NJ , NYC and numerous states and cities in the United States are having homes, apartments and other dwellings investigated for bed bugs by bed bug sniffing canines. Several studies have shown the trained dogs are highly accurate.  A bed bug detective dog named Macaroni who lives in Denver cost his owner, Walter Penny $8,000 dollars. Rumor has it  he paid  for the dog with 800,000 pennies (perhaps not). Mr. Penny is a former pest control inspector. He claims the dog’s accuracy will be at least 90%. Mr. Penny thinks the dog will be ale to inspect 750 bedrooms per week. The cost per bed room was not divulged but another bed bug sniffing dog located in Chicago was charging $250 per hour. Mr. Penny may be collecting  a whole lot of pennies.  Bed bug dogs can practically smell them anywhere in a house including those hiding in electronic devices and walls. 

 I just hope a ton of  bed bug sniffing dog schools are not created by people who don’t know what they are doing in order to cash in on bed bugs. NJ and NYC residents should be especially aware of any humans who claim they have the ability to sniff out bed bugs by rapidly or strategically flaring their own nostrils.

Call a NJ, NYC bed bugs pest control specialist to get rid of them.

With the bed bug resurgence that has occurred in all 50 states, you must wonder if buying a new mattress could also buy you some trouble…bed bug trouble that is.  Sadly, the answer is yes, new mattresses can be at risk too.

Did you ever wonder what happened to those used mattresses that you put out at the street for pick up?  If you have not put it in the dump yourself (and maybe not even then), it is likely that someone in a van or truck has picked it up in wee hours of the morning.  They are then brought to mattress companies who will rebuild and then resell to consumers.  Buying reconditioned or rebuilt ones are definitely less expensive.  Sales of used mattresses are booming all around the country.  The bad thing is that you really never know what you are buying with previously owned mattresses unless you tear it open to see what is inside, which defeats the purpose of buying one in the first place. 

Buying a new mattress can be a tricky matter for consumers.  Buying new ones are expensive and you expect them to be clean and definitely bed bug free.  Some mattress factories in the United States not only produce and sell new mattresses, they also refurbish and resell used mattresses.  Many times, both types of mattresses sit side by side in warehouses just waiting to be shipped off to showroom floors.  It should be noted that rebuilt mattresses must be tagged with a yellow tag stating that they are not new, but is that enough protection for consumers?

Please check back on Thursday to the conclusion to this post.

Some NJ and NYC residence all too often hear the creepy sounds of squirrels running, perhaps sashaying and sauntering, over their heads early in the morning while they are trying to sleep. Perhaps sufficiently padded slippers for squirrels is  a great solution. An other solution is to make sure their are no holes between the shingles on the roof for a  squirrel to slip through.

You might want to hire a professional to check your roof. The house should be inspected for loose siding, ventilation screens and other entry ways. Use heavy screening materials to cover up openings because NJ, NYC squirrels are good at chewing things. Also, replace damaged boards. Since squirrels are prolific jumpers,  trim back branches by 8 to 10 feet to disrupt their travel paths.

Before you block the holes you might want to hire a NJ, NYC wildlife control specialist to check your attic and make sure their are no squirrels in the attic and let them take care of the problem

If you don’t keep the squirrels out of the attic they will do more than make annoying noises they will damage the walls, the insulation as well as the wiring. Squirrel proof your attic and then you will just hear the soothing sounds of regal rats scurrying about over your head.

NJ and NYC residents probably have not been thinking too much about bed bugs during the holiday season. Relatives, friends, presents and food have a higher priority. However, if you have traveled in an airplane or train to visit relatives during the holidays make sure you check for bed bugs. The critters have been found in airline and train seats. The cleaning crews typically don’t do a thorough enough cleaning to get rid of bed bugs.

How about those relatives who stayed a couple of days during the holidays? Did you have a bed bug sniffing beagle inspect them before they stayed in your NJ, NYC home and slept in your beds? I think not!

Do you have a college student who came from his bed bug infested dorm and unknowingly brought a gang of bed bugs with him.

Did an unscrupulous relative find some dumped furniture infested with bed bugs, shined it up and passed it off as a gift. It happens all the time! Perhaps once in a while.

With all the traveling, visiting homes and having visitors entering your home it might be a good time to do a bed bug inspection in your home.

If you have bed bugs call a professional to eliminate them. Visit the Stern website for NYC and NJ pest control services.

They are fun to watch.  They have soft fluffy tails.  They scurry and scamper.  They steal food out of the bird feeder whenever possible.  They prefer nuts, but will eat your pet’s food or trash.  They will gnaw on almost anything to file their teeth down.  They nest in trees, bushes and sometimes at ground level.  Sometimes they decide that your attic or walls are the best place to reside.  Sometimes they can cause great damage to your property like biting through electrical wires and causing fires.  Aaahhh, you gotta just love those squirrels!

Cayenne pepper is said to be a good deterrent to keep squirrels away from your garden.  One home owner recently decided to test out that theory on a much grander scale.  He was experiencing the joys of squirrels living in his attic and wanted to get rid of them fast.  He decided to use a leaf blower to spread cayenne pepper through his kitchen exhaust fan up into his attic.

Unfortunately things did not go quite as he had planned.  The cayenne pepper went into the hot motor of the exhaust fan and the unthinkable (apparently) happened…help…fire!  There were old rags in the attic which did not help the situation either.  The pepper and the rags quickly caught fire and spread throughout the entire house causing $70,000 worth of damage.

The moral of the story is…leave the pepper in the cabinet and don’t try this at home!  If you are having trouble with squirrels in NYC or NJ, call a NYC/NY wildlife control specialist instead.