Bug Blog
Bees, Bumblebees and winter vacations
Although bumble bees are thought to be the big brother to honey bees, their winter behavior and their protection devices are not. A colony of honey bees will keep their nest warm and safe throughout the winter, although smaller than a summer colony. They eat and work all winter long using up a large supply of stored food. Bumblebees, on the other hand are very similar to wasps and hornets, only newly mated queens survive by hibernating over winter. In the spring, both bees and bumble bees begin to pollinate flowers and rebuild their colonies. But, did you know that not all bees die after stinging? There are several varieties of bees including honey bees, bumble bees and carpenter bees that all sting when threatened. All stinging bees are females because the stinger is actually an altered ovipositor (transmitting eggs, preparing a place for it, and placing it properly). Bumblebees and carpenter bees have smooth barbless stingers similar to wasps and hornets, and are capable of stinging multiple times without dying. But for honey bees, using their barbed stinger is a one time event. The barbed sting gets stuck in the victim and when the bee flies away it effectively disembowel itself causing it to die. Once the barbed sting is detached it continues to pump venom into their victim. A non-allergic 160 lb person can tolerate over a 1000 stings. The bee’s sting is caused by an acidic compound in their venom called and the swelling is caused by histamines.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca & Exterminators Delta Ladner Tsawwassen B.C., Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA RPF
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/bees-bumblebees-…winter-vacations/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bees-bumble-winter-vacations-randy-bilesky/?published=t
https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-bees-bumblebees-and-winter-vacations-1.23479902
Jack-o-lantern and rodents –Trick’em or Treat’em
Well we are bearing done on Halloween now and if you haven’t purchased your pumpkins yet – you best get on it. This year’s crop of pumpkins seems to be plentiful yet the prices seem to be higher than ever. Okay enough of that – carve up your pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern and you are done – nope. You may have forgotten about our furry friends – the rodents: hairy, scary and very hungry. Once one of the many ground dwelling pumpkin eaters get a hold of your masterpiece(s), all your creative work may lay in ruins. Skunks, squirrels, rats and mice are always looking for a quick prepared meal once the coast is clear. Here are a few tricks to protect the fruits of your labor from these creatures.
1) Get into your Halloween costume, stay still until one of the hooligans approach and scream BOO, this will work on rodents as well as trick or treaters.
2) Mix cayenne pepper with water, load up a sprayer and spray the area around the jack-o-lanterns.
3) Windex and Pledge: first spray with Windex, then Pledge.
4) Peppermint or Garlic Spray, google the recipe to make your own, again spray the pumpkins.
5) Spray vinegar on the pumpkins, I recommend pineapple vinegar – smells great.
6) Deer repellent, although very expensive this works well until the rain washes it away.
7) Blood meal, apparently squirrels don’t like this garden fertilizer.
8) Put mirrors around your pumpkin creations, most rodents are tricked by their reflection and will run away.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca & exterminators, Delta Ladner Tsawwassen B.C., Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA RPF
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/jack-o-lantern-a…ickem-or-treatem/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/jack-o-lantern-rodents-trickem-treatem-randy-bilesky/?published=t
https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-jack-o-lantern-and-rodents-trick-em-or-treat-em-1.23478098
How do Ants Communicate?
How do ants communicate, first we must ask, why do they crawl in lines? Ants use pheromones (a chemical substance produced and released into the environment by an animal or an insect, affecting the behavior or physiology of others of its species) to communicate with one another. A worker ant that leaves the nest to hunt for food will leave a path of pheromones for other ants to track. If a foraging ant finds food and returns back to the nest, it leaves a stream of pheromones. Fellow worker ants pick up on the pheromone and use the same path to find the food. When the next ants retrieve more food they also leave new pheromones, making the collective quantity of pheromones stronger and more prominent to even a greater number of foraging ants. If any ants encounter problems on the route they will leave panic pheromone which tells their fellow workers that there is a problem on the pipeline, be it death or injury. Ants will also communicate by bumping into each other!
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/how-do-ants-communicate/
gogreenpestcontrol.ca and exterminators Delta Tsawwassen Ladner B.C., Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA RPF
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-do-ants-communicate-randy-bilesky/?published=t
https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-how-do-ants-communicate-1.23475409
Cockroaches: Do you have them??
Cockroaches are normally nocturnal, active at night, unless you have an infestation – when overcrowding and a lack of food sources can cause them to brave the daylight in order to survive. The majority of cockroaches we have here are German cockroaches, although they’re not even originally from Germany and in Germany they’re often referred to as “French” cockroaches. Cockroaches hide and live in dark, moist areas behind fridges, sinks, and other appliances but since they spend about 75 percent of their time in the wall cracks and voids, infestations are almost always larger than they appear. With their ability to flatten their bodies, they can fit in small areas, including cracks in your walls. Roaches eat everything from people food to garbage and even feces, but their active metabolism turns this hunger into one of the most telltale signs of cockroaches: a significant amount of feces. The appearance of roach feces can vary from tiny specks of pepper, brown stains, and coffee grounds to oval pellets similar to mouse droppings. Infestations continue to grow rapidly because cockroaches are very aggressive breeders. They also produce a pungent, musty odor that gets worse the longer the infestation goes on, also odors arising from dead roaches as oleic acid is produced during decomposition. Due to their unhygienic eating habits, roaches can pass harmful pathogens through their droppings contaminating surfaces and food where they crawl. Cockroach saliva and vomit are also responsible for spreading microorganisms. There are over 60 pathogenic bacteria, fungi, moulds, parasitic worms and viruses that are carried by cockroaches.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca & Exterminators Delta Ladner Tsawwassen, Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA RPF
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/cockroaches-do-you-have-them/
https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-do-you-have-cockroaches-1.23473878
Brown Recluse Fiddler Spider
Although these spiders aren’t aggressive, and rarely bite humans, the brown recluse is known for being one of Canada’s most dangerous spiders. Brown recluse spider bites often go unnoticed initially because they are usually painless bites. Symptoms usually develop hours after a bite. Initially the bite site is mildly red and upon close inspection may reveal fang marks. Within a few hours, the redness gives way to pallor with a red ring surrounding the area, or a “bull’s-eye” appearance. If you see a huge brown spider, it’s not likely to be a brown recluse as they’re only about the size of a quarter if they have all of their legs extended. These spiders have a violin-shaped marking on their backs, which is why they’re sometimes called fiddle-backed spiders (several other species that have similar markings). Brown recluse spiders hunt their prey instead of catching it in webs. Their webs are used for shelter and nesting, and are very disorganized looking. They are known to hide in gardening gloves, clothes and shoes, so make sure you shake those out.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C., Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA RPF
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/brown-recluse-fiddler-spider/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/brown-recluse-fiddler-spider-randy-bilesky/?published=t
https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-brown-recluse-spider-known-for-hiding-in-gloves-clothes-and-shoes-1.23472444
Life as a Groundhog
The average lifespan of a groundhog is quite short, three years. Like many other rodents, everyone wants to eat them, cats, dogs, coyotes, eagles, hawks, owls and many other predators including cars. Groundhogs are herbivores (vegetarians); they feed on fruits, vegetables, grass and plants. Winter months, groundhogs hibernate underground in burrows where they also mate and offspring are born. Once spring arrives, they rarely venture beyond 45 meters of their den to find food or mate to avoid predators. And when they do forage for food it is only for a couple hours a day, again in fear of predators. Groundhogs are known for the damage they can cause in gardens but their networking tunnels are a hazard all to themselves, causing damage to building foundations, large burrow openings and unstable ground above their burrows. If you think you have groundhogs on your property give us a call at gogreenpestcontrol.ca and our trained pest control technicians can assess the severity of and remove these vexatious pests from your property.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca & Exterminators, Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA RPF
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/life-as-a-groundhog/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/life-groundhog-randy-bilesky/?published=t
City Rats are the Real Fat Cats
Over the last millennium, rats have become one of the worlds most despised and prosperous pests in our civilization. Both urban and suburban rats have consistently lived next to human civilization without any concerns of becoming extinct. Rats living in cities have a much richer and consistent diet than rats living in the country. Urban rats have access to more food sources including – a lot of meat, don’t have to share those sources with other animals and they also benefit from cities’ built-up landscapes, which provide plenty of places for rodents to hide and enjoy their stolen meals. Cities are home to higher numbers of trash-producing humans, meaning their rat residents have access to a wide variety of second-hand food sources. Country rats face few competitors when scrounging for food but they have a limited diet, with little to no meat, competing with omnivorous and herbivorous scavenging animals. It is interesting to note that there is a link between rodent diets and human population density.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca & Exterminators Delta Ladner Tsawwassen B.C., Randy L Bilesky BsF CPA RPF
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/city-rats-real-fat-cats-randy-bilesky/?published=t
False widow spiders, what not to fear?
The false widow spider (Steatoda Nobilis) can be spotted this time of year (autumn) as the weather gets wet and colder. This widow has some likenesses to the black widow spider, but is clearly identifiable as it has cream markings on its abdomen that resembles a skull. They grow as long as 1.6 cm in length with a leg span of another 3cm. Being nocturnal (coming out in the night), this spider is rarely seen during the day – hidden in cracks and crevices in it web. Normally they are an introverted spider favouring warm environments where they wait to do their hunting. Similar to most spiders, they will bite if provoked but their venom is not particularly potent. Usually the only symptom is pain at the site which may radiate away from the bite. It ordinarily lasts between one and 12 hours, and rarely for more than 24 hours. Often, the symptoms are no worse than the pain of a wasp sting. The best way to control most spiders is by keeping your house clean and tiding, removing any live or dead insects. Go Green Pest Control and Exterminators does offer a false widow spider removal service.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca and Exterminators, Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C., Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA RPF
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/false-widow-spid…what-not-to-fear/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/false-widow-spiders-what-fear-randy-bilesky/?published=t
https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-false-widow-spiders-what-not-to-fear-1.23466991
Mice Infestation Session
Those inquisitive petite mice that spent the summer scavenging outside are now looking for a warm home to hide, eat and nest while the weather turns to rain and dark days. Mice are attracted to warm air that escapes a home, which may be carrying the smell of food with it. Approximately 75 percent of all the homes in Delta have had a rodent run through in the last year, regardless of the age of the structure, how expensive it is, how messy or clean it may be. Mice can get though a gap the diameter of your thumb, any gap under a door, garage door or a crack in the foundation of a house is open door for mice. But, 80 percent of the time, mice will merrily scamper through an open door when you are not looking. In most cases, mice head right for the kitchen or pantry, following the scent of food. Although most rodents are inherently scared of everything, mice seem to lack the gene that tells them to stay away from humans, as rats do. Mice will happily scurry around the kitchen while you may be standing right above them. Usually, the first indication that you have a mouse infestation is the telltale feces they leave behind the size of a grain of rice, but dark brown. Besides leaving their droppings everywhere they go, mice also urinate constantly. Mice mature in about one month and have the ability to reproduce every 30 days.
gogreenpestcontol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. , Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA RPF
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mice-infestation-session-randy-bilesky/?published=t
https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-mice-looking-to-warm-up-in-your-house-1.23465346
It’s a tough life for Silverfish
The average lifespan of silverfish is between 3 months and 8 years. Their survival includes avoiding predators, surviving without food and producing a lot of little silverfish. These little bugs can go without food for almost a year living on stored internal fat, as long as they can get access to water. As a nocturnal insect, they can avoid most of their predators that hunt by the day such as earwigs, centipedes and spiders. Their silver colour acts as a camouflage in dark locations helping them to avoid predators. They have a tough outer shell that makes it hard for predators to kill or eat them. And finally, silverfish produce a lot of sweat, allowing them to slip over surfaces quickly and wedge themselves into small cracks and crevices to hide. Highly adaptive insects, silverfish have the ability to find food in our homes, eating paper, wallpaper, clothes, fabrics and glue in books. But that’s not all; they will also eat mould, dandruff and other insects. A female silverfish can produce up to 100 eggs in their lifetime.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca & Exterminators Ladner Tsawwassen Delta -Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA RPF
https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-it-s-a-tough-life-for-silverfish-1.23464749
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/its-tough-life-silverfish-randy-bilesky/?published=t
