Monthly Archives: March 2012

Animal Control, Commercial Services, Green Pest Control, Nuisance Wildlife Control, Pest Control, Pest Eradication, Pest Management, Residential Services, Rodent Control, Squirrels

Squirrels Won’t Abide By “Keep Out” Signs

Squirrels are cleaver critters.  They are fun outdoors as they romp around and scurry up a tree but the problem comes when they decide that your home would make a suitable home for their family.

Squirrels are well-known for their ability to gain access to attic areas of homes.  Because of their small size, ability to climb with ease, and graceful agility, squirrels are a difficult pest to keep outdoors.  Despite their fear of humans and pets, squirrels are perfectly happy living in the attic of your home!  Attics provide the perfect shelter area for squirrels and plenty of space for a female squirrel that is looking for a place to raise a young family.

Squirrels often gain access to the attic via the roof.  Depending on the type of roof you have, squirrels may chew or claw their way into the attic area.  Squirrels are excellent jumpers.  You can help prevent squirrels from gaining access to the roof by keeping tree branches trimmed back at least eight feet from the roof.  Squirrels also gain access to the attic via the attic venting units.  To keep squirrels out, it is important to cover any attic holes with heavy gage wire screen.  Be sure to attach the screening on all corners as well as in the middle section so that squirrels cannot shimmy their way in between.

Squirrels that have made an attic their home will cause serious and costly damage to New Jersey homeowners report NJ pest control experts.  Squirrel feces and urine carry bacteria that are dangerous to humans, so it must be carefully removed from the premises.  Squirrel fecal matter is an open invitation to other squirrels to enter the attic as well.  Like other rodents, squirrels constantly gnaw on a variety of substances to ground down their oversized teeth.  This constant gnawing has resulted in electrical wires being chewed and exposed, and at times, serious fires have erupted.

A New Jersey pest control professional can help get rid of all types of unwanted rodents and wildlife that have invaded your home.  Call Stern Environmental Group for expert services.

Bed Bug Detection Dogs, Bed Bug Information, Bed Bug Monitoring Device, Bed Bug Monitors, Bed Bug News, Bed Bug Resources, Bed Bugs, Commercial Services, Green Pest Control, Insect Control, Matress Covers, News, Pest Control, Pest Eradication, Pest Management, Pest News, Residential Services

HUD Helps Victims Of Bed Bugs Part 2 Of 2

Continuing from Monday…

• If a unit is suspected to have bed bugs, but no bugs are found, O/As should continue to re-inspect the unit/s for several months.

• When bed bugs are found in a unit, that unit, as well as the units surrounding it, must receive treatment for the pests.  Treatment can be in the form of heat, freezing, using mattress encasements, vacuuming, steaming, and interception devices.

• O/As may ask for financial help from HUD to treat bed bug infestations in a dwelling.  O/A’s should submit a request via the “Reserve for Replacement” or “Residual Receipts” accounts at HUD.

• O/A’s can help keep the incidents of bed bug infestations low by offering tenants bed bug mattress covers, monitoring devices, or other detection tools.  The O/As may not charge a tenant for the use of any of these products.

• To protect the building, O/As may voluntarily offer to inspect a tenant’s furniture before they move in and inspections of luggage when a tenant returns from a trip out-of- town, and inspection of any used furniture before it is brought into a building. The O/As may not charge a tenant nor can they require a tenant to be subjected to any of these services.

• Tenants that have had a bed bug problem at a previous residence cannot be denied residency based upon that history.

• The cost of bed bug eradication cannot be passed along to the tenant.  The O/As must incur the costs associated with the bed bug infestation or ask for financial assistance from the “Reserve for Replacement” or “Residual Receipts” accounts at HUD if necessary.

• Tenants should immediately report any bed bug sightings to the O/As so that treatment can commence before the infestation spreads throughout the building.

• Tenants should expect the O/As to perform treatment within 5 days of calling to report the bloodsuckers.  If not possible, tenants should be kept aware of when the pest control professional will provide treatment.

• Tenants must cooperate with all bed bug treatment efforts and OA’s can offer assistance free of charge if needed.

Bed Bug Information, Bed Bug Monitoring Device, Bed Bug Monitors, Bed Bug News, Bed Bug Resources, Bed Bugs, Green Pest Control, Insect Control, Matress Covers, News, Pest Control, Pest Eradication, Pest Management, Pest News, Residential Services

HUD Helps Victims Of Bed Bugs Part 1 Of 2

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) performs many functions.  They are the gatekeeper of policy information, clarification, announcements, and procedure decisions. They also provide useful information for residents, property management personnel, and pest management professionals on managing bed bug infestations.  Recently developed policy changes give stricter rules as to how bed bug infestations must be handled in HUD Insured and Assisted Multifamily Housing building/units/homes throughout the United States.

Despite the fact that bed bugs are not known to spread disease, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) consider bed bugs to be a “pest of significant public health importance.”

Three new notices that must now be followed have been released by HUD.  Here are some of the interesting highlights from Notice H 2011-20.

• Owners and Management Agents (O/As) are encouraged to develop and follow an Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM).  The goal is to prevent bed bug infestations as well as have a program in place when there is a bed bug infestation occurrence.

• O/As should consider a tenants complaint of bed bugs to be an urgent matter.  Tenants should be contacted within 24 hours by the O/As and an inspection of the property should occur within a reasonable time period.

• O/As should inspect a dwelling to determine if bed bugs are present using a variety of detection tools such as bed bug sniffing dogs and visual inspections.

• The O/As should have the affected unit inspected within three calendar days by a licensed pest control operator, or keep documentation as to why those services could not be completed within the recommended time frame.

• At the minimum, any unit above, below, and on both sides of the suspected bed bug infested unit must also be inspected for bed bugs.

Please check back on Wednesday for the conclusion.

Bed Bug Information, Bed Bug Resources, Bed Bugs, Commercial Services, Green Pest Control, Insect Control, Pest Control, Pest Eradication, Pest Management, Pest News, Residential Services

How Can Stern Environmental Group’s Concierge Service Help You?

Being told by a New Jersey pest control professional that your suspicions are correct…you do indeed have bed bugs sucking your blood while you sleep is unnerving!  For people who are new to the bed bug battlefield, learning what must be done to a home in preparation for an exterminator to arrive for treatment can be a very overwhelming.

When bed bugs are present every piece of bedding must be washed in hot water and then dried on the hottest temperature setting.  All bedding must then be placed into super-sized Ziploc storage bags or sealed in plastic trash bags.  Bed bugs can be lurking anywhere, so each piece of clothing and linen item must be laundered, or at the minimum, run through the dryer on high heat for at least 20 minutes to kill any bed bugs and their eggs.  Each mattress much be carefully vacuumed to ensure that all bed bugs and their eggs are completely gone.  All clutter must be discarded, or vacuumed, checked for bed bugs, and bagged or placed in plastic totes to receive the optimum results.

People who find themselves with a bed bug infestation problem often become frustrated when they are told by a NJ pest control professional that they must live out of plastic bags.

Stern Environmental Group understands the stress and time that it takes to prepare for bed bug eradication.  As such we offer the Bed Bug Concierge Service. This specialized service allows for a crew to enter your home in preparation for the exterminator.  The Bed Bug Concierge team will remove all clothing, clean items with alcohol and seal in plastic, empty all drawers and wrap in plastic, shrink wrap all upholstered furniture and bedding, and vacuum carpets.  Personal items are then removed for off-site fumigation and storage until your home is bed bug free.  You may also choose to have our Mobile Bed Bug Heating Trailer bake your personal belongings so that your items are returned to you the same day.

You can trust the Bed Bug Concierge Service team at Stern Environmental Group to take the utmost care of your personal belongings at all times.  Call us today to find out more information about this incredible service.

Commercial Services, Nuisance Wildlife Control, Pest Control, Pest Eradication, Pest Management, Residential Services, Rodent Control, Squirrels

Squirrels Listed In The “Top 100 Invasive Species”

1 Comment

Personally, I think that squirrels are cute.  They frolic through the yard without a care in the world.  I found a baby squirrel that was lost or abandoned by its mother a few years back. That baby was soft as silk and sweet as can be.  A short time of rehabilitation and it was ready to live in the wild once again.

Here’s an interesting fact…the Eastern Gray Squirrel is listed as one of the Top 100 Invasive Species in the world by the Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG).  How can a critter that looks so sweet be considered “invasive” you might ask?…probably for a variety of reasons!

The Eastern Gray Squirrel has been successfully thriving from coast to coast in all types of environments in Northern America report New Jersey pest control professionals.

Because of their ability to multiply and expand their horizons, and the damage that they cause to crops, landscaping, as well as all types of structures, the Eastern Gray Squirrel is feared in some parts of Canada.  About 100 years ago, the Eastern Gray Squirrel was introduced from the United States to Stanley Park in Vancouver Park in Vancouver, BC.  Since then, the squirrels have spread throughout the region, and entomologists and wildlife professionals are concerned about the impact that the squirrels have already caused as well as what they will cause over time.

The problem with squirrels is that they are one of the most destructive pests once they enter into your home.  NJ pest control professionals report that once squirrels make their way indoors and make a nesting site, they are unlikely to leave on their own.  Sealing up entryways while the squirrels are out searching for food each day may help, but squirrels have strong claws and teeth that enable them to rip and chew their way through many types of material.  Because of their constant need to file down their continually growing teeth, squirrels constantly gnaw on items.  Squirrels have been known to cause electrical wire damage which has caused fires in homes and businesses.

If your home becomes infested by squirrels it is time to call a New York or New Jersey pest control professional.  Stern Environmental Group has experience with humanly capturing wild animals from homes and businesses in New York and New Jersey.