Termite Inspection Orange County Termite Terry Pest Control

Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, South Orange County, Long Beach Area

The Case Of The Mysterious Bug Bites

It was another gorgeous day in Orange County and Termite Terry was busy inspecting a home for termites when a property manager called him on his cell phone. He pulled the phone out of his pocket, looked at the screen, recognized the caller’s name and said hello to her.

She said, “Terry, I don’t know if you can help me, but we’re having a problem with an office building that I manage. All of the people who work in the building are complaining about being bit by some type of bug. We looked around and couldn’t see any bugs, anywhere. We’ve been managing this place for years and never had a problem like this. Do you think you can help me?”

Termite Terry replied, “Of course, I’ll be happy to take a look at it.” He then started asking her questions about her problem, got the property address, and set up a time to meet her at the building. 

This office building was on a busy street where a lot of similar offices were located. He pulled into the parking lot and parked behind the building.

This two story office structure was fairly large in size, and at a cursory glance; it looked like it was in good shape. Both sides and the rear of this building were surrounded by asphalt parking lots. The front side, that faced the street, had row of shrubs up against the building, and there was a small strip of grass between the shrubs and the city sidewalk. There were no obvious signs of any pest problems on the outside of this building.

He went inside and met up with the property manager as well as the manager of this office. After greeting one another, Termite Terry asked the office manager to tell him what he had seen. Almost instantly, one could tell that this was no typical office visit. The manager let it be known that he had a crisis on his hands and that something had to be done about it, immediately.

As they took a tour of the building, they met with employees who worked in the various offices. One after another, the employees started showing Termite Terry where they had been bitten. They showed him bite marks on their arms, necks, legs, etc. Termite Terry started feeling a bit uncomfortable because they all wanted to know what was causing their skin problems. Not being a doctor, he was very careful about what he said, and he avoided offering any sort of medical evaluation.

It was very obvious that there was a problem in this building. So, after finishing the tour, Termite Terry asked for permission to start his inspection.

Termite Terry started looking around and thought to himself, “There are a number of insects that can bite people. If this many people are being bit, it seems like I ought to be able to find out what kind of bug is doing this. Geez, I wonder if something else might be causing this problem? Could it be that they are all having some sort of reaction to something else in this office? Maybe there is some substance in the air or in the building that is causing this?”

All of the offices were located on the first floor of the building. Termite Terry went through every single office and room on the first floor. He looked for signs of ants, fleas, flies, roaches, and anything else that could be biting people. There was no evidence of an insect problem, anywhere to be found.

Next, he went up to the second floor to start looking for a clue. No one worked on the second floor. It was only used for storage and they had a bunch of filing cabinets up there. He went all the way around the second floor, checking behind everything, and looking for a clue. There were no signs of bugs, rats, or any other pests.

This building had a flat roof and there was no attic to inspect. He started looking at the building’s ceiling. It was well sealed and there were no signs of leaks that might lead to a pest problem. Termite Terry was starting to worry.

While still on the second floor, he walked back toward the front of the building.

The front part of the second floor looked as though it had been used as a small office in the past. There was old carpet on the floor and there were windows facing the street. A dropped ceiling had been installed over this small area. The ceiling was made of drywall, but there was no way to get into the area above it for an inspection.

Termite Terry decided to inspect this small office area, again. He checked around the windows for bugs, checked the carpet for fleas, and found nothing that would indicate a problem.

By this time, he was thinking of how he was going to tell everyone that he couldn’t solve their problem. He leaned forward, put his hands on the window sill, and stared outside.

While standing there, looking down at the street and watching all the traffic pass by, he saw something in the corner of his right eye. He said out loud, “What was that?”

Termite Terry turned, and started looking outside where he had seen something. He then saw a pigeon fly by and a moment later, he saw another.

From inside, he couldn’t see where they were going. He decided to go outside and take a closer look.

He stood on the city sidewalk and started looking up at the top corner of the building. There was an electric sign mounted on the top side of the building and sure enough, more and more pigeons were flying in and out of that area. He suddenly became optimistic, and started to feel as though he had found his first clue to the problem.

Termite Terry knows that pigeons often carry mites. These pests are parasites, and they prefer to draw blood from various animals. But, they are also known to bite people when they are in an area that is infested. Most people can’t see mites with the naked eye because they are so small (about ½ millimeter long) and are usually light in color.

The building had a steel ladder built on the back side, and he climbed onto the roof to find out where the pigeons were going. He walked over to the area where the sign was located. Behind the sign, he found a hole in the wall where the pigeons were going in and out of. This hole led directly into the dropped ceiling that was located over the small office area.

Termite Terry asked the property manager for permission to cut a hole in the ceiling that was located over the small second story office.

Once he stuck his head up into this area above the ceiling, he saw dozens of pigeons. Termite Terry then grabbed his flashlight and magnifying glass, and started looking for signs of mites. It didn’t take long before he said, “Voila – there are mites all over this place!”

Termite Terry now knew how the office employees were being attacked. Yes, every time they walked upstairs to the second floor and walked through this small office space, they were being exposed to these pests.

Getting the pigeons out of that dropped ceiling was no easy task for Termite Terry’s crew. They wound up using long painter’s poles, with brooms attached, to force the pigeons outside the building.

Eventually they got them all out and cleaned up the area. Next, they sealed off the hole in the outside wall so the pigeons couldn’t get back in. The last step was to treat the area with a miticide, to eliminate the mites.

Termite Terry was now feeling a lot better. The mites were gone and he had solved another tough case.

Do you have a pest problem that you need solved? Call us at (949) 631-7348 and we’ll be happy to investigate your case.