You can live bedbug free for many years but once you get infested by these pests it would be as though they had been there forever. If you haven’t encountered bedbugs yet here’s a ‘mayday’, no one ever wants to encounter bedbugs. They are adept in their hiding skills and they transmit some of the cruelest ailments including skin rashes, psychological and allergic symptoms. The question, ‘why are bedbugs so hard to be rid of?’ was borne out of the questions most people infested by bed bugs ask. So we are going to answer the question from our wealth of research and experience into pests.

Body Structure:
Bedbugs are just about the size of half a bean grain (5-7 mm or 3/16 – 1/4 inch long) and they have really flat bodies. Insects are known to set up camp in the most ridiculously small places, but the flatness of bedbugs helps them take hiding to a whole new level. With body structure like that it is a nightmare even for the exterminator to go about seeking them out. They are mostly found dwelling in soft and fluffy stuff like beddings, fur coats, and the likes. So their body structure turns out to be a blessing to them and a curse to you (if you have been infested of course).

Reproduction:
Much to the frustration of humans and joy of the bedbug family reproduction in these little creatures is super-fast. From the egg phase it takes just a few months for a bedbug to be matured enough to lay their own eggs. Couple this with the fact that a single female bedbug is capable of laying 500 eggs in her lifetime and you might probably know how much of a nightmare it is getting rid of these bad boys.

Survival:
Bedbugs have the super tendency to go the lot of over 550 days without feeding. So if the game plan was to leave the home and let them pass out think again.

The best way to go about ridding bedbugs off the house is by taking a proactive poise to this. Keep the home squeaky clean, fill up all crevices and cracks; treat every piece of furniture or anything with stuffing or fur. If you find a piece of furniture infested just burn it down my friend because there could be enough bedbugs for the neighborhood in that.

Keep your home free of these nuisances and keep the whole family educated on how these little monsters operate.

Why Are Bedbugs in My Home?

The adverse effect on health by the tiny bed bugs is quite noticeable. Consider this if you are losing a chunk of your blood in the night without taking any notice of situation, what chance you have of fighting. The question which worries almost anyone with this infestation is that why my home is being attacked by these creatures? The answer is not always simple and straight forward; these sneaky creatures can invade the home overnight and without making any noise.

The common ways that the bugs attack home is quite astonishingly simple. They just attach you or your luggage innocently. Unless you are super sharp, spider man or with amazing reflexes finding the bugs attached to you is quite difficult. The places with bad sanitation and cleaning situation like neglected parts of city or the prison can be harboring the millions of bed bugs; a simple visit to these places can bring them with you quite easily.

The problem with the bugs is that even if you are not sleeping in normal hours, they can find a fortune time quite easily. They can easily detect the person while the body is motionless and defenseless. The carbon dioxide from our breath is often the main way they detect the humans. The open body parts are often the first place they attack.

The skyscrapers or high-rise buildings are somehow more prone to the bed bugs attack as they only need to cross the walls just once. The heavy traffic areas like lobby can be ideal place the bugs attack the innocent people moving. The problem with being in such places is that one cannot avoid being out in public and chances of bringing bugs back home is quite real and often unavoidable. Similarly the other simple ways like animals, pets can also bring back the bugs to your home more easily then you might think.

With over 12,000 species ants are certainly contenders for some of the most populous insects in the world. All together all these various species amount to a round figure of over 10 billion of ants. That’s a lot of pests to handle don’t you think? Another fact about ants is their preference to be more active in the spring season. This is no fanciful preference; ants emerge around the spring season because like most pests they adore a warm weather. Springtime is when the weather gears towards warmness. This fact can help you put some precise resistance against ant infestation in your home.

If there are hundreds of houses in your neighborhood and you manage to be hosting ants in your home then something has to wrong right? Coupled with a thing for warm sites no pest wants to be in a place where there is next to no access to food and water. Even if they make it there they won’t survive for too long. Hence, the reason why a warm home with lots of food water will appeal to the ants more. If this sounds like your home then you know what you are doing wrong by now.

When the springs arrive next time it is important that you are braced for impact by doing the following:

Rid environment of food particles:

No one wants to live anywhere there is no food and this includes the ants. Ensure always that your food is stored away properly and any food particle littering the home should be taken out as soon as they get there. Ants tend to thrive where there is sweet food as shown by the sugar ants, so you might want to take extra care with your sugar and honey.

Cracks and crevices:

If you stopped reading this piece now to go check if there are ants in the crevices and cracks around your home you’ll most likely come back nodding in accordance. This is because ants are very adept at finding cracks and crevices around a building. So before spring is nigh, be sure to fix the cracks and crevices by using insulation or whatever. Just fix them.

Freeze the out:

The spring times can get uncomfortably warm so you might want to turn up the cold around the home a little. This will coincidentally ‘freeze out’ ants and other pests from pestering your life. If you have always been reluctant or too lazy to fix the cold in your home, there is the nudge you need.

Ants are very tough guys with such a large population and the ability to lift stuff 20 times their own body weight. Surely you don’t want to be living with these guys when spring falls or any other season at all. So be proactive and don’t let in any visitor who is not paying any rent to crash around. Save the family and home from these tough guys and enjoy the spring time.

What Are Stink Bugs ?

Have you ever noticed a tiny little bug (in brown color) in your home, garden or farm? And when you tried catching this bug, it emits a foul stinking smell? Don’t know if congrats are in order but you just discovered a stink bug. You might want to learn what stink bugs are and why they so stink.

As the name indicates, these bugs stink so they deserve the names given to them, stink bugs. When threatened, they will release a foul-smelling liquid through a small gland that is located beneath their abdomen. Their tendency to emit foul stinking smell is their natural defense mechanism against predators. Emitting the foul smelling liquid will also serve as warnings to other bugs of the same species. The stinky-smell of these bugs will be gone after some time, although you may not catch the smell all the time, it will continue to attract these same species to your home.

These stinky insects are from the hermiptera order and they are also known as shield bugs. They are nicknamed shield bugs because they carry triangular shield-like-wings on their backs, measuring about three-quarter inch and with triangular like shape, these bugs come in various color i.e. brown, grey and dark green. Like an insect, they also have 6 legs, a pair of wings and antenna.
These bugs feed on fruits, plants and vegetable. They have a tiny and sharp mouth part that is used to suck juices from these fruits and plants. They affect the commercial values of these vegetables and fruits they attack as there will be discoloration in the fruits.

The bugs’ ability to reproduce quickly means they can be a pest to farmers and in the home. These bugs have been known to destroy crops like tomato and apples and cause thousands of damages to the farmers. They also cost the fresh produce to cost higher as lesser crops are being harvested.

These bugs are not harmful to humans and generally do not bite; however, there have been some reported cases of humans being bitten by them. Probably the most annoying factor about these bugs to humans is their stinky smell and the annoying buzzing sound they make as they fly around the house.

These bugs can exist basically anywhere in the house, although they have knack for hiding in places that are dark and attic (where they can reproduce rapidly), behind curtains and drawers and even on toilet papers. Be sure to seal and check you split air-conditioner to make sure that it will not become a nesting place for these bugs. Also, you don’t want you to see swamps of stink bugs flying out from your air-conditioner when you turn it on in summer; the sight of it will freak you out.

Stink bugs are mostly found in the southern region of the United States. However, a recent new species from Asia has been causing havoc in the Middle Atlantic States like Pennsylvania and New Jersey. This new species were shipped accidentally through cargos to the United States of America and their first official recording was done in the 90s in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Why Are Spiders in my House ?

Arachnophobia (the fear of spiders) is a very common phobia among Americans. While it is true that spiders can be beneficial to households, this is not always the case. It is not uncommon to have “daddy long legs” and other harmless types living in your home; in fact, there is some truth to the old wives tale of a spider being within 8 feet of you at all times. Spiders eat insects and pests that can cause extensive damage to homes, such as mosquitoes, cockroaches, and beetles.

Despite the benefits you can incidentally enjoy from having spiders in the home they are insects and shouldn’t be in the home in the first place. They are not notably dangerous at least not the domestic ones; two spiders in particular to watch out for are the brown recluse and the black widow. The bites from these spiders can cause illness, skin damage, and even death if left untreated. They tend to be concentrated in warmer climates, so people living in the South should keep a watchful eye out in their homes. Spiders, while not particularly aggressive towards humans, are territorial; brown recluses in particular tend to stick to an isolated space. The problem arises when humans unknowingly come into contact with these spiders. Out of pure instinct, the animal will react defensively (due to being threatened).

WHY YOU HAVE SPIDERS AND TIPS TO KEEP SPIDERS OUT OF YOUR HOME
Unlike a ton of other insects spiders don’t thrive off moist dirty habitats, they are found in the open dry and space. If your home has a high measure of humidity, lots of cracks and crevices then you may have just put out an invitation to spiders and they will honor that invitation. A pest control professional will help diminish the spider populations living in your home, but this does not mean the problem won’t reoccur in the future. To prevent this, homeowners should make sure their houses are well sealed. Cracks and crevices around door and window frames let spiders and insects inside. Also, keeping clothes off the floor as well as decreasing the humidity in your house will make the environment less attractive to these pests.

Hiring a pest control company is the best way to rid your home of these types of spiders. The gut reaction most people have to encountering any spider is to kill it. This is not always an effective solution, however, as there are more than likely other spiders living in or around the area in which the original offender was identified. Residents that notice multiple spiders in certain regions of their house should be on alert and call an exterminator, as they will be best suited to handle the problem and give advice on what to do if an infestation is present.

Are Fleas Dangerous ?

Flea infestation can occur at any time at all but mostly in the warm and convenient times of summer. That warm weather and those blue skies bring something with them a habitat for these fleas. They’re a menace to our dogs’ comfort and can wreak havoc on our homes. You know that they’re annoying, frustrating, painful, and extremely hard to get rid of. But did you know that fleas also pose huge health risks?

Fleas attack pets more than humans; there are a large percentage of dogs that are allergic to the saliva of fleas. When bitten by a flea, instead of simply scratching the area to relieve the annoying itch – a dog with Flea Allergy Dermatitis will dig at, lick, bite and chew the area which has more than likely already welted and is highly irritated. This can result in excessive shedding of fur, painful skin problems, and infection.

Here’s something that a lot of owners of dogs and puppies have no idea about. Fleas are parasite carriers! (And not just any parasite- the Tapeworm parasite). Infected fleas – as they scurry through your dog’s fur, run laps on his skin, and sink their little teeth in to cause itching – are then ingested by your dog or puppy as they groom themselves. A Tapeworm infection is no laughing matter either! If you notice your puppy is lethargic, losing weight, vomiting, has diarrhea, and just all around isn’t looking right, you’ll want to get him to the vet as soon as possible. Tapeworm eggs will be passed through his feces and into your yard where he ‘does his business’ so can easily be transmitted to you or your children if not taken care of right away! In the more rare instances, fleas can also be carriers of some awfully terrible diseases such as typhoid and plague. The presence of these little devils certainly shouldn’t be taken lightly!

Please help ensure your pet or little guy or girl stays flea-free by making an appointment with your vet right away and beginning routine treatment of a flea and tick preventative such as Frontline, Advantage or K-9 Advantix.

For humans, flea bites do not come with a lot of drama and may only require some light treatment to get over the inconvenience. A mere cortisone cream or antibiotic ointment should do, and treatment should be immediate as respiratory trouble can also rear its head here.

Their life span is something to be joyful about; on a short haired dog they can last just about eight (8) days, and on a host with longer furs they can stretch the number to as much as two weeks. Like every other organism they require nutrients to survive and most times they don’t readily get them from the host as the host is always going to be busy trying to get them off him or her.

Every insect bite is a big deal, so do well to be safe from fleas and their karma by keeping the place flea-free and taking preventive medication.

Bed bugs can be described as small parasitic bugs which are seen in nearly every household, hotel and resort or office. All these insects can be found almost everywhere and they principally go after people and warm blooded animals. You can be certain that you have bed bugs if you ever wake up the next day and see plenty of bug bites on the body. Yet not all the bites are from those bugs therefore it is preferable to talk with your medical professional. Once you detect and verify the bed bug bites, it’s good to be sure how you can treat them and stop them in the future.

The actual eating time period of a bed bug is somewhere between three and fifteen minutes. Your neck, facial area, shoulder area, legs and arms, are definitely the body parts bed bugs often take advantage of. In the event the bed bug bites make you worry, you will be glad to know that they don’t transmit any illnesses or microbe infections. Allergy symptoms or infection in the event the particular person scratches the bites too much are the only indications or issues that can take place. Normally, treatments intended for bed bug bites are dependent on solutions to lessen the itching. For those who have almost any hypersensitive reactions, or even an infection as a result of scratching, you will have to ask your personal doctor to give you some medicines.
There is absolutely no successful technique to protect against bed bug bites, but if you start using pajamas chances are you’ll reduce the bites. Lacking bed bugs in your house is definitely the only efficient way of preventing bed bug bites or possibly if they are actually present, eliminating them. Laundering your bed sheets in very hot water and vacuum your home regularly, seal off all fractures and holes in your own home, and what’s most important you have to look at your suitcases as you come home. If you have significant problems with bed bugs you may speak to a pest management that could make it easier to take care of bed bugs permanently.

TREATING BED BUG BITES
The inconvenience caused by these nasty pests will keep you searching for an effective way to cure bedbug bites. Some over-the-counter medications will be enough, but you may need something stronger if your case turns out to be severe. Even though the swelling caused by the bites may subside and heal after a week or two, their reddish appearance will definitely embarrass you. You can speed up the healing process by using skin creams that contain hydrocortisone or oral histamines such as diphenhydramine. If you developed a skin infection due to the bites, your doctor may also prescribe antibiotics.
No one wants to experience the inconvenience caused by these pesky little creatures. However, they are hard to eradicate because they can hide themselves really well and they can survive after a year of not feeding on blood. But still, it is important to get rid of them as soon as possible because they tend to spread and breed very quickly. Whether you are planning to kill them on your own or hire a pest control company to do all the hard work for you, protecting yourself from bed bug bites should always be your priority.

Are Stinging Insects Dangerous?

While the majority of people only experience a normal reaction to insect stings with symptoms that may include itching, swelling, redness and minor pain around the area of the sting, there is a small percentage of the population who experience a severe allergic reaction which can be very dangerous and even life threatening. The most common stinging insects that can cause an allergic reaction are fire ants and bees which include wasps, honeybees, yellow jackets, and hornets. In this guide you will learn the difference between a normal reaction to an insect sting and an allergic reaction which requires immediate medical attention.

When an individual is stung by an insect the normal reaction that typically occurs is some minor pain accompanied by redness and swelling of the area which in some cases can also include a larger area of swelling or “local reaction” such as when an individual is stung in the ankle swelling of the entire leg may occur.

Normal insect stings should be thoroughly cleansed and disinfected. Ice may also be applied to help with the pain and swelling if necessary. However, in individuals who have an allergic reaction to an insect sting it is essential that emergency medical treatment be received.

The symptoms that occur when an individual is experiencing a severe allergic reaction to an sting can include, difficulty breathing, a rapid heartbeat, swelling in the facial area such as the mouth and eyes, difficulty in swallowing which indicates a swelling of the throat, a sudden drop in blood pressure, and hives which have spread to other areas of the body away from the sting.

It is important to note that not all of these symptoms may be present and that any one of them should be treated as a medical emergency. If you are with someone who is experiencing this type of reaction, the first thing you should do is immediately seek medical attention by calling 911.

Some individuals who know that they are susceptible to these allergic reactions carry an emergency kit with items such as epinephrine which can be injected to stop the reaction from becoming more serious and you should check to see if they have any type of emergency medication available which may help them.

There is a reason why the saying “sting like a bee” is so popular; stinging is one of the best means of hurting people, and the insects know that. Stings transmit a large amount of pain and if you get stung by stinging insects with poison it makes the experience all the more unbearable. As a preventive measure you may want to stay away from trees a couple of times but who stays away from trees right? At least keep the environment free from substances that attract these stinging insects.

14202258_sThe average adult body weight of a rat averages 350 grams (12 oz) in males and about 250 grams (8.8 oz) in females. The adult rat can squeeze through holes or gaps the size of a quarter (0.955 inches (24.3 mm), jump a horizontal distance of up to 4 feet (1.2 m) (or vertically from a flat surface to 3 feet (0.91 m)), survive a fall from a height of almost 40 feet (12 m). This is on the average record, however, New York City rats can be big, and because of some yucky research, we now know just how big.

Matthew Combs, a doctoral student at Fordham University, and his colleagues collected hundreds of rats for an ongoing study to determine how the creatures colonize. But in the process, they’ve given us a better idea of how the rodents can range in size. In his research project, which aims to understand how rats colonize new areas so that the spreading of diseases can be better understood, Combs has observed that large rats often live close to food sources.

No, New York City rats aren’t as big as cats (at least the well-fed domestic ones), as Gotham mythology would have it. However, the vermin are of a heft that will give you nightmares in a New York minute. Combs recently showed off the biggest catch to The Huffington Post — a 675-gram (nearly 1 1/2 pounds) monster. It’s right here to disgust/terrify/fascinate you, or however you choose to express your shock.

There’s good news for musophobia sufferers. If you’re concerned that there’s some mutation out there, resulting in rodents of a gargantuan size, well … “I do not think there are any 3 pound rats in the city,” Combs told The Huffington Post last week. “There seems to be a physiological limit to their size at about 2 pounds. I would need some physical evidence to believe they can get any larger.”

The average adult rat in the study weighed about a half-pound, Combs told Atlas Obscura. For the research, dogs captured the bigger ones while the smaller ones fell victim to traps. Much-larger Gambian pouched rats have been found in the Big Apple, likely released as pets, Combs said, but he doubts there are breeding populations of them. He also offered some reassuring information about the larger of the regular NYC rats.

“Bigger rats do not necessarily mean more dangerous,” he said. The population of NYC’s common Rattus norvegicus, they number about 2 million, according to a 2014 study and New Yorkers can decrease their chances of encountering plus-sized varmints by avoiding dumpsters and other convenient rat buffets. “The older, larger rats can basically let the younger, smaller rats test out new food sources, which might help them avoid poisoning once they reach a certain maturity,” Combs said. “Larger rats also likely have a consistent and reliable food supply and don’t need to try new foods, which limits the chances that they get poisoned.”

Most Common Pests In Bronx, NY

2Battling household pests is a common problem that wreaks havoc for persons living in Bronx, NY, generally requiring extensive cleanup and repairs that can be expensive and time consuming. Although, many states in America face this same problem and it is known that these pests can cause many human diseases especially to the children, and also, they make rooms dirty. Nowadays in Bronx, pets are a common problem. Each citizen of Bronx wants pest free life and working places. This has prompted many exterminator companies as they try to decrease the growth of these insects and work fast to remove them from homes or offices.

Below are the most common pests seen around the homes and offices in Bronx.

Rats and Mice
In Bronx, rats and mice are a real nuisance. While mice are smaller than rats, both carry known allergies and are capable of spreading disease, not to mention being capable to doing some real damage to the structures within your home. Some telltale signs of rodent infestations are, droppings, Burrows and holes, gnaw marks on walls and furniture, excessive garbage or clutter (where they tend to congregate.) and so on.

Bed Bugs
These parasites feed on human blood when there is a lack of a reliable source of food. They have a tendency of hiding inside mattresses and since they are nocturnal, they will have an easier time coming out and feasting on your blood as you sleep. However, the small bugs can also hide in other areas including furniture, wallpaper and curtains. Unsanitary environments tend to be suspect for the infestations, but this is not always true. Pets can carry the bed bugs into your house or you could also end up carrying when you have been in an infested area. It is also believed that some environmental and climatic conditions can lead to the infestations.

Cockroaches
The presence of cockroaches is enough to give anybody something to worry about and the fact that they, like rats and mice, come out mostly at night can make them hard to detect. Look for cracks and gaps in walls and around windows where roaches can get in, and look for their droppings, which may appear as dust or smudges, on walls, along floorboards, and under sinks. While they may not cause structural damage, the presence of even a single roach is a problem, and a major infestation can take months to clear.

Carpenter Bees
While any type of bee’s nest can be a problem, particularly if you are allergic to stings, carpenter bees are a real nuisance in Bronx. They make nests by drilling holes in wood around your home, such as on decks and porches, and can quickly multiply and make your outdoor uninhabitable if not attended to right away. Look for signs such as small, circular holes in beams, as well as the presence of saw dust from their drilling on your porches railings and floors.

Spiders
There are different species of spiders but the Common House Spider is the most commonly found spider in Bronx homes and businesses. Although it doesn’t bite, it is considered a nuisance pest.

Flies
Flies are not only a nuisance pest but of greater concern is its potential as a carrier of disease organisms, having been found to harbor over 100 different pathogenic organisms. Adult flies are about 1/8-1/4” long with females usually larger than males. They are a dull gray color and have two wings and four dark stripes on the back thorax. The most frequently encountered flies in Bronx, NY include: Fruit Flies, House Flies, Blow Flies, Cluster Flies, Phorid Flies, Drain Flies and Fungus Gnats.

These pests are somewhat very difficult to prevent and can’t be eliminated completely. But with our help , they can be driven very far from your home.