There are 16 species and 18 subspecies of Triatoma in the United States. Just like a bed bug, the kissing bug survives solely on the blood of mammals.  These bugs will attack wild and domestic animals, as well as humans.  In North America, opossums, raccoons, rats, armadillos, cats, and dogs have fallen victim to kissing bug attacks.

Kissing bug bite wounds are often misdiagnosed as spider bites, bed bug bites, herpes zoster, flea bites, and erythema multiforme.  In extreme cases, death from anaphylaxis is possible from the bite of a kissing bug.

The main reason that the kissing bug bite is so dangerous is because it can spread Chagas’ disease.  The disease is spread when the kissing bug bites their victim and leaves their feces behind in or near the bite wound.  If a person scratches or rubs the feces into the bite wound, the disease can be contracted.  Some people will show signs of the disease immediately, some will not.  Symptoms include a rash, fever, vomiting, and a swelling near the eyes.  The disease often goes misdiagnosed by the medical community.  Additionally, some people will not show any symptoms of the disease for years.  Chagas disease will lurk in their blood and surface twenty to thirty years after the bite wound occurred.  When this happens it is difficult for doctors to determine the digestive and heart problems that the victim is exhibiting.

Please check back on Monday for the conclusion.

Ridgewood-GlenRock Patch reported on December 16, 2011 that 20 rat burrows have been found in three areas within one block in Ridgewood in Bergen County.    Reports are that rats have not been a problem for the Village in the past and these burrows are located in the Central Business District of the Village.  Unlike other cities where rat infestations are found, this NJ rat infestation is located where a minimal amount of restaurants are located.  The Village Manager is hopeful that the pesticides combined with the cold winter months ahead will wipe out the rat population that have moved into the Village.  You may read the article here.

Rats live in burrows outdoors so the cold winter weather does not affect them.  They are however on the constant hunt for food, which is not aplenty during the winter months.  Normally dining on seeds and plants which are gone during the wintertime, rats will turn to homes, businesses, and trash receptacles as a means to gain a meal.  Rats are excellent at climbing and can enter a structure via the soffits or attic vents.  They have powerful teeth and can chew their way through a variety of different building materials to reach their desired food sources as well.  Rats are so resourceful that they can squeeze their body through a hole the size of a quarter.

Rats can be dangerous pests to contend with as they are known disease carriers and can cause fires when they chew on electrical wires.  A NJ pest control professional can help you keep rats out of your home or business.  Call Stern Environmental Group today for expert rat removal services.

Not fearful in the slightest, you can find rats foraging in trash cans and large garbage bins throughout the city. They inhabit playgrounds, parks, apartments, homes, restaurants, offices, and of course the New York City subway system.

The mere sight of a rat can bring fear and often flight when a person sees their budging eyes, long scaly tale, large body, or pointed teeth. The fear of rats is real. Called Musophobia, it is one of the most common phobias in the United States. Musophobia can be triggered by a variety of different experiences with rats or mice. People report having this phobia when they see a rat or mouse on the television or in the movies, when they smell rats or mice, when they hear jokes about them, or when they are in the same room with the pests.

Just as people vary, so do the symptoms and reactions for those that suffer from this phobia. Some folks are mildly bothered while others suffer from sweating, rapid heartbeat, shaking, nausea, and shortness of breath.

Rats can become dangerous when they enter your home as they are known disease carriers. Additionally the razor sharp teeth of a rat are able to chomp into sealed food sources. Rats will contaminate food and food preparation areas as they leave urine and feces behind in their path. A NYC pest control professional can help determine where the rats are gaining entry and will provide fast rat removal services.

They are curious, cold, and above all else…always hungry.  They don’t care that they are dirty, or that they carry fleas, ticks, or can transmit a variety of dangerous diseases.  They are not toilet trained and will not hesitate to drop urine or feces throughout your home.  They won’t ask for food, they just take it…ripping packages and containers open by using their razor sharp teeth.  They prefer grain type food, but these hungry rodents will settle for anything to fill their bottomless pit stomachs.  Any food that is not sufficiently stored will become part of their menu plan.

Fall is a good time to check your home for rat and mice entry points.  Seal any holes or cracks where entry can be made into your home.  Trim branches and shrubbery away from the roof, windows and exterior walls.  Wood piles should be kept away from your home to discourage easy access to your structure.  Seal exterior pipes with expanding foam to discourage mice entry.  Rats and mice are prolific breeders so it’s important to call a NJ pest control professional at the first sign of their presence.

Rats and mice are the worst house guest that you can have entering your home.  Even if your home is sealed up tight, you could experience an invasion from these cleaver creatures.  Rodent control should not stop during the winter months.  If you find that you have mice or rat activity at your house, contact a licensed pest control specialist before these critters multiply out-of-control.

Once rodent droppings are discovered, you should contact a licensed pest control expert who will devise a plan to trap the invading rodents.  There are various rodent traps that can be used:  traditional snap trap, glue trap, electronic trap, ultrasonic rodent control, humane mice control trap (catch and release), and rodenticides (rat/mouse poison).  Consumers and pest control experts likely have a preference as to which one is their favorite device to use.

It should be noted that reports vary as to how effective the ultrasonic rodent control device performs.  Recent studies have shown that rats and mice quickly become accustomed to the noise emitted and don’t mind living with the sound waves that they hear.  Using rodenticides without proper training can be very problematic for home and business owners.  Rats and mice will eat the poison and can then be attacked and consumed by household pets or wildlife, which will then become poisoned as well.  In addition, many times rats and mice consume rodenticide products and then scurry off into attics, crawl spaces, wall voids, and behind cabinets where they meet their demise.  The smell from their decomposing bodies can be unbearable to live with and impossible for a business to explain away to customers.

A New York City pest control technician will be able to fully eradicate mice or rats that have invaded your home or business by using the most up-to-date monitoring and trapping techniques.  For expert pest control services in New York or New Jersey contact Stern Environmental Group.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority utilizes eight flatbed refuse trains and many above ground trucks to remove the 90,000 tons of refuse that is collected every day from NYC subway stations.  The refuse trains are scheduled to pick up trash at various train stations at the wee hours of the morning as to not impact the vast amount of NYC subway passengers.

The “Daily News” reported a story this week, complete with a photograph, which is sure to upset many subway riders.  According to their account, workers for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority used an in-service NYC passenger train, with passengers on-board, to transport a huge pile of trash bags between stations…which is a big no no!  The trash bags in question should have been carried up to the street for a Metropolitan Transportation Authority truck to pick up.

According to the Daily News article, an un-named transit worker admitted that this is not the first time that he has seen small mountains of orange garbage bags sharing cars with passengers.  The transit worker further reports that the stinky trash bags in question blocked doorways, seats, and leaked fluids inside the train as well.  To make matters worse, according to the Daily News article, John Samuelsen, president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, said “the bags can contain rats looking for a meal.”  He additionally said “To bring those bags on passenger trains and expose riders to potential of rats jumping out of the bags is outrageous. When track workers walk past those bags, we give them a wide berth, knowing if you walk close to a bag, a rat could jump out right on top of you.”  Can you imagine being stuck in a subway train car when rats decided it was time to emerge from filled trash bags?  Frightening!

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has launched an investigation as this is not proper procedure.  The end result of the investigation is that the subway supervisor is now facing disciplinary actions for not following protocol, so perhaps it won’t happen again.  The NYC rats still remain within the subway system and will do so until new protocols are developed.

If you have a problem with a NYC rat infestation, contact a pest control professional with experience in rat removal services.

New York City rats are notorious for their day and nighttime antics throughout the entire subway system.  NYC rats have lived within the subways for decades.  Entire families of rats live within the cinderblock walls according to NYC pest control experts.  Each cinderblock can house between 8 to 12 rats, so you can see why the rats are so problematic.  Much to the passenger’s dismay, rats are often seen boldly roaming the platform areas and tracks in search of a tasty treat that has been discarded by passengers.

In the past, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has tried to kill off the rodents by tossing poison bait packs onto the subway tracks, but to date, those tactics have not knocked the rat population down.

Despite the efforts put forth by renowned rat expert, Bobby Corrigan, to help the city get rid of the rats within the subway system, the rats remain.  Subway stations have trash rooms where trash is collected and stored until it is disposed of.  The trash rooms serve as a daily rat buffet for colonies of rats within the subway system.  The mishandling of subway station refuse is one of the primary reasons that the rat population has been able to continue to thrive in New York City.

Please check back on Monday for the conclusion.

As the weather turns to bitter cold in New Jersey, many people are finding that mice are working their way indoors to seek shelter.  Mice can squeeze their nimble body into spaces as small as ¼ of an inch.  Any type of crack, crevice or hole around your home is fair game to a cleaver little mouse.  Basements, attics, wall voids and garages all serve as perfect mice nesting spots during the wintertime.  The trouble is, once mice move indoors, if the food supply is good, they don’t tend to ever leave.  Mice are prolific breeders and will have pups year round.  Having one mouse in your home can quickly turn into a serious NJ mice infestation.

Despite their timid looks, the deer mouse and the white-footed mouse are known carriers of Hantavirus.  Hantavirus causes a disease called Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS).  People become infected with the disease through the urine, saliva, or droppings of the mouse.  It can take up to five weeks for symptoms of the disease to appear so many people do not associate Hantavirus with their illness.  To further complicate matters, the symptoms resemble the flu so the disease is able to progress without treatment or is often misdiagnosed.

The best way to avoid Hantavirus and HPS is to keep your home free of a NJ mice infestation problem by hiring a licensed pest control professional.  For expert mice or rat removal and exclusion services, contact Stern Environmental Group today!

Other large U.S. metropolitan cities like Washington, DC and Chicago have subway systems that are not overrun with sassy rats.  This is because there is a “no eating” ban on the trains or within the train stations.  If riders are found eating or drinking, they are quickly issued a fine.  The lack of eating within the stations/trains gives way to very clean train stations and trains.  Because there is no other food sources underground, other than those provided by humans, Chicago and Washington, DC do not have rat infestations within their subway systems.  Due to the constant gravy train being offered to NYC subway rats by riders, Senator Perkins is proposing a “No Eating on Subway Bill”.

Senator Perkins is also proposing that more trash receptacles be placed throughout the NYC subway system to eliminate the trash that is on the floor which would help keep platforms and tracks cleaner.  He would also like to see trash cans emptied more frequently so rats will not be able to feast on the contents.  Additionally, he is asking that refuse storage rooms be secured completely against rat entry.  If Perkins gets his way, NYC will see a new public education campaign set in place as well.  Subway riders just might see cool signs in the near future that read…“If you feed em…You breed em! or “starve a rat today…throw your trash away” plastered on walls throughout the subway system too.

In the end, it will take a combined effort of government officials forking over money to help battle the NYC rat infestation; citizens making a commitment to abide by any new rules and regulations by keeping all food sources out of the NYC subway system so rats won’t have anything to feast upon; and a good Integrated Pest Management Program implemented by a NYC pest control expert, to knock out the rats that are rampaging through the subway system.

Rats are more than just a nuisance pest.  These creatures can carry and transmit diseases that are dangerous to humans and pets.  Rats spread disease via their feces, urine, and saliva.  Rat populations can be controlled with Integrated Pest Management and proper treatment by a NYC pest control expert.

New York State Senator Bill Perkins (30th District) would like to see an end to the rats that are living in the NYC subway system.  He recently conducted a district-wide survey whereas he distributed 15,000 questionnaires to constituents asking about their rat sighting experiences in the NYC subway system.  An overwhelming 5,000 people responded, and staggering rat information has been gathered!

According to Senator Perkins survey, 57% of people who responded said that they see rats daily, 29% said that they see rats weekly, 12% said that they see rats monthly, and only 1% of riders said that they never see any rats on the subway system.  Of the people surveyed, 80% believe the subway rat problem is “severe” or at the point of a “state of emergency” level.  Almost 61% of folks think that the NYC subway rat infestation can be rat free at some point in time though.

Recognizing that NYC rats are not going to go away on their own, Senator Perkins has come up with recommendations and will be proposing legislation to help conquer the NYC rat infestation in the subway system.  There will soon be a hearing to discuss this new legislation and he will be asking the Metropolitan Transit Authority about their specific procedures in regards to eradicating the subway rats that are running wild within the subway system.  The hearing will be open to NYC pest control professionals and the public as well.

Please check back on Friday for the conclusion.