Tag Archives: Residential Services

Disease Carrying Pests, News, Pest Animal Removal, Rats

What to Know About Norway Rats and Roof Rats in New Jersey

Tips to Keep Rodents Out of Your Home
Tips to Keep Rodents Out of Your Home

Rats in NJ can cause serious problems for commercial property owners. Norway rats and roof rats are among the more common rodent species in the state. Learning more about these rats, including what they look like, can help you know when to get professional NJ pest control.

Roof Rats

Roof rats are smaller than Norway rats, measuring up to 18 inches long from head to tail when fully grown. These rats have darker coloring and smoother fur with a long, black tail and pointed muzzle. These rats usually stay higher up, such as on rooftops or trees, compared to Norway rats. They also prefer warmer climates.

Norway Rats

Norway rats are large, with a body length that measures up to ten inches long, not including their tail. These rats have a bulkier body than roof rats, along with a shorter tail, blunt muzzle, rougher coat and smaller eyes. They also have a brownish coloring that’s lighter than roof rats’ coloring. Norway rats tend to stay lower down where they search for food.

Both rats can spread disease, chew electrical wiring, contaminate food and cause other problems for building owners. Prompt removal is important when you have an infestation of either of these rodents.

If you have Norway or roof rats in your building, contact Stern Environmental right away. Our NJ pest control experts can get rid of these rodents to prevent damage and disease.

Commercial Services, News, Pest Control, Pest News, Residential Services, Spiders

What NJ Businesses Need to Know About the Brown Recluse Spider

What NJ Businesses Need to Know About the Brown Recluse Spider
What NJ Businesses Need to Know About the Brown Recluse Spider

While you have most likely heard of the brown recluse spider, there’s a good chance you haven’t seen one since they tend to live up to their name and remain shy and reclusive.

About the Brown Recluse

Like most spiders, the brown recluse resides in homes, although they prefer remaining tucked away in places receiving little to no activity such as attics, storage spaces, garages, and cluttered closets. They build their webs and nests in out-of-the-way places.

Brown recluse spiders are nocturnal spending the midnight hours in search of food. The spiders are low-key and don’t go out of their way to bite humans, but when it happens their bite can become problematic causing pain, skin ulcers, and secondary infections.

Identification

For novice spider hunters the brown recluse ranges in color from grey to light brown. It has eight slender legs that extend to cover an area the size of a half-dollar. The two most distinguishable characteristics are its six eyes and the distinctive violin-shaped marking on its body.

Brown recluse spiders are most active in the spring when mating occurs, which results in around 50 eggs per egg sac.

For all of your NJ pest control needs, Stern Environmental has the team, talent, and treatments to address your concerns. Call us for an inspection of your home by a professional NJ pest control technician who will target the problem and provide an effective resolution.

Residential Services, Uncategorized

How to Choose the Best Pest and Mold Free NYC Apartment

Do your Research Online Before you Buy a Home. It Could Save you Pest Trouble in the Long Run.
Do your Research Online Before you Buy a Home. It Could Save you Pest Trouble in the Long Run.

Landlords are required by law to keep your apartment safe and sanitary for you to live in, and make any necessary repairs as quickly as possible. However, if you do have a negligent and irresponsible building manager, it can sometimes be difficult to get them to comply with the law and live up to their responsibilities. You have better things to do with your time than battle with a landlord. These tips from the NYC bed bug specialists can help you choose the best apartment.

Research landlords

The City Public Advocate maintains a list of New York City’s worst landlords. You can search by the management company, the landlord’s name, or by building. There is also a list of the 100 worst landlords in the city. Take the time to review the list and check the name of any potential landlord prior to committing to an apartment.

Do a basic internet search

A simple search of the address, building name, or management company can return news stories, tenant complaints, or lawsuits. It can give you an idea of the building’s history and serve as a warning if the management company habitually neglects its responsibilities.

The Bed Bug Registry

If you ask them, a landlord must disclose a building’s bed bug history. There is also a Bed Bug Registry you can review. Stern Environmental technicians are NYC bed bug specialists. Call today for a free consultation.

Cockroaches, News, Pest Control, Pest Management, Residential Services, Roaches

Setting Up House: Cockroaches Create Their Own “Neighborhoods”

Setting Up House: Cockroaches Create Their Own "Neighborhoods"
Setting Up House: Cockroaches Create Their Own “Neighborhoods”

Are people on the Upper West Side really so different from the kids in Williamsburg? If we’re talking about the NYC cockroach population, the answer is yes. Research from Rockefeller University sheds light on the distinct genetics found in cockroach “neighborhoods” throughout the city.

Lead scientist Mark Stoeckle recently sat down with National Geographic to talk about the National Cockroach Project and what they’ve found in Manhattan, Roosevelt Island, and beyond.

Cockroaches, like New Yorkers, love their neighborhoods.

The Second Avenue Subway won’t be revolutionizing the commute for cockroaches anytime soon.

The National Cockroach Project has been genetically tracking cockroaches from all over the country, crowd-sourcing the critters from people who mail them in. Scientists were surprised to find identifiable genetic differences in roaches of the same species from opposite sides of Central Park.

Stoeckle likes to say that cockroaches have a lot in common with New Yorkers. They descend from immigrants, they have a lot in common with each other, but they do stick to their own turf.

Protect your neighborhood! Get help from our NYC cockroach exterminators.

Bug scientists often say that pests like cockroaches get a worse reputation than they deserve—but when asked what they do at home, they kill them like everybody else!

Consider cockroaches the worst kind of gentrifier. Our NYC cockroach exterminators can help! Contact Stern Environmental for safe, non-toxic treatments available for home, apartment, and commercial pest control.

Bed Bug News, Bed Bugs, News, Pest Control, Residential Services

Losing Everything to Bed Bugs – One Family’s Story

Losing Everything to Bed Bugs - One Family's Story
Losing Everything to Bed Bugs – One Family’s Story

“We were tossing memories,” says a New York mother whose family lost most of their belongings in a bed bug scare. After finding bed bugs in her son’s bedroom and their eggs tucked away in hidden places like the pages of baby books, the family was disgusted but determined to put an end to the problem.

Bed bug treatments have improved over the years, but they are some of the hardest pests to completely eradicate. A big part of that: many bed bugs have developed resistance to pesticides.

The Esposito-Bernard family first tried laundering every garment and linen. Then, they boiled every object that could stand the heat. Before long, the family said goodbye to their baby cribs and other cherished memorabilia. Everyday items and furniture were mostly trashed, too.

Turn to the NJ Bed Bug Specialists

When people find bed bugs, panic often sets in. Some are afraid of chemicals, others fear that eggs will remain.

Thankfully, our NJ bed bug specialists have a green, child-safe, pet-safe treatment from Europe called Cryonite®.

Using food-grade CO2 snow instead of traditional bed bug chemicals, the process can be used in homes, apartment buildings, hotels, hospitals, and many other places. With Cryonite®, you may well get to keep all of your stuff.

If you have a bed bug problem, please consider all your options. Contact the NJ bed bug specialists at Stern Environmental for more info.