Fleas

Fleas
(by Robert Holyfield)

Even though we had a pretty hard winter, the bugs have come back with a vengeance. Fleas are no exception. If you ever had a bad flea infestation, you know the difficulty you can go through trying to rid your property of them. There are over 2000 species of fleas worldwide. The most common flea is the cat flea. Adults are 1/16 to 1/8 inch long, dark reddish brown to black. Their bodies are flattened vertically or side to side allowing them easy movement between the hairs of their host. They can jump 13 inches horizontally. That’s about a 450 foot jump for you or me. Their life cycle from egg to adult can be as little as 3 weeks. This consists of egg, larva, pupa and adult. The pupa stage is the final stage before adult and fleas can remain in this stage for long periods of time. Vibration and or carbon dioxide lets them know when there is a host so they hatch out of this stage into adulthood and FEED. Cat fleas unlike other fleas like to remain on the host. Their eggs are laid on the animal and roll off into the carpet or floor area. This is why growth regulators work so well when applied on your pets. The eggs come in contact with them and their development is interfered with. The use of growth regulators along with products such as Advantage or Frontline will kill adults and help prevent development of immature fleas. We have a product called Petcor we use or sell at cost to our customers when they have a bad flea infestation. It kills the adults and leaves only the residue of precor ( insect growth regulator) for any future eggs that are laid.
Fleas can transmit diseases such as plague and murine typhus to humans. The bubonic plague or black death that killed so many people years ago came from the fleas feeding on the rats and then transmitting the disease to humans. This is where the popular nursery rhyme “Ring Around The Rosie” is thought to have come from. LOOK IT UP.
When you call a pest professional for a flea problem, before the treatment, remove all items off the floor and thoroughly vacuum the floors. This will allow the pest professional to be able to get a good coverage of product through out the structure. Don’t forget to throw out the vacuum bag in a sealed plastic bag immediately when finished due to all the eggs, larva and adults you will have vacuumed. Be prepared, you may need to vacate the structure along with the pets while the treatment is drying. Outside infestation in the yard you will need to mow the lawn if the grass is high, again this will allow the product to reach the soil more easily than if the grass is thick. Watering before and/or after a treatment, may be a necessary, if in a drought situation.

Be patient, a heavy flea infestation can call for several treatments before control takes place. Working together with your Pest Control Professional, you will be able to get a flea infestation under control.
Receive initial service free with any new pest control service paid in advance for the year by mentioning this ad.

WARM WEATHER IS HERE

Warm weather is here! All it takes is a couple warm days and our insects are off and running.
To prepare now for your spring Pest Prevention, follow these simple tips.

1. Clean up any debris around the foundation. (Especially if it was there all winter)

2. Seal and caulk any openings going into the home. A tight house is a bug-free house.

3. Keep all bird seed feeders a good distance from the house. (Draws ants and rodents)

4. Pick up any fruit lying on the ground from the fruit bearing trees. It also draws rodents and flies.

5. Do not leave any water standing near the house. This draws unwanted mosquitoes.

6. Keep trash cans away from inside the attached garage.

7. Vacuum window tracks with dead insects laying in them.

8. Check all irrigation heads to direct the water away from the house.

9. Rake old mulch back from up against the foundation and don't pile new mulch too high. (no more then 2 inches)

10. Pets should be on a flea program now, do not wait until you see a flea!Thank You and Happy Spring Fever!

Linda PrenticeAssociate Certified Entomologist

WARM WEATHER IS HERE

EPA honors National pest management association with
National pesticide program partners award
NPMA is the first and only industry group to receive an EPA Honors Award
December 17, 2009 (Fairfax, Va.) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) with its National Pesticide Program Partners Award on Thursday, December 17, 2009. The award was given as a part of EPA’s Office of Pesticide Program’s first-ever Honor Awards Ceremony, which aims to highlight core values and principles of EPA and encourage their widespread practice.


The National Pesticide Program Partners Award was the only award at the ceremony honoring an organization outside of EPA. The award recognizes the work of NPMA’s GreenPro program, the largest green certification program for pest management professionals in the world.

“NPMA is honored to receive this award from EPA in recognition of our GreenPro program,” said Bob Rosenberg, senior vice president for NPMA, who accepted the award on behalf of the association. “EPA and NPMA share a commitment to the protection of public health and the environment, and NPMA’s GreenPro program is one way in which we strive to preserve our planet and increase consumer awareness for environmentally responsible initiatives.”

As the most widely-recognized certification available in the pest management industry, NPMA’s GreenPro certification verifies to consumers that their pest management provider complies with many qualifications designed to ensure they receive eco-effective service. In addition to requiring participating companies to submit independent audits, GreenPro certified companies must have their service technicians, salespersons and managers trained, tested and recertified. In addition to green pest management service standards, participating companies are also evaluated on business operations, such as criminal background checks, reference checks, drug screening and more, prior to being able to participate in GreenPro.

In addition to receiving this award, GreenPro has also been recognized by organizations inside and outside the pest management industry, including the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) and is designed to satisfy the needs of green-conscious consumers like buildings seeking a LEED certification.



What is Green Pro?
Eco-Effective Pest Control, Protecting Your Family, and Preserving the Planet.
As individuals across the world make great strides to preserve our planet and increase consumer awareness for environmentally responsible initiatives, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) is excited to offer the world’s largest and most credible green certification program for pest management professionals – Green Pro.
The Green Pro certification means that your pest management provider must comply with a multitude of qualifications to ensure that you receive a safe and effective service each time they arrive at your door.

Green Pro is the most widely recognized certification available to companies in the pest management industry.

It has the most comprehensive standards of any available program.
Requires companies that participate to submit to independent audits.
Service technicians, salespersons and managers must be trained, tested and recertified.

Call Bug Out Service for your Green Pro experts.

What is green pest management? When hiring a Green Pro company for your pest management needs, understand that the technician sent to your account must meet tough standards to ensure that you receive an environmentally responsible service. This kind of service is frequently called integrated pest management (IPM), though Green Pro standards go beyond the requirements of traditional IPM.
Bug Out Service was one of the first companies to offer a customized program called “Green Solution”, which started in 2007.

REASONS FOR LOW TEMPERATURE DAMAGE
Article By: Terri Mathis

Our temperatures have been going up and down like a yo-yo!
We have experienced some early freezes and frosts in the months of October, November and December. Some say we are headed for an extremely cold winter.

Most warm season turfs, including St. Augustine, have a cold tolerance rating of poor to very poor. Cultural and environmental factors that tend to favor cold injury include: Lack of rainfall or irrigation, poor drainage, soil compaction, excessive thatch, reduced lighting, and close mowing height. Turf species and cultivar variations will also show different levels of injury.

Depending on the weather pattern this winter, possible numerous frost and hard freezes could occur. There may be mild, moderate, and up to severe damage to turf. Mild damaged areas can be encouraged to fill in through proper fertilization; moderately damaged area will need to be plugged with the appropriate St. Augustine cultivar, and severely damaged areas with wide spread death to the turf will require resodding with the appropriate turf species and cultivar. Early Spring is the best time to evaluate how much damage your turf has experienced.

Watering should be reduced to once every 10 to 14 days in absence of rain. In the winter, our air temperatures and soil temperatures will drop. This means our soil will hold moisture for longer periods of time which means we can reduce our watering days.

Need Help? Call a professional. Call Bug Out Service!