Are You Sleeping With The Enemy?
Bed bugs are a problem that we haven’t had to deal with in this country for decades. But now, they are back with a vengeance and are giving homeowners nightmares because they are by far and away, the toughest pest to eliminate.
How do you know if you have a bed bug problem? The only way you can tell for sure is to provide a sample of the insect. Just because you got a bite it doesn’t necessarily mean that it was caused by a bed bug. A medical doctor can examine the bug bite, but he or she won’t be able to diagnose what kind of bug did the deed. Bed bugs feed exclusively on blood and are nocturnal so they move around at night. That means that if you’re being bitten during the day while you’re running around doing your chores, it’s unlikely that bed bugs are the culprit.
Bed Bug Problems?
Call 949-631-7348 or use our Quick Quote Form
[TINY-CONTACT-FORM]
A very good way to determine if you’ve got a bed bug problem is to take a look at yourself in the mirror before you go to bed. And, if you wake up in the morning and see bite marks that weren’t there the night before, that would be a good clue. Bed bug bites usually appear as red, itchy welts and often you’ll see three, four or more bites in a row. If you’ll inspect your bedding or furniture, you may also see blood stains and bed bug feces, which looks like small black specks.
These pest can be very difficult to locate because there is almost no crack small enough that this pest can’t hide in. You can look at a piece of furniture and everything will look fine, but this same piece of furniture could have hundreds or even thousands of bed bugs in all of the tiny cracks and joints. That is why treatments to eliminate these pest must be done so thoroughly.
If a home has a bed bug infestation, the first thing we have to do is to determine where the problems are located. These infested rooms and the rooms that are adjacent to these infested areas should be thoroughly treated. All clothing should be sent out and professionally laundered. Carpets, drapes and upholstery should also be professionally cleaned.
When doing the service, all furniture will have to be literally taken apart and turned upside down so that every single joint or crack can be inspected and treated. Baseboards, door casings, outlets, light switches, windows, picture frames, table lamps, clock radios, televisions and you name it – If it’s in an infested room, it will have to be inspected and treated. Even coat hangers can be a major problem. Do you realize that a common wooden coat hanger has seven different areas where bed bugs can hide? And oh, what about those hangers that you get from the drycleaners where they have the cardboard tube? There could be hundreds of bed bugs inside of one of those hangers!
It is so important to be thorough and pay attention to every detail because if you miss a spot, the infestation will come right back.
One of my favorite stories was about a pest control technician that just couldn’t get rid of bed bugs in a home. He looked and looked, but couldn’t figure out where the bugs were coming from. Then one day, he found out that the home’s owner wore a prosthetic leg. He asked the homeowner if he could inspect the inside of the prosthesis and found that it was loaded with thousands of bed bugs! The technician could have treated that home for years and may have never been able to solve the problem if he wouldn’t have checked out that man’s leg!
Yes, you really do have to check everything thoroughly and treat it as needed! There are two main ways that most bed bug problems start. The first is when people bring home old furniture or items that came from a place that was infested with bed bugs. The second and probably the most common way to bring home bed bugs, is in your luggage that you use when you’re traveling.
The first way is probably the easiest to solve. If you are going to bring home old stuff, carefully inspect it before you bring it into your home. Carefully look into all of those nooks and crannies for signs of these pest. If there is any doubt, have us inspect it and treat it if needed. Bed bug treatments are labor intensive and can be very expensive. So, think twice before you buy some of that bargain priced stuff. If it’s full of bedbugs, you’ll wind up spending much more than you were expecting to.
The second way, travel, is something that I’d never ask for you to give up. So if you’re traveling, one thing you can do that can really help is to inspect the hotel’s bed when you first check into a hotel room. Pull back the sheets and inspect the bed’s mattress. The folds and seams are where you’ll most likely see a bed bug problem if there is one. Of course, if you see bed bugs, you need to get out of there and find another hotel. Another thing that’s real important to do is that when you get home from your trip, empty your suitcases in the garage and then put all of your laundry in the washer. And, leave your luggage in the garage – don’t bring it inside!
If you suspect that you have bed bugs, call us at (949) 631-7348 and ask for our thorough inspection or click here for on-line order form. Again, this is the most difficult pest that we have to deal with and it’s a problem that you can not afford to ignore.
We would like to thank you for the prompt and expedient service we received after calling you with or bed bug problem. You made it a priority and got your representatives here the same day we contacted you.
We especially would like to commend your Field Representative, David Salamin, for his thoroughness and professionalism. He kept in constant contact with us and let us know if he was going to be a few minutes late, which we really appreciate. He explained everything he was doing and all we needed to do. D.J. was both extremely polite and pleasant at all times.
Thank you, too, for going the extra mile and doing some things we know another company would not have done. It will be our pleasure to highly recommend your company and your employees.
John & Sybil Wilson
Lake Forest
I want you to know that we are very happy with the service and that your technician, David Salamin, went above and beyond the “call of duty” yesterday. When he was here, he noticed that the latch on our backyard gate was loose and falling off and he took it upon himself to repair it for us. This is the kind of thing that gives your customers a very good impression and I think it’s important for you to know when one of your employees is doing a good job.
Susan Kesler
Costa Mesa
Remember the old TV series, “The Six Million Dollar Man”? That’s where the show’s star, Lee Majors, was badly injured in a crash and his right arm, both legs and his left eye were replaced with bionic implants. He then had unbelievable strength, was able to run at 60 miles per hour and his eye had a 20:1 zoom lens with infrared capabilities. Oh, what a fun show it was!
But now, what if I told you that they are now actually making bionic bugs? You may find it hard to believe, but it’s true. Researchers at Cornell University have successfully implanted electronic circuit probes into the early pupae of tobacco hornworms. These pupae pass through this stage and mature into long-lived moths whose muscles can be controlled with implanted electronics.
The circuit board that is implanted in the moth measures 8 x 7 mm and has a total weight of 500mg. There is also a small battery that weighs 240mg.. 5 volts of electricity is used to move the hornworm’s muscles for flight and maneuvering.
The ultimate goal of Cornell’s “Hybrid Insect MEMS Program” is to provide insect cyborgs that can be controlled in flight and be used for surveillance and reconnaissance in a variety of stealth military and homeland security applications.
So, think about it for a minute. The next time you see a moth flying over your head, you had better watch what you say and do because it may actually be a “bionic bug” with a camera and microphone built in! Watch out!!
Bolivian Farm Worker Killed By Ants!
In La Paz, Bolivia, the police tell us that a 42 year old man fell asleep under a tree and was killed by numerous ant bites.
Rolando Ramos, the Police Chief, said that Santiago Ortiz, a farm worker, had apparently been drinking before he sat down beneath a “Palo Santo” tree and passed out.
The Police Chief said that the man was already dead when they arrived at the scene. However, there were a lot of ants still crawling all over him.
Termite Terry’s Helpful Hint:
If you want to go out drinking and maybe you even want to over do it a bit – Make sure you have a good pest control treatment done, FIRST! It may even save your life!!
August is National
Cataract Awareness Month
As their vision declines, a lot of seniors think that all they need is a stronger pair of prescription glasses. But, what they might not know is that cataracts may be the cause for their decline in vision.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology tells us that cataracts are the leading cause of visual loss in Americans 65 and older. By age 80, nearly half of adults will develop cataracts or clouding of the eye lens.
A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye. That’s the part of the eye that focuses light and produces clear images. The eye lens is contained in a sealed bag or capsule. As old cells die, they become trapped inside the capsule. And, as more and more cells die and build up inside that capsule, images will start to look blurry. Cataracts are a result of aging for most people. However, eye injuries, some medications, diseases like diabetes or alcoholism are known to cause cataracts.
Stronger lighting and eyeglasses may help your vision during the early stages. But eventually, surgery may be needed to improve your vision. Cataract surgery is done in the United States more frequently than any other kind of surgery. The good news is that 90% of those that have the surgery performed regain their useful vision. Most cataract patients are treated on an out-patient basis and are allowed to go home after their surgery.
If your vision is deteriorating and extra light and stronger glasses are no longer making a difference, then you really should see your ophthalmologist for an eye exam.
Thinking Of Doing Your Own Pest Control Treatments?
There are a lot of reasons why people want to do their own pest control treatments. Maybe it’s something simple and they just want to get it done quickly. Maybe it’s on a weekend or after hours and they don’t want to wait any longer. Or, maybe they just want to do it themselves so they can save some money. That’s O.K. – “Do Whatcha Gotta Do” !
However, if you are going to do your own pest control treatments, here are some very important tips that you should always consider:
1. Always follow the product manufacturer’s instructions and use these products only in the manner intended.
2. More is not always better. Only apply the amounts recommended on the product label. Adding more to make it “stronger” may actually make the product less effective.
3. Always wear protective eye ware, gloves and proper clothing!
4. Always wash your hands before drinking, eating, smoking or visiting the restroom.
5. Always dispose of these products and empty containers as required on the product label.
Have a pest control problem you can’t handle yourself? Call us at (949) 631-7348 or click on-line order form and we’ll be glad to assist.
Near our shop is an old night club that’s being rebuilt. This place has been neglected for many years and it has both drywood and subterranean termites, not to mention a lot of corresponding damage. The club is supposed to open next month so I strongly recommended that they take care of these problems while they’ve got everything torn apart and the building is still vacant. The walls are open, there are no furnishings, there’s no food or booze and the foundation is bare. This would be a perfect time to get in there, inspect everything, make notes of what needs to be corrected and do all of the necessary termite treatments. But, they say that they’re short of cash and that they’re just going to have to wait until later to have their termites treated.
No problem, I can wait. Drywood termites won’t start swarming until September and then we can take care of the fumigation. The new nightclub owners won’t mind moving all of their food and booze out of the club and closing down for three days, will they? On second thought, maybe they will. I wonder how long it will take and how much it will cost for them to hire help to move all of that food and booze out. Then, how much more time and money will it take to put everything back? And, let’s not forget that they are going to have three days where they won’t be open for business. Oh my! How much more will that cost them? I wonder if their banker will understand when they come up short of cash and can’t make their payments? That’s not a good way to start a business, is it?
The message here is that when you’re doing remodels or construction projects, don’t put off doing termite treatments and repairs. Because, if you wait, the cost and the hassles may be significantly greater.