Category Archives: Pest Management

Commercial Services, Insect Control, News, Pest Control, Pest Eradication, Pest Management, Pest News

Residual Moisture & Wet Forecast Lead to an Increased Flying Pest Population this Summer

Wet Weather Impacts Pest Populations
Wet Weather Impacts Pest Populations

NJ pest control pros expect a busy summer ahead. The National Pest Management Association’s bi-annual ‘Bug Barometer’ is forecasting higher than normal activity for a number of pests nationwide. Which bugs will be more bothersome in your region?

An Early Spike in a Number of Pests Nationwide

Abnormally wet weather patterns and their impact on pest biological behaviors will cause an early spike in a number of pest populations according to entomologists. Continued precipitation, which has been predicted for most of the country for the upcoming spring and summer seasons, will help pests thrive and multiply.

An Increase in Stinging Insects for the Northeast Region

In the New Jersey area, a long, wet winter leaving residual moisture followed by what is expected to be a rainy spring and mild, wet summer will create the ideal habitat for stinging insects. Residents of the northeastern U.S. should also expect increased tick activity due to favorable humidity, and an influx of rodents in homes and businesses as these pests search for warmer, dryer conditions. 

Get a jump on spring and summer pest control tasks with the help of the local NJ pest control team at Stern Environmental. We have the solutions to help you protect your family or business patrons from painful stings. Learn more about our dependable, affordable services, including 24-hour emergency bee and wasp hive removal. Protect your home or business today.

Commercial Services, Insect Control, News, Pest Control, Pest Eradication, Pest Management, Pest News

Are Spiders Good or Bad For Your Commercial Property?

What to Know About Spiders
What to Know About Spiders

Arachnophobic workers raising concerns about spiders at your business? The NJ pest control pros at Stern want you to understand the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of a building that hosts spiders. 

Benefits of Spiders

Spiders help control populations of other nuisance insects in your business by eating ants, cockroaches, mosquitoes, flies, moths, aphids, earwigs, and other smaller spiders. One spider can consumer 2,000 per year. This helps stop the spread of diseases and reduce the number of crop-destructive pests. Because of these benefits, leading arachnid researchers cite the absence of spiders could lead to famine. 

Drawbacks of Spiders

Before you put pest control measures on hold, however, be forewarned. Hosting spiders isn’t ideal. Buildings that have spiders most likely host other insects, which act as a food source to draw the arachnids in.

Though most species are not poisonous, all spiders bite. Spider bites can cause large, painful welts, which if not medically treated can lead to complications. Eliminating spiders reduces this risk. Spider webs can also make the work environment look worn and unkempt to potential customers, effecting your reputation. 

While beneficial in some instances, spiders do not make for good coworkers. Eliminate and prevent spiders and the nuisance insects attracting them to your business with the help of the NJ pest control experts at Stern Environmental. Contact us to learn more today.

News, Pest Control, Pest Eradication, Pest Management, Residential Services, Spiders

Here’s a Baby Shower You Won’t Want to Attend: Spider Babies Come in Spring

Spider with Egg Sac
Spider with Egg Sac

Is it time to add a new nursery to your home? The NJ pest control experts at Stern know the start of spring brings the birth of many new things… Including hordes of baby spiders.

Baby Fever

Hanging around the dark corners, your home’s population of house spiders can bring many babies into your home in the spring. These small, brown or grey spiders, which can be up to 3/8-inch large, aren’t poisonous, but they’re far from endearing. The only thing worse than seeing one hanging above or below you on her web is spotting one surrounded by all her babies. And these spiders can lay hundreds of eggs at a time, rapidly ballooning the number of spiders in your home – and all those sticky, hard-to-clean webs.

Why Don’t They Go Forth to Populate?

House spiders hang out in your home rather than moving outdoors because it’s warmer and more hospitable than the outdoor environment. Some have even been hiding out in your home all winter in the basement, attic, closet, utility room, or other secluded areas, where they hunt nuisance insects and other smaller spiders in the dark while you sleep. 

Chances are, your home or business is crowded enough without all those growing families of house spiders. Prevent and eliminate spiders, keeping the spider population under control with the help of the NJ pest control pros at Stern Environmental today.

Pest Management, Rodent Control

Incredible? Chocolate Being Tested as Rodent Control Bait

Incredible? Chocolate Being Tested as Rodent Control Bait
Incredible? Chocolate Being Tested as Rodent Control Bait

Who doesn’t love the luscious taste of chocolate? Apparently even rodents have a fondness for the sweet treat. Could chocolate become an effective tool in our NJ pest control treatments?

The Lure of Chocolate

In an effort to reduce use of poisons, the biosecurity team in Greater Wellington, NZ has been conducting a novel experiment using chocolate as bait in self-setting rodent traps. Testing is taking place at Te Ahumairangi Hill, a heavily wooded area running through the Town Belt of Wellington.

Results are being tracked by ink-covered cards placed in tunnels to capture footprints. So far the test has been a success, with the rodent population remaining at low levels.

Benefits of “Sweet” Traps

Senior Biosecurity Officer Paul Horton explains the benefits of using chocolate as a rodent lure:

– Birds aren’t attracted to the smell of chocolate, making them less likely to get caught in traps.

– Chocolate bait lasts for six months and traps can kill two dozen rodents before being replaced, reducing the need for staff to spend time checking them.

Urban Ecology Manager Daniela Biaggio adds that this innovative plan is a safe way to maintain diversity of wildlife in an urban environment.

State-of-the-Art NJ Pest Control 

Stern Environmental Group uses the most current and effective methods in our NJ pest control programs. Contact us today to get peace of mind with a pest-free home, office or business.

Pest Management, Rodent Control

Incredible? Canadian SPCA Matches Stray Cats with Farms for Rodent Control

Incredible? Canadian SPCA Matches Stray Cats with Farms for Rodent Control
Incredible? Canadian SPCA Matches Stray Cats with Farms for Rodent Control

A new rodent control program dubbed as ‘incredible’ seems common sense to NJ Pest control experts and the area’s residents.

Career Kitties

The SPCA of Ontario, Canada recently placed an ad looking for an employer for its latest four-legged job candidates. To manage cat overpopulation in the region, the organization is rehoming stray cats that are feral (wild) and incompatible with the in-house, laptop lifestyle of the typical housecat.

These furry felines are being relocated to warehouses, breweries, and farms where they can serve as rodent control. However, demand for the kitties is low at a time when the SPCA is experiencing an influx of felines: The long, cold winter weather that makes suitable shelter scarce.

Seeking Full-Time, Feline-Friendly Work

Though the program has been around since 2015, it has been expanding annually, and currently at about 50 cats per year. What the stray kitties lack in cuddles, they are said to more than make up for with their rodent maintenance capacities.

As many cat-lovers know, the idea of using cats for mouse monitoring is far from novel. However, the program is doing a wonderful job of meeting the increased need to humanely control cat overpopulation in a region where over twice as many cats are admitted to shelters as dogs.

Cat lying down on the job? Rid yourself of rodents now. Contact your NJ pest control team at Stern Environmental today.