Raccoons look adorable when they are frolicking outdoors, but you never want to have a raccoon invasion inside your home or business.  Soffits, attic vents and even roofing materials are not always enough to keep New York City raccoons from coming in from the cold, warn NYC pest control experts.  As the winter chill continues to rage on throughout the east coast, creatures big and small are seeking warmer shelter.  Raccoons are cleaver and strong creatures.  Once they gain access to your home, it’s difficult to get rid of them.

Left to their own devices, raccoons are known to chew through electrical wires; which has caused serious fires.  They ruin insulation, stored items, and attic wood by leaving feces and urine throughout.  Raccoons do not make good house guests and should be removed by a NYC pest control expert immediately upon discovery.

Some people report receiving conflicting information when they call for help with raccoon removal services.  As a general rule, in New York, people should call the Department of Public Health’s general sanitation unit for help with dead raccoon removal.

If a raccoon appears to be sick or injured, residents should call their local Department of Public Health so that the raccoon can be trapped and euthanized to see if it has the rabies virus.  Raccoons that appear to be acting confused or agitated, are stumbling or falling, are frothing at the mouth, or are acting aggressively without provocation are all exhibiting potential signs of carrying the rabies virus.

Eileen Hagerman, who is the Executive Director of Volunteers for Wildlife, told the Times Beacon Record that “no member of the public should ever attempt to trap raccoons or any wildlife themselves” and “people should never approach or have any contact with the animals.” 

A raccoon’s behavior is naturally unpredictable and you never know if it may be carrying the deadly rabies virus.  If you have a raccoon in your attic, walls, or home, removing the raccoon should be left to a New York pest control expert.  Stern Environmental Group has trained technicians who can humanely remove raccoons from your home or business.  We offer professional raccoon removal services to Secaucus, New Jersey, the Greater New York City Metro and Connecticut Regions.

To help provide guidance to pest management professionals and consumers alike, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) has been working to create industry wide, consumer friendly guidelines for bed bug eradication practices.  With much anticipation, the NPMA has released the “Best Management Practices for Bed Bugs!”

The Best Management Practices for Bed Bugs (BMPs) contains valuable information that will help pest management professionals as they fight to eliminate bed bugs from homes and businesses throughout the United States.  The BMPs was created by top industry professionals, regulators, entomologists, and academics.

Here’s a brief overview of the BMPs:

• Business Practices – A general guideline to pest management professionals. Customers should consider this a Business 101 checklist.

• Service Agreements – Guidance is offered to pest control experts on how to design service agreements for customers.

• Technician and Sales Staff Training – Information on what type of bed bug related training that pest control staff members should have.

• Disposal of Beds, Furniture, Possessions – Proper instruction on when it is necessary to dispose of bed bug infested furniture.  Note: the BMPs believes it is often unnecessary.

• Client Cooperation and Treatment Preparations – Guidance on what a client must do in a home or commercial establishment in preparation for bed bug treatment.

• Bed Bug Detection – Offers information on what constitutes evidence of bed bugs and what does not.  The BMPs informs pest management professionals and consumers when monitoring is necessary and when immediate treatment is necessary. It also includes information about different types of monitoring devices and the advantages and disadvantages of using this option.

• Bed Bug Scent Detection Canine Teams – Specific information is provided about canine teams, when they are most effective, how they should work, and certification recommendations.

• Integrated Pest Management and Methods of Control – IPM information is offered to pest management professionals to pass along to homeowners and business owners to lessen their chances of having a full-blown bed bug infestation.  Different types of IPM methods and products are covered in full detail.

• Post-Treatment Evaluation – An explanation as to why you must continue to look for bed bugs after treatment commences and why multiple treatments might be necessary after the first treatment.

• Health and Safety of Customers – Reminders about health and safety considerations.

The Best Management Practices for Bed Bugs will be followed by leading bed bug pest control experts!

The original PackTite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heat Chamber has proven to be a fantastic bed bug killing device since its introduction to the marketplace.  Stern Environmental Group is happy to announce that the creators of the original PackTite have created another unit that everyone will be pleased to own.  The new PackTite unit works just as well as the original unit, but is quite a bit larger than its predecessor.

With bed bug encounters on the rise throughout the entire United States, the PackTite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heat Chamber is the perfect addition for any family that is concerned about bringing bed bugs into their home.  This amazing heat chamber is great for business travelers, families with a college student, or anyone that frequents hotels, motels, or travels internationally.

The PackTite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heat Chamber is very easy and versatile to use.  After a quick set up, you simply place your belongings into the heat chamber.  Once inside, the unit will bake any potential bed bugs and their eggs to 130 degrees for several hours so that there is no possibility of an infestation being transferred into your home.  The PackTite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heat Chamber will easily provide bed bug treatment for a piece of luggage (empty or full), dry clean only fabrics, children’s plush toys, clothing, linens, backpacks, sleeping bags, pillows, shoes, boots, or other items that you might travel with.

The new larger PackTite will allow you additional room to treat your belongings rather than running continuous loads through the smaller PackTite.  The larger unit also contains a bar for hanging clothing during the baking cycle if you so choose.

Stay tuned to Stern Environmental Group for more valuable information about the sizing and pricing details of the new larger PackTite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heat Chamber.  We will be listing this incredible bed bug killing item on our “products page” very soon!

Continuing from Friday…

These new pesticide resistant super NYC bed bugs have also been found to have a stronger exoskeleton in comparison to bed bugs that are found in other states.  The stronger shell has provided ample protection from the pesticides that NYC pest control experts have been using to try to eradicate bed bug infestations.  The study also revealed that each NYC bed bug that survived repeated pesticide applications was able to build up a resistant to the toxic chemical and then surviving bed bugs were able to pass the new resistance on to future generations so that those bed bugs were able to survive the eradication process as well.   Scientists call it a form of “un-natural selection”.  The study also showed that bed bugs were able to turn toxic chemicals into a water soluble substance which bed bugs were able to excrete.

Laboratory tests in United States, Europe and Africa prove that today’s bed bugs can survive pesticide levels that are 1000 times greater than they were just 10 years ago.  These super bugs need a super insecticide, yet there is nothing really on the horizon as there is little funding to support research and control measures.

For those who cry for the return of DDT, they might be surprised to hear that according to researchers and the University of Kentucky, their study of bed bugs reveal that many of the bed bugs sampled from various locations around the US continue to be immune to the effects of DDT.

With these new scientific findings, it should come as no surprise as to why NJ and NYC bed bugs have continued to thrive.   Scientists warn “”Simple spraying around of some pesticides may not [be enough] now or in the future,” when discussing how to get rid of the blood suckers.

It’s important that everyone be on the look-out for bed bugs wherever they are and if you think you have encountered bed bugs, contact a pest control expert as soon as possible.  The faster you begin treating your New York or New Jersey bed bug infestation, the better.  For expert NYC and NJ bed bug services, contact Stern Environmental Group.

New York and New Jersey pest control experts have first-hand knowledge about eradicating bed bugs in apartments, condos, single family homes, movie theaters, retail stores, courthouses, hospitals, schools, college dorms, opera houses, jail houses, taxis, airport cargo holds, subways, and the list goes on and on.  Bed bugs have been relentlessly attacking residents of both states and as each year passes, the reports of NJ and NYC bed bug infestations continue to rise.  Scientists around the world have been trying to figure out why bed bug infestations continue to rise despite the constant effort to eradicate the little vampires.  Researchers from the Ohio State University said Wednesday, “the resurgence of bed bugs poses an urgent situation as infestations are rampant globally, nationally, and locally.”

In an effort to understand the resurgence of bed bugs, scientists at the Ohio State University have conducted the first comprehensive genetic study of bed bugs.  They are hopeful that their new discoveries will provide a better understanding of how bed bugs are able to survive in today’s world and ultimately how and what is needed to annihilate the bugs once and for all.

The new bed bug study revealed some shocking results.  The study of New York City bed bug infestations shows that the bed bugs have somehow been able to evolve over recent years.  This evolution has allowed bed bugs to be able to generate higher levels of enzymes so that they can cleanse their body of poisons.   It has been found that New York City bed bugs are now 250 times more resistant to standard pesticides that are used by pest control experts in comparison to bed bugs that are found in Florida.

Please check back on Monday for the conclusion.