Trafford Pest Control 0161 930 8814

Archive for August, 2011

When ants come to your home in huge numbers, the first option that you can think of to get rid of them is always to make use of chemical ant repellents. However, there are some natural ant repellents that you can use, which can come from some items you have at home. Continue reading on to know more about these natural ant repellents I’m talking about.

1.         Garlic

The ants have smells that they dislike and certain naturally-occurring things that defy their senses. The most common among them is the smell of garlic. Use peeled garlic as a natural ant repellent by placing it where ants are found or where they like passing, to keep them away from that area.

2.         Black Pepper

In addition to garlic, ants also normally dislike black pepper, and this can therefore be used as a natural ant repellent. To use this as a natural ant repellent, make sure it is in its finest form first, and then spread it in an area where ants commonly gather. The immediate reaction from the ants that can be seen from using this natural ant repellent is that, they tend to scatter almost immediately. And to avoid them from coming back, carefully check their preferred routes and gathering points, then put small quantities of this natural ant repellent in all such places.

]]>

3.         Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper can also be a good natural ant repellent. You can put this in all strategic areas where ants are found. This is one of those natural ant repellents that are even mistaken to be an insecticide by many people.

4.         Cinnamon

In homes where you may have too many crawling ants, one of the most recommended natural ant repellents is cinnamon. The method of application is also similar to other previously-discussed natural ant repellents, that is, putting it in the areas where ants are commonly found.

5.         Chalk

Another of the natural ant repellents, and also the funniest one, is the use of chalk. Most of us take it to be more of a nuisance rather than a serious natural ant repellent. But most experiments that have been carried out indicate that a chalk mark or fine chalk dust is normally avoided by ants. Therefore, to use chalk as a natural repellent, you may draw a bold mark where the ants like passing and observe as they avoid that white mark. 

6.         Boiling Water

In some cases where natural ant repellents given above don’t work, the use of boiling water can be practical. It is one of the most effective natural ant repellent. The rise in temperature involved may easily discourage the other ants from coming to the same spot within a certain period.

7.         Vinegar

And finally, the last of the natural ant repellents which we will discuss is the use of vinegar.  This natural ant repellent is very effective, as it can help your home to get rid of ants completely. To use it, vinegar can be thoroughly sprayed directly on the ants. Vinegar has a property which allows it to act, to some degree, as an insecticide.

These are just some the most effective natural ant repellents. All of these are normally friendly to the environment and you may not even need to wonder about what may happen to your kitchen or home. So instead of using those commercially-available chemical ant repellents, might as well switch to using these effective, cheap, and readily-available natural ant repellents.

Frank is a freelance writer and Education Director for Water Damage Local.com, servicing the flooded basement and water restoration industry.
Article Source

Summer and fall is wasp season in North America. Wasps are workhorses of the food chain and do humans a great service by controlling insect populations that would otherwise decimate our crops.  Of course, for most people, avoiding wasps – and their stingers – is a real concern.

There’s hardly a place on the planet that is wasp-free, and there are over 400 wasp species in North America alone.  Here are some you might encounter this summer:

* Yellowjackets:  Yellowjackets are one of the most common wasps on the continent. About the size of a honeybee, they are highly aggressive, can sting more than once, and can usually be identified by their distinctive bright yellow and black body striping.  “Yellowjacket” is a common name, however; the bald-faced hornet and some other white and black wasps are also considered yellowjackets, and some red abdomens.  When most people think of yellowjackets, they think of the small distinctively colored wasp with a severe sting.  

Yellowjackets often live in the ground, but they may also build in cavities in rock or cement walls, or in hollows in trees and buildings. Yellowjacket hives are usually hidden, so it is the activity around an opening that will alert you to the presence of a hive. Hive populations in many yellowjacket species number between 1,000 and 3,000 adult wasps.  The southern yellowjacket can develop colonies of up to 100,000. 

]]>

* Paper wasps:  There are 22 species of paper wasps in North America. They are also called umbrella wasps, both names coming from their papery, honeycomb-like nests, which the wasps construct from a mixture of plant and wood fiber and their saliva. Paper wasps are generally docile, but will attack if their nest is disturbed. They are around 2 centimeters long and have yellow markings on a black, brown, or reddish body. Paper wasps hang their nests in trees, shrubs, or the under the eaves near entrances of houses, barns, and other buildings.

* Bald-faced hornets:  Bald-faced hornets live throughout North America, but are most common in the southeastern United States.  They are black and white and noticeably larger than yellow jackets or paper wasps.  Bald-faced hornets are not aggressive unless the nest is disturbed, but will sting repeatedly in that event.  They build large, oval-shaped, papery nests, usually grayish in color, which hang from trees or buildings. The nests can grow to be up to three feet tall.  Hornets are sensitive to vibration, so be cautious around the structure on which a hornet nest hangs. 

* Mud Dauber Wasps: Mud daubers are solitary, docile wasps.  They are long and slender, often with a needle-like waist, and may be black, black and yellow, or iridescent blue.  Their tell-tale mud nests may look like a series or organ pipes or like a smooth lemon-sized mud lump. Mud daubers’ nests can usually be found on ceilings and interior walls.  They will not attack in defense of their nests and rarely sting humans unless they themselves are physically handled.  They often feed on poisonous spiders.

Fatal Funnel, Inc. was founded in 2004 by Mike Uhl in Mendon Utah. Mr. Uhl holds an engineering degree from Utah State University. His extensive engineering & product management background coupled w/ the problem he was experiencing outside his home with wasps & hornets created the backdrop for Fatal Funnel Wasp & Hornet Traps. http://www.fatal-funnel.com
Article Source

Experts estimate the world is home to 22,000 ant species. Two of them, the notorious, pharaoh ants and fire ants are major problems throughout the world in hospitals, nursing homes and schools. They’re creating new headaches for public administrators and operations managers. Why all the fuss? Pharaoh ants and fire ants are more than a nuisance; they’re responsible for serious human illness and sometimes even death.

The pharaoh ant is one of the world’s premier ant pests. The tiny disease carrying pharaoh ant (1/16 of an inch in length) is difficult to see with a visual inspection. These tiny insects have a translucent, reddish gold color.  Although a tropical species, thanks to central heating they are now flourishing in colder climates.

Pharaoh ants live in multi-colonies with thousands or hundreds of thousands of members. They establish huge colonies throughout hospitals, nursing homes, schools and other settings. Pharaoh ants have even penetrated the security of recombinant DNA laboratories (source: Haack and Granovsky). The warmth seeking pharaoh ants build nests around central heating pipes and boiler rooms. They also live in warm, moist inaccessible areas such as inside furniture, behind baseboards and under floors. Pharaoh ants may even find homes between layers of bed linens and in piles of trash and inside appliances. Once they invade a building they’re just about impossible to eliminate.

These insects have a wide food preference ranging from fruits to syrups, meats, fatty foods, oily foods and dead insects. In hospitals, nursing homes and schools, these pests easily carry germs from one area to another. Pharaoh ants are known to spread diseases, some life threatening, especially to the sick and elderly. 

Researchers have analyzed pharaoh ants found in hospitals – they discovered over a dozen types of pathogenic bacteria. According to The Lancet, one of the world’s prestigious medical journals, pharaoh ants captured in nine hospitals were found to be carriers of Pseudomonas, Salmonella spp., Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Clostridium spp.

]]>

In severely infested environments, pharaoh ants brazenly crawl into human wounds and dine on blood plasma and wound dressings. These ants can spread bacteria and disease while traveling from patient to patient. Newborns and burn victims residing in pharaoh ant-infested hospitals are subjected to increased risk due to the pharaoh ants’ pathogens. In hospitals, they have been observed searching for moisture from the mouths of sleeping babies and from active IV bottles.

It is best to ask an expert to deal with these unwanted guests. If you disturb a colony they split the colony through a process called budding and will create several new nests in adjacent areas. To help prevent infestations in hospitals, nursing homes and schools, keep food in sealed, secure containers and keep areas free of food particles and sweet liquids.  These insects contaminate food with the pathogens they’ve picked up while crawling in buildings.

Red imported fire antswere accidently brought to the United States from South America in the early 1900′s. These ants are aggressive, efficient competitors. They live in large colonies in dirt nests, which form mounds. They eat plants and occasionally smaller insects. Their bites create a burning sensation and painful pustules in about 50 percent of people bitten. Infected pustules can turn into scars.

Fire ants inject their venom by utilizing the biting parts of their jaw and rotating their bodies. They often inject venom into a victim numerous times. People allergic to fire ant venom may experience anaphylaxis; a life-threatening allergic reaction. 

People are more likely to be attacked while outdoors, however there have been reports of fire ants stinging people in nursing homes, hotels and homes. Fire ant stings have actually killed a small number of nursing home patients (source: The American Journal of Medicine).  

In severely fire ant infested hospitals and nursing homes, cognitively impaired, immobile patients are particularly at risk of a fire ant attacks. An attack may cause respiratory tract obstruction, frank anaphylaxis and the worsening of pre-existing conditions. In Florida, in 2000, Mary L. Morales Gay, an elderly nursing home patient with Alzheimer’s disease, died a day after being bitten 1,625 times by fire ants (source: Associated Press). Why was she bitten that many times? Vibration or movement inspires a group of fire ants to bite. It’s natural for people move when fire ants swarm on their arms or legs.

Fire ant attacks have inspired lawsuits against doctors and health care facilities (source: The American Journal of Medicine). In 2005, Earl Dean Griffith, while recuperating from surgery in a Florida nursing home, died after being bitten by hundreds of fire ants. The 73 year old Griffith died from a combination of shock and ant poison in his system. Mariner Health Care, one of the nation’s largest nursing home chains, agreed to pay his family members $1.8 million. As you can see, fire ant infestations are not just a problem for third world countries, but can be an issue for healthcare facilities and nursing homes in the United States. 

Ants of all varieties crawl through their own waste material, animal feces and other waste material as they move around their environment and nest. Their body can pick up and deposit bacteria and other microorganisms throughout hospitals, nursing homes, schools, homes etc. School cafeterias should be extra careful; as these specific pest ants transmit food-borne illnesses such as dysentery and Salmonella on food and food preparation surfaces. Safety measures and proactive professional ant control services may prevent diseases and lawsuits. 

Due to the adaptive nature of ant colonies, destroying the entire colony is nearly impossible. Typically pest management companies will strive to control local ant populations. Hospitals, nursing homes and schools should eliminate food particle and sweet liquid messes quickly. Your facility may not currently have disease carrying ants but they are spreading around the United States. It is best to implement a comprehensive ant prevention program with the help of a professional pest management firm to avoid human illness and lawsuits from ant infestations.

Jesse Eaton is a member of the pest professional team at ChemTec Pest Control. This New Jersey based pest control firm serves commercial and residential clients. ChemTec Pest Control is located at 186 Saddle River Road, Saddle Brook, NJ. You can reach the ant experts at ChemTec Pest Control at (201) 843-0780 or by email at wecare@chemtecpest.com. Please visit us on the Web at www.chemtecpest.com (http://www.chemtecpest.com).
Article Source

The pain caused by a wasp sting can be attributed to a toxic fluid that contains a complex protein that is injected stingingly into the victim. Strangely, all victims of wasp stings do not react in the same manner.

Some people do not experience any pain and seldom bother about wasp stings whist others feel severe pain and suffer inflammation in the stung area. There are also people who are allergic to wasp stings and hey may experience anaphylactic shock if prompt treatment is not provided.

It is a poor consolation to know that male wasps are harmless and do not sting. It is the female wasps that inflict that sharp sting particularly in late summer months. This is the time they come out of their nests to start feeding on windfalls, plant juices and other sources of food.

The structure is such that it is the female wasps that possess a sting that doubles up as the egg-laying organ. Closer examination will reveal it to be a sharp, narrow tubular structure resembling a hypodermic needle and with an outer sheath like a cannula. Interestingly, there is a sac at the bottom that holds the venom.

]]>

The wasp’s abdomen is designed to protect the muscular base of the sting that acts as a tail. When a wasp chooses to sting, the abdomen gives way slightly for the mechanism to fully function.

The cannula portion of the sting contains tiny barbs that capture the human skin or any other insect prey and once it gains a firm grip, the needle-like inner part of the structure moves forward to inject venom and/or an egg. The muscles that facilitate this movement also assist to squeeze the venom from the sac at the base of the sting down the central shaft into the wasp’s victim.

Scientific research about the exact composition of wasp venom is still inconclusive, although it is said to contain a mix of enzymes and proteins. The heartening fact is, though wasp venom causes pain and swelling in many, it is not life-threatening for human beings except for a few who may be allergic to stings.

The one sane advice is to leave wasps alone and not needlessly provoke them into stinging you. Remember that wasp venom contains a pheromone which will attract other wasps in the vicinity. There are several effective home remedies for wasp stings but if the pain and swelling persists or worsens you will have to seek medical advice.

Notwithstanding the fact that wasps are aggressive insects when disturbed, they are of great benefit to plant life and the pollination process. The wasps have a constructive role to play in the life cycle of many other insects. Wasps help control the spread of arthropod pests like – flies, caterpillars, bugs, spiders, etc- by preying on them. Their sting can be painful to humans but to the wasps, they are a defense against possible threats.

There are some leading pest management and consulting companies, who are fully bonded, insured, certified and licensed by Ministry of Water Land & Air Protection. They use some latest and advanced pest control technology to help you get rid of the wasps and you can contact them if the wasp menace in your place is too acute.
Peterson is an expert author for pest control surrey. He has written many articles about Wasps exterminator, bed bug exterminator, Get rid of bed bugs in Vancouver, Moles exterminator, Birds exterminator, carpenter ants exterminator, pest control company Canada. For more information visit our site bed bug extermination. Contact him at avonpestcontrol@gmail.com
Article Source

Anybody would agree to the fact that, of all stinging pests wasps are the dangerous one. However, there is two categorise of wasps one which gives a lot of trouble and, there comes a time when the person is seriously thinking of how to get rid of wasps and, other category is not at all a bothersome, this category of wasps are in fact, quite helpful to the garden if one is having since; they help control these aphid colonies. The venom of wasps is dangerous; if one sees a large number of wasp’s population around the house then it is the high time, to think about how to get rid of wasps.

The sunshine days, are an enough reason when people like to step out to enjoy their outside time together and, the same way wasps also enjoys sun and warmth. Like humans wandering taste, wasps too like playgrounds and parks. Wasp’s nature is of bullying types so when one is trying to shoo them away, he/she does not know the danger that they are inviting. If one is bullied with such wasps troubles and, caused headaches when tried end number of times on how to get rid of wasps, with the below mentioned ways, it would be easy to tackle the problems in getting rid of wasps and its nest.

]]>

No matter, how much helpful these wasps could be, but they become aching nuisance in the surrounding and, to the people especially; when their nests are built near the human dwellings.

How to get rid of wasp nests
There is always some risk involved in getting rid of wasps nest because, upon harming the nest, there is every possibility to get attacked and sting from the angry ones. Hence; is wise to exercise the caution while thinking on how to get rid of wasp nests. There are also specialized wasp exterminator services, which are helpful in getting rid of the wasp’s problems.

Clean surroundings
The first thing when it comes down to narrowing the list on how to get rid of wasps task, it is to make sure is that the front and the backyard are immaculately clean. Trim up the lawn and spread ample of pesticides to avoid forming any groupings. Keep all the trash can tightly sealed since; wasps are attracted towards garbage and dirty surroundings.

Arranging for the wasps trap
This is indeed a workable idea, if one is thinking about to how to get rid of wasps. There are various types of traps available these traps work smartly in killing the wasps; they are lured towards the trap where they die naturally. It is worthwhile to have these traps while one has organized backyard party etc.

Hanging a fake nest
One of the smartest ways, while thinking about how to get rid of wasps nest is by hanging fake wasp nest. These miniature creepy creatures are territorial and do not like to compete with any other wasp colony. This is indeed a cheap and painless method of preventing them to build a nest.

Before preparing, with the above applied points on how to get rid of wasps, ensure that the clothing is appropriate. Wear such that types of clothes that are prepared from rubber since; the wasp’s stinger can easily pierce through any standard clothing. Still, if one does not like the advices and concepts about how to get rid of wasp nests, then it is better to approach professional services with which one will have peace of mind about the work accomplished correctly.
Click here to learn How To Get Rid Of Wasps and also How To Get Rid Of Wasp Nests.
Article Source