Carpenter Ants?

Carpenter ants are usually slow to cause damage, so it's not uncommon for a homeowner to have seen them wandering around for years before they actually notice damage.

But don't wait until you notice carpenter ant damage to control these pests. If you see ants wandering about, you should control them right away, BEFORE they start causing major damage.

Carpenter ants are most active searching for food from midnight to 4 a.m., so if you see these pests during the day, you are seeing only a small fraction of what is happening at night. They love leaks or other moisture problems, blocked or leaking gutters, or a poorly ventilated attic or crawl space. Tree stumps, dead tree limbs, and firewood also can stimulate problems with carpenter ants, as can trees and shrubs that touch a home and keep walls more moist.

Call Tampa Bay Pest Management at 813-416-3692 if you see carpenter ants wandering in or outside your home. We're experts at controlling these difficult pests. We start by inspecting your home to find where they're coming from. If their nests are all outside your home, we'll take steps to ensure they stay out. If ants are starting to nest inside, they need to be stopped before they have time to do more damage, or set up other colonies.

Ten Pest Control Tips For Preventing a Spider Invasion

The two (2) most common spiders, of concern to homeowners and pest control professionals; are the Brown Recluse and Black Widow spiders. An invasion of either of these two spider pests, could result in dangers to your health and life. Bites should be considered serious, and require immediate medical diagnosis and treatment.

What can homeowners do to protect themselves? The best pest control strategy for deterring a spider infestation, is to reduce the pest population of other insects (food source); from inside the house or building. This approach encourages spider intruders to leave your dwelling, in search for a more dependable food supply; outside of the home.

With that in mind, here are 10 dependable pest control tips, for reducing the number of spider/pest invaders; in your home:

1. Install snug-fitting screens, on all windows and doors. It is also recommended, that you install door sweeps; as well.
2. Seal or caulk cracks and crevices where spiders/insects could enter the house or building.
3. Install yellow/sodium vapor light bulbs outside, to attract fewer insects; for spiders to feed upon.
4. Tape the edges of cardboard boxes to prevent spider/insect entry.
5. Use plastic bags (sealed) to store loose items in the garage, basement and attic.
6. Remove old boxes, unused clothing, wood/rock piles, trash and other unwanted items.
7. Eliminate clutter in closets, basements, attics, garages, and outbuildings.
8. Do not stack wood against the house.
9. Clean up dead insects.
10. Dust and vacuum thoroughly to remove spiders, webs, and egg sacs (dispose of the vacuum bag in a sealed container outside).
    

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5167523

Termite Control Tips

• Repair any roof or plumbing leaks as soon as possible. These leaks can allow termites to survive above ground in a house.
• Eliminate any wood-to-soil contact around your foundation and remove wood debris near your home.
• Prevent mulch and soil from touching the siding of your home. They make it much easier for termites to enter.
• Store firewood away from your home.
• Use mesh screens on all windows and doors, as well as in ventilation openings for attics and crawl spaces.
• Seal nail holes and cracks in exposed wood to help prevent easy access by drywood termites.
• Contract with a professional pest control company to regularly inspect your home. This will help detect termite activity and allow for prompt and proper treatment.

Source: http://www.terminix.com

Wasp Control 101

An experienced pest control service is the best option for wasp or bee control but you can use the following information to help to control them yourself because, although extermination and nest removal may be your end goal, it doesn’t hurt to know some basic do-it-yourself wasp control tips. If something as simple as wearing proper clothing or keeping your garbage sealed can help deter the pests then it is worth doing.

Here are some basic tips to help prevent wasps from finding their way into your home:

• Remove or seal food sources: Wasps are attracted to protein, which explains why they show up at family cookouts. Open garbage cans, pet food, or even scraps left on your grill can draw the pests to your lawn. Sweet foods, like rotting fruit, are also calling cards for wasps. If you have fruit trees on your property, you will need to be extra diligent about cleaning up the fallen produce.
  
  
• Avoid perfume or scented lotions: Sweetly scented lotions and floral perfumes smell like food to a hungry wasp; even scented shampoos can bring you their unwanted attention.
  
  
• Do not squash a wasp: As tempting as it may sound, squashing or stepping on a wasp is bad for wasp control. Once the pest is squashed it releases a scent that acts like a magnet, bringing in more wasps from nearby. These new wasps are likely to be agitated by the scent as well, and therefore more likely to be aggressive.
  
  
• Avoid bright clothing: Bees and wasps are attracted to brightly colored or patterned clothing. Red would be a particularly bad choice to wear at your next neighborhood picnic.
  
  

For professional wasp control services, contact us at 813-416-3692 or info@tampabaypestmgmt.com

Mosquito Breeding Control Tips

The American Mosquito Control Association, www.mosquito.org, reports that there are over 2,500 different species of mosquitoes around the world. Out of all of these species, there is one thing that every mosquito has in common: they breed in wet areas. The best way to control mosquitoes is to eliminate their breeding sites.

Here are some breeding control tips:

• Do not allow water to accumulate anywhere in your yard for more than two days. Cans, buckets, pots, plastic swimming pools and tires are all containers that tend to collect and hold water. Removing these items will help control the number of mosquitoes that hatch in your yard.
• Keep your gutters clean. If leaves or other debris clog your gutters and prevent them from draining, water will accumulate in the gutter system, providing the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.
• Do not over-water your lawn or garden. This may cause water to be left standing for more than one day.
• If your cistern, septic tank or cesspool seeps, fixing the problem will help control the number of mosquitoes that plague your yard.
• Filling swampy areas, ditches and drain puddles will eliminate mosquito breeding grounds. If filling is not possible, these areas may be treated with commercial mosquito control products.
• If you have a backyard pond, stock it with mosquito fish (minnows). These fish eat mosquitoes and their larvae.
• Change the water in your wading pool or birdbaths at least once per week. Stagnant water makes the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Contact us for pest control services and pest management in Tampa Bay, FL
813.416.3692

Pest Control Tips : Shut down the ant buffet!

Shut down the ant buffet.

The reason ants are coming into your home is because it's a free-for-all. If you have a very dirty home environment ants will multiply. Make sure you clean daily; the cleaner you keep your house, the less they'll have to eat, and the more they'll look elsewhere for goodies.

• Wipe down all surfaces. Tables and counter tops should be regularly sprayed and cleaned with a mild bleach or vinegar solution. Stay on top of your regular cleaning regimen; mop and vacuum regularly.
• Put food in air-tight containers.
  
• Keep the sink clean: no dirty dishes, no standing water for ants to drink, and no food in the drain.
• Put pet food bowls in a slightly larger bowl and add some water to the larger bowl, creating a moat around the pet food that the ants can't easily cross.

Contact us today for more information about ant infestation elimination and other pest control services at http://tampabaypestmgmt.com or 813-416-3692

Preventing Roach Infestations

• Keep the kitchen clean. Clean up crumbs and spills promptly, and pay special attention to range tops, as cockroaches love grease.
• Put food away and don't even leave dirty dishes overnight.
• Empty trash regularly, and keep trash away from the house.
• Fix dripping faucets or leaks; cockroaches are attracted to water.
• Put naphthalene balls on corners; roaches hate their smell.
• Prevent bugs from coming up the drain. If you believe that the cockroaches are coming up your drains, pour regular, cheap bleach down the drains before leaving the house in the morning. For a stronger solution, mix 1 part borax with 3 parts bleach.
• Move logs and other debris away from the outside of the house. Cockroaches love piles of wood and other convenient hiding places, and as the weather turns colder, they'll migrate inside the house to keep warm.
• Seal cracks in exterior walls.
• Seal cracks everywhere you can inside your house. This takes time, but the payoff is great, because you eliminate most of their favorite hiding/breeding places. You'll need a lot of caulking, so use the big tubes with a caulking gun. Fill every crack inside every cabinet; fill the cracks on both sides of floor, door, and window moldings; fill all openings around pipes in bathrooms and kitchens. This makes a big difference and makes the whole house feel cleaner.

Contact us today for a free pest control estimate.