Bedbugs Live Where?!?! Fun Fact Friday

When you hear the term bedbug, if you assume that bedbugs infest and live in beds, you are like most people.  But guess what? Bedbug infestations reach further than the bed.  In having a conversation with a friend of the family, I came to the realization that people as a whole are very misinformed as far as where bedbugs live and what they can infest.

Something I've commonly heard- "Oh, if I get bedbugs, I will burn the bed!"

Guess what happens when you bring your brand new bed into the house?  The brand new bed gets infested and here's why: Bedbugs do not just infest beds.  Some places that bedbugs commonly infest:

• Dressers
• Bedside Tables
• Head and Foot Boards
• Wall Voids
• Base Boards
• Debris Near Beds (Laundry, Books, Toys, Garbage, etc)
• Couches
• Chairs
• Etc

If bedbugs can/do infest all of these places, getting rid of an infested bed does no good at all.  Getting rid of a bed and buying a new one is often more costly than pest control measures to treat for bedbugs, and it is far less effective considering the fact that the new bed will become infested with bedbugs without proper pest control measures.

Something else I have commonly heard is people relating bedbugs to lice.  People's homes can be infested with bedbugs but a person does not have bedbugs infesting their person.  That does not mean that a person who's home is infested will not take bedbugs to other places, it is entirely possible and even likely to happen. Bedbugs can hitchhike on clothing, shoes, luggage, briefcases etc.  But a person will not have bedbugs crawling about on them throughout the day as they go about their business.

Additionally I have heard bedbugs being related only to poor housing or low quality hotels/motels.  While a bedbug problem can and sometimes does become bigger in these places because the cost of treatment can be a deterrent when finances are tight, bedbug infestations happen across the board.  Bedbugs are often brought home by people who travel for business. Doctors who may have patients bring them in to hospitals/offices can take bedbugs home. Any professional that is inside of peoples homes is at a greater risk for bringing bedbugs home.

In order to maintain better control of bedbugs, people need to be informed.  There is plenty of misinformation available on the web.  I recently read on a popular and well trusted site that bedbugs are no longer a problem in the United States.  This information is just not true.  There was a time when bedbugs were almost unheard of here, but they are on the rise in a serious way.

If you are having trouble with bedbugs, spiders, fleas, ants or other pests, give me a call.  I'd be happy to help you out.  Mention this pest control coupon and blog post when you call to schedule your (free) inspection for $50 off a full bedbug treatment by Peak Pest Management.

Micah Wood

Peak Pest Management LLC

www.peak-pest-management.com

micah@peak-pest-management.com

Portland 503-998-4322

Vancouver 360-607-1933

Seattle 206-790-8285

Carpet Beetles | Eating Habits | Fun Fact Friday

Carpet beetles are an interesting little pest.  They have a larval stage and an adult stage.  In their adult stage, they are a small beetle, as larva, they are more worm like.  The larva cause the most damage, and by the time you find adult beetles, the damage has already been done.

So what do carpet beetles eat?  Well, they eat organic matter and animal products, including skins, furs, hair, yarn, materials etc.  They will also consume cotton and wool/synthetic blends.  What does this mean?  Well, they won't just gobble organic matter from your carpets, as the name might suggest.  If they find a nice wool sweater or even a wool blend, these bad boys are going to gobble holes in that.

They will eat away at your sheepskin rug.  They will gnaw on your cotton t-shirts, socks and clothing.  They will happily munch holes in your wool winter socks, they will gobble holes right through your natural fabric stash.  They will also happily munch on pet hair and debris that are often readily available in carpets.

Because of the damage they cause, you'll want to get rid of these guys if you find them in your home gnawing holes in your best wool slacks (or you know-- whatever your find them eating).

There are several different species of carpet beetle: some are black and some are brown.  They are all grouped together in the same category as pests though, because they act, and can be treated for, in the same way.

Many people find holes in clothing and they assume that the problem is moths.  Often, it is not moths, in cities, it is more likely that you are going to find a carpet beetle infestation.

If you are having trouble with carpet beetles, bed bugs, ants, mice or other pests, give us a call, we'll help you out.

Micah Wood
Peak Pest Management LLC
www.peak-pest-management.com
micah@peak-pest-management.com
Portland 503-998-4322
Vancouver 360-607-1933
Seattle 206-790-8285

Grasshoppers and Crickets: Fun Fact Friday

For fun fact Friday today, we have grasshoppers and crickets!  While I don't get called out to treat for these bugs here in Portland, OR or Vancouver, WA.  I still think they are interesting.  One reason (which happens to be our fun fact for the day)?  Some grasshoppers, katydids and crickets actually have ears on their front legs.  The ears are located in the knee joints.  If people were crickets I bet they'd be really careful about what they whispered into an ear.  A knee-jerk reaction would really hurt!

Crickets, grasshoppers, katydids and locusts can really be a problem in some places though.  Here's a video about katydids, called Mormon Crickets, in Colorado, done by National Geographic.



While I don't deal with these bugs, there are plenty that I do take care of.  If you are having pest problems in Vancouver, WA, Portland, OR, Seattle, WA and the surrounding area, please give me a call!  I'd be happy to help you out.  Bedbugs, mice, rats, spiders, ants, whatever the pest, we'll develop a custom pest control plan for you.

Micah Wood
Peak Pest Management LLC
www.peak-pest-management.com
micah@peak-pest-management.com
Portland 503-998-4322
Vancouver 360-607-1933
Seattle 206-790-8285

Roaches Again | Fun Fact Friday | Pregnant for Life

First of all, I want to give you this little gem: There are cockroaches in Central and South America that are 6 inches long. 1/2 a foot.  I'll let that sink in for a moment before I move on to today's fun fact.  Not all cockroaches are pests, in nature they serve important roles (otherwise why would they exist? right?).

Okay, moving on to today's fun fact.  In some (I didn't check this for ALL) species of cockroaches, females mate once and then are pregnant for life.  That's right. Pregnant for life.  I can't pretend to understand this, but I know that my wife would not enjoy being pregnant for life.  It's not that they WHOLE process was miserable-- there were miserable moments to be sure.  It's just at the end of 9 months she was ready to be done.

Cockroaches don't get that (although let's be realistic, they also don't have all of the feelings and emotions that people do).  But nevertheless, they have some babies and then are STILL pregnant, with the next batch of cockroach babies.

Here is a video about the topic of cockroaches:


If you are experiencing a cockroach infestation, I understand that cockroaches are not a laughing matter.  Cockroaches and transfer a number of diseases that are harmful to people, by contaminating food sources.

These speedy pests can be really upsetting.  I am not just going to throw this information out there, if you are having a problem with cockroaches and would like some help, I'd be happy to help.  Peak Pest Management offers a wide range of pest control services for all of your pest control needs.  Cockroaches, mice, rats, fleas, ants, carpet beetles, and bedbugs are just a few pests that we see and help people get rid of all the time!

Give us a call, we'll help you out.

Micah Wood
Peak Pest Management
www.peak-pest-management.com
micah@peak-pest-management.com
Pest Control Portland- 503-998-4322
Pest Control Seattle-  206-790-8285
Pest Control Vancouver- 360-607-1933

Rats, Bedbugs, Fleas, Bees | A Day in the Life

A Day in The Life of a Pest Control Technician

 

Any given day can hold endless possibilities of the various pests I'll run into on the job.  I'll tell you the truth, I like variety in my day.  If I didn't, this wouldn't be the job for me.  There is nothing mundane or boring about driving out in my pest control truck and saving the day.  Yes, that's right, saving the day.  Not in the same way as a super hero, or law enforcement, doctors, emergency workers and military, but still-- I do save the day.

 

On a relatively busy day I might go out on up to seven or eight calls. Sometimes in pest control I'll have a trend for the day-- like 3-4 of the same sort of job and maybe one or two other pests.  But other times my day is completely varied.  Because typically I might see four or five different pests on a busy day, I'll run through a list of pests that I see regularly.

 

• Rats and mice are a common call. This is the call I most often take early in the morning and late at night. People do not like rodents! Understandably so, because rodents can carry a number of diseases as well as fleas. Rodents can really contaminate a home or business and people are often anxious for a solution when they see one.  Often I will fill my early morning time slots with rodent jobs.
• Bees (well, really mostly wasps and yellow jackets but the call is often for "bees") are kind of a specialty.  Up until I said to a customer "I almost never get stung,"  it had been a really long time since I was last stung.  The day I said that I got stung 6 times.  I'm not really complaining, it's just a hazard of the job-- from time to time stings happen.  When I don't get stung, I can take care of a basic "bee" call pretty fast.  During the summer and early Autumn I can have 3-4 calls in one day-- all for bees and wasps.
• Bedbugs are another call that can come in the middle of the night or early in the morning.  Bedbugs creep people out.  The thought of being bitten while you sleep can cause a person to lose more than a little sleep.  People who call in about bedbugs and end up having a flea infestation are some of the happiest and most relieved customers I have ever met.  Although the number of bedbug cases I see is on a steady rise, I do encounter many people who suspect bedbugs but are relieved to hear it is something else.  Although bedbugs and fleas are very different, both bite and I do see both bedbugs and fleas on a regular basis.
• Fleas and pets go hand in hand.  It makes sense that customers with a flea infestation in the home are often concerned about the health and safety of their pet.  At Peak Pest Management, we are also concerned about the health and safety of the pets and people in the home.  We choose the safest and most effective products available.
• Spiders are one of the pests that make me feel like I'm saving the day.  Spiders are a very real fear for many people and although we do have relatively few poisonous spiders here in the northwest, the ones we do have (namely hobo spiders) can be aggressive.  A happy customer is a customer who no longer has to worry about spiders invading their home.
• Ants and termite calls come in on a regular basis as well.  Ants can be a nuisance, or they can be a structural pest depending on the type of ant.  Carpenter ants and termites (not an ant) are structural pests that cause real and expensive damage when left untreated.  People sometimes confuse carpenter ants, termites and even powder post beetles.  All three cause structural damage and it can be hard for a person to differentiate which pest is causing problems.  A Pest Control Professional, like myself, is trained to recognise the differences in these pests, not just by what they look like, but by other evidence that is left behind by structural pests.

Because I am just talking about "a Day in the Life," I won't go into detail about these pests or list out everything I have ever treated for-- or even everything I've done this week.  Honestly that would probably be pretty long and it would eventually get boring.  Maybe another day I'll write about my experiences with ridiculously smart squirrels and funny and unusual calls.  But for today, there's just a sampling of what I might do in a day-- at this time of year.

 

I'm here, any time, for all of your pest control needs.

 

Micah Wood

Peak Pest Management

www.peak-pest-management.com

micah@peak-pest-management.com

503-998-4322

360-607-1933

206-790-8285

Fun Fact Friday | Fireflies | How And Why Do Fireflies Light Up?

Fireflies are interesting and intriguing to adults.  To children they seem down right magical.  So, is there a scientific reason that fireflies light up and glow?  According to a six year old I know it is a combination of faith, trust and pixie dust but that has more to do with Tinkerbell than science!

The chemical process that gives fireflies their glow is called bioluminescence. 

"When oxygen combines with calcium, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and the chemical luciferin in the presence of luciferase, a bioluminescent enzyme, light is produced." (www.scientificamerican.com).
 

Basically when reading I found that the fireflies have a gene called LUC gene.  And the presence of a substance called Lucifrase in their cells.  These drive the chemical process, using oxygen and/or nitrous oxide, that produces light.

An interesting fact about fireflies is that the light they produce is "cold" light.  Their organs would not sustain the heat involved if fireflies produced "hot" light.

Here is a youtube video of a firefly caught by a spider.



And here is a video of fire flies in action.


Because it is fun fact Friday we're not focused on pests in our writing today!  But, as always I am available for pest control services for all kinds of pests including, spiders, ants, fleas, termites, cockroaches, mice, rats, bedbugs and more!  Give me a call if you need pest control service in  Portland, Vancouver or Seattle.

Micah Wood
Peak Pest Management
503-998-4322
360-607-1933
206-790-8285
www.peak-pest-management.com
micah@peak-pest-management.com

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Branham, Mark: Ask The Experts "How and Why Do Fireflies Light Up?" Scientific American 5, September 2005 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-and-why-do-fireflies

Environmental Science "How do fireflies light up?" How Stuff Works 1998-2012
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/zoology/insects-arachnids/question554.htm

Genetic Science Learning Center. "What Makes a Firefly Glow?." Learn.Genetics7 September 2012 http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/dna/firefly