Carpenter Ants, 2.0

Alright, here comes our second post on carpenter ants. Everyone, stop what you're doing and listen up! Carpenter ants are a big deal!

First of all, carpenter ants swarm in the spring. This is because this is when they are mating and looking for a new place to live. When the queen ant (who is winged) lands in a place they want to nest, they almost immediately lose their wings and start to burrow (NOT EAT!) the wood they are going to be living in.

Carpenter ants are most active at night (as with most insects) and can be found anywhere in your house that has damp or weak wood. Sometimes when you spot ants you are able to follow them to their nest in the house, therefore making it easier to eliminate the problem.

It is important to note that carpenter ants are JUST AS DANGEROUS TO STRUCTURES as termites. Although carpenter ants don't eat the wood, they do destroy the wood. Here is an example of what carpenter ants do to wood:

In order to help control carpenter ants and make sure that they do not come in to your home, you can take a few precautions. Make sure that trees and other plants are not touching your home as the ants can use a tree they are living in as a bridge to your house. Also, make sure that you take care of any leaks within your house immediately as carpenter ants LOVE wet wood.  Also, make sure that if you're storing firewood during the summer it is AWAY from the house and off the ground. Carpenter ants LOVE firewood.

As always, please call your local pest control company if you have or suspect you have a problem. If you live in New Jersey give All-Way Pest Control, Inc a call!! :)

Carpenter Ants, Version 1.0

Hello! Today's blog: Carpenter Ants.

Why? Because this is the time of year you have to start worrying about them.

The Facts!!

1. There are 9 different types of Carpenter Ants that live in the United States

2. Each colony was started with just one queen ant. She stays in the nest and raises her baby ants by feeding them saliva (eww!)

3. A colony of ants can average around 2,000!

4. Carpenter Ants don't actually eat the wood! They burrow holes and use the wood in other places around the nest while eating other insects, meat, fats, and sugary foods.

5. Carpenter Ants usually enter your home or business through previously wet and damaged wood

More soon! :)

 

 

http://www.pestworldforkids.org/ants.html

Signs of Termites

And we're back for round 2 of the posts about Termites!

This blog post will focus on how to recognize and identify a termite infestation in your home. This is not the easiest process and you should consult a termite or pest control specialist in your area (that would be All-Way Pest Control if you're from New Jersey or parts of PA! :) ) if you suspect an infestation or if you're concerned that one could occur. The following tips will help you identify if such a problem exists.

(All information is from http://www.termites.com/damage/detection-signs/)

There are many, many signs of termites but several of these could be and are usually overlooked by homeowners. They are mud tubes, droppings, bubbling paint, peeling paint, and hollow or damaged wood.

1) Mud Tubes

    Mud tubes are very thin tubes that are, obviously, made of mud. They are most easily visible on doors. Unfortunately, these tubes can also be found under siding and in cracks of foundation. This makes the tubes much more difficult to find.

2) Droppings

    Termite droppings are called Frass and you will see a large pile underneath wood that has been infested. These piles appear because termites will clean out their nests and push the droppings out of the nest onto the floor (at least they take care of their living space). 

3) Bubbling/Peeling Paint

     Termites like moisture. As a result of this, when they build their nests in your wood they need to bring in moisture. When the moisture is brought into the nest, paint will bubble and peel from that moisture. This is a difficult way to look for termites because bubbling or peeling paint could also be a sign of water damage. If  you see bubbling or peeling paint, first look for a water leak. If none is found, please call a professional to look into the situation as this could be the first sign of termites.

4) Hollow/Damaged Wood

    Here are two pictures of what damaged wood from termites looks like. This first is less extreme damage than the second.

Hopefully this information has been useful. Again, call you local pest control company if you are concerned about a termite infestation as damage can occur VERY quickly (see previous post for the number of eggs laid by the queen a day). If  you have any questions or comments leave a comment in the comment section or send us an email!

It's been so long..... and Termites!

Wow everyone! So sorry for my lack of posts lately. Things have gotten pretty busy around here, especially with spring right around the corner! I promise to be much better about getting posts up weekly so that you have interesting and exciting information to read!

I figure that we will start off the Spring Series of posts with an exciting one: Termites!

Let's begin with facts about termites shall we?

1. Termites are not considered part of the ant family (although they are quite commonly called ants) but are actually part of the cockroach family.  

2. Females can lay up to 2000 eggs a day!!!! (And you wonder why you have so many in your house...)

3. Males and females mate for life, which can be up to 45 years

4. Termites have specific jobs: worker and soldier termites work to do the Queen's bidding

5. The nests of termites are divided into specific chambers including a nursery for the hatching eggs and an area where water is collected

In our next post we'll talk about what to look for with termites and what happens when you find some!

Silverfish

www.silverfishbugs.net

So let's chat about silverfish.

Silverfish are scaly, usually gray insects that crawl around (or scurry really) around your home. They prefer damp areas such as the bathroom, basement, or areas of your kitchen that are wet (think: under the kitchen sink). As you can see by the picture, silverfish actually do kind of, if you squint, resemble a fish. They have scale like covered bodies and a rounded face. When they move, silverfish are incredibly fast and the shake back and forth, much like a swimming fish.

Silverfish will eat almost anything in your house or business that contains sugar or starch. This includes books, paper, sugar, coffee, and even clothing and glue! When a silverfish has been eating something of yours, it will often look like a caterpillar has eaten it instead: envision a hole in a leaf where a caterpillar has eaten and that's what your book or starchy food will look like. 

It's hard to tell how many silverfish you have in your home or business because of how quickly they can multiply. If you find a silverfish, make sure that you move the items that it was eating to a dry area. These insects are nocturnal, so it's not very likely that you'll see them during the day unless you move something that they are living in.

If you suspect an infestation, call your local pest control company. If you're in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, visit www.allwaypestcontrol.com for more information!

Firewood Pests

Here's a fun tip. Pests can hide in firewood EXTREMELY easily. If you are someone who often brings in firewood for burning in your fireplace here are some easy ways to make sure that you don't have pests roaming around your home in a short time!

Information from pestcontrol.about.com/od/diyanimalcontrol/tp/10-Top-Tips-For-Control-Of-Firewood-Insects.htm -- Please visit the link for 6 more tips plus more information on the ones I've provided! 

1. Store firewood off the ground
    - If you keep the wood on the ground, pests are much more likely to crawl in to the wood. Easy      access to warmth = easy home to live in for the winter!

2. Eliminate surface pests
    - Eliminate by shaking the wood before bringing it inside, hitting it together, and looking at it. Do not spray the wood with any chemical!

3. Burn wood immediately
    - When you bring the wood into your home, make sure that you immediately burn it.  This way, if you miss anything after you've hit it together and shaken it, it'll burn in the fireplace!

4. Removal
    - If you happen to miss or forget to do some of these steps and locate bugs in your house, do not fear! Most of them are just annoying, not destructive pests and you'll be able to easily eliminate them from your home. If, however, you fear that ants have been brought in to your home via firewood, call a professional immediately,,,, These could be wood-boring pests like carpenter ants that cause damage to your home.

Like I said before, please visit the pestcontrol.about.com link for more information.

Hello Mr. Squirrel

Today's post is about the lovely Gray Squirrel. The gray squirrel is the most common squirrel found in the Eastern United States.


Here are some really cool squirrel facts!

1. Squirrels are blind at birth but develop perfect vision as adults

2.  Squirrels have been around for over 35 million years

3. We mostly see gray squirrels in the United States, however there are also black squirrels as well as white ones (which are super rare!)

4. A squirrel can fall 100 feet and live to tell the tale!

5. Squirrels mate in the winter. You'll often see two squirrels chasing each other in the trees or in the snow. They are doing more than just playing....