OH MY!  Lots of ‘waterbugs’/roaches on my patio or coming in!  What’s happening?  Is your material not working? You need to come out RIGHT NOW and retreat!

WHOA, not so fast!  It became unseasonably hot really early this year and everything is looking for a more comfortable place – me included!  The material is still working!  The material we’re currently using is not photo sensitive.  The residual is easily 65 to 70 days!    Remember, the materials today, generally, are not repellant.  When the insects walk through it they will die!  It’s not a matter of if but, when.  Usually in 20 minutes to an hour you will see them turning upside down.  1st thing you will probably notice in the process of dying.

Issue is that they are coming out from storm drains, under rocks (large decorative landscape type) from the neighbors who are DIY and trying to find a more comfortable place to live.  They will gravitate toward the house.  Think of it this way….a dog can hear or smell things way beyond our ability.  These insects can sense that a building is a  more comfortable enviorment than where they are from as far as the middle of the street.  It’s about harborage (a place to live and breed).  They will travel to the more comfortable place and seek a crack or crevice to enter through.  That’s why I always say, if you can see light somewhere  around a door, they can and will come through……THEY’RE GONNA DIE!  They just crossed our material!  By the way, a doggie door to them is like no door at all.  It’s just a convenient hole in the wall for them to go through.

O.K., I’m getting a lot of comments from people that nothing can be done about scorpions.. NOT TRUE!

The situation is that if you don’t understand the animal you can’t do anything.  That means that a true experienced technician can make a difference.
The issue is that if you expect to go to the hardware store and pick something off the shelf – even if it has scorpions on its label or in it’s name you are not going to be successful.  If you hire someone who is only interested in “spraying as many houses a day as possible” – you’re not going to be successful.  If you think this animal is an insect – you’re not going to be successful!  If your neighbors have a nest of them and are trying to ‘do it yourself” – it’s going to be more difficult for you (or us) to control.  If you have an abandoned (bank owned) home where no one wants to be responsible, with a nest on the property,  - it’s going to be more difficult for you (or us) to control!

Now, with all that said, please understand, for beginning, insects have 6 legs, antennae, groom themselves, need food and water frequently.  This animal has eight legs, no antennae and can go for 4 to 6 months without food or water!  It’s more closely related to a lobster than it is to a spider!  Now, think of the hard texture of a lobster’s shell and relate that to the scorpion.  Remember, the shell is its bone structure or skeleton.  Then, there is an outer coating we call cuticle that keeps in the body fluids.  Oops!, keeps out foreign materials too.  If you get this, then you can start to understand why it takes so long after they are exposed to chemicals.  Usually the time elapse factor is 2 to 5 days.  Will our materials kill them? Most definitely!  Will it take time?  Most definitely!

There are a couple of factors involved in controlling scorpions.  One is the choice material used, where, how, and why.  The other is exclusion practices.  Just because the label says scorpions doesn’t mean it’s instant kill.  Research and experience play a big part in product selection.  Removing their food source helps greatly in devouring them from coming. It’s all about understanding their habits.  The other main factor is exclusion.  If you have a pet door in the wall or slider, you might consider removing it.  Scorpions sense the better or more comfortable environment and will go through the pet door as though there was nothing there.  Are there small (or large) gaps in the weatherstrip around your exterior doors and door to your garage?  They’ll go through them as though the door wasn’t there!  These need to be repaired.  Remember – an adult scorpion can go through a crack as small as the thickness of a credit card!

If you’re having scorpions issues go to our “CONTACT US” page and we would be pleased to have a NO OBLIGATION discussion about your issues.

I’m often told “I just don’t want to see insects”.  Fortunately, that is not the reason we do Pest Management although it is a result.  Pest Management is all about health issues – controlling insects and rodents that spread diseases.  Someone said that the Black Plague no longer exists.  Not so quick now!  Recent reports of the same disease reported in Colorado.  We control that issue by controlling rodents that carry the fleas that spread the disease.  Likewise, we control the spread and proliferation of other insects such as cockroaches that spread other diseases.  Remember, we cannot eliminate all the insects in the world.  They were here before us and will most likely be here when we’re gone.  In the meanwhile, we can control/manage those that try to enter our space.

Pesticides we use today are primarily designed to kill the insects after they crawl through it.  It is not immediate, takes a little time, but they will die.  If the kill was immediate, the residule most likely would be short in duration, and be more likely to harm you.  In order for it to be safe (when properly used) for you and your children, and still kill the insect, the process ends up taking a little time.  Most insects will die within 20 minutes to 1 hour after passing through.

Kinda funny.  Rat droppings found on floor of house after tenants moved out.  Followed them around and realized that they were fairly fresh.  As I entered the master bath on the second floor something moved.  It was the rat - trapped in the shower’s glass enclosure.  Tried opening the door but, the rat would most likely escape if I opened far enough to place a trap.  Unable to climb the glass, I tossed some bait over the top……I’m reasonably sure that I’ll pick up a dead rat there today.

Got another bed bug call the other day.

Typically starts with the question of how much does it cost? Answer is that I don’t know without taking a look at what we have to do.

Next comment come something like this…’well, I tried spraying some stuff on them but, it didn’t work. Response: what stuff? What’s the active ingredient? where did you spray it? How much did you use? Is that insect on the label? Did you read the label? (it’s law!) Are you sure that it’s bed bugs? Where did you get your experience?

Answers go something like this (not necessarily in this order) ….no, no, I don’t know, didn’t read it, somebody said….you guys do it so I figured that I could do it too!…….

O.K. We have training. We’re licensed by the state dept of Agriculture. We know the life cycle of the insect. Those of us that are truly professionals know the active ingredients of what we use, how to use it, where to use it – and safely by the way. Just because a product has an insect listed on the label does not mean that it is effective for that insect. It may kill the ones you hit directly but hitting them with a brick will do the same job – cheaper if that’s what you’re looking for.

Recently reported 112 people poisoned themselves trying to get rid of bedbugs. Do you want to be number 113?

You can’t do this! The universities don’t have the answers and they’re in constant research.

A promise to you. If you have the answer, I’ll get you international recognition – almost immediately.

SO….GET PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE