Pest Control
Quick Links: Roaches - Ants - Fleas - Mites - Bees & Wasps
Integrated Pest Management -- A Safe and Effective Alternative
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) involves the integration of both non-chemical and chemical tools and techniques for managing pests. While pesticides are a powerful tool for controlling pests, IPM provides a safe and effective alternative to traditional methods.
At Black Widow Pest Control, we understand that there are situations which require sensitivity to pesticides. Our process for implementing an IPM program may include some or all of the following:
• Inspection of Premises: Our technicians will conduct quality, insightful inspections to determine anything that may cause pests to enter the property. We will also inspect any previously infested areas as pests often repeatedly seek out the same harborages. A history of all problems and potential problems will be maintained.
• Recommendations for Non-Chemical Measures: Once an inspection is complete we will make our recommendations for Non-Chemical measures which may include placing traps in areas subject to pest activity, as well as a Pest Exclusion program to help deny pests entry to the property.
• Recommendations for Chemical Treatments: If Non-Chemical measures are not sufficient, Black Widow will recommend the use of quality insecticides and professional applications to reduce problems.
• Obtain Cooperation from On-Site Personnel: Black Widow will work with on-site staff to implement control measures.
• Implementing Initial Treatments: Once all recommendations are reviewed and agreed upon, Black Widow will implement an initial treatment. A detailed report will accompany all inspections and treatments.
• Implementing Follow-up Treatments: Black Widow will develop a schedule for regular follow-up treatments.
• Monitoring Results: We will continually monitor results of our Integrated Pest Management program to ensure that our clients’ needs are being met. As needed, we will continually alter our program to best focus on pest prevention.
Roaches - Top of Page
The cockroach is the most common house infesting insect and the number one pest in the United States. It will live in voids and cracks and crevices in kitchens, bathrooms and other areas of the home. They are nocturnal and will venture out of their habitats at night in search of food, water and mates. They have been proven to spread bacteria like salmonella. In addition, many asthmatic individuals are allergic to cockroaches.
Control: German cockroaches are one of the most challenging insects to control. The key to control is properly placing insecticides where the cockroaches will contact them. It may involve the placement of insecticides directly into the areas where these insects live and/or placing insecticide baits close to their harborages.
Ants - Top of Page
- Carpenter Ants
- Pavement Ants
- Little Black Ant
- Large Yellow Ant
- Odorous House Ant
- Pharaoh Ant
Common nesting sites include warm wall voids, sub floor areas, wall sockets, attics, and cracks, crevices, behind baseboards and in furniture. Females mate in the nest, and new colonies are formed by budding. This means part of the original colony moves new masses with a young queen to a new nesting site. Mating may occur in the nest at any time during the year. Ants seem to prefer meat or grease but will eat almost anything, including insects, sugar syrups, fruit juices, jellies and cakes.
Control: The control and elimination of ants from a structure can be a difficult endeavor, depending on the ant species involved. The primary key in controlling infestations of most pest ant species is to find and directly treat the colony with the appropriate insecticide. Most ant infestations originate from outside the structure. You can be assured that a Black Widow pest management professional will quickly located the source(s).
Fleas - Top of Page
There are over 1,000 types of fleas in the world. The most common flea you will encounter attacking people and a pet is the cat flea.
Control: The pupa stage is difficult to control with insecticides. By stimulating emergence we are able to contact the adults with insecticides and insure better control. A thorough vacuuming of all interior flea-breeding areas is essential to achieve the desired results. Carpets may be vacuumed as frequently as once every two days. After vacuuming, vacuum bags must always be placed in a sealed trash bag and placed outside for disposal. If the bag is not sealed and discarded properly, adult fleas may escape and re-infest the home.
Mites - Top of Page
Clover Mites - Back to Mites TOP
Clover mites are tiny, (smaller than a pinhead), about 1/30th of an inch long, and reddish-brown. Clover mites re pests not because they bit or cause disease, but simply because they can invade a structure in unbelievable numbers. They are often found indoors in late fall, winter, and early spring especially on the south and west sides of the structure. If crushed, these mites leave red stains on surfaces
Control: Vacuuming will remove large numbers of mites, but care must be taken not to crush them. Treatment using a properly labeled, residual insecticide can be applied to windows, door sills and the outside of the structure.
Bird Mites - Back to Mites TOP
Bird mites parasitize a wide variety of domestic and wild birds, including poultry, pigeons, starlings, sparrows and robins. These mites normally remain on birds or in bird nests throughout their life. Mite eggs are laid in nests or on feathers. Hatching occurs in two to three days and adults are seen about five days later if birds are present.
However, if a bird falls out of a nest and dies or a nest is abandoned, bird mites seek other hosts. These mites may enter homes, sometimes in large numbers to search for food when nests are on or in buildings. Although bird mites often bite people, circumstances have been described where they are found in large numbers but do not appear to annoy anyone.
Control: Removal of dead birds, nesting material, closing of holes, ripped screens and other points of entry are effective means of prevention. Application of specifically labeled insecticides have proven effective in the control of these mites outside around windows, doors and other possible points of entry.
Rodent Mites - Back to Mites TOP
Rodent mites can be found in homes where rats or mice are abundant or where rodents have recently died. Several common rodent mites have been known to occasionally bite humans.
The tropical rat mite, is neither truly tropical nor exclusively feeds on rats. This mite can live for up to 10 days off its host and is capable of traveling great distances to find new food sources. In habitats where rodents have been killed, the mites will leave their dead hosts, congregate around heat sources, such as hot pipes and stoves and seek alternative food sources, including humans. The bite of these mites often causes tiny, clear blisters which is accompanied by a rash. However, they are not known to vector any human diseases.
The house mouse mite, has a worldwide distribution but is more common in the U.S. in the northeastern states. It is normally a nest dweller and only occurs on the host when feeding. It will attack humans if rodent hosts are not available.
Another rodent mite which occasionally bites people is the spiny rat mite. This is probably the most common mite occurring on Norway rats and roof rats in the U.S. It is not a known vector of pathogens.
Control: Can most easily be accomplished by exclusion and elimination of the mouse and/or rat hosts. Insecticides, properly labeled, should be effective. Treat only those areas where the mite activity is known of suspected.
Dust Mites - Back to Mites TOP
It is an established fact that dust mites can be found in house dust all over the world. Dust mites are not insects but are more closely related to spiders and ticks. There are two common dust mites, the American house dust mite and the European house dust mite. Due to their very small size, these dust mites are not visible to the naked eye. They live in bedding, couches, carpet, stuffed toys and old clothing. Dust mites feed on the dead skin that falls off the bodies of humans and animals and on other organic material found where they live.
Though these mites live in many homes, only people who are allergic to them know they are there. Dust mites are second only to pollen in causing allergic reactions. When dust mites grow, they shed their skin. The shed skin and feces are what cause allergic reactions in people. Allergic reactions range from itchy noses and eyes to severe asthma attacks.
Dust mites do not live in air ducts in homes. Many people spend much time and money cleaning the air ducts to reduce dust mites. This is not necessary because dust mites need about 70 percent relative humidity or higher to live, and they need food. Areas where people spend much time, like a bed or a favorite plush chair, are prime sites for dust mites. The top part of mattresses containing fibrous material is a favorite place for dust mites during warm and humid times. The deeper parts of mattresses may provide protected areas for the dust mites during unfavorable conditions. Clothing is used by dust mites as a means of transportation from room to room or even from house to house.
Control: Dust mites can be difficult, time-consuming and expensive. For people who are extremely sensitive, the following measures should be taken:
- Enclose mattresses, box springs and pillows in zippered allergen- and dust-proof covers.
- Wash bedding materials, including pillow cases, sheets, blankets and mattress pads every other week in hot water (130 °F).
- Eliminate or reduce fabric wall hangings such as tapestries or pennants.
- Purchase stuffed toys that are machine washable.
- Avoid using curtains, drapes or blinds on windows. Use plastic shades instead.
- Remove carpeting from the bedroom of the allergic person and replace it with tile or wooden floors.
- Replace upholstered furniture with wooden or plastic furniture.
- Vacuum often with a vacuum cleaner provided with a high efficiency purifying air (HEPA) filtration system. Throw away vacuum bags after use because dust mites can leave the bag.
Installing HEPA filters on air conditioner or heater vents is not practical or necessary, and may actually increase mite problems. Remember, dust mites cannot survive on the dust in the ducts, and the small holes of the filters will force air out of vents at a higher velocity, stirring up more dust than without filters.
Complete elimination of dust mites is unlikely. Reducing populations is the only likely way to reduce allergens in the air. Reducing humidity in the home by using a dehumidifier may help reduce populations, but reducing humidity levels in microclimates, such as in bed fibers or carpet fibers, is impossible. Chemical control is not necessary, nor will it have a lasting effect on dust mite populations. Regular cleaning and vacuuming will have a greater impact
Bees & Wasps Top of Page
Social Wasps - Back to Bees & Wasps TOP
Social wasps such as the hornets and paper wasps live in colonies in a fashion similar to the honey bees and ants. Most of the wasps in a colony are workers; i.e., the nest queen's nonreproductive daughters that build the nest, gather food and care for the queen's offspring.
Hornets build the familiar large nests of a paper-like material made from chewed wood mixed with saliva. Nests contain many tiers of cells covered by the outer shell with a single opening at the bottom. Hornet nests are usually located in wooded areas, attached to a tree branch, but may be attached to shrubs, utility poles or house siding. Each nest has only a few hundred workers that are about an inch long and dark with white, light yellow or cream colored markings on the abdomen, thorax, and face. Hornets can be aroused to sting in great numbers, but only when the nest is disturbed or threatened.
Paper wasps build the familiar umbrella shaped nests found hanging by a short stalk on the undersides of building eaves. Only a single tier of cells is constructed and there is no external covering over the nest. Each colony normally contains fewer than 25 wasps, but late in the season, the number may swell to over 100. Paper wasps are slightly longer and more slender than yellowjackets, and color is variable among the many species.
A social wasp colony lasts only 1 year. Paper wasps and hornets build a new nest from scratch each year and do not reuse the previous year's nest. The only wasps to overwinter are the fertilized queens. All the workers from a colony die with the first frosts.
Control: Wasps are beneficial insects that seek caterpillars and other insects to feed to their young. If a nest is located where it is out of the way and not likely to be disturbed, it is best left alone. If, however, a nest is located in a "high traffic" area such as along walks or near doorways, control is justified to reduce the threat of being stung.
Nests outdoors in walls or in the ground can be destroyed by placing an insecticide dust in and around the nest entrance during the night. The dust particles will adhere to the insects as they leave and reenter the nest and control will usually be achieved within a few days. Do not plug a nest opening in a house wall until you are sure all activity within the nest has stopped.
Above ground nests on trees and houses can be treated with aerosol sprays specifically made for this purpose labeled for use against wasps outdoors. These spray cans shoot the insecticide several feet. Treat nests at night when all of the workers are at the nest and the chances of being stung are lower. Retreat in 2 or 3 days if necessary.
Bumble Bees - Back to Bees & Wasps TOP
Bumble bees are big, fuzzy insects recognized by almost everyone by their robust shape and black and yellow coloration. The common species are 3/4 inch in length or more. Like honey bees, bumble bees live in a colony where the adults care for the young (larvae) produced by a single queen. Bumble bee nests are small compared to honey bees, as each nest contains only a few hundred individuals. Also, unlike honey bees, a bumble bee nest is annual and is used only one year and then abandoned. Bumble bees may re-appear in the same area from one year to the next but they do not reuse an old nest. Bumble bee colonies are usually underground in a deserted mouse or bird nest though they are occasionally found within wall cavities or even in the clothes drier vent.
In the spring, each new queen selects a nest site and starts a new colony. She lines the cavity with dry grass or moss and then collects pollen and nectar to produce a stored food called "bee bread." Her first brood of offspring, (5 to 20), will all be workers (daughters) who take over the colony responsibilities of nest enlargement, food gathering and storage, and feeding and caring for the larvae. The queen continues to lay eggs throughout the summer. By late summer, new reproductive males and females (kings and queens) are produced. These mate on the wing and the fertilized females move to hibernation sites in the shelter of loose bark, hollow trees or other dry, protected places to lie dormant through the winter. The males and workers still in the colony die with frost or the first hard freeze.
If the vicinity of a bumble bee nest can be avoided, then leave them alone and wait for them to die in the fall as the preferred "management" option. Live-trapping bumble bees for relocation is not practical and covering the nest entrance does not usually solve the problem.
Bumble bee nests in yards, flowers beds, wood piles, walls or other high traffic areas may create an unacceptable threat of being stung and justify treatment. Determine the exact location of the nest entrance from a safe distance during the day, but wait until night to treat if possible. Wear long-sleeved shirt and trousers and tie sleeves and pants legs shut or pull your socks out over your pant cuffs.
Apply an insecticide dust labeled for outdoor use against bees through the entrance hole. Use a duster or squeeze bottle to puff the insecticide into the opening, or to "fling" the insecticide into the hole off an old plastic spoon. Cover underground nest openings with soil but do not plug nests in house walls until all activity has stopped. Be prepared to repeat the treatment if necessary.
Yellowjackets - Back to Bees & Wasps TOP
Late summer is the time of year when populations of yellowjackets (commonly called "bees") and other social wasps become large and noticeable. The wasps have been present since spring, but because colonies start as a single queen in May, populations are very small through the early part of the summer.
Yellowjackets build paper nests similar to hornets, but either in the ground, a log or landscape timber or building wall or attic. Yellowjackets are commonly observed hovering back and forth at the small nest opening or around garbage cans and other areas where they forage for food. The workers from the colony travel up to a few hundred yards from the nest while looking for food. In the early summer the wasps forage for caterpillars and other "meat" items, but in the fall prefer sweets such as pop and candy residue in garbage cans.
Control: If a nest is located where it is out of the way and not likely to be disturbed, it is best left alone. If, however, a nest is located in a "high traffic" area such as along walks or near doorways, control is justified to reduce the threat of being stung.
Nests in walls or in the ground can be destroyed by placing an insecticide dust in and around the nest entrance during the night. The dust particles will adhere to the insects as they leave and reenter the nest and control will usually be achieved within a few days. Do not plug a nest opening in a house wall until you are sure all activity within the nest has stopped. "
Honey bees - Back to Bees & Wasps TOP
Honey bees are valuable and provide tremendous benefits, specifically pollination, honey and wax. However there are times and places where honey bees create an annoyance and a nuisance, and for sting-sensitive individuals, a health threat. One such incidence is when honey bees swarm.
Swarming is a natural part of the development of a honey bee colony. Swarming is a method of propagation that occurs in response to crowding within the colony. Swarming is an advantage to the bees but is a distinct disadvantage for beekeepers. Consequently, beekeepers manage hives to reduce the incidence of swarming to the extent possible. Swarming usually occurs in late spring and early summer and begins in the warmer hours of the day.
Honey bee swarms may contain several hundred to several thousand worker bees, a few drones and one queen. Swarming bees fly around briefly and then cluster on a tree limb, shrub or other object. Clusters usually remain stationary for an hour to a few days, depending on weather and the time needed to find a new nest site by scouting bees. When a suitable location for the new colony, such as a hollow tree, is found the cluster breaks up and flies to it.
Honey bee swarms are not highly dangerous under most circumstances. Swarming honey bees feed prior to swarming, reducing their ability to sting. Further, bees away from the vicinity of their nest (offspring and food stores) are less defensive and are unlikely to sting unless provoked.
In most situations when a honey bee swarm is found on a tree, shrub or house you do not need to do anything. Swarms are temporary and the bees will move on if you patiently ignore them. Stay back and keep others away from the swarm, but feel free to admire and appreciate the bees from a safe distance.
Only if a serious health threat is present because of the location of the swarm, such as in a highly traveled public area, should you need to do anything with a cluster. An experienced beekeeper may be willing to gather the swarm and relocate it for you. Note that most beekeepers do not do this because they want the swarm; swarmers often have diseases and parasites that will be difficult to manage. Beekeepers that are willing to relocate swarms do so as a public service and may rightfully charge a fee.
Control: As a last resort, you can spray a swarm of bees with soapy water or synthetic insecticide. Wait until after dark if possible. Soapy water sprays (up to 1 cup of liquid dishwashing detergent in a gallon of water) are preferred because the bees die peacefully; aerosol wasp and hornet sprays are more likely to irritate and agitate the bees before they die, increasing the chances of being stung. Spraying a honey bee swarm is a risky operation because of the large number of bees.
Carpenter bees - Back to Bees & Wasps TOP
In the late-spring and early summer, homeowners often notice large, black bees hovering around the outside of their homes. These are probably carpenter bees searching for mates and favorable sites to construct their nests. Male carpenter bees are quite aggressive, often hovering in front of people who are around the nests. The males are quite harmless, however, since they lack stingers. Female carpenter bees can inflict a painful sting but seldom will unless they are handled or molested.
Carpenter bees resemble bumble bees, but the upper surface of their abdomen is bare and shiny black; bumble bees have a hairy abdomen with at least some yellow markings.
Despite their similar appearance, the nesting habits of the two types of bees are quite different. Bumble bees usually nest in the ground whereas carpenter bees tunnel into wood to lay their eggs. Bare, unpainted or weathered softwoods are preferred, especially redwood, cedar, cypress and pine. Painted or pressure-treated wood is much less susceptible to attack. Common nesting sites include eaves, window trim, facia boards, siding, wooden shakes, decks and outdoor furniture.
Carpenter bees overwinter as adults in wood within abandoned nest tunnels. They emerge in the spring, usually in April or May. After mating, the fertilized females excavate tunnels in wood and lay their eggs within a series of small cells. The cells are provisioned with a ball of pollen on which the larvae feed, emerging as adults in late summer. The entrance hole and tunnels are perfectly round and about the diameter of your finger. Coarse sawdust the color of fresh cut wood will often be present beneath the entry hole, and burrowing sounds may be heard from within the wood. Female carpenter bees may excavate new tunnels for egg laying, or enlarge and reuse old ones. The extent of damage to wood which has been utilized for nesting year after year may be considerable.
Control: Carpenter bees prefer to attack wood which is bare, weathered and unpainted. Therefore, the best way to deter the bees is to paint all exposed wood surfaces, especially those which have a history of being attacked. Wood stains and preservatives are less reliable than painting, but will provide some degree of repellency versus bare wood. To further discourage nesting, garages and outbuildings should be kept closed when carpenter bees are actively searching for nesting sites.
Liquid sprays can be applied as a preventive to wood surfaces which are attracting bees. Residual effectiveness of these insecticides is often only 1-2 weeks, however, and the treatment may need to be repeated. Tunnels which have already been excavated are best treated by puffing an insecticidal dust into the nest opening. Aerosol sprays labeled for wasp or bee control also are effective. Leave the hole open for a few days after treatment to allow the bees to contact and distribute the insecticide throughout the nest galleries. Then plug the entrance hole with a piece of wooden dowel coated with carpenter's glue, or wood putty. This will protect against future utilization of the old nesting tunnels and reduce the chances of wood decay.
Although carpenter bees are less aggressive than wasps, female bees provisioning their nests will sting. Treatment is best performed at night when the bees are less active, or while wearing protective clothing.