Wasps & Bees (By Robert Holyfield)

Summer is in full swing and I’m sure you are having your fill of a wide variety of little buggers. Most insects are a nuisance at best; however some wasps and bees can put a painful hurt on you. There are several different types of bees and wasps you can encounter.


Paper Wasps are one of the most common stinging insects you will encounter. They build paper nest anywhere from the eaves of your home to the bushes in your yard. They are social insects and will attack in numbers when they feel their colony is in danger. So be careful when pruning bushes. Shake them first and be prepared to MOVE!

Yellow Jackets are another social stinging insect that can be dangerous when encountered. They usually build their nest in the ground and when walked over or mowed over they will come out in large numbers looking to get revenge! Both Paper Wasps and Yellow Jackets can sting you multiple times making them more dangerous because of the amount of venom you could receive.

Honey Bees are usually not very aggressive and you usually will not have a problem with them, however their cousin The Africanized Honey Bee (Killer Bee), is much more aggressive and can really hurt or even kill you. They are much more persistent in attacking when disturbed. The normal European Honey Bee will usually defend its nest at around 150 ft where the Africanized Bee will defend its nest upwards of 400 ft. They can only sting one time and loose their stinger.

Carpenter Bees don’t usually pose a problem in regards to stinging you. They are very large and resemble a bumble bee. They have a shinny and smooth abdomen where the bumble bee has a fuzzy abdomen. The female is the only one that can sting you sense the male lacks a stinger. He will be the one darting all around you acting so bad. So when you see him flying all around and hovering in front of you, just smack him, he’s bluffing! The Bumble Bee however can put a hurting on you! They usually make a nest in the ground under things and can sting you multiple times. They are one of the best pollinators of plants and flowers around making them a very beneficial insect.

Cicada Killer is a very large wasp some people encounter in their yard. They make a Bumble Bee look like a sissy. They dig small mounds tunneling in the ground. The Argyle area usually has a problem every year with them. Their main purpose is to go out and seek a Cicada to sting and bring back to their nest so the young developing wasp have something to feed on. Due to their large size, we get calls from people deathly afraid of them. You can actually walk right through the area where they are nesting and they will not bother you. (I would not suggest this though) they are not aggressive at all unless you look like a Cicada.

Mud Daubers are another wasp you generally will not have a problem with in regards to stinging you. They are not aggressive will not defend their nest. You will usually find their nest on your exterior walls, eaves, even attached on your light fixture. They construct their nest of mud or clay. They mainly feed on spiders and sting them to paralyze them where they pack them in sections of this mud home for their young to feed on.

You can always find more information on the University of Florida feature creature web site at http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/

**Always be careful when attempting to treat for any wasp or bee infestation. Serious harm or death could occur when taking this route. Consult a professional who is equipped to handle these treatments with specialized suits!! **

As always, if we can help, give us a call.

904-743-8272

FLEAS

By: Robert Holyfield

The warm weather is here and so are the flea calls! There’s nothing more frustrating than having fleas and not being able to get rid of them! The cat flea is the most common flea you will encounter. Adults are 1-3 mm in length, reddish brown to black and their bodies flat vertically so they can easily glide through the hairs of cats or dogs. Have you ever picked a flea off you or your pet and tried to kill it between your fingers by squeezing? Good luck! They usually spring right off back into the depths of your carpet. If you have finger nails, put him in between them and slice. That usually does the trick. Fleas are capable of jumping 8 to 13 inches horizontally. That’s a gold medal jump of 450 feet for you or me! Their life cycle from the time they lay their eggs to a newly hatched adult can be as little as 3 weeks. Depending on when the eggs were laid, you can have a hatch out every day so it looks like a treatment that was preformed is not working when really it is. They just have to come into contact with the product. The life cycle consists of egg, larva, pupa and adult. The pupa stage is the stage where they can lay dormant for months until they feel vibrations alerting them that a host is nearby and they hatch out right away to get a blood meal. I have had realtors call me in the past stating that they showed a house that had been vacant for months and before they left they were covered with fleas. A trick I had often suggested was to lay a boom box (if there is still such a thing) face down on the floor and turn the volume up so the vibration will signal there is a host and cause them to hatch out when no one is around. They come in contact with the treatment that was rendered and better control was obtained. You can also place a pan of water with dish detergent in it on the floor just below a night light and see if you have a infestation. If you have pets, you use vinegar instead of dish detergent.

Things to do before treatment:

Vacuum the entire house and put the bag or contents in a plastic bag and throw it away. Vacuuming will remove some adults and eggs and stimulate new adults to hatch out from the pupa state as we mentioned above forcing them in contact with the insecticide residual on the floor. Pick up all items off the floor so a good coverage can be obtained.

Finally call a professional to do the treatment as they have products and the knowledge to apply them in a safe and effective manner.

As always if you need us, give us a call. 904-743-8272

Electronic Billing - The Right Thing To Do

by Matt Bickford

A few months ago we announced a billing policy change that will go into effect in January, 2011 that will impose a $2.00 fee for statements sent via pony express (aka snail mail). The notices we've been including with billing statements offer incentives for early adopters to alternative electronic billing methods. We're pleased that positive responses have been overwhelmingly more plentiful than calls from customers unhappy with this policy change, but we are concerned about the nature of some of the complaints. It's my hope that this post will clear up some concerns for some readers that may still be curious about the reasons for the change.

Going Green When John F. Sessions started Bug Out in 1963, he established the foundation on which our culture of conscientious applicators stands tall. Although the term "Green" as it's used today to indicate environmentally sound practices wasn't likely used in the mid-late 60's, I'm fairly certain that they referred to it by what they knew it to be at the time, "common sense".

Fast forward to an age of unprecedented electronic access to collective intelligence when anyone can be an expert on anything in as little as a 3 seconds after a Google search, and a policy that effectively reduces the amount of paper that a business consumes is just plain common sense. It's the right thing to do.

That understood, it's certainly not the only good business reason for the deployment of such an initiative, nor is it necessarily the top reason considering that paper is a replenishable resource. (It comes from trees - I Googled it)

Stabilization Of Revenue Uh oh, now you're going to get all biznezzy on us, Mr. Bloggerman! Well ok, maybe a little. Decades of empirical data collected internally has revealed that clients with accounts set up to auto-pay electronically stay on the books longer and maintain a healthier payment history on average compared to accounts that do not.

Why is that, smarty pants? What are you implying? I'm glad you asked! It's not because people that pay their bills from a traditional invoice received by mail are a bunch of deadbeats. On the contrary, we know full well that our clients are hard-working, very busy people. We're in your homes and at your workplaces, believe me--we know you. We understand fully that the pest control bill is just another piece of paper in the stack. Therefore, offering a payment method that makes your lives just a little bit simpler is another example of an act of common sense. It's the right thing to do.

Offer? You're making me do it! How's that an offer? You got me there. Yes, we're nudging our clients just a bit knowing full well that a very small number of you will unfortunately choose to take your business elsewhere. Considering that the technologies that enable the safe and secure digital transfer of money were proven and available to consumers and businesses well over 2 decades ago, this change is well past due. We like to think that the delinquency is because we opted to observe trends and monitor the marketplace for acceptance and adoption before we decided to "nudge", but it's just as possible that like you, we've just been very busy.

Preservation of Capital Aha! Now we're getting to it! You profit monger, you! Vilification of for-profit organizations is a common practice in the media today. Some of it is even justifiable. There have been, currently are and always will be some bad companies out there, but profit itself is not evil, it's why businesses exist and it's probably why you're employed. That understood, profit has little to nothing to do with this new billing policy. It does relate directly to operating capital, however.

During periods of economic recession, good companies, much like the average family, must exercise creativity and maybe even eat a Spam sandwich or two in order to survive. Many companies take the "easy route" by raising prices or adding fuel surcharges to their invoices, which makes about as much sense as a government-imposed tax increase on its citizens to combat a bad economy. Some companies reduce employee benefits and maybe even reduce the number of employees. No matter what tactics are utilized, survival during tougher economic times is a challenging fiscal gladiatorial bout. Ultimately the market is the Ceasar that will deliver the live or die thumb up or thumb down. That's business.

For many years Bug Out Service has invoiced its clients by mail as a courtesy at no additional charge. The ever rising costs of this practice compared to the growing level of acceptance of electronic payment methods by the market we serve make this expense impossible to ignore. We estimate that annual savings could top 6 digits and have already realized savings of thousands of dollars per month in the form of current-customer conversions to electronic billing.

This cash is operating capital that is being used to continue to provide the high quality of service that our clients have grown accustomed to and rightfully expect. It's money that we've been able to secure during an economic period when our expenses are growing at a rate exceeding that of our rate of growth, and we did it without raising prices. It was and is the right thing to do.

"Pony Express" photo by Cotaroba and "Cash Photo" by AMagill are used herein under the guidelines of the Creative Commons Attribution License

5 Beautiful Bug Photographs From Flickr

by Matt Bickford


At Bug Out Service we really love bugs. What’s that? We kill bugs? Yes, in the interest of health and property, we do indeed kill a few bugs, and as much as we’d love to take off and nuke ‘em from orbit (it’s the only way to be sure), we devote a tremendous amount of effort and resources toward actually reducing the impact of our pest management activities.

Product formulations, modes of action, application methods,

applicator training and client education are but a few items that we [Bug Out Service and the professional pest control industry at large] address daily as components of our operation.

We do all of this so that we maximize adherence to our prime directive; protect health and property while targeting only those bugs that would otherwise do harm; pests. So relax Coccinella Septempuctata, ♪ ♫ It means no worries for the rest of your days ♫ ♪ We’re only after the “bad bugs”.

To perhaps improve your appreciation for bugs as things of beauty, this post features 5 Beautiful Bug Photographs From Flickr

Note: All images are licensed for and are used herein under the guidelines of the Creative Commons Attribution License

Attribution information in order of appearance: the_tahoe_guy lukjonis Critter Seeker Abhishek Jacob _-=Dreemreeper=-_

Sod Webworms
(by Jeremy Maneol)




Have you ever woke up one morning and looked out the window to see areas in the lawn that appear to have been mowed? Well you just became the victim of the sod web worm.

During summer months it is not uncommon to see the little white moths darting about a foot or two above the turf – especially in the shady areas and at night. These lawn moths do No damage to your lawn – Yes they are a nuisance but they absolutely do no damage to the lawn in the adult stage.

But that is only half of the story.

The moths are laying eggs, Eggs that hatch out into little caterpillars. These small caterpillars, the larvae stage of the sod webworms, feed on the turf grass blades.Sod webworms can be serious pests of home lawns, sports fields, golf courses and other turf grass areas. They seem to prefer new, vigorous lawns and they increase in importance when many new lawns are being established.

The sod web worm larvae are a gray green color and have brown spots and can reach ¾” to 1” in length. To check for sod webworms part the grass in suspected areas and closely examine the soil surface. Look for chewed leaves, webs, green excrement, and for the worm itself.

Sod webworm damage starts to become visible from June to August, but I have seen activity all the way through October. The larvae primarily feed at night and stay rested in a curled position at the soil surface during the day. The damage from the sod webworm is easy to see. They feed on the grass and leave notches along the sides.

Fear not however, they are easily controlled and do no permanent damage. Affected areas generally recover in a couple of weeks. Although several products are available for purchase at your local home and garden store, it is usually best to contact a professional when dealing with turf damaging insects.

Adults may be visible and active for several days after a pesticide application, but rest assured that the larvae are dining on treated turf. That’s bad for sod webworms, but safe for humans and pets.

As always, if we can help, give us a call!

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