Ants| You Are What You Eat| Fun Fact Friday

Ants are an interesting pest. Are they unpleasant in a home?  Of course they are!  They're creepy-crawly-tickly-itchy-stinky creatures, and depending on species, they can cause structural damage.  I still think it's a good idea to take care of an ant infestation, even though I find them interesting.

Something I recently read at http://www.biokids.umich.edu was about how ants position in the colony is determined by how much and what they are fed in their infant stages.  Food source and amount determines not only the size of an ant but the caste within the society.  So a queen ant, or the workers (depending on the age of the colony) will feed the various larva different foods and in different amounts to raise more workers, soldiers, males, queens, etc depending on the needs of the colony.

Within an ant colony, there are many different types of ants.  All of the ants are (generally speaking)the same species, but they look different, their purpose to the colony can be determined based on what they look like. An ant with a larger head and jaw is likely a protector/soldier of the nest and may also be a forager.  Smaller ants are likely to be in-nest workers, digging and caring for the young.  Ants with wings are reproductive, the smaller winged ants are general male and the larger are female. Before reading about it, I didn't realize that this position is determined as they develop, and is based on quantity and type of food.

Here is a fire ant video by national geographic.  Not exactly on theme, but about ants and pretty interesting.



If you're having a problem with ants, whether they are moisture ants, odorous house ants, carpenter ants, big ants, small ants, or any other pest give us, at Peak Pest Management a call, send us an email or check out our website for more information!

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

Biokids: University of Michigan (2002-2013). Ants, Formicidae. http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Formicidae/

Pheromone Trails | Pest Control | Fun Fact Friday

Have you ever wondered why ants march in a line?  How bees remember which hive belongs to them? How wasps know to swarm when someone or something has been stung? Why rodents and other pests need to be treated regularly and a "one-time" treatment won't be effective? How animals and insects find mates?

The answer (or at least part of the answer) to these questions is pharomones.  By origin, pheromone can be translated to mean to bear (or transport) hormones.  Pharomones are used by many insects and animals including many social pests, including ants, rats, mice, bees, termites as well as many other pests.

Pharomones can be used to mark a trail to food.  With ants it is particularly noticable because they literally march in lines from their nest to a food source.  The trail that the line follows is marked with pheromones.  Rodents such as mice and rats will also leave pharomone trails from the nesting area to the food source.

Another use for pharomones is alarm.  Bees and wasps make the alarm pharomone easy to recognize.  When one bee or wasp stings a potential threat, they also release pharomones to attract other bees and wasps to join them in the attack.  This is especially true if a sting happens near a nest.

Furthermore pharomones are used by many insects and animals to attract a mate.  If you've ever wondered why there is an icky swarm of mating bugs, the answer is pharomones.  They are attracted together by pharomones.

Pharomones have other functions that I am not including in this post, but I just wanted to detail why pharomones are important and give some "fun" facts about them.  If you have ever heard a pest control professional refer to pharomones or pharomone trails and wondered what on earth they were talking about-- here is a pretty good basic idea of the function of pharomones.

This video has a very visual way of showing how ants communicate using pheromones.


For all of your pest control needs, Peak Pest Management has a solution!  If you're having issues with pests please give me, Micah, a call.

Micah Wood
www.peak-pest-management.com
micah@peak-pest-management.com
Pest Control Portland 503-998-4322
Pest Control Vancouver 360-607-1933
Pest Control Seattle 206-790-8285
We have similar information on our website blog.  Click here to check it out.

Mice | World's Most Famous Mouse | Fun Fact Friday

The world's most famous mouse is none other than Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse.  Mickey Mouse was first introduced in 1928 after a less than amicable break up of the first Company Walt Disney was a part of founding.  With a handful of loyal employees Walter "Walt" Elias Disney bounced back creating Mickey Mouse and his famous crew of companions with the help of Ub Iwerks.

Walt Disney originally named the character Mortimer Mouse and was convinced by his wife to change the name to Mickey Mouse.  I think this was a wise move.  I can't imagine a mouse as famous as Mickey with the name Mortimer.  But who knows, maybe we all would have loved Mortimer just as well-- after all he was the same design.

Mickey Mouse was the first animated character to receive a Hollywood star of fame, which happened in the 70's.  Mickey mouse has been the character of comic strips, comic books, movies, short films, books etc.  One of the main character attractions at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, as well, is the world's most famous mouse.

Why the Mickey Mouse post on a pest control blog?  Because it came up as I was searching for fun facts about  mice and because I have kids, I thought it was interesting.  Also worth noting?  Mickey Mouse's voice was done by Walt Disney for his first couple of decades.

And because this was about Mickey Mouse, here is a classic Mickey Mouse clip instead of the usual National Geographic clip.



Although I would never try to oust Mickey Mouse, I am a pest control professional and would love to help you get rid of other less famous (and considerably less entertaining) mice and/or other pests.

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

Caterpillers, Moths and Jumping Beans | Fun Fact Friday

Have you ever seen a little novelty item box of jumping beans for sale and wondered what the trick is that gets them to jump around in that little box?  No trick needed.  Inside of the beans are actually the caterpillars of bean moths. 

So if your kids are begging for pets and you're just not ready to get them one, you could go with a pet bean.  You could even ease your way into jumping beans by starting with a regular old every day bean (provided that your children are either quite young--or old enough to laugh about it.)

That is all for Fun Fact Friday today!  Hope everyone has a fun, safe, pest free weekend.  If it isn't pest free and you'd like it to be-- give me a call!  Spiders, bees, ants, fleas, mice, wasps or any other pest control need-- give me a call!

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

Bees- Spring Has Sprung, Don't Get Stung!

It's spring and spring means flowers and trees start to bloom bringing allergies, bees, wasps and a number of pesky pests we said goodbye to for winter back into our lives!  Here in the Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR and the whole northwest, spring rain welcomes buds and blooms to flowers and trees.  Buds and blooms attract bees, caterpillars, aphids, and plenty of other pests to be sure.  If your backyard veggie patch or prize winning roses are attracting bees, here are a few tips to keep you from getting stung.

• Know your bees and wasps!  It doesn't hurt to have knowledge about the local bees and wasps so you know how to respond when you encounter them.  Bumble bees are fuzzy, lonely, cute and relatively harmless: yellow jackets (technically a wasp not a bee) are bare, travel in colonies, ugly and readily sting repeatedly.
• Don't panic!  Becoming fearful and swing your arms at bees makes you and those around you more likely to be stung.  If one person has been stung and it appears that bees are swarming move away from the area and indoors if possible.  When a bee or wasp stings, it releases a pheromone that can attract other bees and wasps to come to their aid to protect the territory.
• If you notice a bee nest in, on, or near your home or business, contact a pest control professional.  A pest control professional will be able to identify the bees/wasps and help you get rid of them.  A pest control professional will often have contacts in bee keeping for relocating honey bees and other beneficial bees to a safer place for the bees and for your family.  A trained professional is also skilled in getting rid of bees and wasps that are invading your home or business and nesting in areas that encroach on peaceful family life.

Here are some helpful safety tips for kids:

• Don't throw rocks at bees nests, even if they appear to be empty.
• Do not climb trees with bees nests in them.
• Don't swat at or flail your arms at bees.
• Don't panic and run around in circles when you see a bee.
• Avoid playing near garbage cans that are swarming with bees.

Remember a bee sting is painful to some and medically serious to others.  If you have a known bee allergy please follow your doctor's safety advice and carry the appropriate medications during the spring, summer and fall months.  If you have been stung and have significant swelling consult your doctor.  If you have severe swelling and/or difficulty breathing call 9-1-1 immediately.

Micah Wood

503-998-4322

360-607-1933
Micah@Peak-Pest-Management.com
peak-pest-management.com