Researchers have found 600 Viruses from 750 bat species. What’s more alarming is that a large number of these viruses can be passed along to humans because compared to other mammals, bats have a closer relationship genetically to us. Unfortunately, bats aren’t entirely to blame for this. Human disturbances to the environment such as bats’ natural habitats, are largely to blame. To prevent bats from getting into your attic or structure, call us at 1-877-662-8449. For more information, read this Time.com article:...
Over a half a dozen small children and day care workers became ill last month as a result of pesticide poisoning incident in which the wrong product was apparently applied to kill fleas inside a Coos Bay day care facility. According to The Oregonian/OregonLive.com, the insecticide, called Tempo, was apparently not intended to be used in schools. Online store Amazon.com offers a line of Tempo insecticides, variations of which can be used for both indoor and outdoor use. In any case, Tempo is considered a neurotoxin by the Oregon Environmental Council (download Pest Control Practices in Oregon Public Schools). The owner said that the wrong product was given to her at the point of sale. It should be noted that some Tempo products are prohibited from being sold in certain states, including California. The children’s symptoms included inflamed eyes and difficulty breathing. After parents decided to pull their students out of the facility and after several key employees quit in the days that followed, the owner decided to close down the facility. While this latest incident was certainly not the first time that the day care center had been cited by the Oregon’s Office of Child Care, it my very well be the last. Read the full story...
1. Why do they call it the Black Widow? The term widow was bestowed upon this type of spider because the females tend to eat their mates after mating, a practice known as sexual cannibalism. Not surprisingly, male black widow spiders tend to select their mates by determining if the female has eaten already in order to avoid being her next meal! They can tell by sensing chemicals in the female’s web. 2. Are Black Widow bites fatal? The venom of the black widow is particularly harmful because of its neurotoxin latrotoxin. Black widow bites may be quite painful for a few days, but they are rarely fatal. Interestingly, only the female bites are dangerous to humans since the male’s venom is much less potent. 3. How do I know its a Black Widow? Female black widows typically have a red hourglass pattern on the underside of their abdomen. While the males also exhibit similar red markings, they are typically displayed on the top of the abdomen. 4. What are the symptoms of a Black Widow bite and what do I do if bitten? Symptoms including severe muscle pain, abdominal cramps, and muscle spasms and typically last 3-7 days or in some cases weeks. Often times the venom will produce a black mark or streak on the skin, which is the venom. While black widow bites are rarely fatal, the recommended treatment is to obtain an anti-venom treatment from your doctor as soon as possible, which can also serve to relieve pain. 5. Where are Black Widows typically found? Black widows like to reside in dark areas close to the...
One Local Pest Exterminator’s Got an App for That Google, Accenture, and a pest extermination company teamed up to build an app that could be the future of killing bugs… Click here to read this story. But do you really need to download an app, take a photo of a cockroach, and wait for the app to tell you it’s a cockroach? Or perhaps you don’t know what kind of spiders you have but just want to get rid of them? A better approach is call us at 1-877-662-8449 for a Free Inspection and obtain a complete...
Recently in Ashland, we had a customer that had a bad boxelder bug infestation in her home. She wasn’t convinced that a natural product would be strong enough to control them. I visited the location for a closer inspection and talked about our NatureLine™ products and how they worked. She showed me the bugs behind her trim boards and wall voids. The customer initially declined to purchase our standard Eliminator package, which includes a lifetime renewable warranty. Instead, the customer decided to go with a 3 treatment trial. I started the treatment although the client was still skeptical of our all natural products. About 15 minutes into the treatment, the boxelder bugs began falling out of all the cracks and crevices. The ground quickly became covered in dead boxelders. I heard a knock on the window above me, as the customer had been observing all this, with a big smile on her face and giving me a thumbs-up. About a week later I went back, and because of the effectiveness of the initial NatureLine™ treatment, the customer decided to upgrade to our Eliminator package with unlimited service...
Even Problems Resolved Years Ago Would Need to Be Published Landlords are furious over a new bill that would require them to make bedbug infestations public. The bill, which is expected to be approved by the City Council Tuesday, would force landlords to file infestation histories with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and to either publicly post histories in buildings or distribute them to tenants. Read the NY Post article >>...
Property Managers and landlords often choose the least expensive method of pest control for their apartments, hotels, and other multi-family dwellings. The goal, it seems, is to spend the least amount possible. Often times, this involves a Do-It-Yourself approach. After all, what owner or tenant is going to complain about cutting costs? Needless to say, this approach is neither wise nor cost-effective, especially when considering the potential legal liability and significant health issues involved. Rat Poison Gone Awry In March of this year, a Denver landlord is now facing a class action lawsuit over its failed pest control practices. The complex had been overrun by rats, and according to at least a dozen tenants, the landlord had applied rat poison carelessly throughout the complex. One woman is now suffering from hair loss which she believes is a direct result of the pesticide getting into the common area hot tub. Subsequently, dead animals began to appear everywhere, and the landlord had been slow to remove the dead carcasses. Regardless of the outcome of this latest lawsuit, once the publicity gets out about pesticides and health issues, the unwanted attention can have a long-running negative impact on the landlord’s ability to keep the vacancy rate low. Left unchecked or mishandled, the damage to the reputation of the property can spiral out of control. In July of last year, a landlord in Indiana was fined $14,625 for illegally using an unapproved pesticide and exposing it to his tenants. The landlord was also required to undertake an expensive cleanup operation and could also face criminal prosecution. Apparently, the landlord wanted to save money by killing...
This story is sure to get under your skin. It begins with a Medford couple who finally called All Natural Pest Elimination after many years of what they thought was a persistent flea problem. Each time they complained to their landlord, they were given another ‘flea bomb’ to treat it. Flea bombs are ill-advised aerosol products designed to fill a room with pesticides— not healthy for people nor pets. Yet the problem wasn’t fleas, it was bed bugs, and that’s why the ‘fleas’ never went away. The couple took advantage of our free inspection, and our inspector quickly identified the actual problem during the initial visit. The landlord purchased our Bed Bug Elimination package with a 1 year warranty. We quickly went to work injecting the walls our NatureLine™ products, and the inspector then waited and watched the bed bugs stream out from behind the walls. He lost count after 100 or so! To protect the mattresses from further infestation, the technician installed mattress covers and materials for the uprights so any existing bugs would die off, and any potential bed bugs would be prevented from making their way towards their sleeping blood source. To be effective, the mattress covers had to remain intact for at least 2 years because bed bugs can survive for up to 18 months without a blood meal. Nine months passed with no bed bugs. Unfortunately, when the tenants decided to rent out their extra room, the new occupant removed the mattress covers, which released the still dormant bed bugs, and the infestation began all over again! The tenants called us with just one week...
Warmer weather brings with it a number of pests, including ants, cockroaches, spiders, and of course, bed bugs. Once considered to be on the decline ever since the 1930’s, bed bugs have made a spectacular comeback since the 1980’s and are now, unfortunately, as prevalent as ever. Bed bugs feed almost exclusively on blood, and while humans may not be their host of choice, we tend to be a very attractive substitute, with plenty of exposed skin. The face, neck, and arms of a sleeping person are particularly vulnerable. When feeding, bed bugs can saw through skin, and in 5 to 10 minutes become completely engorged with blood. Their saliva contains anti-clotting agents and also painkillers which might explain why 1 in 5 people don’t feel a thing. A well-nourished female can lay 3 to 4 eggs each day continually until the end of her 9-month lifespan. If you do the math, that can mean well over 500 eggs! Indeed, a single female may be responsible for an entire infestation in less than a month. So how do you get rid of them? One way is to fight fire with fire. But the thought of releasing an army of natural enemies— ants, cockroaches, and spiders— to combat them is hardly an attractive option. Pesticides can be effective, but bed bugs have become increasingly resistant to them over the years. Moreover, many pesticides are unsafe for children and pets. For example, the insecticide propoxur is effective, but also highly toxic, and the EPA has been reluctant to approve it for home use. Fortunately, there do exist natural and safer alternatives...
Bats in the Pacific Northwest can generate a natural fear among many people. They are a widely misunderstood creatures that can be bring lots of worry when they are in your home or structure. Bat colonies can cause a lot of structural and cosmetic damage to your property. Each day, a bat can expel an amount of waste equal to its own body weight. Over time, this waste, called guano, can build up and cause offensive odors and may spread a fungus called histoplasma. Histoplasma is a fungus that commonly grows on bird and bat droppings and it can be a serious health threat to humans. Histoplasmosis is an infection caused by breathing in spores of a fungus found in bird and bat droppings. Histoplasmosis is most commonly transmitted when these spores become airborne; often during cleanup or demolition projects. This is the number one reason why you should address any bat problems immediately. Bat guano can spread this fungus and other bacteria as well, so it is incredibly important that you do not try to clean a contaminated area yourself. During your initial free inspection, we will inspect the entire exterior of the structure to identify all potential entry points for bats. We will also inspect the attic and other enclosed interior areas for bat activity. This step involves identifying every point that the bats use or may eventually use to gain entry. Bats need less than 1/2 inch of space to gain access – so our inspection is quite thorough. After we have identified these access points we will work with you to develop a plan to...
