No Peace of Mind for Bed Bug Victims

She feels like her skin is crawling. She scratches herself constantly. She peers at her arms and slaps her legs for no reason. She loathes the thought of crawling into bed at night because for too many weeks her bed crawled back! My friend Jane was the victim of a bed bug infestation.

No one in her apartment building in Brooklyn seems to know where they came from, but they spread so fast that it wasn’t long before everyone had them. Nasty little unwanted guests nipping at their bodies in the middle of the night, sucking up their blood and with it their peace of mind — and in Jane’s case, her sanity. The constant bites, the itching, the anxiety have turned Jane into a paranoid neurotic. She sees bed bugs everywhere. She got rid of her bed, had a commercial cleaning service scrub down her apartment, actually threw away her sheets and blankets, but even now — two months after her apartment building was finally declared bed bug free — she can’t relax in her home. She’s moving next week and hoping no bed bugs follow her.

Jane is one of the unfortunate bed bug victims who develop a sensitivity syndrome. It can cause nervousness, jumpiness and sleeplessness. The social stigma alone causes victims untold psychological anguish. Despite what people think, bed bugs are not caused by filth or dirt. They are creatures of convenience, a nuisance insect like fleas and lice that causes discomfort and distress, but not disease. Easily spread, they can enter your home on someone’s clothing, a suitcase, cardboard box or used furniture. They are particularly difficult to get rid of in multi-unit dwellings like apartment houses or hotels because they travel easily through wall voids, ducts and elevator shafts.

Once in, they’re the very devil to remove. The little buggers hide in tiny crevices in furniture, floors, molding, mattresses, bedding, even behind wall paper. They generally hide near sleeping areas to be close to their food source — YOU! At night they’ll feast on your blood, gorging for 5 to 10 minutes before scurrying away. It’s the salivary proteins that are injected when they bite that cause the allergic skin reactions that leave the itchy welts that drive their victims crazy.

Uncommonly difficult to eradicate, a bed bug infestation calls for professional help. If you suspect you have a bed bug problem, contact the bed bug extermination experts at Stern Environmental Group. We promise prompt fast action and guaranteed extermination. Don’t wind up like my friend Jane. If you think you have a bed bug problem, call Stern Environmental Group today. Visit our website to learn more about our pest control and pest management services. You’ll sleep well tonight when you get “Stern” with your pests.

Defensive Action Will Keep Commercial Facilities Pest Free

You may not see them at first, but you could still have a pest problem — or develop one in the future. Most unwanted pests have adapted so well to the human landscape that often you don’t know they’re there until you have a major infestation on your hands. You and your employees may not notice a roach or two, particularly because, like many pests, they are nocturnal and don’t come out to feed and spread disease until the wee hours of the night when your facility is closed. By the time you’re housing enough pests to notice, the colony will be well-established and difficult to remove or control.

It’s like they say, the best offense is a good defense. By establishing a preventative Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, you can ensure that your facility is pest free and remains free of future pest infestations. By taking action, you can ensure your customers and employees a safe, healthy, pest-free environment.

Stern Environmental Group provides safe and effective pest control and pest management services to commercial facilities of all sizes and types. We will work with you to provide the level of quality pest control and management that you desire. We service commercial accounts of all kinds, including restaurants, hotels, motels, hospitality properties, retail stores, office buildings, and more. Our highly trained, licensed pest control professionals will meet with you to develop a customized plan tailored to meet your specific business needs.

At Stern Environmental Group we utilize the most up-to-date equipment and chemical supplies to provide you with the most effective pest control or pest extermination treatment available today. We use IPM techniques to ensure the health and safety of your employees and customers. Our practices comply with all federal, state and local laws.

To learn more about our commercial pest control and pest management services, visit the Stern Environmental Group website or click the post title. We serve New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, and parts of New York State and Connecticut. We provide 24-hour emergency service seven days a week. Contact us today and get “Stern” with your pests.

How Will Pest Control Chemicals Affect Your Family?

You know you have a pest problem, but you’re worried about exposing your family and pets to harmful chemicals. It’s a common concern and one that needs to be addressed before you hire a pest control or pest management company.

At Stern Environmental Group we are concerned about your family’s health. That’s why we use state-of-the-art low toxicity chemicals that are much less harmful to people, pets and their environments than the products used by most of our competitors. In fact, adults can usually stay home during pest control treatments. Flea and spider treatments do require that you leave the premises for 2 to 3 hours, but just about everything else — roaches, ants, mice, termites, etc. — won’t cause you to miss your favorite TV show. And since our chemicals are usually odorless, you won’t even wrinkle your nose when we visit.

Our children are precious to us so if you have children, we do ask you to leave during treatment and wait 2 to 3 hours before returning. Children are often more susceptible to chemicals than adults. Pets can generally remain home if they are confined to a room that is not being treated until the chemicals dry. Fish tanks just need to be covered.

For the answers to more commonly asked questions about pest control and pest management, visit our website and click the FAQs button or click the post title. You’ll sleep well tonight when you get “Stern” with your pests.

Warm Weather Heralds Ants’ Return

As I was opening the patio door to let in the warm air and sunshine, there they were. Snaking slowly across the patio, a few big-bodied scouts in front, creeping toward the corner of the door, their little antennae twitching, headed for the apple pie on the counter. Yep, spring must be close, the ants are back!

There are more than 20,000 different species of ants and they’ve called Earth home for more than 100 million years. There are ants that construct huge mounds of dirt or sand that tower above the ground. Some live in rotted wood. Army ants travel in constantly moving packs, continuously searching for new food sources. In colder climates like ours, ants burrow deep into the ground, often 15 feet or more, creating a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers. They wait out the cold, hibernating through the winter in the lower chambers of their tunnel system. As the earth warms, the ants awaken with the daffodils and tulips to start a new construction season. Which brings us back to the apple pie on my kitchen counter — the workers and the queen must be fed!

With millions of ants in a single colony, there are a lot of hungry mouths to feed. And once the scouts discover your kitchen, the parade of invaders will seem endless. By touching antennae ants will communicate the discovery of this fabulous new “supermarket” to their pals. They lay down pheromones, creating a scent trail so their buddies can join them in the lunch line. They have numbers, determination, and instinct on their side. You and your little can of Raid haven’t got a chance.

Due to the adaptive nature of ant colonies — and their often immense size — professional pest control and management services are your best opportunity for controlling the problem and eliminating them from your home. For fast, efficient and EFFECTIVE pest control services, call the experts at Stern Environmental Group. Click the post title to learn more about ant control. Visit the Stern Environmental Group website for a complete list of our professional insect and wildlife control and management services. You’ll sleep well tonight when you get “Stern” with your pests.

Raccoons in the Attic

My daughter thought there were ghosts in the attic. At night from the corner of her ceiling would come these intermittent scratching and scraping noises. It was so occasional, it was days before I heard it too. To me, it sounded like branches from the oak tree scraping against the house and I shrugged it off. Then the wailing started. Shrill, high-pitched, LOUD, it jolted us from sleep in the middle of the night. It was relentless — never-ending banshee cries coming from the ceiling!

In the cold light of morning, I dragged the ladder out of the garage, wedged it against the closet door and prepared to investigate. All was quiet as I nervously edged open the 2-foot plywood square that served as the gateway to our attic crawl space. Balancing precariously on the top rung, I peered into the twilight space. Two eyes glinted from the corner. Then with a low, menacing growl, the huge raccoon charged. I barely had time to slide the plywood home before I felt her angry thump. Unfortunately, I didn’t tumble down the ladder fast enough to entirely avoid the shower of urine with which she announced that the attic was now hers!

In search of a cozy nest, Mama raccoon had somehow squeezed her gigantic body through the attic vent cap, ripping out the protective screen and bending the steel fan blades. In the corner over my daughter’s bedroom, she had ripped huge three-foot shards out of the rafters sharpening her claws. We found three hungry, squint-eyed babies nestled in the insulation near the attic door. For several yards around the nest, the insulation was soaked with urine which had started to permeate the ceiling wallboard. Raccoons always have an alternate nest we learned. It turned out to be our chimney. While my young daughters were fascinated by the baby raccoons, repairs kept the local handyman industry solvent for the next couple of weeks.

Raccoons are nothing to mess with. Fierce and aggressive, they can cause powerful damage to your home. They are a major carrier of rabies and distemper and harbor fleas, ticks and mites. Removal is a job for professionals. If you have raccoons nesting in your attic, getting cozy under your porch, or hiding in your storage shed, call the professionals at Stern Environmental Group. Click the post title for more information on our wildlife removal services. Visit our website to find out more about our extensive pest management and pest control services. You’ll sleep well tonight,when you get “Stern” with your pests.

Serving Up News on Bugs that Bug You!