Raccoons: the Pests That Know No Season

NYC Raccoons
Call Stern Environmental to Safely and Humanely Remove Raccoons

Raccoons – they’re cute with their signature masked bandit eyes, and clever and wily when it comes to surviving. The most important point is they are wild.

Raccoon Stats

An adult raccoon can grow to approximately 2 to 3-feet in length including their ringed tail. Their body is stocky with a mixture of salt, pepper, and gray fur. They have white tipped ears, black nose, and paws with five individual digits. These work great for riffling through a garbage can.

Raccoon Habits and Habitats

Raccoons prefer forested areas near a water source but are found in abandoned buildings, sheds, burrows, or in the hollows of trees.

They are omnivores with a menu featuring fruits and berries, insects, mice, fish and bird eggs.

A female usually has one litter of 3 to 5 kits each year. Raccoons have an average life span of 12 years.

Raccoon Safety

Found throughout the US, raccoons are a major threat when it comes to rabies. With this in mind, removal of raccoons requires the professional services of a NYC pest control technician who can remove the animals safely.

Raccoons can also cause property damage by tearing up shingles and boarding in an attempt to enter your attic or chimney while searching for a den for their young.

Our NYC pest control technicians at Stern Environmental have the means to safely and humanely remove raccoons. Call us today to schedule an appointment.

Why Pharoah Ants Are Trouble for Nursing Homes and Hospitals

Businessman Listening on Telephone
Call The PestPro, Our Hospital Has Pharaoh Ants!

They may have an important sounding name but Pharaoh ants aren’t something you want inhabiting your home or business.

It is thought the ant is native to Africa. The story goes the ants may have been mistakenly identified as one of Egypt’s plagues when the pharaohs ruled. Currently, Pharaoh ants are found across America.

Pharaoh Ants Statistics

The 6-legged ant is approximately 1/16 inch long with a monomorphic shape and segmented body. Its coloring ranges from pale yellow to reddish tones. Its abdomen is usually darker in color than its body and often black.

Pharaoh Habitats

These clever ants often use electrical wiring or telephone boxes as their network to travel behind the scenes where nests are nearly inaccessible. You may find them behind baseboards, walls, or under flooring. Colonies can number in the thousands. If you attempt to remove the ants, and fail, they’ll move to another area and create additional colonies. Removing them requires the expert help of a NJ pest control specialist.

Pharaoh Ants and Health

These indoor pests feed on proteins, dead insects, oils, and sweets. They are a major concern due to their spreading over a dozen unhealthy pathogens such as salmonella. Therefore, Pharaoh ants have a particularly bad reputation in hospitals when it comes to patient safety.

With Pharoah ants’ scorecard of more bad than good, contact our NJ pest control specialists at Stern Environmental for an inspection.

Are You Crazy About Crazy Ants?

Keep Crazy Ants Out Of Your Home
Keep Crazy Ants Out Of Your Home

The Caribbean crazy ant is known for its erratic zigzagging and start and stopping habits when running around areas on the hunt for food. They’re identifiable by their dark brown color that can also be almost black, highlighted with a gray or tawny sheen.

Caribbean crazy ants are found in all regions of the U.S. and once they’ve taken over an area, such as your home, they need the attention of a NYC pest control specialist.

Like most ants, the Caribbean crazy ant has an appetite. The Caribbean feeds primarily on dead insects, and fruits and seeds that create a sweet liquid.

The ants, while both indoors and outdoors, move their food hunting adventures to the indoors during cold northern winters as they cannot survive the temperatures. During the fall season, they move indoors due to a lack of food sources.

While not a health threat, they are a nuisance once they enter the home and scurry over counter tops in search of food. To help prevent these tiny fast-moving pests from entering your home, be prepared by doing a visual check and sealing any openings, especially around windows and doors where they can gain entry.

When ants are on the march in your home, you need the services of a NYC pest control specialist to give them the boot. Contact our staff at Stern Environmental Group to set up an appointment for immediate action.

 

National Pest Management Ranks the Top Commercial Pests

Commercial Pests
Commercial Pests

In a recent study by the National Pest Management Association, a top 10 list was comprised of the most researched pests by consumers in the U.S.

The study covered the period from January 1, 2015 to December 14, 2015 with results of known pests that U.S. residents are familiar with. Starting at the number 10 position, the list is as follows:

  • # 10 – Rodents
  • #9 – Termites
  • #8 – Ticks
  • #7 – Mosquitoes
  • #6 – Stink bugs
  • #5 – Ants
  • #4 – Cockroaches
  • #3 – Stinging insects
  • #2 – Spiders

And the #1 pest people are interested in finding more information about is the tiny bloodsucking bed bug.

While being in the number one spot on the top 10 list of things is usually a good place to be, in this case it shows that more people are experiencing beg bug problems. In New Jersey, our NJ pest control technicians are at the ready to remove these unwanted pests.

Bed bugs are notorious hitchhikers and there’s no place really safe from infiltration. They hop aboard any available mode of transportation to set up housekeeping in your home. Your property can be spotless and still have a bed bug infestation.

There are many products and treatments for bed bugs available to help protect against invading pests, and at Stern Environmental Group we have an experienced NJ pest control management team to put them in place.

Call us today to speak with an associate about scheduling an appointment.

 

Carpet Beetle Makes the Top Five Pests to Hate

The Hated Carpet Beetle
The Hated Carpet Beetle

The world is full of a variety of bugs. And while many go on their way every day, minding their own business, there is another group that has made the top five list of most hated pests.

The list includes itchy-scratchy bed bugs, creepy crawling spiders, American and German cockroaches, and the ever clever house mouse.

Fifth on the list and one that is notorious for eating up the items in your home, literally, are carpet beetles. You definitely need the help of a NYC pest control company to eradicate these hungry pests.

This small bug has a penchant for furniture and clothing. Animal products are their favorite source of nourishment. This means anything in your home like calf-skin boots, leather sofas, feather boas, wool sweaters, fur-lined jackets, even cotton items are at high risk of becoming a breakfast, lunch, or dinner entree.

Synthetic materials are also a food source. Although not as nutritious as the real-deal animal products, carpet beetles will chew on synthetic items as well, only they’ll increase their plate in an attempt to even out the nutrients they’re not getting as compared to animal products.

At the end of the day, carpet beetles can inflict a lot of damage inside your home that results in costly replacements.

For all of your NYC pest control needs, contact the Stern Environmental Group. Our professional staff is dedicated to making your home pest free.