1. Keep all garbage in metal containers with tight fitting lids.
2. Repair any plumbing leaks to remove collected water.
3. Remove unused piles of skids and debris.
4. Cover fresh air and vents with 6.35 mm (1/4 inch) metal screening or steel mesh.
5. While we know this is hard, try to keep loading dock doors closed as much as possible so that the rats don’t just walk in.

Still need assistance? Call Beacon Pest Control for safe and effective rat control for the home or the workplace.

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Live Rats:  Look and listen for scampering rats.  Move stored products to undercover harbourages.

Rat Burrows:  Holes and fresh diggings around or under foundations, floors, side-walks, platforms and embarkments all may mean rats.

Rat Gnawing:  Look for signs of chewing around doors, windows, utility lines and packages goods especially food packages.

Rat Droppings:  Fresh droppings are a sure sign.  Look behind objects near walls and in places seldom cleaned or disturbed.

Test Baiting:  Place food out overnight where rats can find it.  If the food is gone in the morning, you probably have rats.

If you have any of the above, you may have a rat in your house. It’s time to call Beacon Pest Control for peace of mind rodent control.

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I get asked this question all the time. Here are some house mouse exclusion tips:

1. Seal any openings larger than 1 cm around pipes and vents going into the house.
2. Make sure doors, windows and screens fit snugly.
3. Store wood and debris away from the house.
4. Manage seeds that drop from outdoor feeders.
5. Secure your outdoor composter to make it unavailable to rodents.

If you still have mice or rats, give us a call. We can help.

We can even repair small gaps around those pipes and cage in your dryer vent so you can feel comfortable knowing that the mice do not gave easy access to your home.

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With 3 simple steps you can get rid of mice in your walls.

Step 1:  Identify that you have mice.  This may seem redundant but proper pest identification is the most important step.  If you hear light scurrying or scratching in your walls during the evening and night hours, you likely have mice.

Step 2:  Lure the mice out.  Mice are always hungry so use this to your advantage.  Place bait on snap traps and let the mice come to you.  You don’t have to run out and buy mice poison.  Some of their favourite baits are peanut butter, Nutella and Tootsie Rolls.  Try offering a variety to increase your chances of success.

Step 3:  Prevent mice from getting into your walls.  Seal any openings larger than 1/4 inch.  Steel wool mixed with caulking compound makes a good plug.

Still having problems? Give us a call.

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Sanitation

The most important factor in prevention is sanitation.

• Use a bleach and water solution to sanitize surfaces.  This will kill 99% of all bacteria that german cockroaches feed on.
• Clean up all spilled drinks and foods including crumbs on the floor.
• Do your dishes every night.
• Store items such as cereal, crackers, cookies, flour, sugar and bread in airtight containers like tupperware.
• Store garbage in a sturdy container with a tightly fitting lid.

Repairs

• In the kitchen and bathrooms, caulk all holes where pipes pass through the wall.
• Fix leaky faucets and pipes.
• Repair sweating pipes.

Visit our blog on …… which outlines how we can help in your fight against german cockroaches.

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• Check with other people in the house to determine if they are being bitten by something.
• Inspect your home focusing on where people sleep.
• Check the piping along the mattresses and the protective plastic corner caps on box springs.
• Remove the mattress and box spring completely from the frame and inspect the headboard and where the bed rails attach to the headboard and foot board.
• Turn over nightstands and look underneath.
• Inspect baseboards near the head of the bed.

For a step-by-step bed bug inspection guide, visit our blog How Do You Find Bed Bugs?

If people are being bitten or you see any live bugs, skin casings or fecal ‘dots’ during the inspection, chances are you are living with bed bugs.

It’s time now to call the friendly experts at Beacon Pest Control to get rid of the problem quickly, effectively and economically.  Call today and we can arrange for a same day on-site inspection.

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What I use:

I use 2 high powered LED flashlights.  A 120 lumen hand help unit and a 90 lumen head lamp.  I like the head lamp because it keeps my hands free.  If you have not performed an inspection before, you may find a 10x microscope helpful.

What I am looking for:

I look for 7 indicators of a bed bug infestation:

1)  Live Bed Bugs:  Live bed bugs will confirm that the infestation is currently active.  Visit Bed Bugs in the ‘Pest’ section of our website for a physical description of a bed bug.

2)  Dead Bed Bugs:  These can often be easier to spot than live bugs.

3)  Exoskeletons (cast skins):  An external covering for the body which is shed when the bed bug molts.

4)  Eggs:  About 1mm in length, cream in colour with a slight end.

5)  Fecal Spotting:  Is digested blood defecated by the bed bugs.  Spotting tends to appear as splotches of dark marks.

6)  Red Blood Coloured Spots:  These may occur as a result of bed bugs passing sera or engorged bugs being squashed by the movements of the sleeping host.

7)  Odor:  Some people describe it as “sickly sweet” or “strawberry like”.  This is usually only noticed in heavy infestations, if close to the bugs or during the treatment process.

Where I look:

The mattress should be the first site inspected, generally, bed bugs are more likely to be present in the darker areas near the wall.  Close attention should be paid to the seams, beading, under buttons, labels and corner protectors.

For a bed frame, the base is more likely to harbour bed bugs than the top mattress.  Wooden slats contain many cracks and crevices for bed bugs to hide and lay their eggs.  If the wooden slats are bolted to the frame, the bolts should be undone and the drilled holes inspected.

The area around the bed should be investigated next, these include:

• Bedside furniture, tables, etc. should be turned over and examined.
• Dresser drawers should be removed and examined.
• If the bed’s head board is attached to the wall, it should be removed and examined.

Still need help?  Call today for a same day on-site inspection by a licensed exterminator.

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• Eliminate sources of moisture or standing water.  Be especially vigilant in protecting crawl spaces, basements and attics.
• Keep wooden parts of the house and other structures dry by making necessary repairs to roofs, flashing, gutters and downspouts. NOTE: Carpenter ants will not normally infest wood that is sound and has a moisture content less than 15%.
• Do not allow vegetation to be in contact with the house.
• Fill any gaps or cracks on the outside of your home with silicone caulk.
• Make sure that firewood and building materials are not stored next to your home
• Inspect wood on your property for signs of an infestation, such as the appearance of small openings on the surface of wood.

If you suspect that you have a carpenter ant infestation, give us a call – we’re here to help.

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Ant sightings in the home

The presence of large (1/2 inch), wingless, dark-coloured ants inside the home is usually the first sign of an ant infestation.  These worker ants, which usually emerge at night, will feed on meats and foods containing sugar and fat.  A great trick to find the nest is to set out small pieces of tuna packed in water (carpenter ants are not attracted to tuna packed in oil) for the ants to take back to their nests.  Ideal time to track ants is between sunset and midnight.  Large winged ants gathering around windows and doors is another common sign of an indoor ant infestation.

Frass

Frass is debris or excrement produced by insects.  Frass will present itself as small piles of sawdust or wood shavings.  Carpenter ants do not eat wood, rather, they remove wood as they create galleries and tunnels.  Carpenter ants are constantly cleaning these galleries and tunnels of sawdust and other debris which produces the piles of frass which home owners often see.

Hear ants

An active colony may make a dry, rustling sound that becomes louder if the ant colony is disturbed.  This sound, thought to be a form of communication, is made with the mandibles (jaws) and is not related to wood chewing.  When trying to detect carpenter ants, tap the suspected area and then press an ear to the surface in order to hear any sound.

Once you have identified that you have ants, it’s time to do something about it.  Give us a call and let us give you your ant free home back.

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