Bug Blog
Bald Faced Hornets – Packing a Punch
The bald-faced hornet gets its name from its strikingly white face and black and white body, technically is actually a yellow jacket. The coloured patterns and markings on the abdomen identify the role each hornet has in the colony. The bald face workers are relatively small in size compared to the queens which are the largest members of bald-faced hornet colonies. Adult bald faced hornets feed on nectar, pollen, meat, caterpillars, aphids, and their competitors – yellow jackets and wasps. Because of the way they so aggressively protect their nests, these stinging creatures are rather dangerous. In the world of most painful insect sting, the bald faced is right behind bullhorn ants and fire ants. I am often asked how I can prevent these hornets from building a nest in my yard. The answer is always the same – you can’t. Short of removing all foliage from the yard, prevention of bald-faced hornets is impossible to achieve. But, reducing access to overwintering sites indoors can be done by finding and sealing all cracks in the foundation of your home. And finally, tightly seal all garbage containers and trim shrubbery and trees to reduce the number of potential nesting sites.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bald-faced-hornets-packing-punch-randy-bilesky/?published=t
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/bald-faced-hornets-packing-a-punch/
Ants!!!! Sugar and Baking Soda mix
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy L Bilesky BsF CPA
Drain Flies: Bleach or Plumber?
Summer is the time of year that we start to see fruit flies, but are they fruit flies or drain flies. Both seem to appear in the heat of summer and can be difficult to get rid of. Drain flies can be identified by their very hairy bodies. They thrive in dark, damp conditions and often find an ideal home inside a drain, in floor or a sink drain, sink overflow or another area open to plumbing. They don’t bite but their presence can exacerbate asthma in some people. These flies lay their eggs in the organic film that lines drain pipes. Homeowners don’t notice a problem until adult drain flies appear in kitchens and bathrooms. Many people believe that pouring bleach down the drain gets rid of drain flies but it might kill a few larvae but bleach passes quickly down the drain and does not penetrate the thick build-up where eggs are deposited. Also, bleach is corrosive at full strength and might not be suitable for older pipes. Some homeowners might research drain flies on google and after trying bleach might follow up with ammonia. This mixture can create chlorine gas, which is fatal if inhaled and pollutes waterways. To get rid of drain flies you need to use a drain cleaner that has enzymes that eats away the film coating that drain flies eat and lay their eggs in. This treatment is both safe and does not harm plumbing.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy Bilesky BsF CPA
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/drain-flies-bleach-or-plumber/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/drain-flies-bleach-plumber-randy-bilesky/?published=t
Delta residents are freaking out – FLYING ANTS
July 4th saw Independence Day for Americans and we saw a different type of independence, ants liberating themselves form the nests that they have lived in for months. While they may be a sign of the season, they are an enormously undesirable symbol nevertheless. This week, residents throughout Delta have been dealing with visits from strange insects – flying ants. And on Wednesday, the situation was particularly eerie. Clouds of airborne ants were spotted in numerous areas throughout the city, including Tsawwassen, Ladner and North Delta. Flying ants were even reported in places like Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and Richmond. Delta’s unofficial, official ant day in the city is the pinnacle of the ant mating season, when winged queens and winged males fly, mate, and the females find a new locations. Virtuous day to be a flying ant, fabulous day for most birds that find ants delicious, although the site of ants in the air is somewhat frightening, as these are not red hot fire breathing ants as they are mostly pavement ants which are nearly harmless. Not only did the bugs fill the sky, they recklessly fly into anything and everything.
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/delta-residents-…-out-flying-ants/
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy L Bilesky BsF CPA
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/delta-residents-freaking-out-flying-ants-randy-bilesky/?published=t
http://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blog-delta-residents-are-freaking-out-flying-ants-1.23362618
Carpenter Bees – large and small
Carpenter bees come in two sizes, but the one that does all the damage is the larger ones – Xylocopa. Weathered and rotting wood attracts these hole diggers, similar to carpenter ants, they don’t actually eat the wood rather they excavate tunnels to use as nests: usually in the eaves, decks, siding, fascia boards and or entryways. The adults use their nests to over winter, remerging in the spring to continue to use the same tunnels or find new ones. Although relatively harmless (only females have stingers), over time they can degrade the wood and leave nasty stains from their feces. Simple things that a homeowner can do to keep them away, is painting wood and keeping doors closed to prevent carpenter bee an entrance to wood. An infestation is easy to spot, because there are always entry holes that are about 2 cm wide and sawdust, pollen and feces near the entrance hole. Aggressive male carpenter bees will hang around the entrance ways trying to protect them – although again they can’t sting. Although they may cause structural damage, carpenter bees are significant pollinators and are very important to agriculture, plant growers and fruit producers. Woodpeckers are attracted to wood that has been infested with carpenter bees searching for the immature stages of these bees to eat.
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/carpenter-bees-large-and-small/
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy L.Bilesky BsF CPA
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/carpenter-bees-large-small-randy-bilesky/?published=t
Clover Mites – Parthenogenesis
If you have ever seen somebody’s house that has a clover mite infestation, it looks like waves and waves of miniature crabs swarming the beach. Most people will become acquainted with these bugs just after they put in new grass sod. Clover mites get into houses through cracks around windows and doors or just on your feet or your pets. Peak populations of these mites are in late spring and early summer. The reason why clover mite populations can be so explosive is females become mature in about a month and can lay over 100 eggs without the need to be fertilized by males (parthenogenesis). Although they are just a nuisance pest, these mites will invade homes in enormous numbers and will leave nasty stains if they are crushed. Simply use a wet sponge or a vacuum to clear away mites – again be careful not to crush them because of the stains they will leave behind. This stain is not the mite’s blood, but is the mite’s body pigments. Clover mites are not blood feeders, rather they suck plant juices from grasses, clover and other plants in the lawn, as well, they can live on mold and mildew in your house. If clover mites are taking over your household, give us a call at go green pest control.ca and we will stop those mites died in their tracks.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy L Bilesky BsF CPA
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/clover-mites-parthenogenesis/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/clover-mites-parthenogenesis-randy-bilesky/?published=t
http://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blog-clover-mites-1.23356329
Summers Pests are here- what to do
Its official, summer is here!!! Although we seem to be stalling out on hot days – but you know well enough that the insects are working hard to build their nests and even harder to make sure their prodigies will be around next year. So many opportunities can lead to different insects showing up in your home or garden. The hotter it gets, the more bugs are looking to find food and breed. Here are a few summer pests you will encounter and help prevent them from bugging you this summer.
Fleas- These parasites feed off the blood from us and are beloved pets. Prevention in your home includes having all your pets treated for fleas with drops, collars etc. Vacuuming is important and washing your pets bedding regularly.
Ants – We all have ants, in your yard or in your house. Ants will travel long distances in search of food, if their journeys end up in your house, you should be aware that the whole nest will be there soon. Here are a few suggestions to help keep your house clear of ants. A sanitary house is the key, clean floors, countertops and all garbage taken outdoors. Store all food in air tight containers and remove pet food at night. Seal all entry points into your house, cracks and crevices around your doors and window frames.
Flies – Flies pose a health risk to humans and our pets, as well, some actually bite us. If you want to prevent flies, here are a few ideas. Deny flies access with window screens, always cover food and clear food debris and liquid spillages immediately. Clean up after pets, as feces is a perfect breeding place for more flies, they may land there before sitting on your food. Remove as much standing water as possible and add fish to your ponds to control mosquito’s larvae.
Wasps – In the summer stinging insect populations can be massive. Late summer all wasps and hornets feeding behavior shift from sugars to proteins. Now they are after our outdoor food and garbage. If you want to avoid problems with wasps, here are a few tricks. Search your property weekly for nests, from ground wasps to nests in trees, soffits, gutters and attics. If you discover a nest, keep everyone away until the nest is treated.
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/summers-pests-are-here-what-to-do/
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy L Bilesky BsF CPA
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/summers-pests-here-what-do-randy-bilesky/?published=t
Ants, the goliath of all insects
These minuscule segmented bugs are capable of performing amazing achievements. Here in Delta, we deal with mainly five different species; carpenter ants, pavement ants, grease ants, odorous ants and thatching ants. The most remarkable attribute of these miniature monsters is their power. They have muscle fibers of numerous kinds that contract and enlarge at variable speeds and strengths. The muscles are attached directly to internal flanges of its external skeleton or indirectly with filaments attached to the connection points. Ants can carry objects that are hundreds of time heavier than the own weight and as a team can haul large volumes back to their nest. Ant’s power is a result of their extraordinary surface-to-body weight ratio and their exoskeleton. In fact, next to dung beetle which can lift 2,000 times its body weight, ants neck joints can withstand several thousand times their body weight. Outside, ants are busy working to maintain their nest which benefits the soil by aerating and tilling it, they help spread seeds and prey on many different destructive insects. Other insects benefit from the presence of ants, such as aphids in a symbiotic relationship. It is estimated that there is over one quadrillion (1,000,000,000,000,000) ants in the world.
go green pest control.ca Ladner tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy L Bilesky BsF CPA
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/ants-the-goliath-of-all-insects/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ants-goliath-all-insects-randy-bilesky/?published=t
http://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-ants-the-goliath-of-all-insects-1.23352795
Do It Yourself Ant repellants
Retail ant repellents and killers are normally considered pesticides, and it’s hard to really know if all those chemicals are safe, in any quantity. Before your ant issues get way out of control, and I mean hundreds of ants swarming your house – you may be able to rectify the insect problem with “do it yourself” DIY materials. To begin with, use vinegar and peppermint, tea tree and lemon oils to help deter ants – in a more down to earth way. Scattering cayenne pepper or cinnamon along baseboards or cracks and crevices will discourage ants from coming inside in the first place. In my travels while performing pest control, I’ve seen people also use lemon juice, coffee grounds, baby powder, orange peels, Borax (with water and sugar), chalk, diatomaceous earth, cream of wheat, cornmeal, powdered sugar and Equal. Most of these will give you a temporary reduction in foraging ants but you need to be diligent with DIY solutions as they need to be reapplied often. Unfortunately, most of these solutions can become slightly and smelly. Of course, what you are doing will not kill off the ant colony, as they are likely to come back sooner than later. In some (most) cases you may be actually making the whole situation even worse. By applying the wrong DIY solutions you may actually causing a single ant colony to split into many colonies as some species of ants has several queens that are happy to build their own nest. The bottom line is if you are not seeing results from your do it yourself methods; it’s time to call in a professional. Here at go green pest control.ca, we will be happy to stamp out your ant problems.
go green pest control.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.c. Randy L Bilesky BsF CPA
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/do-yourself-ant-repellants-randy-bilesky/?published=t
http://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blog-do-it-yourself-ant-repellents-1.23350239
