Monthly Archives: December 2011

Commercial Services, News, Pest Control, Pest Eradication, Pest Management, Pest News, Rats, Residential Services, Rodent Control

New Jersey Rat Infestations Can Pop Up At Any Time

New Jersey rat populations do not slow down in the winter months report New Jersey pest control professionals.  In fact, locations that were previously rat free might experience sudden rat infestation issues when environmental changes occur.  For example, if an area did not have ample water to support a rat population previously, but was subjected to a period of continuous wet weather, rats may indeed move into the area because they suddenly find it to be a suitable living environment.  In addition, if rats were previously located in an area that was subjected to high amounts of rainfall where flooding occurred, it would not be uncommon for rat burrows to become flooded.  Rats are very intelligent creatures.  Sensing the danger of high waters, rats will instinctively head for higher ground, thereby infesting previously rat-free areas.

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.

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Keep Bed Bugs Off Your Bed

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New York City and New Jersey pest control professionals know first-hand how difficult it can be to treat bed bug infestations.  Creepy bed bugs will hide in the smallest of cracks and crevices and come out to feed during the wee hours of the morning when you are fast asleep.  No person is off-limits to a hungry bed bug and no hiding spot is off limits once they are finished feeding which is why these bugs are so difficult to locate.

Out of panic, many people choose to discard their mattress immediately upon discovering bed bugs.  This however will not solve the problem because bed bugs can and will live and breed in other locations within a room.

Mattresses, box springs, nightstands, dressers, curtains, floorboards, electrical outlets, headboards, books, picture frames, and carpet can all harbor bed bugs in a home.  Cluttered living spaces make for a perfect living environment for bed bugs as well.  Stern Environmental Group has many products that will help keep bed bugs from biting you at night so you will receive a good night’s sleep.

Whether you have bed bugs or not, it is highly recommended that you use a mattress encasement that is specifically designed to keep existing bed bugs from biting.  The Protect-A-Bed Mattress Encasement has a miracle membrane that won’t allow bed bugs to bite through the fabric.   Its seamless design means that bed bugs will not be able to hide within the piping or stitching areas on the mattress.  This mattress encasement’s easy installation, and the many sizes to choose from, makes it the perfect choice for homes and hotels alike.

You can find the Protect-A-Bed Mattress Encasements as well many other useful bed bug prevention, travel, monitoring, and treatment products available at Stern Environmental Group.

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The Evolution Of Bat Bugs/Bed Bugs

Could it be possible that we (humans) have actually helped the bed bugs ability to thrive inadvertently?  NYC and NJ Pest Control professionals think that it’s likely.

Bed bugs are a close cousin to bat bugs.  Bat bugs resided in caves thousands of years ago.  As humans became more adept at survival skills, we eventually stopped sleeping in makeshift outdoor shelters and instead moved indoors.  At that time, the shelter that we moved into was a cave.  Bat bugs, which were feeding upon the warm blood of cave bats, quickly developed a taste for human blood and the annoying relationship was born then that still exists today.

As cave dwelling humans grew more advanced in the skills, we can only assume that they had a desire to improve their living conditions.  Eventually more favorable living conditions were created outside of the caves.  The bad thing is that once the cave dwellers moved out, so did the bat bugs!

In order to feed properly, bat bugs had to adapt their feeding habits.  Instead of feeding during the daytime hours, like they were when they were feeding upon bats, they had to change to feed upon humans during the nighttime hours.  In addition, research has shown that bat bugs changed in other ways as well.  Because of the thickness of human skin, the bat bug had to change its length on its mandibles so that it could locate a blood vessel faster.  Additionally, the mandibles had to widen to support the platelets in our blood which is wider than those of the bats.  The widened mouthpart allowed the bed bug easy access to blood flow without the blood clogging in the blood vessel.

Humans moving into caves so many years ago, began the cycle of bed bug encounters.  Now is the time to rely on a NYC or NJ Pest Control professional like Stern Environmental Group for bed bug eradication services.

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Avoiding Bed Bugs At Stores And Hotels

NYC pest control professionals expect to see a rise in bed bug incidents once people return to their homes after visiting family, friends, hotels, and motels.  Bed bug infestations throughout the United States continue to be on the rise.  These hard-to-detect bloodsuckers were once under control within the United States thanks to DDT, but they have slowly crept their way back into our lives.

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season may cause some people to let their guard down when it comes to looking for bed bugs.  NYC pest control professionals warn that bed bugs can put a damper on your holiday fun.  In the past, some retail stores have suffered bad publicity due to complaints about bed bugs.  Shoppers need to be aware that bed bugs can be lurking in clothing, boxes, or other packing material that is at a retail store.  All clothing that is purchased should be immediately placed in the dryer on high heat for at least 20 minutes to kill any hitchhiking bed bugs or their eggs.

Traveling is a difficult task during the holiday season, but it is exasperated because in addition to the presents that you tote along with you on your journey, you must also worry about picking up bed bugs along the way.  According to the National Pest Management Association’s report, 80 percent of pest control professionals say that they have treated hotels for bed bug infestations, which is up by 13% in comparison to last year.  Bed bugs are transient creatures that hitchhike from person to person, place to place to place.  A hotel can be bed bug free at one moment and infested upon the arrival of the next guest.

NYC pest control experts say that you cannot rely on hotel personnel to check for bed bugs for you.  It’s imperative that you look for bed bugs or the signs of bed bugs immediately upon checking into any hotel.  If you think you have taken any of these bloodsuckers home with you, contact a licensed pest control professional like Stern Environmental Group immediately.

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Bed Bugs Aren’t Like Lice

In schools, it used to be that lice were the feared creepy crawly pest that school administrators worried about.  In the not so distant past, children endured a “lice check” ritual whereas the school nurses lined the kiddies up in the hallway and picked through their little heads one by one on a hunt for the bloodsucking beast.  If found, the child in question was sent home and subjected to lice treatment, picking, and combing until they were completely lice free.  The goal was always to not to spread lice to other children and families within the school system.

Fast forward to 2011, lice is still a troublesome itchy pest that schools and families must endure, but when you compare lice to bed bugs within the school environment, it’s a completely different story.  Both lice and bed bugs are bloodsucking parasites that hitchhike from person to person.  Lice however prefer to live on their host while bed bugs live in dark locations, cracks, crevices, furniture, or other places that are difficult to detect by humans.

The Greenwichtime.com reported on December 20, 2011 that bed bugs have once again been discovered at the Hamilton Avenue School.  Reports are that a dead bug was found in October, and then on December 2nd a dead bed bug was found on a student’s backpack.  On December 9th, a live bed bug was found on the same student and on December 14th, another live bed bug was found creeping around a classroom.

After the first discovery of a dead bed bug the school implemented a policy of requiring students to place all of their belongings in trash bags upon their arrival at school and the school underwent treatment by a licensed pest control professional.  Because the bed bugs were found on a student twice, it is more likely than not that the bugs originated from the students home and not from the school.  You may read the article here.

The challenge for schools across the United States is to remain bed bug free without ostracizing a student or family that is enduring a bed bug infestation at home.  It is important that a school provide educational support to parents regarding the treatment of bed bug infestations and they develop strict guidelines as to how to handle families with known bed bug problems.

If you are suffering from a NYC or NJ bed bug infestation, contact Stern Environmental Group.  Our expert technicians have the experience to help you rid your home or business of these pesky bloodsuckers once and for all!