Bug Blog
Autumn Stink Bugs
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 cracks. Their name comes from their defense mechanism, they emit a strong odor from their body glands whenever they feel threatened or injured: similar to a skunk defending itself. The smell differs depending on the species and your own olfactory senses. The odor from the stink bug is due to trans-2-decenal and trans-2-Octenal, characterized as a pungent odor that can smells like a combination of coriander, intense-smelling herbs and spices, burnt tires, oily, dusty, woody and earthy. This smell can remain for days so carefully sweep or vacuum them up if they have entered your house. To help keep stink bugs out of your home, rake all vegetation and debris away from your home’s foundation. Properly seal all cracks around window frames, door frames, siding utility pipes and other openings with latex caulking. Replace damaged screens on doors and windows.
go green pest control.ca and exterminators Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA RPF
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/stink-bugs-randy-bilesky/?published=t
https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-stink-bugs-have-eerie-ability-to-slip-into-homes-1.23451228
Raccoon Zombies
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 spike in the fall. CDV affects the respiratory, digestive tract and nervous systems. Once a raccoon is infected, it can take several weeks for the disease to run its course and there is little to no chance of survival for the animal. Young raccoons are most vulnerable to this virus. Raccoons with distemper may move slowly and may stumble as they walk, lose their fear of humans, appear blind and confused and may wander aimlessly and may become aggressive if cornered. Crusty mucus may be present around the eyes and nose, also coughing, diarrhea, vomiting, tremors, seizures or chewing fits may occur. They may exhibit some or all of these symptoms and otherwise appear quite healthy. Canine Distemper does not affect humans but unvaccinated dogs can become infected.
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/raccoon-zombies/
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA RPF
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/raccoon-zombies-randy-bilesky/?published=t
Dragonflies and Damselflies
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 stick your finger in its mouth, it will bite in self-defence. Most dragonflies are slightly bigger than the more dainty damselflies. They are actually prehistoric creatures that have been around at least 300 million years, fossil records suggest that dragonflies in the Jurassic period may have been much larger than modern dragonflies. Males of many species are territorial and can often be seen protecting their partners from other males during the mating season. In the water, the dragonfly larvae feed on invertebrates, including mosquito larvae, which is good. In fact, dragonflies eat mosquitoes at both ends of their life cycle.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dragonflies-damselflies-randy-bilesky/?published=t
gogreenpestcontrol.ca & Exterminators Delta Ladner Tsawwassen Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA RPF
Cat–Rat Quandary
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 in the area that they live. One suggested reason for this is that the common house cat is too well feed and doesn’t need to hunt down rats for food. In fact, one study found that using feral cats, non-domesticated felines, only removed an average of 55% of the rats in the neighbourhood with no negative long-term impact on the size of the rat population. They also found that captured rats were mostly juveniles (8 weeks to 20 weeks old) and considerably smaller in size. The cats rarely preyed on the larger, older breeding portion of the rat population. They concluded that the larger rats were too risky to prey on, larger teeth and longer claws. Also, the older rats become smarter in the presence of cats. Evidence also suggests their impact on birds and small mammals is tremendous, and far greater than it is on rats.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca & Exterminators Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/catrat-quandary-randy-bilesky/?published=t
https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-cat-rat-quandary-1.23446446
Body Lice – Infestations
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 are typically found in areas of poor hygiene. An infestation of these lice occurs when a certain type of lice invade the body and clothing. These lice are parasitic insects that feed only on human blood. Good hygiene and washing of clothing and bed linens is usually enough to treat and prevent continued infestations of body lice. Body lice are larger than other types of lice and they lay their eggs and leave their “waste” on skin and in clothing. Symptoms of a body lice infestation include intense itching, rashes, red bumps on the skin and darkened skin. These insects only crawl; they don’t jump or fly and are the size of a sesame seed.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/body-lice-infestations-randy-bilesky/?published=t
Just in time for school, Booklice
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 as they are also attracted to cereals, grains, starch-filled paste and mould contained within the paper-based items. Although harmless, left unchecked, they can have thousands of offspring that can became quite unsightly and contaminate food with their dead bodies and excrement. Preventing an infestation of booklice means removing the moisture that creates mould on which the pests subsist. This can be as easy as using dehumidifiers or fans in bathrooms and attics. Books and papers should be kept off the floor and stored in dry places. For best results, give us a call at go green pest control.ca – exterminators and we can help remove and prevent any future booklice.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca & exterminators Tsawwassen Ladner Delta B.C. Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/just-time-school-booklice-randy-bilesky/?published=t
Taking the sting out of Wasps
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 are some home therapies to decrease the swelling, comfort the pain, and relieve the itching. First off, ice reduces swelling by slowing down the blood flow to the area stung. Twenty minutes of icing can help with the pain and reduce the swelling. Next, onions and cucumbers, these handy veggies have a natural astringent that shrinks and cools the skin. Merely rub the sting area until the pain has reduced. A few other kitchen condiments can also be helpful at taking out the sting in that nasty wasp attack. Baking soda mixed with salt and water helps to reduce the acidity of the venom that is injected under your skin. Alternatively, vinegar or lemon applied to a Q-tip swab and applied to the sting site is also effective. Now if you happen to notice if the creature that stung you was a hornet – than the venom is a lot more powerful because it contains more acetylcholine which makes it more painful. In this case you might want to add anti-inflammatory and pain medication to your home remedies.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca & Exterminators Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy Bilesky BsF CPA
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/taking-the-sting-out-of-wasps/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/taking-sting-out-wasps-randy-bilesky/?published=t
https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-taking-the-sting-out-of-wasps-1.23442917
Why We Dislike Wasps
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 lack of food kills off the males. At this point we forget about the distaste we have for wasps but really -why do we not embrace wasps for what they are. Wasps regulate insects, arachnids, myriapods, and crustaceans’ populations, including insect vectors of human diseases and crop pests. The fact that wasps have the ability to sting repeatedly and their bully sisters like to gone in, is my personal disdain for them. Wasps are indeed universally disliked; words used to describe wasps are emotive and negative. Researchers have concluded that the reasons why we have a negative perception of wasps is our low level of interest and knowledge regarding the ecosystem services wasps perform.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca & Exterminators Tsawwassen Delta Ladner B.C. Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-we-dislike-wasps-randy-bilesky/?published=t
https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blog-why-we-dislike-wasps-1.23439301
Queen Mole Rat has automatic babysitters
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 queen turns female minions into babysitters by having them eat her feces that contain estrogen, the female sex hormones created by reproductive organs. The non-breeding female workers don’t produce estrogen hormone and once the queen becomes pregnant she starts producing excessive estrogen-rich feces that some female workers eat, activating maternal instincts. After the queen gives birth, those female worker rodents stop digging tunnels and collecting food and then begin to warm and clean the newly born pups.
gogreenpestcontrol.ca & Exterminators Delta Ladner Tsawwassen B.C. Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/queen-mole-rat-h…atic-babysitters/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/queen-mole-rat-has-automatic-babysitters-randy-bilesky/?published=t
Fall for Fruit Flies
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 indoor access on the fruit itself or open doors or windows. As a pest control operator, I find it almost impossible to keep them out, but they can be controlled inside by keeping all produce in the refrigerator or covered and by keeping your garbage can covered. They can be trapped either by using retail store traps or making your own homemade traps with fruit cider vinegar as lure. A simple fruit fly trap can be made using a small jar. Pour just enough cider vinegar to cover the bottom of the jar. Add a drop of dish soap (it will break the surface tension of the vinegar so the fruit flies can’t just sit atop the liquid). Now, cover the jar with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in the top, alternatively make a funnel out of paper and tape it to the top of the jar. Once in the trap, to kill the flies, shake the vinegar around effectively drowning the flies, or place the trap in the freezer for an hour or so.
https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/fall-for-fruit-flies/
gogreenpestcontrol.ca and Exterminators Delta Ladner Tsawwassen B.C. Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fall-fruit-flies-randy-bilesky/?published=t
https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-fall-for-fruit-flies-1.23435973
