Rodents are cagy, vigilant, in-obtrusive and nocturnal animals. To outsmart these Delta residents and protect your home, you need to know what you’re dealing with and here are some helpful hints to help you recognize them. House mouse nest in walls, attics, crawl spaces, woodpiles, garages, basements, storage places but they really like to […]
Rodents are cagy, vigilant, in-obtrusive and nocturnal animals. To outsmart these Delta residents and protect your home, you need to know what you’re dealing with and here are some helpful hints to help you recognize them. House mouse nest in walls, attics, crawl spaces, woodpiles, garages, basements, storage places but they really like to […]
A typical wasp and hornet nest can contain as many as 6000 insects and build a nest the size of a beach ball. But now, these super nests (16,000 wasps) are cropping up this summer, as a side effect of a warming climate, can potentially grow to the size of a Smart car, and […]
Squirrels feed on seeds, nuts, acorns, tree buds, berries, leaves and twigs but believe it or not will eat meat. But if they have become an issue around or in your house then choosing the right kind of squirrel trap might help rid your property of squirrels. These rodents can bring viruses and health […]
As the days continue to get hotter, wasps and hornets continue to prosper. Wasps that live in colonies and yes you guessed it; attack in swarms and sting repeatedly. To avoid this perilous encounter, have the wasp hives removed long before they look like a beach ball on steroids. Most species of wasp and hornets […]
When it comes to selecting between the best squirrel proof bird feeder brands, money in research and creating designs with better technology, finishes and makes is very important. No matter whether you are looking for a traditional or contemporary look , you will find one that suits your budget and needs. Squirrel proof bird […]
Disease-carrying ticks have increased their topographical range in the past 20 years, now showing up in different places every year and they reproduce rapidly. The rate of tick-borne disease will continue to increase as we experience environmental changes that led to rising populations of mice and deer which carry the ticks that feed on […]
So where did these nasty ants come from because they surely didn’t come from here. It is believed that they came to North America on a shipment of cargo back in the 1930s. So, how did they get in your lawn, well most likely from an infested nursery plant, fertilizer or grass sod being […]
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome Virus (HPS) is a severe, respiratory disease that can be lethal and is spread through infected rodent droppings, urine or drool. A person can contract the virus by breathing in air particles, such as stirring up dust in areas where rodents have been causing the virus to get into the air. […]
Recently, numerous serious issues have motivated the pest control industry towards non-toxic solutions. Businesses are reacting to consumer concerns about adverse effects of the overuse of pesticides. The pest control industry is continuously researching and developing solutions that are more effective, sustainable and are better for our environment. Innovations are evolving non-toxic solutions that are […]
A recent survey on honey bees reveals that the 2018/2019 winter resulted in a extremely large die-off – as upwards of 40 percent of their population was lost over the winter. Fewer honeybees is an ecological and economic problem, as there has been a major decline for the last 50 years. There are a […]
Six interesting things about our ants The ants of Delta are the most successful of all existing insects. There are approximately 8,800 described species of ants in the world of which approximately 570 species are found in North America. Ants perform numerous important ecological and ecosystem functions. Their occurrence is staple food for birds to […]
Blog: Flying squirrels? Just the facts Randy Bilesky / Delta Optimist JUNE 19, 2019 11:35 AM #DeltaBC The flying squirrel is a type of squirrel known for its ability to glide through the air. Usually found in deciduous, coniferous or mixed type of forest they are thankfully not endangered. Males and females look alike and their […]
What really is going on down-under. If you are one of those people that like your lawn to look like a golf course, then here is a collection of rodents that try very hard to make your putting green style lawn vanish. So down under the ground we have moles, voles, shrews and pocket gophers […]
The flying squirrel is a type of squirrel known for its ability to glide through the air. Usually found in deciduous, coniferous or mixed type of forest and thankfully they are not endangered. Males and females look alike and their tail is flattened and large used as a rudder when they glide through the […]
Small black pavement ants, thatching ants and the large black carpenter ants seem to be everywhere this year and some of the mating ants with wings have already been out. They are flourishing in the usual sunny locations — cracks in driveways, under patio pavers, and of course in wood mulch (their number one […]
Insect numbers are declining at an extraordinary rate and this is not a result of all the pests Go Green pest control deals with daily. Most insects are undeniably vital for the existence of many plants and animal species. Insects are vital to our planet’s ecological well-being, which many animals and plants relying on. As […]
This year has seen a surge in tick sightings and its another pest that is indirectly to blame. With rising temperatures and land development we are seeing more rodents like rats, mice and squirrels coming into contact with humans. Because rodents are the number one source of food for ticks – more rodents more […]
“Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home” (children’s nursery rhyme). A amazing phenomenon was seen in San Diego last week, a giant rain cloud that turned out to be a swarm of lady beetles that measured 135 km by 135 km. Such a cloud of lady bugs is called a ‘bloom’ but is normally not this […]
Its that time again when new honey bee queens kick the old queens out and there is a swarm on the run. So what do you do if a swarm ends up in your yard? It is more important then ever that honeybees be protected and unless you want to become a bee keeper, […]
Here in Delta we have roughly 6 distinctly different ants all going about their business in different fashions. As different as they are in their activities – they all are basically ants, adult ants come in a variety of shapes and dimensions but each will be one of three different colony castes; queens, workers […]
Stinging pests come in a variety of shapes and sizes that span numerous insect species. While the main issue is a stinger – body types, colours, and legs vary usually between insects such as bees, hornets and wasps. These pests make problems for you or your family and monitoring them begins with correct proof of […]
As spring comes to a close and summer travel season begins, you are reminded about Bed Bug Awareness Week begins which serves as an important reminder that bed bugs can wreak havoc if brought home after traveling. Bed bugs are one of the most common pests, a 9 percent increase in people reporting bed […]
Carpenter bees are large, fuzzy bees that look a lot like their cousin the bumble bee, with its yellow and black coloring. They are pollinators to native plant and crops as they pick up and transfer pollen. Although these bees are normally not hostile, when it comes to your house they can be destructive. […]
May Day Parade Ladner B.C. Parade is a highlight of Ladner May Days, a highlight of Ladner Pioneer May Days, the colourful parade made its way through Ladner Village noon on Sunday May 26th. The parade features all kinds of entries, including community and school groups, dance teams, entertainers, local businesses and more. The procession […]
Okay I know its not just me, is there a billion sowbugs out there now! Of course they go by several other names: woodlouse, woodlice, pill bugs, roly polies, doodle bugs and of course wood bugs. Despite their name they are not really bugs, they are landbound crustaceans. Sowbugs feed on organic material and […]
Now that summer is almost upon us and ant season is in full swing, nothing starts a conversation faster than the topic of fire ants and how to get rid of them. That’s because these tiny red or black ants are not only a nuisance but they’re also ferocious and hostile aggressors. If fire […]
A giant Japanese hornet was discovered here in the lower mainland which is thought to have arrived on a container ship from Asia. It is extremely dangerous to both humans and bees. The Japanese giant hornet is one of the world’s largest hornets, growing longer than 4 centimeters. Japanese giant hornet workers forage for […]
BLOG: Pollen, grass and pests can trigger your allergy symptoms Randy Bilesky / Delta Optimist https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-pollen-grass-and-pests-can-trigger-your-allergy-symptoms-1.23814678
Insects often learn fairly rapidly, but the levels of performance is not that high. Logical reasoning is complicated activity, and was thought to be only found in animals with multifaceted nervous arrangements. It recently has been determined that non-solitary wasps use logical deduction, the only case in invertebrates. This kind of intellectual reasoning is […]
BLOG: Gypsy Moth and the B.T.K. insecticide Randy Bilesky / Delta Optimist MAY 7, 2019 03:05 PM #DeltaBC The Gypsy moth caterpillar consume tremendous amounts of leaf material in the spring, as much as one square foot of leaves per day. A solution to the Gypsy moth problem emerged in Europe in 1938, where they began […]
Lately, a new variation of a regular household pest has been identified, the grey long tailed silverfish (Ctenolepisma longicaudata). Although they are often found in modern buildings they are showing up at many residential homes. Similar to our regular silverfish, they are somewhat larger, bushier and have extended tail filaments. They may be an announce […]
May is the peak season for allergy sufferers and is the Allergy Awareness Month. About 2.5 million Canadians suffer from allergies, or about 7.5 per cent of the population or 1 in 13. So how do you prevent allergen buildup in their own homes. Many people think allergies are associated to the sensitivity to […]
The Gypsy moth caterpillar consume tremendous amounts of leaf material in the spring, as much as one square foot of leaves per day. A solution to the Gypsy moth problem emerged in Europe in 1938, where they began to use B.T.K. (Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki) on forests and agricultural lands as a biological insecticide to […]
Different parasitoid wasp species are know to lay their eggs on a spider’s back and by inoculating the spider with the a molting hormone, the wasp induces the spider to make a distinct web for the wasp’s cocoon. The parasitic wasp forces the spider to texture a special web to dangle the wasp cocoon […]
The sight of swarming bees can alarm just about anyone but it is a normal life cycle of honey bees. At the end of winter there are fewer bees in the colony than there were during the summer, you have the queen and a lot of workers, that huddled together in a winter cluster to […]
Warmer winters allow rats to breed into the previously too-cold months. Climate change is what is making rats tougher, meatier, bigger and more present. Its a losing battle, experts now say climate change might be giving rats the competitive edge they need to thrive. Most rats breed all year, they usually slow down during around […]
The most familiar wasps we encounter live in large cooperative nests, like bald-faced hornets, yellowjackets and other wasps yet the majority of wasp species are solitary and focused only on their own offspring. But the majority of wasps we encounter, the spring process begins with a fertilized wasp queen arising from hibernation and begins a […]
House flies are major carriers of disease transferring ailments, including food poisoning, typhoid, tuberculosis, cholera and dysentery that can be harmful to both humans and pets. They breed and feed in filth, including garbage, feces, human food, animal food and carcasses, garbage, excrement and rotting food. House flies pick up bacteria, fungi, and viruses and […]
The colonial aphid fixes its house in a stunningly fatal fashion – they will fix a hole in its nest by exploding and the result is coating its bodily fluids over the openings. These aphids live in hollow spheres called galls in Japanese trees. They divide their labor into adult reproducers, workers and soldiers. If […]
Factors include everything from open compost piles and bird feeders to displacement by development Sandor Gyarmati / Delta Optimist APRIL 12, 2019 08:05 AM rats Residents can undertake a number of measures to prevent rats from seeking shelter inside their homes. The sight or sound of them scurrying about, especially inside homes, is enough to […]
The rats that reside in Delta for the most part are Norway rats, thanks Norway. These rats hitched a ride to the Americas on ships in the 18th century. So why do me loathe them, well it all goes back to the great plague, that killed some 25 million people in the 14th century. But, […]
Now that we are weeks into spring and the rain has forgotten to leave, perhaps we should address Delta’s rat issues – or lack of. A US based pest control, ha-ha, has deemed Delta to be the 11th worst rat infested cities in B.C. Now their statistics, presumable based on the number of calls they […]
As the season for spring cleaning, gardening, lawn cutting and general maintenance is in full swing there is always a chance that you may find baby wild animals in a shed or garage. Because these places usually are not to active over the winter, females might decide that your shed, garage or attic may […]
No they are not super hero’s or villains but they are both parasitic creatures that live on hosts much larger than themselves. Ticks and fleas feed on the blood of their preferred hosts and spread a variety of diseases. Although neither choose us as their prime hosts, both parasites will bite and feed on […]
Bottle flies or blow flies, are the large flies we see in Delta that are a metallic blue or green in color. The adult fly’s are usually seen flying around their food or odorous areas and are typically found outdoors. If you see quite a few indoors there is a good chance that they have […]
Skunk season is here again and words of wisdom about the polecat is ‘’spray first and ask questions later ‘’. So the question is how do you do a de-funking after a skunking. Skunks are everywhere in Delta and the lower mainland for that matter. If a skunk is spooked or otherwise threatened, they […]
The raccoon is a native animal to Delta, and is one of the most successful animals in our urban environment (next to rats of course). Raccoons have adapted well to rummaging through human garbage for food. The adults are active throughout the year, where males tend to travel in wide areas and females generally […]
Spring has sprung and the biting and stinging insects are out. Any one of these poisonous scary crawlies can ruin your day, should they attack you. Wasps: White hot pain – they build small to large nests and defend them forcefully by stinging repeatedly. They eat just about any the moves. Black widow spider: Really […]
https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-mason-bee-season-begins-now-1.23666910
A new gadget has been designed to prevent damage in vehicles where rodents chew through electrics and wiring, under the engine hood. It works by releasing an ultra-high-frequency noise that is inaudible to humans but apparently the equivalent of a jackhammer to rodents with the acoustic pressure rated at 85dB (rock concert in your […]
Its officially mason bee season and its time to get last years bee cocoons out or buy a bunch. I hung my mason bee house outside in a covered southerly exposed location and within a couple hours I already had a half a dozen males out and circulation around their bee house. For those of […]
Here we have two somewhat similar looking stinky creatures that use foul malodorous spray to fend off things they don’t like. Both striped polecats and skunks have coarse black fur with white spots and stripes. These thick-bodied animals all have long tails, short limbs and long claws used for digging in dirt. Skunks lack […]
Carpenter ants have become a widespread problem throughout Delta. They make their nests in damp, rotting, dead or perfectly dry wood and create passageways so they can easily circumnavigate through the structure. Carpenter ants are small but the damage a colony can cause is not. Carpenter ants cause the most damage of all ants […]
These insects create nests in wall or floor voids when indoors and target kitchen pantries and cupboards. They also nest outside and may crawl indoors through cracks and crevices in the foundation or doors and windows. Odorous ants release an unpleasant smell when crushed and like the grease ant they also bite. Next to […]
Everywhere rats go they leave a steady stream of urine, feces and gland grease. Within their urine and feces and gland grease are strong pheromone scents which helps them retrace their steps and attract other rats. Pheromones and steroids, such as male testosterone or female progesterone and estradiol let other rats know that there […]
FEBRUARY 23, 2019 03:35 PM #DeltaBC Well I’m calling this year a total epidemic of unseen proportion with regards to grease ants. Never have we seen so many cases of grease ants in peoples homes as we are in 2019. Call outs for these ants are off the charts so far this February. Not only […]
Well I’m calling this year a total epidemic of unseen proportion with regards to Grease ants. Never have we seen so many cases of Grease ants in peoples homes as we are in 2019. Call out for these ants are off the charts so far this February. Not only are they unsightly, they are […]
Silverfish are the same length as the carpenter ant, these nocturnal insects prosper in bathrooms, kitchen and damp crawl spaces in almost everyone’s home. These dinosaur like, alligator shaped insects are categorized by a silvery-tan colour and bristles at the end of their body. Once silverfish are brought into your house, they begin laying dozens […]
Insects are at the bottom of every food chain yet at the top of the ecosystem because they’re are pollinators – therefore they are absolutely critical. Insects also play an important roles in our ecosystems preforming pest control, decomposition and food for other animals such as birds, reptiles and small mammals. Now reports indicate that […]
In the nutty world of squirrels, one squirrel can influence the genetic influence to the population of another squirrel by hoarding food and increasing the chances of survival of the other squirrel that takes over its territory. In the squirrel world, the previous squirrel that had a particular territory can significantly impact how well off […]
Blog: Bird feeders – a neighbourhood smorgasbord Randy Bilesky / Delta Optimist FEBRUARY 13, 2019 09:05 #Delta you own a bird feeder (we call them rat feeders in the pest world), you’re likely to encounter some of these common problems. It’s difficult to attract birds to a feeder and not squirrels, mice, rats and a handful […]
Your watching tv your living room and something catches the corner of your eye, you quickly look over and see a rodent scurrying across the floor. Was it a rat, a mouse, a gremlin– do you have a rodent infestation? It’s tough for a seasoned pro to tell what the difference is by a […]
If you own a bird feeder (we call them rat feeders in the pest world), you’re likely to encounter some of these common problems with your bird feeder. It’s difficult to attract birds to a feeder and not squirrels, mice, rats and a hand full of predators . As it turns out, the bird feeder […]
A lot of home-owners are frequently challenged with the slime chances of keeping their home free from pests. The first thing anyone that encounters a insect or rodent problem they head off to the local hardware store to stock up on pesticides, insecticides and rodenticides. Retail stores are not allowed to sell the effective […]
Now a local pest control expert says pigeons aren’t just a problem for transit users, Randy Bilesky of Go Green Pest Control out of a Delta, says he gets calls from businesses and homeowners about the birds and says you can actually copy some of translates Pigeon prevention methods at home. So hears an example […]
Mice reproduce at an disturbing rate; a litter of six to eight every couple months. Although infestations happen year-round, it’s in the winter that we notice them most. These vermin can cause all kinds of damage to your house. Mice have the usual proclivity to masticate and gnaw materials apart. Their nests are often […]
Spider mites can be a winter epidemic in the lower mainland because our homes are warm and dry. They seem to be a February thing on houseplants and they can do serious damage to anything they infest. They can infest a home very quickly as they have a 4 week life cycle: their eggs hatch […]
The new evasive insect to hit the lower mainland is the subterranean termite, it has been an issue in the Okanagan for the last several years. They build their nests underground usually in wood that is in contact with the soil, where they tunnel through the wood that they are eating. Subterranean termites only eat […]
Go Green Pest Control is warning that there has been a massive increase in the number of infestations lately, with the company recording a 55% increase in call outs from last January. Delta has seen a immense increase in infestations from these pests, accounting for more than 25% of all call outs. Silverfish can lay […]
Wasps, crickets and cockroaches play a dynamic part in the cross-fertilization of the non-photosynthetic plant (a plant mostly lacking in chlorophyll or a functional photosystem). As we all know, wasps do play a role in pollinating flowers, but cockroaches and crickets are not generally seen as key pollinators. Wasps, cockroaches and crickets are all attracted […]
As mating season approaches, we’re more likely to find and smell skunks around our homes. In mating season, like us humans, males don’t necessarily make the best choices and sometimes will shoot across traffic and make other life altering changes. While driving , especially at night when its dark and usually wets and raining, extra […]
Skunk and Raccoon Latrines Believe it or not, skunks and raccoons actually have terrestrial toilets called latrine sites, a communal location to routinely expel their urine and feces. The animals use latrine sites as territorial markers, for ritual behavior, social networking and sanitation. These latrine sites are places where several animals use the same area […]
There are several earth-friendly mole control options for our customers, with moles issues being one of the most prevalent calls me take through-out the year. While some people believe that heavy rains or even using a garden hose can eliminate moles by flooding their tunnel systems, moles are intelligent enough to avoid drowning. When a […]
Several people have taken to social media to express fear those ants have taken up residence in their neighborhood. There is a similarity between the native thatching ant and the European fire ant. European fire ants where found in Naramata in 2013 and currently a working plan to eliminate the invasive species in that […]
The spring is just around the corner now and I was thinking about another year of being stung by wasps and red ants and where they stand of the ‘ouch that really hurt” scale. Well there is actually a scale that deals with is. They say that the concept of pain and distress is […]
Bugs and insects use toxins to hunt prey or help evade predators. So are they venomous and poisonous, we often use this interchangeably, but do they mean the same thing? Spiders are equipped with venomous fangs that deliver their poison to prey or use against those that hunt them. Alternatively, some butterflies and caterpillars […]
Cockroaches, next to rats are the nastiest creatures in the pest control business. These eerie crawlies are flat, brown and their shells are greasy to touch. Yes, just writing this sends shivers down my spine. Cockroaches can survive a nuclear explosion, their ability to withstand extreme radiation exposure comes down to their simple bodies […]
A longer milder spring and a warmer winter so far has left us with more rats than usual this time of year. The warmer it is the more rodents survive. In Delta, with a substantial shipping industry coupled with this years mild climate, has made us a hotbed for rat infestations. Another contributing factor […]
Mice, rats and squirrels are some of the most communal pests that occupy our homes regularly when the weather starts turning cold. Although squirrels, like rats and mice, are in the order of rodentia, not all rodents are “vermin,” but rats and mice definitely are. Here are a few suggestions to keep all three […]
So we are in mid January now and carpenter ants are popping up around your house, what is up with that? So you ask, are carpenter ants really active in the winter? Well it depends on were they are living, in a wall or floor of your house were it is warm enough and they […]
Your car is a warm, dry and undisturbed ideal shelter for feeding, nesting and breeding rodents. Rodents can cause significant damage to the car, damage that could end up costing you thousands of dollars in repairs. You can’t exterminate every rodent in your area, but you can take some hands-on steps to reduce the […]
Rats language is all about whistling, chirping and bruxing in the form of ultrasonic vocalizations that we need specialized equipment to hear. By understanding their speech we can also understand their emotional well being. Rodents make 20 + types of whistles that make up their language in form happy and sad calls. Changes in […]
A new study has discovered that Leaf-cutter ant nests produce thousands of times more carbon dioxide than the adjacent soils do. In Costa Rica on the forest floor, leaf-cutter ant nests, that cover 1.5% of the forest floor, make massive piles of dirt spotted with several holes that release carbon dioxide from the ant […]
If you are returning from a trip, you should follow these guidelines to avoid bringing bed bugs home with you. Luggage stands in hotel and motel rooms are a hot spot for bed bug activity as they use luggage to travel and infest a new home. When you return from a trip, you might […]
Roof rats, also called black rats or ship rats, get their name from their need to be up high in trees and roofs. Roof rats rarely live longer than 9 months, but females may give birth to as many as 3 dozen babies in that time. Such rapid reproduction lets infestations to occur rapidly. These […]
Go Green Peat Control acquires Insect and Rodent Exterminators http://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/insect-and-rodent-exterminators/ gogreenpestcontrol.ca & Exterminators Delta Ladner Wassermann B.C. Randy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/go-green-peat-control-acquires-insect-rodent-randy-bilesky/?published=t
Chances are, there are toxins loitering around the corner in your home, often, when you don’t even realize it. Here are four simple steps to make your house greener. Start slowly by replacing just your top 1 of your most-used/most-consumed products first. Then follow the 80/20 rule – 80% of the time buy safer products […]
Santa is long gone now, but those Christmas pests & rodents might still be hanging around and now that the temperature has dropped, its important to winterize homes to keep them safe from incoming pests. Here is some helpful advice to keep them outside in familiar Santa CLAUS fashion. “C” stands for your chimney, […]
Here are the 12 things that you may want to ask Santa for a pest control solution this Christmas. Your Christmas tree has lights, bobbles, decorations and spider webs?? Spiders are free pest control but not on your Christmas tree. Your living room is decked with rat traps instead of boughs of holly. Silverfish are […]
It was one night before Christmas, and somewhere in the house The attic was squeaking, could it be a mouse We looked throughout the house but no signs were there Could our house is infested, it sounded like a bear The kiddies were crying, restless in their beds While visions of rats scurried in their […]
The bread bug, biscuit or drugstore beetle is a stored products pest. The name might come from infestations that happened to druggists that user herbs in their potions back in the day. They live inside stored foods that are not kept in secured containers. They are usually found in kitchens and pantries where there may […]
School is almost out for the Christmas holidays and many people will travel to foreign lands seeking the sun and hot weather. Because airline tickets are becoming so cheap many people are travelling to area that harbours many insects including bed bugs. These insidious creatures will travel anywhere or do anything to din on you […]
New statistics released puts bed bugs as the 2018 Pest of the Year for the second consecutive year. Canadians searched for information about these pests a astounding 600,000 times during 2018. The announcement is a chronicle of the year in pest trends, covering internet searches to social media. The Pest of the Year title was […]
Pests are often thought of as spring-summer weather issue, but homeowners need to know that old person winter brings with it a ton of likely pest issues. Once the thermometer starts to drop and the rain comes down in river like torrents, ants, mice, rats and other collective trespassers look for a warm location […]
Termites, termites, termites, yes we have them here but not to the extent that they do down south. Why are we so concerned about termites, well they eat wood or more specifically they like cellulose. Cellulose is a substance contained in the cell walls of plants that gives them their rigid structure. Termites have bacteria […]
Yearly, those true believers in real Christmas trees head out to pick out their own tree or cut one down. But, heaven forbid, that real tree can be the source of sneezing and coughing as long as that tree is up and for some time after that. Now studies have come out describing the ways […]
Synurbic pests (live predominantly within an urban ecosystem) have become gradually flexible to changing environments, allowing them to grow in new locations, by manipulating our needs to survive, many have learnt to live in urban areas aggressively manipulating our towns and cities. And yes, we have heard and read about the new wonderful breeds of […]
Christmas is coming and it’s time to get the Christmas decorations out. Now, is there something loitering in those boxes full of glittery holiday joyfulness? Pests in Delta love attics and crawl spaces. They particularly love munching on boxes used to store your holiday decorations as well the decorations themselves. The most common pests […]
Some pests like rats and mice are in fact more active in the winter as they search for somewhere to stay – indoors. Rats and mice aren’t hibernators, so they must incessantly feed throughout the wintertime. Rodents have petite bladders so they have to urinate and defecate constantly, leaving a trail of disease, pathogens and […]
Now that winter is almost upon us, people can expect to see more coyotes in the coming months. This is the time when coyote’s parents give their young ones the boot and expect them to forage for themselves. Also come January, breeding season starts for coyotes and they become more mobile. Coyotes are common to […]
Christmas is coming and if you decided to purchase a real (once live) Christmas tree you should expect to bring in a few unexpected guests into your home, in the form of insects. A rough estimate puts approximately 75 percent of Canadians decorate with a Christmas tree and of those people who do, only 20 […]
Strange things in the world of insects often crop up but this one seemed a little stranger than most. First of all there is a spider that looks like an ant, supposedly to avoid a certain spider wasp that likes to paralyse spiders in order to lay their eggs on the spider’s body, which then […]
Here is an example of a real story I hear far too often. You’re going through your work week morning routine, getting dressed and leaving for work when you see a rat running from your car when you look out your front window. This is not the way anyone wants to start their day. Of […]
Just like the notorious saying by the members of the House Stark in Game of Thrones “winter is coming”, this also a warning to homeowners because your house, townhouse, condo or apartment is likely nice and toasty warm, rodents and other nasty pests are likely to be entering your home to seek warmth. Yes, there […]
You know that the holiday’s or Christmas season is almost upon us as the grease ants start coming out. These tiny ants can stay in the walls for months but when the furnaces in homes begin to run a lot more, these food scavenging ants that both bite and sting, start coming out in full […]
Rodent females create extra offspring after smelling odors (chemo-olfactory cues) produced by scared males. Fear of being torn apart and eaten can influence the size of populations. A study showed that exposed small, highly fecund (prolific) species like rat mothers produce families with about 40-60 percent more pups compared to female that were not exposed […]
Often the first thing people think when they get itchy bites on their legs, arms or torso is I’ve been bitten by bed bugs. If you’re concerned about the potential of bedbugs, knowing what sorts of things you might be confusing for signs of bed bugs is definitely important. Though you might think that finding […]
The bushy tailed woodrat is the only native rat found in B.C. and has been spotted here in Delta. It is a large squirrel-like rodent with long dense fur and a bushy tail. Like all our local rats- the Norway and roof rats, the packrat are active all year and nocturnal (busy in the night). […]
Fire ants are legendary for their skill to swarm together and self-assemble bridges, ladders, and even floating boats. Scientists have now learned the statistical rubrics that rule how fire ants form these assemblies, and this may help researchers in building swarming, miniature shape-changing automatons or robot swarms that might be able to slim down and […]
Keeping your home clean by getting rid of things that attract rats and mice is the best way to deter them. Rodents are always looking for food, so make sure nothing has been spilled or made available for a hungry critter, especially under cabinets and places that are easy to hide in. Always clean up […]
For Delta residents, rats can be a threat to your property, health, sense of security and sanity. They can chew through electrical wires potentially causing be a fire, chew through plastic water pipes, drywall and destroy insulation. Rats leave behind urine and feces everywhere they go – THEY JUST CAN’T HELP IT – which can […]
Nature can play a major role in future technologies in agriculture, powerful poisons from a variety of animals and insects are a practical substitute to damaging pesticides used in agriculture. Animal venom could be nature’s own problem-solver for food security. Scientists are looking to harness venomous properties in the field of farming, using venomics. Venomics […]
November is the month of the silverfish, as we get the most call-outs for these creatures than any other month of the year. They are one of the most common household insects in homes throughout B.C. The name silverfish is somewhat misleading, as they can’t live or swim in water but they do skitter across […]
Bee populations around the world have been in decline for years now. One of the perpetrators behind this drop is neonicotinoid compounds, one of the most widely used types of insecticide. First used in the mid-1990s, they are now the most commonly-used class of insecticide. The insecticides are used in seed treatment, where high concentrations […]
So if you thought that there was only one kind of bed bug out there, you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that there are actually three types of bed bugs that like people. Being able to identifying which species of bed bug actually helps to eradicate them. The three different types of bed bugs […]
Similar to human teenagers, young rats like to play fight. Researchers have found that immune cells in the rat’s brains help transition the adolescent horseplay to solemn adult behavior. Young rats like to race around, jump, climb and roughhouse with their siblings. Of course this activity is actually practicing attacking and defending themselves for when […]
Often I encounter rat infestations where the rats have gotten into a house and totally run amuck. People are usually worried about the feces they leave behind but rat urine can be equally as dangerous as the diseases in feces. When people come into contact with rat urine there is always the chance that they […]
Researchers caution that global warming will certainly lead to the population of rats absolutely exploding in major cities. Scientists have shown that the likely 2 degrees of global warming to come this century will be extremely dangerous as the climate heats up, rats will breed faster. Cities spend millions of dollars to stop the […]
So what is a raccoon cocoon, well it’s a crocheted and embroidered raccoon cocoon onesie for infants BUT. Now if you are still reading let’s chat about regular old cocoons, most people probably think they know what a cocoon is but they are actually more complex than appears. An insects cocoon is different than an […]
Pest control specialist Randy Bilesky, owner of Go Green Pest Control and Exterminators has seen a 50 per cent increase in calls to his service this season over last. “People panic … we get the phone call after someone has walked through a spider web,” said Bilesky. “They are sure it’s still in their hair, especially […]
CLIMATE | Creepy Crawlies It’s not your imagination, spiders are getting bigger Spider sightings are on the rise in metro Vancouver – populations way up https://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/spiders-bigger-and-more-numerous-this-fall-due-to-warmer-weather-western-canada-british-columbia/116072/ Wednesday, October 31, 2018, 2:59 PM – It isn’t just your imagination: sightings of spiders are on the rise in Metro Vancouver this fall, and, according to one pest controller, […]
Yes, squirrels are just large rats with fuzzy tails, or are they? Unlike their cousins the rat, squirrels are not a nocturnal creature, spending the daylight hours collecting seeds and nuts, and avoiding predators. They seem relatively harmless until it’s your attic that they are looking to get into. Like everyone else, the first thing […]
Around the globe there is a significant change in populations’ of butterflies, bees, beetles, and other insects and arthropods (invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton). Many people tend to think of animals as four legged creatures, but there are over a million species of insects that are the dominant form of animal kingdom. Too many of […]
It’s no wonder that Halloween haunted houses are decorated with phony rats, neoprene bats, elastic spiders and sinewy spider webs – they are all creepy, crawly, spooky and scary. Imagine having these vexations in your home can be a real live nightmare – and unlike the Halloween adornments, real pests are well entrenched long after […]
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/spiders-bigger-and-more-numerous-this-fall-1.4880720 ‘People panic:’ Expert says massive spider season upon us CBC Meteorologist predicts when this season’s frightful reign will end Cathy Kearney · CBC News · Posted: Oct 28, 2018 1:00 PM PT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago Larger than normal hobo spiders have been seen darting around rooms and getting caught in people’s hair in Metro Vancouver […]
CBC Meteorologist predicts when this season’s frightful reign will end Cathy Kearney · CBC News · Posted: Oct 28, 2018 Larger than normal hobo spiders have been seen darting around rooms and getting caught in people’s hair in Metro Vancouver this fall. (Sam McCann/SFU) 12 comments It isn’t just your imagination. Scary sightings of larger-than-usual spiders are on the rise […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
In this business, we occasionally get called out to a house, for a pest issue, that happens to be a hoarder house. Now the definition of a hoarder is roughly anyone that feels the need to find, collect, keep or pack any and everything – but is rarely organized i.e. pack rat. In the local […]
In most ant colonies, the ratio of worker ants to soldier ants remains constant at 90-95 % worker ants to 5-10% soldiers. Ant colonies maintain the balance between soldiers and worker ants by regulating the growth of the undeveloped wing discs in larvae stage with a pheromone. The difference in the size of soldiers and […]
Along with the cooler wet weather, autumn tends to generate an upsurge in the amount of pests and other rodents in your yard and but even worse, into your home. The normal suspects we find this time of year are mice, mole, voles, rats, squirrels, skunks, raccoons. The things that make us all uneasy about […]
Delta homeowners should steady themselves for an assault of lethal and filthy animals as the cold wet weather sets in. This time of year is when hordes of rodents look to leave the fall chill by looking for shelter inside your home and this autumn is set to be one of the worst yet for […]
Have you ever noticed that most insects that you find dead in your house are belly up, or more specifically cockroaches? In the wild, outside of your house, it is not to likely that you will ever find a cockroach belly up because it will usually perish to a predator or die hidden in the […]
So you hear noises in your attic, okay you have squirrels, rats or mice. But after it’s been checked out there are no rodents in the attic, then its most likely bats. Bats don’t usually seek out attics of houses for roosting rather they get there for any number of reasons. First, if they are […]
Well now that autumn has set in, you may have noticed that stink in the air around or in your house. Falls is the time that stink bugs surround your house and want to get in and overwinter. Stink bugs have an eerie ability to slip into homes through rips in window screens and door […]
Raccoon zombies are actually raccoons that have distemper, they behave very strangely; popping up on their hind legs, baring their teeth, and then falling over in a comatose state. These raccoon zombies have canine distemper virus, CDV, which is usually present in the raccoon population although at low levels. Distemper cases in raccoons tend to […]
There are 87 species of dragonflies and damselflies in B.C. They have been given a bad name over the centuries, being called devil’s darning needles, mosquito hawks, snake doctors and being said to be able to sting venomously and stitch shut the mouths of disobedient kids. They don’t bite but if you catch one and […]
So does having a cat reduce the incidence of rats on your property? Well, almost every home owner that I talk to say it does and that they rarely see or hear rats, until they actually do. Studies of cat-rat interaction almost always conclude that cats really don’t and won’t wipe out populations of rats […]
Being in the business that takes you a lot of homes, we encounter new to old houses, and houses that are kept absolutely pristine to all out hoarders. Occasionally, we encounter homeowners that live in somewhat dirty and unkempt conditions. Recently, one such individual had body lice, hence the body lice blog. Body lice infestations […]
Booklice are tiny insects, not true lice, usually found around old books and paper products in the home. Booklice prefer warm environments with plenty of moisture (moisture content level of at least 15%) and humidity found in kitchens, bathrooms, crawl spaces and attics. Some booklice like stored grains and will infest your pantry and cupboards […]
Yes it is fall now but those nasty wasps have not given up yet. We are potentially going to have them stinging around until late October. So, what do you do to take the itch and pain out of a wasp (or bee) sting? If you are lucky enough not to be allergic, than here […]
Now that fall is almost upon us, the remaining wasp nests are at a breakneck speed to finish-up for the summer. The queen will produce new males and queens – these will fly away from the nest, mate and the new queens will find somewhere to hibernate. Once autumn kicks in, the cold weather and […]
The naked mole-rat or sand puppies, are the only known “eusocial” mammals, the highest classification of sociality. Its physical characters allow it to prosper in severe underground environments and are almost entirely cold-blooded. A colony consists of the queen (the only breeding female), breeding males, and many female workers that do not reproduce. The colony’s […]
Fall means ripe peaches, apples, pears, figs and other fruit in Delta. Regrettably, it also means exploding populations of fruit flies heading right for that ripe fruit. Also known as vinegar flies, fruit flies are attracted to ripe and decaying fruit. Fruit fly populations rise with the abundance of available new produce and they get […]
There were an extraordinary number of wasps’ nests in Delta this summer. We had to deal with almost three times as many service calls as last year. Delta was buzzing this summer – but not always in a virtuous way. An epidemic of wasps led to an astonishing number of calls to Go Green Pest […]
There are some simple approaches you can try to spider-proof your house. Keep your house clean and airy by vacuuming and dusting regularly, and don’t allow clutter to build up. Keep your house filled with natural light; so if possible, leave blinds or curtains open during the day. Spiders smell with their legs, so strong […]
It would seem that we are experiencing one of the worst spider seasons that we have seen in year. People ask me “why are there so many more spiders this year than usual,” something I’ve heard every year for the past 12 years! In reality, low moisture availability makes late summer a much worse time […]
Good old google has hundreds of DIY solutions to get rid of almost any bug or rodent. Unfortunately, very few work on a consistent basis and do not meet the scientific standards for foundational validity. Here are a couple DIY remedies that just don’t work. Fresh rosemary or lemon mixed with water and sprayed on […]
Many people would prefer to try natural mosquito control remedies rather than the heavy deet products. But do all those natural herbs, spices and oils really work? Should you be stocking up on those lavender and lemongrass candles? Can they really keep mosquitoes away? Mosquitoes find their hosts (mammals) by sensing the carbon dioxide that […]
Rodents are clever animals that love clutter, thrive in unkempt conditions (the more cluttered the better) and they are filthy – carrying many diseases. Mice and rats have great memory skills, if you have had rodents in your house before; you are likely to get more back. All rodents leave behind pheromones that tell the […]
Ants work together to dig intricate tunnel systems underground. Traffic engineers study ant colonies as mock-ups for learning how thousands of ants avoid creating traffic gridlocks while working in a restricted, jam-packed setting. It has been found that single workers follow counterintuitive guidelines to mine the beginning development of tunnel networks. After watching ants dig […]
Just the site of a cockroach in a t.v. show is enough to turn most people’s stomach, now imagine walking into your kitchen at lunch time and seeing a half a dozen skittering across your countertop –this is described as an infestation. Cockroach’s like rats are nocturnal so if you see either during the […]
There is little to fear about spider beetles, they really are beetles that look very much like tiny spiders. They have six legs and a round body with a smooth outer shell, which makes them look like spiders. Spider beetles also look like bed bugs because they have similar shape are reddish brown like adult […]
Powderpost beetles leave wood peppered with pinholes when the larvae produce fine wood powder as they tunnel through the wood. There are three beetles that chew through wood: lyctid, bostrichid and anobiid beetles. The Anobiids are the only type that attacks both softwoods (house lumber) and hardwoods (mostly cabinetry and furniture). The moisture content needs […]
Blister beetle, sometimes known as oil beetles (Spanish fly), secretes an irritating substance called cantharidin produced as a defensive secretion. The beetle does not have a stinger and cannot bite. So, Blister beetles discrete cantharidin to protect themselves from being eaten by predators. When collected, cantharidin is used medically as a topical skin treatment to […]
Generally, ants have a short life cycle, but some colony members can live from as little as a few days to as long as a few decades. Male ant adults live for only a few days and die after mating with the females. So one of the most important factors affecting lifespan of the females […]
This summer we have seen twice the number of wasp call outs than in the previous four years. The dry spring and hot summer has led to a substantial rise in wasp (and hornet) nests and an increase in swarm strikes. So, what should you do if you are attacked by wasp or a swarm […]
A pair of Barn owls can consume over 2,000 native or invasive mammals per year. It has long believed that Barn owls diet consisted of rats and mice but new research has found that their diet is actually made up of 85% shrews and voles (easier to catch then rats and mice), and 12% mice […]
With their pincers or abdomen forceps, earwigs are somewhat intimidating, yet they do not produce poison or spread disease. The pincers are actually for defense and fighting other earwigs. There is a myth out there that the term earwig comes from the superstition that earwigs burrow into the ears of human and animals while they […]
Your home is your fortress, except when it comes to rats and mice. These trespassers attack your roof, inhabit walls and attics, tunnel under foundations, loot all available food sources, and start a new society all in no time at all. Sometimes, but definitely not all the time, the occurrence of rodents does not mean […]
Scientists have discovered the first example of a parasitic plant attacking a parasitic insect on a common host plant. Love vine, a parasitic plant, feeds off oak trees as it climbs and then attacks tumor-like growths made by gall wasps. Parasitic gall-forming wasps use a mixture of venom and proteins to help grow nurseries for […]
Several lawsuits have been dismissed, alleging that the soybean-based coating causes rodents to gnaw through the wires and that rodent-inflicted damage to the soy wiring can debilitate the vehicles and escalation the risk of motor vehicle accidents. Japanese car makers express warranty promises to repair only defects in materials and doesn’t cover design defects, […]
Wine growers are installing bat roosts around vineyards to get bats to feed on grapevine moths. The moths and their larvae have insatiable craving which can clear out half of the grapes in some vineyards. Vineyards have been forced to use pesticides to reduce grapevine moth infestations, as their larvae feed on the inside of […]
Okay, just when you thought that you had heard it all, here comes something really new, Electric Ants. Although the ants are not really electric, they are known to like devices that are, your computer, smartphone, fridges and modern power grids. The electric ant is a golden brown social ant native to Central America and […]
It has been proven that power napping can help us be more efficient during the day but worker ants take this to a whole new level. Unfortunately, the Queen only gets frequent naps that add up to eight hours every day. Because ants generally live underground, sleep patterns are not be determined by light and […]
Interested in green or earth-friendly pest controls, well most so-called green products haven’t been proven to work consistently and effectively as pesticides that have gone through the rigorous efficacy testing and government approvals. Yes you can go down to your local hardware store and source out those natural products that may work and rarely will […]
Well this year’s hot weather has produced wasps and hornets by the billions, in fact the worst in recent years. By late August, the new wasp and hornet queens begin their hibernation ritual leaving millions of workers to a meaningless existence and a heavy addition to sugar. So, are these creatures really that bad, yes […]
AKA – bald hornet, white-faced hornet, white-tailed hornet, spruce wasp, blackjacket, and bull wasp. Colonies can contain 400 to 1000 workers and builds a characteristic large hanging paper nest up to 58 centimetres in length. Workers aggressively defend their nest by repeatedly stinging invaders. Males in this species are haploid (carrying two complete sets […]
Aug 6th 2018 Tsawwassen SunFest Parade ROXIE the raccoon Go Green Pest Control The Tsawwassen Sun Festival is a three-day celebration of fun in the sun, the pride of the Sun Festival is the annual Rotary Parade which heads down 56th Street from 16th Avenue to Winskill Park.
Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite. But if they do, then take your shoe and hit them till they’re black and blue (or take a spoon and eat them all) – the old saying is becoming more prevalent now that bed bugs are slowly returning in numbers. Bed bugs are found in […]
Rotary Club of Tsawwassen Parade along 56th street 2018 Aug 6th
Army ants, known for their aggressive foraging techniques, will go to long lengths to get what they want. The name army ant or legionary ant are named for their foraging groups, known as “raids”, in which huge numbers of ants forage simultaneously over a certain area. The army ants do not build permanent nests rather […]
As with any tick bite, don’t panic when getting it out but also realize that you may develop alpha-gal allergy – tick-bite-induced allergy to red meat. Only some people who’ve been bitten by ticks develop an allergy to alpha-gal, a substance in red meat. There’s no cure for red meat allergy, which include various kinds […]
Japanese beetles feed on and destroy nearly everything in a landscape, but opinions differ on the best way to battle them – pesticides, picking them off by hand or pheromone traps. Here are three myths. A) Traps lure Japanese beetles from kilometers around. No! Most attractants lure beetles from no more than 100 meters, the […]
Now is the time of year that Yellow jackets are most aggressive. Taking precautions at this time can help you avoid being stung. Look before you sip your drink. Yellow jackets are attracted to sweet foods and drinks like soda and juices. Cover trash containers and keep them away from eating areas. Yellow jackets forage […]
The yellow jacket is one of the most menacing insects known to man. These brightly colored wasps possess a fiery sting and bite seemingly out of proportion to their size. Yellow jackets aren’t ‘bees’, and they’re definitely not friendly. So what makes them so dangerous? 1. They’re aggressive. Yellow jackets are more aggressive than other […]
Bed bugs literally coming out of the wood works to die
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 […]
Ants!!!! Sugar and Baking Soda mix gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy L Bilesky BsF CPA
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Because flies only have two wings, they land frequently and transfer thousands of bacteria each time they land. How did they get inside, well besides the obvious – flying through an open window or door, the can enter your houses on food products and clothing. They are attracted to decaying organic stuff in drains and […]
Yellow mealworm adults look like typical beetles, dark in color with a hard shell. You often find yellow mealworms in unkempt spaces, forgotten bagged or boxed items in kitchen pantries where the humidity is high and stored food becomes damp or grows mold. A female yellow mealworm will lay eggs in grain products such as […]
Pests that sting such as wasps, yellow jackets, hornets and bees, are as common as trips to the ice cream store in summer. These particular pests have stingers that can be more than just an excruciating annoyance; they send more than ten thousand people to the emergency room every year in Canada. For someone that […]
The Dragonflies are out now. Dragonflies thrive around ponds, swimming pools and streams that attract insects. They are not harmful to people so if a dragonfly accidentally enter an open window it will not live for long indoors. Although they will approach humans, they do not bite or sting. Dragonflies are beneficial, since the diet […]
Realizing a pantry moth swarm in your kitchen can be a bit of a horror show. Even worse, realizing that these moths have been in there for some time and you have baked, cooked and eaten them and their eggs, larvae and refuse (their waste material or skin cast-off during molting) for some time. Yes, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
So where do these flying stingers go after they have had months of beautiful warm weather, well the answer depends on the type of bee. Let’s start with the ultimate stinging machine, wasps. Wasps (Hornet and Yellow jackets) populations tend to become a major concern in late spring until early fall. Unlike other bees, they […]
Pest control manufactures are always looking for better methods when it comes to getting rid of pests. The goal is to eliminate insects and rodents without damaging the environment or non-targeted species. Improvements are also making the pest control industry more effective and less expensive. Scientific developments are making pest control nontoxic, inexpensive and more […]
Ants are like squatters -awful houseguests, unwanted, they get into everything and are in no rush to leave. Now we are headed into June, July and August, our hot months, the three ants you are likely to run into are the carpenter ants, the pavement ants and the grease ants. Of course the carpenter ant […]
Its bug season again, spiders and mosquitoes and every other insect that bites or stings. Here are a few tips on using bug spray to help keep the bugs away. First, apply your bug spray smoothly and consistently but not too much (not to sure what to much is) – a thin film is enough […]
Similar to all the wild life we have in Delta; our local bats also look for comfy places that are quiet and near their food. So let’s add bats to the list of creators that like to use our attics as home, which include: rats, mice, raccoons, squirrels and a host of insects. The problem […]
Spring and summer brings with it perfect prospects for a nomadic life. Regrettably, some dwellings might set you up for an evil time once you get home and unpack your travel gear. Bedbugs, yes bedbugs – not an easy thing to spot even for a pro like me when you’re staying at a hotel, motel […]
The cat flea is the most common flea found here in Delta and the country for that matter. When fleas get into your house on the back sides of your cat or dog, they will target you as well, causing itchy bites as they feed on blood. Fleas can go without a blood meal for […]
Everybody wants to do it, but most people are unable to do it right, composting is a brilliant way to dispose of waste (garden and kitchen), is odor-free, generates garden soil essences and will not entice vermin like rats and mice. Here in Delta, the city sells Delta’s Backyard Composter Program and Soil Saver composters […]
This Victoria Day Long Weekend will be a good time to spend with family and friends and of course a couple barbeques, but our recent hot weather has brought out the mosquitos and wasps. Wasp nests and the sheer number of the wasp population have begun to grow rapidly and your BBQ might be […]
You woke up because there was scratching noises coming from the ceiling of your bedroom, in the middle of the night. There are not many things worse than finding out that rodents are in your house, yet you can’t figure how they are getting in and what kind of mess they are leaving. Here are […]
In these warmer days of spring, a queen wasp emerges from its winter hibernation. The number one priority is to find suitable locations to build new nest, likely near the location that she was born. The new queen lays both queen eggs and drone eggs and by the end of the wasp season she will […]
The latest generation of rats – Gen Alpha loves soy-based wiring of newer vehicles. Rats that are seeking shelter discover a vehicle engine compartment is exactly what they are looking for, and then, they find the soy based wiring. Why soy, well it is environmentally commendable, as car manufactures are trying to be greener. Soy-based […]
Although these little ants live inside, they get their name because they spend most of their lives under cracks in pavement, bricks and pavement stone. Pavement ant nests can be as large as 5,000 participants and have numerous queens. These pesky ants will eat virtually everything, including other ants, insects, grease, seeds, honeydew, honey, bread, […]
Carpenter ants are well known for their aptitude to destroy wooden structures. They are also a annoyance in homes as they search for food. Carpenter ants eat both plant and animal stuff. Their usual food sources are insects, other small invertebrates, and sweet body fluids from aphids and other insects. Protein and sugary foods found […]
The bullet ant – Paraponera clavata, has the most painful bite of any ant, in fact it is described as being shot by a bullet. The pain is apparently excruciating at the sting point and the venom of the stinger can actually cause you to have severe muscle spasms. If you were to hang around […]
The hummingbird moth flies and moves just like a real hummingbird. Similarly, they can remain suspended in the air in front of a flower while they open up their long tongues and insert them in flowers to drink the nectar (some of the pollen that gets stuck to their upper body transfers to the flower). […]
The role of honey ants is quite simple, get immense, plump and succulent. They become fuel tanks of the colony. It starts when workers bring them food and they gorge themselves, their abdomens become bloated with the liquid and they look like honey pots. This condition is called plerergate and their bloated bellies can reach […]
Many species of flower mantis are popular as pets. These mantises actually attracted more insects than the real flowers. Flower mantises are a species of praying mantis that mimic flowers, in this case, a rainforest orchid of Southeast Asia, to lure pollinating insects. Their changing colours are an example of destructive mimicry, a form of […]
The Asian Giant Hornets is considered the deadliest of all the hornet species. Measuring a whopping 4 cm in length, the queen can be as long as 5 cm, they have a hideous “black tooth” used for burrowing and other scary things and the queen can produce as many 2,000 offspring monsters a year. They […]
The Treehopper has been around for nearly 40 million years. This little insect is just a prodigy of weird! It looks like some sort of helicopter insect from an alien world. The treehopper is related to the cicadas and there are over 3000 species. Their most unique feature is the helmet, which comes in […]
The latest addition to the suicide bomber ant species has been discovered in the jungles of Borneo. This one ant wrecking crew species will attach itself to the intruder, self-detonate and cover its enemy with toxic gunk. This kamikaze tactic or self-sacrifice (trading a life for a life) is found in social insects, such as […]
If it isn’t bad enough that you may have a couple ants crawling around your kitchen or streaming into your house from the garden, but the real nightmare begins when, without notice (no posted signs), there are hundreds of flying ants coating your kitchen wall. A little background information, ants are social insects which […]
We have been anticipating the arrive of this new weapon again our local ant problems for some time. The product is called Scorpio, a dual action ant bait which is extremely appetizing feeder with spinosad, an active ingredient that is made from naturally occurring bacterium – that is toxic to ants. It is a commercial […]
I know, this one is a little different but… ants like a treat after a hard day’s work. Researchers found that ants like an indulgence after working hard yet they will use restraint until the job is complete. Depending on the intensity of the tasks they performed, they allow themselves different quality rewards or […]
Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) is a highly infectious and fatal disease that affects wild and domestic rabbits of the species Oryctolagus cuniculus. Well now it has arrived in Delta, the disease assaults the organs and blood vessels of the rabbits, causing a lack of coordination and bleeding through the nose resulting in agonizing pain and […]
In the last several months, a new integrated pest control pesticide has become available to us in the professional pest control industry; yes our latest and greatest silver bullet. Although it’s been in the US for years, our government has finally given its consent to use this very effective chemical here, with a few extra […]
If you haven’t seen these little armadillos, a.k.a. sowbugs, crawling around wet areas of your house and garage, you will soon. These little crustaceans breathe through trachea-like lungs in their paddle-shaped hind legs, called pleopodal lungs. These “cheesy bobs” are usually nocturnal and are detritivores, meaning that they feed mostly on dead plant matter […]
Skunks are definitely not fun to deal with when you are trying to get them off your property. The usual non-lethal method to capture these animals is to use live traps, sometimes referred to as cage traps or a Heart traps. These traps require using bait: fresh eggs, fruit and canned tuna, to lure the […]
Squirrels are known to find nuts easily, hide them quickly, return for more and they never seem to forget their hiding places. When a squirrel rotates a nut between its front paws, they are considering a range of factors to reach the answer to a series of question: eat it now or bury it for […]
We have seen an increase in the number of rodents in Delta with the beginning of spring, although these record setting rainfalls don’t seem to slow them down. But, rodents, wasps and flies are making themselves known in homes throughout South Delta as summer draws closer. The problems, including rats, have been on the increase […]
Silverfish are true pest insects which are very destructive, don’t carry any known diseases but have fangs – without venom. They may be unpleasant, but at least they aren’t hazardous. You may have spotted these flat silvery or brown insects scurrying in the bathroom, bathtub, sink, on walls, and across the floor. They can be […]
So why are the lifespans of most rodents, mice, rats and squirrels so short? Researchers have compared genes of long- and short-lived rodents; it would appear several novel (unique) genes influence longevity and healthy aging in mammals. Most rodent’s life prospect and early death during aging are predominantly high. Interesting, small rodents like mice […]
I have officially declared 2018 the year of the grease ant, or the cousin of the little black ant or a.k.a. the pavement ant. These ants, which usually make their homes under pavement, patio blocks and pavement stones, can also spend the entire year in your house. Yes, a year around nuisance. The colonies […]
Well it has started up again; the invasive fire ant has continued to spread in the Lower Mainland, from the Vancouver airport runways to CP Rail burning soil on the Arbutus corridor and now South Delta. And the pest problem is no longer just the common European fire ant; the lesser-known species labelled the […]
Raccoons might be charming, but like polar bears, African lions, crocodiles, rhinoceros, great white sharks and members of Hedley, they should all be watched on videos or behind protection zoo grade barriers. Now we all should know by now that these animals (dumpster sharks or raquirrels) are far from huggable squishy bears. These rascal tailed […]
Who would have thought that Rock Music would make carpenter ants destroy wood faster? Scientists have discovered that rock bands comprised of a singer, a couple guitars, a bass and drums produce a frequency of about 2.7 KHz that is both distinctive to rock music and that the heavier the sound the better the pulse. […]
Spring is here and it’s time to chase down those dust bunnies, clean those murky windows and clean up (take inventory and purge) the kitchen. When you finally start in on the kitchen – it’s time to turn your messy Betty Crocker play station into a surgical operating room. Our modern kitchens can be, for […]
Here in Delta, we have to contend with birds coming from all directions. Besides the many farms we have, having the Vancouver Landfill kilometers away doesn’t help. There are many ways in which birds can cause a nuisance. Large numbers of birds in urban areas can cause problems due to their noise and fouling, which […]
Pet rabbits owners are being urged to monitor their pets after several cases of Rabbit hemorrhagic disease have shown up in Delta, with no vaccine available in Canada. The disease is exclusive to rabbits as both humans and other animals are not susceptible to this disease. Rabbit hemorrhagic disease causes hemorrhages by distressing the blood […]
It’s about time that we in the pest control industries can show off are humane approach to animals. In Canada, the pest control is a growing industry especially with global warming; there are just that many more critters out there. It is estimated that the pest control industry in Canada is valued at over $400 […]
Squirrel pox (fibromatosis), is a terrible disease that affects squirrels, although it is relatively rare. Squirrel pox makes these rodents sluggish and compromises their immune system, causing mange, scab or lumps, leading to a quick loss of body condition and subsequently death. In contrast to our chicken pox, squirrel pox is not a herpes virus. […]
Mating season is nearly over for raccoons and skunks, and very shortly they’ll be having lots of babies. Skunk and raccoon babies are usually born in mid-to late April – up to mid-June. Mothers will go looking for a den where they can have their babies. Skunks like to have their little one under decks, […]
March 19th begins Poison Prevention week that brings attention to the dangers of retail purchased poisons through the limited and proper use of fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, or rodenticides. An IPM or integrated pest management program (www.epa.gov/managing-pests-schools/introduction-integrated-pest-management) should always be used to control unwanted insects and rodents that include sanitation, trapping and environmental changes. Domestic […]
Often I encounter rat infestations where the rats have gotten into a house and totally run amuck. People are usually worried about the feces they leave behind but rat urine can be equally as dangerous as the diseases in feces. When people come into contact with rat urine there is always the chance that […]
Most newer homes have built in HVAC systems. HVAC is short for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. The system is used to provide warm air comfort and improved indoor air quality. Pests can cause many problems if they live inside a HVAC system. They can leave behind feces, urine, cadavers, fur, and exoskeletons which can […]
Yes every year we wait for the arrival of the odorous ants to appear. Late winter they magically appear almost every year in the beginning of March. The most distinguishable feature of this ant is their smell, once crushed they give off a distinctive unpleasant lemony or awful coconut smell. Similar to Pharaoh’s ants, these […]
The German cockroach is one of the most common roaches found in Delta. Cockroaches hitchhike indoors on luggage, boxes or packages. They like moisture, food, and warmth so sanitation is critical in controlling this palmetto bug. All it takes is bringing in one egg capsule, and in six months you will be calling a specialist. […]
Ants attack and defend themselves by biting, stinging and injecting or spraying chemicals, such as acid, alkaloids and piperidines. When some species of ant go to war, the oldest soldiers fight on the front lines, these frontline soldiers (females first) are really just cannon fodder as they are closer to death (just too old) anyway. […]
The introduction of artificial light represents one of the most drastic changes we have made to our environment. Plants and animals depend on earth’s daily cycle of light and dark rhythm to govern life-sustaining behaviors such as reproduction, food, sleep and shelter from predators. Scientific studies have suggested that greenhouse lights at night have a […]
The housefly is the most common insect we encounter. Other than being a nuisance to us, they can be a huge concern due to the impact they can have on consumer health. Their breeding, feeding and how they get around are quite different from most insects we encounter. Houseflies benefit ecologically from their association […]
Yes it’s that time of year again when squirrels are knocking on the door looking for room and board. But of course they never ask, they just move into the attic and hope for forgiveness later. Attic: warm, safe and insulated – what more could a squirrels ask for. Yet, they are far too destructive […]
The second leading cause of death of raccoons is distemper (the #1 is human intervention). Raccoons are susceptible to infection by both canine and feline distemper which causes the illness and death by two completely different viruses. Canine distemper is common when raccoon populations are large. The virus is widespread and mortality in juveniles is […]
Leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria that can cause fatal infection of the kidney, liver, brain, lung or heart. Signs and symptoms can range from mild headaches, muscle pains, and fevers to severe bleeding in the lungs and a person to turning yellow from kidney failure. There are 13 different genetic types of […]
Delta’s long, harsh winter has resulted in a 150% increase in silverfish call-out so far this year. This carrot shaped, armoured plated creature is one of the most primitive of living insects in the world. They can live over three years and survive as long as a year without feeding. They require damp and humid […]
The best result of effective communication is combined understanding and purpose, when communication fails time is wasted and systems can fail. Communication is vital to ant’s survival. Ants are not ruled by their queen particularly but rather by communication amongst the colony. This can be seen when an ant searches for food, the ant will […]
There is a new rat coming to town and it doesn’t take “no” very well. This rat can grow as large as 9 kg, has huge bucked teeth and are a dangerous invasive species that are breeding in massive numbers all along the coast. The nutria or coypu is a large, herbivorous and a semiaquatic […]
When ants go out on food foraging missions or out to battle, sometimes some of the ants get injured. If an ant is injured, it will call for help by excreting a distress signal in form of a pheromone that indicates that it is hurt and needs to be treated. When help arrives, the injured […]
We all know by now that bed bugs aren’t dangerous and don’t spread disease but they do feed on our blood, cause us rashes and allergic reactions. Now it has been discovered that bed bug feces contains a chemical that dawdles after the insects have been eradicated and these chemicals -histamines may cause allergic reactions […]
Now that we have fire ants in our community, it’s time to learn how to keep them under control this coming spring through summer. Two things, first accept the fact that it is doubtful that you will ever get rid of them and you should understand what steps are required to keep them at bay. […]
I’ve had several reports of people seeing skunks out after it gets dark and that sweet smell of friendly skunks. Skunks are now out and about because it’s mating season right up to the end of March. They are nocturnal and don’t cover much territory, apparently in a radius of about 4 meters. Prior to […]
Seoul virus is a type of Hantavirus found in Norway rats, one of the most common varieties of rats here in Delta (85 % Norway and 15% roof rats). The virus does not cause symptoms in the rats but it if we contract it; infections develop within two weeks (or up to 8 weeks) after […]
Ok, rodents are smart; believe me I know too well. When most people think of rodents, you may think of mice and rats but there are actually 1,500 types of rodents, including voles, moles, groundhogs, porcupines, muskrats and squirrels – just to mention a few. Although they are all naturally wild animals, some have become […]
We all like to get outside when the weather warms up (even in the rain), and mice and rats are no different. The pest control business usually slows down to a crawl this time of year when we go through cycles of freezing temperatures. This year is a little different because the rodents aren’t being […]
These unwelcome guests will shelter in chimneys, attics, garages, under decks, porches and under hot tubs. They usually breed in the end of January into February. Raccoons do not form bonding relationships but pair only to mate. Babies are born between April & July. Typically, a sow (raccoon mother) will have 2-3 dens already secured […]
Nicotine used in e-cigarette vapour is not as risk-free as originally thought, although vaping is considered less harmful to overall human health than smoking tobacco. Recent studies with mice have shown that vaping actually does cause considerable damage; although these results don’t necessary directly translate to the same risks in humans. A new study has […]
Rats exhibit supportive behaviour just like us humans. It was discovered that rats are more motivated to participate in grooming with another rat if food was received from it and vice versa. They were found to groom willing food-suppliers more often than those rats that did not share food. As a result, the groomers then […]
Groundhogs a.k.a. woodchucks, land beavers or whistle-pigs, are large rodents known for their destructive burrowing habits. Groundhog Day is a tradition celebrated here in Canada on February 2 each year. Groundhogs emerge from their burrows and if they see a shadow due to clear weather, they will retreat to their den and winter will persist […]
Although we don’t actually have mole rats here, they are fascinating and a very weird animal, by my standards. First, they are a cold blooded mammal, because they are unable to regulate their body temperature. Their incisor teeth can move independently of each other and even work together like a pair of chopsticks. They turn […]
This Thursday is the first full moon of February which happens to be a super blue blood moon and more importantly for the discussion of this article – the moon of the polecat; yes the moon of the skunk. This is the time of year when skunks begin their mating ritual. Likely you haven’t smelt […]
I’ve heard about cockroaches in cars but mostly in large hot cities closer to the equator. Recently I had a client call, claiming that there were cockroaches scampering about on the floor and seats of their car. Not one to say no to a customer problems, I approached the situation with a little scepticism. […]
Most resilient species of pests have already found ways to dodge the effects of frigid temperatures, regardless of how cold it gets outside. Actually, most of the insects that pester us during the warm months, like spiders, beetles and ants, are prepared for the frosty temperatures and wet soil long before the winter months even […]
Ingrid Abbott / Delta Optimist JANUARY 23, 2018 02:26 PM I bet you didn’t know there’s a housing shortage for the Norway rats of Beach Grove. The local rats are finding it hard to find shelter from the cold due to demolitions and new construction so they decided our crawl space was a good place to call […]
Guess who moved into the neighborhood, gophers! I’ve received two calls about moles that have turned out to be gophers. Gophers do not hibernate and their excavations continue throughout the winter. After examining the shrubbery in the immediate area, I discovered ragged tooth marks etched on fallen limbs and the bases of the shrubs. These […]
Bird feeders or Rodent feeders? Birds are part of the wildlife experience in Delta. Attracting birds with a bird feeder invites that outdoorsy vibe into your yard. While birds love feeders, they are chaotic eaters and a lot of the seeds end up on the ground. Now some people may think that the wildlife […]
Bed bugs are attracted to heat and carbon dioxide emitted by us when we go to bed. They mainly feed on the blood of humans but can also use cats and dogs to get their fix. As a rule of thumb (a broadly accurate guide based on experience rather than theory), bed bugs usually feed […]
Squirrels use different strategies for caching different types of nuts. Nuts are an optimal source of fat and protein for squirrels. If given a choice, these are the nuts that squirrels prefer: pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, acorns, cashews, chestnuts, hickory nuts, macadamia nuts, and pine nuts out of pine cones. Squirrels use complex sorting […]
Often I hear about dead ants in the bathroom, usually found in the morning. Likely this time of year, those ants are Pharaohs ants. These guys can live in the walls of your house for years undetected. They will venture outside in the heat of the summer but prefer the stability of a warm […]
Although we are in the throes of winter, don’t forget that children still can get head lice and pass it along. Head lice are not affected by cold weather as most insects are. Dry skin is a fact of life in the winter causing us to be itchy but if you see your child […]
When we get a unusually cold snap here on the coast it maybe tough on plants, but not necessarily on insects, as most can survive even record cold temperatures. Insects have developed tactics for surviving even in the chilliest of temperatures by hibernating in protected areas, be it under ground or in your house. Another […]
Just like all rodents, when it’s wet and cold out, mice are looking for shelter, food and of course a warm place to do this in. Mice can adjust quite rapidly to new surroundings and are unrelenting when it comes to finding their basic needs. When it comes to mice, it is rarely a case […]
Here in Delta, the word predator in the context of waterfowl means coyotes, raccoons and skunks. To waterfowl these predators are the major reasons that wildlife numbers are down. Changes in agriculture land in South Delta have created numerous problems for nesting birds, as the habitat they need to nest has been taken away. Predators, […]
Yes those little bugs that look like mini turtles with that segmented shell are woodlouse, an arthropod found in moist places such as dirt, stacked logs, leaves and under boards or other rubble that lies flush on the ground. In nature, they live comfortably outdoors but given the opportunity they will get into your carport, […]
With the tide levels being so high lately, I wanted to touch on some of the pest issues we would most likely have if the water swamped out homes. Flooding and cold weather can cause big headaches, as well as pest infestation. Many families would certainly be advised to avoid direct contact with floodwater and […]
Ants in a nest work together like cells in a body, with healthy ants acting like white blood cells killing off other ants they recognize as a threat. Researchers have shown that ants kill colony comrades infected with potential diseases. In this way, ants can guard their colony from the occurrence of an endemic. Ants […]
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy Bilesky I’m quite often asked how common are mouse infestations? Well statistically 85% of homes show some evidence of mouse activity at one point in the life of the building. Still this doesn’t mean that you should set-up a mouse eradication program but if you’re spotting the little rodents […]
Recently a couple contractors have contacted me about their house renovation projects, more specifically finding carpenter ant satellite nests inside homes as they reworked the framework. During the winter months, the existence of carpenter ants actively moving around in the house is a clear indicator of an indoor infestation. Carpenter ants do not always have […]
There are a number of alternative methods of rodent control other than rodenticides but you still need a measure of care and competence to obtain the most effective results. All non-chemical methods have risks or are not a sure-fire way to get results, as this depends on using the methods properly. Both live and dead […]
Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite, wake up bright in the morning light, to do what’s right with all your might. At home we said “Good night sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite, if they crawl on the wall take a spoon and eat them all”. This is solid advice, […]
The wellbeing and cosiness of our homes is a chief priority. If you’ve noticed a few bugs that are determined to live in your home this blog is for you. 1) Healthy Indoors – Air indoors is up to 100 times more polluted than outdoor air. This is partially due to dead bug bodies and […]
Returning from a Christmas holiday? If you or someone stayed in a hotels or motels, these can be hotspots for infestations of bed bugs, which can live happily in a bed and hitch a ride home on luggage, clothing and you. If these vampires get into your luggage and travel home with you, they can […]
So does predator urine or coyote urine actually help keep unwanted raccoons out of your yard. First of all, who is collecting this urine and is it even real. My research suggests that the urine is collected from animals in game farms, zoos and preserves (fully regulated by the appropriate state agencies). The urine […]
Go figure; guess what I got for Christmas, practical gifts indeed and a lot of things related to pest control, to boot. Here are guess a few: A Spider Catcher- a pole attached to some bristles that hold a spider securely while taking it outside and releasing it. Hmm- not many usually make it out […]
A small group of rodents comprised of hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, mice, and rats are commonly found at pet stores and are make good family pets, some better than others. While they are all rodents, they do have varied necessities in caring for them and social contact and have differing merits as pets. Most of […]
So do giant rats exist, well, the answer is yes but this is not a new breed of rat. Our urban rats, mainly the Norway rat (brown rat, common rat, street rat, sewer rat, Hanover rat, or Norwegian rat) comes in a range of different sizes. Giant rats are really rats that are at the […]
Scientists studying hibernating rodents, squirrels and hamsters, have found they have evolved cold-sensing nerve cells with a reduced capability to detect temperatures below 20 degrees celsius, which allows their body temperature to drop for long periods of time without causing them to be stressed by the cold conditions, thus causing their seasonal nap. These two […]
Although there are months to go before starting your garden, it is never too early to plan. When considering what you will plant you should always be aware of the rodents that are waiting for a new crop of food. The types of damages caused by rodents can vary subject to the species of rodent. […]
Voles are active all day and night. These rodents are a nuisance because they attack our lawns and gardens to feed on plants. Their entry and exit holes are merely round holes in the ground, where a mole will push up soil in a mound when it comes to the surface. Voles build a system […]
The fear of coyotes predates social media. The thousand-year history of coyotes in urban areas tells a story of adaptation, predation by humans and co-existence. Coyotes have been living near humans for at least 1,000 years, with rodents being the mutual denominator for both parties. It’s a simple food chain where human trash has a […]
At this time of year, if you hear scratching noises it maybe a mouse stirring. Mice are looking for some nice Christmas presents as well and you might not know that you are giving them what they want. During the Christmas holidays, your house is most likely to have all the treats mice love, including […]
So it’s mid-December and the phone is ringing off the hook about moles. Many homeowners in Delta believe that moles hibernate and are not active during late fall and winter months, well no! Their main permanent tunnels and nesting burrows are dug deep underground below the frost line allowing moles to still be active during […]
Pests are animals that we consider to be damaging to us or our goings-on. We create circumstances where populations of these pests exist in much larger numbers than would ever be found in their normal environment and close to us. We provide them with more places for shelter, food supply, for some pests we are […]
Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society here in Delta has said there is a spike in the population of young barred owls and they can set-up shop basically anywhere they want. Their usual targets are rats, mice, moles, voles and pigeons. Barred owls have been culled in some areas of B. C. in order to reduce competition […]
Every year around Christmas, the Pharaoh ants begin to show up in many houses throughout Delta. It’s the combination of the furnaces running a lot more and food, in form of crumbs, hitting the floor. Pharaoh ants eat food of all types, but particularly sweets with lots of sugar and carbohydrates. If you have seen […]
This casemaking clothes moth builds a case of silk that it drags around so it can feed on the go. The adult moths stay close to their source of food and are not lively in bright well lite locations. The fabric moths, such as the casemaking clothes moth can easily be confused with food storage […]
Carpet beetle larvae cause damage to clothing, furnishings, and other natural fibers. The larvae feed on natural fibers but adults feed primarily on plant nectar and pollen. Larvae forage for food in dim and concealed areas. Infestations occur quickly and frequently go unseen until damage is extensive. The larvae feed mainly on animal and plant […]
A new study has revealed that ant colonies guard their nests more courteously than others, suggesting that ant colonies actually have personalities. Trees that have more lively, hostile colonies have smaller amount of foliage damage, signifying that the colony personality determines if the plant will live or die. Researchers discovered that certain types of ants […]
Although we in Delta don’t have a major termite issue, they still do exist here and will cause damage. Termites, like carpenter ants, are often referred to as a silent destructive force. Here is a list of some facts you may not have known about these creatures. Termites will feed on anything that contains wood […]
Winter solstice 2017 in Northern Hemisphere will be at 8:28 AM on Thursday, December 21. For most of us in Delta, that means getting out the big coats, scarves, gloves, hats and waterproof boots. Also, in the late fall months, male spiders leave their isolated nesting areas and explore our homes in search of a […]
Having discussed the effect that neonicotinoids have on pollinating insects in my last blog, researchers now found that these pesticides also cause migrating birds to lose their sense of direction and suffer up to 25% weight loss. In Canada farmland birds have declined drastically in recent decades and pesticides appear to be playing a role. […]
Neonicotinoids, what are they and what do they do? Neonicotinoids are systemic insecticides used to kill various insects including aphids, greenfly, blackfly, weevils and root-feeding grubs. The neonicotinoid family include such insecticides as acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, nitenpyram, nithiazine, thiacloprid and thiamethoxam, many of which can be found in your home garden insecticide sprays. Systemic insecticides […]
So further to my last blog on pests that you can find on your real live Christmas tree, here is a list of do’s and don’ts when you get your tree home. Do: Go ahead and shake your tree before setting it up in the home. Your tree can have anything from pollen to dirt […]
The holiday season is almost upon us. If you don’t already own an artificial Christmas tree and intend on buying a real live Christmas tree then you are in luck, the stands are already being set-up. Years ago the main concern with real live Christmas trees was candles burning the tree down, then there was […]
Scientists are still researching the causes for the decline in bee populations over the last several years. The general consensus is that pesticides, fungicides, disease and a loss of habitat are all to blame. In fact, pyrethroids are mostly responsible for the decline in honey bees and other pollinators, but there little evidence that link […]
The Smokybrown Cockroaches gets its name from its even brownish-black colour and once mature can be as long as 40 mm. These strong fliers have wings that reach beyond their body and are attracted to light. They can be found in tree cavities, underneath mulch beds and ground hiding places, and around soffits and downspouts […]
New to Delta, the Diamondback moth has been making its way through homes over the last year. This small moth is colored gray and brown with a cream-colored band and shapes of a diamonds on its back. The diamondback moth is considered a pest in areas that do not experience very cold winters. The diamondback […]
Procyon lotor or the raccoon is well known for its nocturnal exploits specifically its love affair with garbage cans. Most home owners are forced to take protective measures so their garbage isn’t scattered nightly. In fact, this single event has made it into many movies and has earned it both our indignation and fondness. The […]
Misconceptions, along with the burden of head lice itself, can lead to great discomfort, anxiety and embarrassment for those affected. Often, individuals feel embarrassed just talking about the condition, not realizing that having head lice is not an indicator of poor hygiene. The need for education and awareness regarding the condition and treatment options is […]
There are plenty of myths surrounding which mouse control methods work the best to help drive out your unwelcome house pest. The common natural mouse repellent or home remedies include: cheese, peppermint, moth balls, ultrasonic sound waves, but do they actually work? Mothballs Keep Mice Away – No, mothballs are thought to be a DIY […]
Well now we are locked down into full fall mode: short days, rain and gloom. So that also means that rodents are looking for long-term care facilities, so it’s time to think about the factors that can put your assets at risk of infestation and take the bull by the horns or rat by the […]
Where do all those ants go in the winter? Just like the leaves falling in late autumn, ants seemingly disappear (or do they). Short of calling it hibernation, they will enter a dormant stage in which they lay low, feeding off the fats, carbohydrates and proteins they stored. Ants consume large amounts of food in […]
Carpenter ants are very active this time of the year setting up satellite nests in people’s homes so they can over winter their eggs. With so many shows about zombies out there now, I thought that this one would be fitting. I came across an interesting article about carpenter ants that get infected by a […]
Silverfish are nocturnal and secretive. The extent of an infestation may go on for long periods of time, allowing for very large populations. They reproduce very quickly and have destructive feeding habits, ruining paper books, clothing and wallpaper. Their preferred environment is damp areas mainly around the kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, attic and basement. Silverfish […]
Half way through fall and most of the leaves have fallen, the snow is flying and the local ski mountains are opening up. As much as we love our nice comfortable warm houses so do ladybugs. Asian Lady Beetles or ladybugs are not native to the B.C. and populations of the bug have exploded throughout […]
Rodents like rats and mice use (USVs) to communicate similar to the edge-tone mechanism used in a police whistle. Rodents are the only species that produces a whistling sound similar to human whistling. A combination of “imaging technology” and “tissue staining” was used to produce a 3-dimensional image that shows the structures that make up […]
Just like the leaves turning colours and falling off the trees in fall, pests also have a preferred time they like to infest our homes. It doesn’t matter the time of year; there is always one kind of pest eager to invade your personal space. Fortunately, they are creatures of habit and we know when […]
Spiders, bats and other spine-chilling, self-seeking, fawning parasitic sycophants are about to invade your front doorstep tonight – Halloween. But tomorrow morning there still maybe real-life ghoulish pests in your house. Here’s a list of some household sycophants and tips to stop them from turning your home into a 24 – 7 – 365 spooky […]
Spiders and Halloween seem to go together like Santa Claus and Christmas. So what is the connection behind spiders and Halloween, perhaps witches? Spiders, black cats and rats are the evil companions of witches in the barbaric times. Not only have they been used to imply darkness and evil by inhabiting countless haunted houses, vampire […]
The main species of bird we see locally which are responsible for spreading diseases are pigeons, seagulls, sparrows and starlings. Like most pests, there is a range of factors which contribute to how birds spread diseases. The main sources are their feces, feathers and nests. Of these three factors, bird droppings are the most prevalent. […]
Mice are truly the most fascinating and cunning creatures that any pest investigator has discovered, making them one of the world’s most successful pests. But did you know that these small rodents actually sing to their mates with love songs. Although slightly exaggerated, they do use ultrasonic sounds to find a proper partner. It has […]
Although summer has passed, I’ve meant to write this one earlier. Slugs can be a big problem in any garden, taking one plant down at a time. The process for getting rid of slugs and snails can be a time consuming and a tedious mission for many gardeners. The best way to get rid of […]
When rodents get into your car, absolutely nothing good could come of it. Those rodents are actually sharpening their teeth and feasting on car parts. When you go to start your car in the morning and you get the lights popping on warning of electrical problems, engine issues you don’t think about that some varmints […]
Turn on a light outside and you invite all the local light seeking insects. There are several theories to explain why insects are attracted to light. For some insects, a bright light source is a sign of safety which are generally positioned on higher ground than the dangerous environment they are currently in. Light also […]
Now that everyone is spending their evening indoors – rain- we are hearing more about people reacting to different things in their homes, from spiders to moth and everything else that moves. One insect over-looked is the house mite. These little creatures feed on skin shed by people during their sleep or everyday activities, pollen […]