Monthly Archives: April 2014

Bees, Carpenter Bees, Insect Control, Pest Control, Pest Management, Stinging Insects

Watch Out for Wood-Damaging Carpenter Bees

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Their aggressive behavior and wood-destroying activity makes carpenter bees a double threat when they take up residence on your property. These large bees (about 1-1/2 inch long) live in mating pairs rather than communal hives, but they are extremely territorial. Whenever anyone approaches the pair’s nesting area, the male will hurl his body at the threat, repeatedly dive bombing customers, family guests, children and pets to drive them away.

Kamikaze Bees

Mix their Kamikaze-like behavior with carpenter bees’ preference for tunneling into flat wood planks like porch roofs, building siding, cedar shingles, play equipment, outdoor furniture, posts and railings and these bees can drive you from your front porch, your children from your backyard or your customers from your business entrance.

Wood Destroyers

These bees also emit an extremely loud drill-like buzzing that adds to the panic they create. More than a nuisance, their buzzing is also a sign of ongoing destruction to your property. While male carpenter bees are busy defending the nest site, females bore into the wood, creating long tunnels where they lay their eggs. Because carpenter bees tend to stay near their original nest and reuse nesting tunnels, it is common for successive generations to infest a site. In time, multiple pairs of carpenter bees can cause significant wood damage.

Don’t risk losing your customers or the use of your yard. Call Stern for fast, effective carpenter bee removal in northern New Jersey and the Greater New York City area.

Bed Bug Information, Bed Bug News, Bed Bugs, Pest Control, Pest Eradication

Bed Bugs Found on San Francisco BART

A passenger on one of San Francisco’s BART trains got more than he bargained for. He found bed bugs crawling up his leg during a recent ride on the city’s rapid transit service. The train was taken out of service for cleaning immediately, according to the Contra Costa Times.

“Our vehicles are not conducive hosts for insect habitation or propagation, but it is possible that insects can be introduced via the person or belongings of any other riders,” BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost told the Times, noting that no other bed bug incidents had been recently reported.

And that’s the thing about bed bugs. They accompany people onto planes, trains, buses, subways, cabs and cars, hidden in clothing or hiding in purses, briefcases or backpacks. If you are unfortunate enough to occupy a seat recently occupied by someone exposed to bed bugs, you could wind up being bitten while en route to your destination. And when you arrive, you could carry a few of these tiny blood-sucking pests with you into your home or office.

Bed bugs are a year-round pest, but populations do swell during the warmer months. As we move into spring, it pays to be aware of the increased risk of bed bug contact and be alert for signs of bed bug activity. Visit our website for complete bed bug information; and remember to call the bed bug extermination experts at Stern if bed bugs get the bite on you!

Animal Control, Groundhogs, Mice, News, Pest Control, Pest Management, Squirrels

Tips to Keeping Squirrels, Groundhogs, and Other Animals Out of Your House

Unless it’s a house pet, a small animal skittering around in your home is a nuisance, to say the least. Squirrels, groundhogs and other critters are always lurking, but you can take steps to prevent them from infiltrating your home. Here are a few things that you can do in that regard:

Check your attic or roof for possible points of access

Many small animals can climb walls as effectively than your favorite comic book superhero. This means that they will eventually be searching for points of access to your home from the roof. Do yourself a favor and search for — and seal/cover — any holes or potential access points that the would-be intruder could take advantage of.

Keep tree branches away from your home

Once your roof and/or attic are all sealed up, the small animals will start scouring the area for other access points into your home. One of the most common tools that they will try to use in this regard is the tree right in front of your house. They will climb and jump from outstretched tree branches to your open windows or anything else that they can find.

If all else fails, call local pest control services

If something has successfully invaded you home, you need pest control services to not only get rid of the problem, but also to keep it from getting worse.

Bed Bug Information, Bed Bug News, Bed Bugs, Pest Control, Pest Eradication, Pest Management, Pest News

Paramedics Finding Bed Bugs in Ambulances

Bed bugs have been a frequent problem at firehouses for a number of years. Firefighters pick up the blood-sucking pests while fighting fires in infested buildings. Bed bugs hitchhike back to the firehouse on clothing and equipment and infest bunks.

Bed Bugs Enter Ambulances with Patients

Paramedics are experiencing similar problems with bed bugs infesting ambulances. When paramedics treat patients living in an infested home or apartment, bed bugs can be transported into the ambulance along with the patient. The tiny insects may be clinging to the patient’s clothing or may hide in medical bags and equipment while paramedics are examining the patient in his home. When the patient is carried into the ambulance, the bed bugs come along for the ride.

Once in the ambulance, bed bugs can crawl into cracks and crevices to hide, coming out to nibble on the paramedics or next patient. Professional extermination is of needed to de-bug ambulances and other infested vehicles.

Bed Bug Drug Hoax Debunked

Don’t be fooled! If you heard those stories about kids getting high by smoking or snorting crushed bed bugs, take a deep breath. It was an April Fool’s hoax. Pranksters altered a television station video about drug use and posted it on YouTube. The only thing you can get from bed bugs are itchy bites! Get the facts on the hoax-busting website Snopes.com.

Visit our website for the facts about bed bugs. When bed bugs bother you, call the bed bug extermination experts at Stern.

Animal Control, Commercial Services, Pest Control, Pest Management, Rats, Rodent Control

Video of Rats Crawling on Donuts Shuts Down Store

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When a cell phone video of rats crawling over the donuts at a Dunkin Donuts in Midtown went viral on YouTube, New York City Health Department inspectors quickly shut down the store. The health department’s inspection of the Dunkin Donuts at 37th and 8th found “conditions that could not be corrected at the time of the inspection, including a severe rodent infestation that requires professional pest control services,” ABC News reported.

The brief video shows a rat nibbling on the croissants and then climbing down the trays of freshly made donuts to sample the glazed. According to the ABC report, morning customers also saw rats on window sills inside the store.

Rats are a pervasive commercial pest that carry and spread serious diseases that are harmful to humans. Extraordinary climbers, jumpers and swimmers, rats can squeeze through small openings and gnaw through plastic, wood, cinderblock, brick and soft metals. They eat everything humans eat and quite a few other things.

Once they find a way into your business, rats breed and multiply quickly. Particularly in the food and restaurant industries, regular commercial pest management services are typically required to keep your business free of rats. Don’t risk a health code violation and loss of your customers. Call Stern today for information about our rat eradication services.