Bug Blog
Mosquitos – Bite!
It’s only mid-June, not even summer yet and the mosquitos are out in force. Two things about mosquitos that really bug me (pun intended), of course when they bite you and when they get inside your house, find your bedroom and circle your head like vultures when you want go to sleep. That characteristic buzz – when it sounds like they are about to fly right into your ear hole. I just happen to have that delicious O positive blood, which everyone wants to have – so I guess I’m a prime target for mosquitoes too. So being bitten is just the start, perhaps you might have felt the injection of their proboscis, that nasty needle that sucks out the blood and leaves a little reminder behind telling you that you have been hit be a smooth criminal. Now the itch begins, and as we all know, the more you fuss with the itch the worse it gets. So how can you stop mosquito bites from itching, well you can go out and purchase “after bite” or any of the retail products or you can apply a few home remedies. So, here are a few that are tried and true.
- a) Banana peel – the natural oils found within the banana’s skin, fleshy side works.
- b) Ice – reduces the redness and swelling, as well it helps with the itching.
- c) Oatmeal – relieves itching and swelling because it contains special compounds that have anti-irritant qualities.
- d) Menthol Toothpaste – the menthol acts as a cooling agent which keeps you distracted from scratching.
- e) Honey – has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce your temptation to itch.
- f) Aloe Vera – the vitamins and minerals found in aloe vera reduce the pain, swelling and itching.
- g) Baking soda – sodium bicarbonate may provide relief from a mosquito bite.
- h) Basil – a chemical compound called eugenol may relieve itchy skin.
- i) Mosquito potion – mix all the above remedies and make your own concoction.Gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy Bilesky BsF CPAhttps://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/mosquitos-bite/https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mosquitos-bite-randy-bilesky/?published=t
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/mosquitos-bite/
Insects that live in our food
We have all heard about a number of insect pests that are attracted to our food – from moths to ants and flies to beetles and cockroaches. Some are easy to notice because of their size but there are some just too small to see, especially as eggs and larvae stages. Most may live their entire lives in the food they prefer. All these insects are referred to as stored product pests. This collective group of insects is responsible for a large quantity of monetary damage from the farm they were grown, to storage, transportation, processing, and delivery. They eat, sully and spoil around 15-25% of the world’s grain crops. Stored product pest can be introduced at any point of the food supply chain, from the seeding of fields to the pantry you store them in. Most of these insects are also linked to local bird populations and rodents (mice, rats and squirrels), scattering from the nests and animal foods in the same facility or buildings nearby. There are three main categories of these pests: beetles and weevils, moths and mites. Stored product pests can infiltrate any dried products, preserves and organic products from grains to cereals and pasta to dried meats. They can be categorized according to the products that they infiltrate and economically important for the amounts of grains they destroy.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/insects-live-our-food-randy-bilesky/?published=t
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy Bilesky BsF CPA
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/insects-that-live-in-our-food/
http://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-insects-that-live-in-our-food-1.23337704
Did you Know That … Ants
1) Most ants live in hierarchical (ants ranked one above another) colonies with a single egg-laying queen, although some ant species will have multiple queens. The male ant’s entire job is mating, and female workers on the other hand, well they do everything else.
- Ants are actually very important arthropods, as they help to remove and recycle food waste that we drop in our day to day lives.
3) Did you know that in Columbia and Venezuela a species of ant, the big-bottomed ant, is on the menu at many restaurants, fertilized queens are served up brined and toasted. The ants are also thought to be an aphrodisiac (love drug that increases libido).
4) In some countries, medicinal oil containing crushed weaver ants is used to treat swollen joints and septic skin.
5) Formic acid, produced by fire ants, is a natural antimicrobial (kills microorganisms and stops their growth) and is also used in laundry detergents and hand soaps.
6) Some species of ants will steal other ants young and force them to work in their colony, and sometimes these slaves will revolt and attack their overlords or escape for freedom.
7) Dracula ants and the queens of one Stigmatomma ant species actually drink the blood of their own larvae, but stop short of actually killing them.
8) Odorous house ants, of which we have in Delta, give off a slightly funky lemon coconutty odor when crushed.
9) Most ants will bring their dying or dead workers (sisters) back to their colony only to kick them back out.
10) Some tribes in South America believe that when they die that they are reincarnated as ants.
11) Tree-dwelling Melissotarsus ants grow their middle legs upward to help navigate tunnels in their nests and they also can spin silk used to seal their tunnels.
12) Trap-jaw ants can jump forward but more impressively catapult themselves backwards, 100 times the length of their body merely by snapping their spring-loaded jaws.
13) Argentine ants have formed super colonies interconnected between continents around the world. One such colony was found to be 4,000 kilometers long with millions of queens and over 10 billion worker ants.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/did-you-know-ants-randy-bilesky/?published=t
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy Bilesky BsF CPA
Spring clean those Moths away
Late spring is when clothes moths begin to appear and they only have two things in mind, mating and laying eggs. The only thing worse than all those holes they create in your blankets, carpets, curtains, wool, fur, down and any animal-based materials is how hard they are to get rid of. The moth larvae are the ones that do all the damage to fabrics, carpets and furnishings. Here are some practical changes you can make to reduce – if not illuminate moths. 1) Deep clean your wardrobe as moths like undisturbed corners that are dark and warm. Keep your clothes clean as they love to eat human sweat and food particles. Store your knitwear in garment bags, vet your vintage clothing and invest in cedar wood hangers. 2) Clothes moths love a humid room- somewhere between 75 and 90 percent, so if your house is really humid invest in a dehumidifier or have your exhaust fans automatically run until bathroom moisture is eliminated. 3) Moth repellents are helpful. Fill fabric pouches, tea bags, wiffle balls, or just a bowl with moth-repellent herbs or essential oils like lavender, rosemary, mint, thyme, cloves, peppercorns, lemon, eucalyptus, and ginseng. Cucumbers peels are also a natural pest control solution for repelling moths and many other pests. 4) Call in the professionals if the “do it yourself retail products” aren’t working, here at go green pest control.ca we can help you get rid of moths, saving your valuables and undue worry.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy Bilesky BsF CPA
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/spring-clean-those-moths-away/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/spring-clean-those-moths-away-randy-bilesky/?published=t
Look Out – This summer will be a bumper crop of bugs
Delta will suffer an eruption of insects this summer, according to local environmental experts. They are warning us that the sheer volume of bees, hornets, wasps, ants, mosquitoes, spiders and leather jackets will be unprecedented this year because our weather. The mild winter – temperatures were higher than normal and a hot dry spring has meant that this year’s yield of bugs had been off-set and is arriving late, mostly because they were not killed off by a late frost. So after the driest May in history and latest rain hitting us (May 1.6 cm and so far in June 13.4cm) there will be a detonation of bugs. This also means that we will see record numbers of wasps, hornets and bees. It is going to be a record setting summer for the stinging insects. Because we’ve had such a beautiful warm spring this has meant that the hornets and wasp nests are now growing very quickly, in spite of being a late start. As the temperatures become warmer, the nests will begin to grow rapidly with plenty of food available and the number of wasps wills explode. There will be a large number of crane flies this summer as millions of leather jackets, the larvae of crane fly, have been identified in soil throughout Delta. Mosquitoes will also be causing chaos at all outdoor activities in Delta as reports indicate this will be one of the worst years in history. The spring’s hot weather has caused an early outbreak of mosquitoes in Delta, as well as, there was a delay in them starting and the hot May and recent wet weather conditions have brought them out.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy Bilesky BsF CPA
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/look-out-this-su…per-crop-of-bugs/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/look-out-summer-bumper-crop-bugs-randy-bilesky/?published=t
http://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-this-summer-will-be-a-bumper-crop-of-bugs-1.23333188
Who owns your lawn – Fire Ants?
What can you do about fire ants, as they are really hard to get rid of – but you can control them? One of the more prevalent and effective treatments is to use ant baits, made specifically for fire ants. By applying fire ant baits in late spring and early autumn it is possible to keep them at bay. Using ant baits can be an easy do-it-yourself approach that will not cost you an arm and a leg. What happens with ant baits is a process called trophallaxis (the mutual exchange of regurgitated liquids between adult social insects or between them and their larvae) the ants take the bait into the mound and feed them to the larvae and other ants. This process is slow but it will kill the entire nest including the most important element – the queen. Once the queen has established the colony, she never needs to leave as she becomes an egg producing machine that is feed and serviced by her offspring. To kill the ant nest it is a must to kill the queen. Many people try to control these ants with granular, dust or liquid insecticides but this approach usually only kills the surface ants and misses the queen. Their success depends on the proper use of the product, done properly these insecticides can work but patience is require with multiple applications required. Each of these products needs to be applied when ants are close to the mound surface. Some of the more successful products for killing off a fire ant colony include: Advion Ant Gel insecticide, Advion fire ant bait, Ortho Max fire ant killer, Amdro fire ant bait and Bayer Advanced fire ant killer dust.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy Bilesky BsF CPA
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/who-owns-your-lawn-fire-ants/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/who-owns-your-lawn-fire-ants-randy-bilesky/?published=t
http://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-who-owns-your-lawn-fire-ants-1.23330205
Another Successful Year at The Ladner Mayday Parade
Established all the way back in 1896, Ladner Pioneer May Days, in Memorial Park May 27th 2018, is in a class by itself when it comes to longevity, almost as old as Delta itself. To put that in some perspective, May Days had already been held for more than 60 years by the time the George Massey Tunnel opened and ushered in modern day Delta.
The truth behind the Myths about Ticks
Ticks, like bed bugs, are ectoparasites (blood sucking parasites), living by feeding on the blood of mammals and birds. Ticks have a beak-like structure at the front containing the mouthparts. Because they ingest blood, ticks transfer at least twelve diseases that affect humans and other animals. In fact, they are the number one cause of vector-borne diseases in the North America. Here are few facts that arise from the myths about ticks.
1) Not all ticks carry Lyme disease, only the deer and blacklegged ticks do and only 20% of them carry it. Lyme disease is easily treated with antibiotics if detected early enough.
2) Tick traps are effective control methods.
3) Nymph (baby) ticks are more likely to transfer Lime disease because they are very small and easily missed than regular-sized ticks.
4) Ticks do not jump; ticks attach themselves by latching onto a host as they brush past tall grass or low plants.
5) The best method to remove a tick is with a pair of clean, fine-tip tweezers.
6) You will rarely feel a tick bite; they release a mild anesthetic so you don’t notice them.
7) Ticks are not just a summer time issue; they can become active in the winter if the weather warms up.
8) Everyone is at risk for tick bites and Lyme disease.
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/the-truth-behind…yths-about-ticks/
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy Bilesky BsF CPA
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/truth-behind-myths-ticks-randy-bilesky/?published=t
http://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-the-truth-behind-the-myths-about-ticks-1.23328930
Skunks, a year around smell in Delta
The odor of your local neighbourhood skunk is more rampant during mating season, but skunks are permanent daily residents here in Delta, so it’s not just the local greenhouse producing marijuana. Skunks are always close but they might be more visible now as the youngsters start making trips out of the den. As long-lasting residents of the Delta area you can see them almost any time of the year. You are more likely to detect their odor during mating season and when the pups are being raised or whelping season. Here in Delta, mating season is mid-February to late-March; this is when the males are trying to attract as many females as possible with spurts of skunk funk, now I always thought that skunks don’t like the odour they emit but this may be different in mating season. Once mated the ladies withdrawal to their childbearing lairs and after about ten weeks give birth to four to six babies or kits. So it is possible that you may have seen momma out with the young kits and there will be more to come when other females that were mated later being to appear. The kits stay in their lair until they are a month and a half, this is usually when they can be seen foraging with their mother at night. As nocturnal creature there are usually out at dusk and back by dawn but the kits can be seen out from their dens during the day playing with each other. By the fall the kits are ready to head off on their own and the cycle repeats itself.
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/skunks-a-year-ar…d-smell-in-delta/
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy Bilesky BsF CPA
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/skunks-year-around-smell-delta-randy-bilesky?published=t
Flying Ants – the skies may go black this year
If the weather continues to stays warm, we may see a bumper crop for flying ants this year and it may happen sooner than normal here in Delta. If temperatures continue to stay high we could see a mass of flying ants which could cause a flying ant day like we have never seen. Flying ants are the nuptial flight stage of ant reproduction where swarms of ants flap their wings and darken the skies. Although the day can last over a week’s period, there is usually only one or two days where people will actually see thousands of ants choking up the skies. This is all do to the new queen ants leaving their nests and taking to the skies to mate and then look for a favourable location to start a new colony, although less than 1% are actually successful. Flying ant day(s) usually occurs in late July, but this warm weather might just get them going sooner, perhaps this month which could see millions of ants hit the skies. Here at go green pest control.ca there has been a substantial upsurge in ant activity related calls, a 200% increase from April through May. This rise is most likely due to the unseasonably warm spring we have had, in fact, last month’s clear skies caused the driest May in history and the third hottest ever. Ants are characteristically more active in warmer weather and ant colonies use the sun to navigate their movements. Ant life-cycles hinge on temperature and the amount of food available, because this spring has been so warm, we have healthier queens, increased breeding, higher potential of ant egg survival and larger colonies.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/flying-ants-skies-may-go-black-year-randy-bilesky/?published=t
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy Bilesky BsF CPA
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/flying-ants-the-…-black-this-year/
http://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-flying-ants-the-skies-may-go-black-this-year-1.23326906
