once you have detected fleas on your pet, you may already have an infestation. Fleas like your pet, but they also like your carpets, rugs, and upholstered furniture. You should always consider treating the outside of your home as well as the inside. Fleas are first introduced to your pet typically through your lawn. Once a flea jumps on its host, it will bite for a nice blood meal while it goes along for the ride, and begins to reproduce. An adult female flea only needs to feed on its host once, before laying eggs. The life cycle of flea begins with one single adult female laying around 25-50 eggs each day. These little white eggs may resemble salt, and are easily detected in and around your pets bedding because the eggs usually do not remain on the host. The eggs fall from the host because they are quite slippery and they later hatch in your home, on your carpet, and on your lawn.

Flea larvae can grow into adults quite rapidly in as little as five days, and up to a month depending on environmental conditions. These adults soon jump onto any nearby hosts for mating and feeding, and this is where the infestation cycle continues unless it’s controlled. Adults actually only represent about 5% of the flea infestation, and the eggs of the fleas make up about 50% of the infestation. The typical or average life cycle of the flea is approximately 18-28 days in favorable conditions for the flea.

The best ways to protect your household against the flea is professional servicing of your home You should focus on treating both the inside and outside areas of your home, since the fleas come in through the outside typically, and then are brought in on the coat of your furry family member. Additionally, flea control efforts should be implemented in a way that targets the entire life cycle of the fleas, and it would be wise to also have your pet medically treated with recommendations by your veterinarian.

W.J. Arnold. © 2016

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