Monthly Archives: August 2012

Bed Bug News

Bed Bugs Are Biting At The Brooklyn Children’s Museum

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What would you expect to find at a good children’s museum in New York?  Certainly there would be exciting exhibits and interesting collections for children to view.  There would possibly even be neat things for the kiddies to touch as they learn about the new things they encounter.

One thing you might not expect to find at a museum is…bed bugs…unless they were in a glass case!  They are however reportedly at the first museum that was created for children.

The New York Daily News reported on August 29, 2012 that the Brooklyn Children’s Museum has been making a futile attempt to fight off bed bugs.  According to their report, the first bed bug treatment occurred on August 16th where three locations in the museum were found to be infested with bed bugs.  On August 20th, a bed bug sniffing dog was brought to the facility.  The pup found two more locations to be infested with the tiny vampires.

Despite the fact that bed bugs have been found in many locations, the museum has remained open.  The management of the museum is confident that they will not transmit any of the pests to any patrons who visit the museum.  They say that they are following the recommendations of the City Health Department to rid their facility of the bloodsuckers. As you can imagine, employees are worried about taking the bed bugs home with them.  In fact, one employee quit her job at the museum this week when she found bed bugs crawling in her clothing at her apartment.

The museum’s annual closure for cleanup will run from September 10th-21st.  They will readdress the bed bug problem at that time.  But one must wonder…how many people will pick up a stray bed bug here and there from the museum and take it home with them in the meantime?  It only takes one pregnant female to cause a full-blown infestation in anyone’s home or business.

Question…Do you think that the museum is doing enough to protect the public against the bed bugs or should they close their doors until all of the bed bugs are gone?

Wasps

Wasps And Hornet Nests…Should You Treat Them Yourself?

Many residents call a NJ pest control professional reporting that they have spotted wasp and hornet nests this time of year.  It’s not surprising because since the queen’s emergence in early spring, her brood of wasps has been busy with their daily task of building their intricate nesting site.  Concerned New Jersey homeowners are wondering if they should leave the wasps alone or work or take on the task of killing off the nest and removing it without the aid of a NJ pest control professional.

Here is some useful wasp information…

  • Paper wasps:  Paper wasps get their name from the paper-like nests that they create which look similar to an umbrella that is suspended by a short stem. The nests are attached to porch ceilings, attic rafters, eaves, window frames, gazeboes, etc.  Wasp nests are only used for one season and then are abandoned.  These wasps are approximately 1 inch long and are reddish-orange to dark brown or black in color.  Paper wasps do not typically bother humans unless their nest is disturbed.
  •  Bald-faced Hornet:  Bald-faced Hornets are black and white and are approximately ¾ of an inch long.  Despite their name, they are a member of the yellow jacket family so they are not a true hornet.  Nests are constructed in the springtime in paper-like football shaped structures that can be up to 3 feet in height.  They are considered to be beneficial insects as they prey upon garden pests.  Cold weather kills all wasps except fertilized queens which overwinter in tree hollows or underground nesting spots.  The Bald-faced hornet will defend its nest aggressively when it is disturbed.

Wasp and hornet stings can be extremely dangerous or even life threatening for those who are known to be allergic to their painful sting and for those who have not suffered an allergic to the sting.  To remain safe, it is always recommended that you call a NJ pest control professional to remove any type of wasp or hornet nest instead of attempting removal.

Rodent Control

Bug Proof Your Home To Keep Insects Out

Sadly, the summer travel season is quickly coming to a screeching halt.  There are new clothes and shoes to buy, backpacks to fill, and children to prepare for the upcoming school year.

As we busy ourselves with these new tasks, many types of pests will soon be looking to find a suitable place to live before the harsh cold weather hits.  Like humans, insects and rodents need the same basic things for survival…food, water, and shelter.  As the summertime heat begins to drift away, it’s time for homeowners to prepare their homes for the chilly weather that will soon be upon us report NY and NJ pest control professionals.

The best way to keep pests from infesting your home is to keep them out in the first place.  Eliminating their entry points by sealing up all cracks, crevices, holes, and gaps on the exterior of the home will help improve the chances that your home will remain pest free throughout the fall, winter, and springtime seasons. Insects come in all different sizes and therefore can fit into tiny deficiencies in a building.  Caulk in an easy and inexpensive way to keep insects and pests out of your home.  Here are a few caulking tips…

• Using caulk around window frames will not only keep the temperature of your home regulated, it will keep unwanted insects out.

• Use caulk to seal joints. • Clear silicone caulk is known for its flexibility and is recommended for areas that will not be painted.

• Caulk can be used to patch small cracks in foundations and siding.

• Use caulk around air intakes, exposed plumbing pipes, venting pipes, sky lights, and exhaust grills.

Sealing your home is important, but many people will quickly find that certain pests are clever and resourceful.  Despite your best efforts to keep them out, some pests will still find their way indoors.  NY and NJ pest control professionals recommend regular pest inspections and treatment from a licensed pest control expert to ensure that your home is safe from insects and rodents.

Bed Bug News

Bed Bugs Cause Firemen To Scramble In Maine

Apparently despite the vast media coverage and word of mouth provided by pest control professionals from coast to coast, some homeowners still have not received the latest information regarding using bug bombs or fogs for treating bed bug infestations in their homes.

NJ pest control professionals as well as those who are located throughout the United States are warning customers to heed the warning from entomologists about using bug bombs and for bed bug eradication.

A recent study has revealed that not only are the store bought bugs bombs ineffective, but using them will actually make the infestation worsen.  Once bed bugs sense the pesticide in the air, it does not take long for the tiny vampires to spread out into other areas of the home.  Once they spread out within a structure, the bed bugs are far more difficult to control.

According to the Bangor Daily News Portland on August 23, 2012, firefighters in  Portland, Maine had an interesting bed bug related service call this week.  Reports are that the firemen evacuated an old historic converted apartment building that was suspected to be on fire.  The inhabitants of the building were moved to safety as the firemen proceeded to extinguish the suspected fire.  Instead of flames, the firemen discovered bug bombs that were set by a resident as an attempt to rid their unit of a bed bug infestation.  The plumbs of smoke (or pesticide) prompted a fearful resident to call emergency services thinking the building would soon be an inferno.

NJ pest control experts unanimously agree that bugs bombs should never be used to rid a home of bloodsucking bed bugs.  For expert bed bug eradication services contact Stern Environmental Group.

Wasps

Yellow Jackets Are Bad News

Yellow jackets are considered to be social wasps because they live in a colony with other wasps instead of living a solitary life like the mud dauber type of wasp.  You can find yellow jacket nests in living in the ground, in attics, in hidden cavities, or in wall voids.  You are most likely to notice yellow jacket nests by the activity surrounding the nests.  Yellow jackets will often hover around the nest opening and will fly in and out of the entrance as they deliver food to other colony members.

Yellow jacket wasps will defend their nests vigorously when disturbed.  Many homeowners have made the unfortunate mistake of accidentally driving over a ground dwelling yellow jacket nest with a lawn mower.  When yellow jackets feel that they are being threatened, they will release an alarm pheromone which will signal a massive attack of yellow jackets.

Social wasps are beneficial in that they kill a wide variety of garden pests and nuisance flies.  Yellow jackets are also considered to be scavengers.  As the summertime months come to an end, a yellow jacket nest is beginning to reach full capacity.  Food becomes scarce and many homeowners tend to notice more aggressive wasp behavior.

Yellow jackets become a serious problem when they threaten to sting humans.  Yellow jacket venom is very dangerous to those who are allergic to bee stings and to those who are not.  Because of the potency of the venom, yellow jacket stings cause more people to go to the hospital seeking emergency help than any other type of insect sting or bite.

Yellow jacket nests should only be removed by a licensed pest control professional.  Contact Stern Environmental Group for expert yellow jacket elimination services in NY, NYC, and NJ.