Central Pest Control: Types of Pests We Can Get Rid of for You
Even the finest homes can become infested with pests due to the complex nature of homes and the constant pest pressures surrounding them. People are often concerned about unnecessary pesticide exposure while having a very low tolerance for pests in their homes. They want effective pest management and are concerned with health and safety in and around their homes. Central Pest Control addresses each of these concerns. Central Pest Control is committed to responsible pest management. The Central Pest Control process integrates all the necessary steps to control pests while being sensitive to these issues. Below is Central Pest Control’s strategy for delivering great pest management in residential homes.
1. INSPECT
Inspection is the cornerstone of our Integrated Pest Management Plan. The reason is simple. When you have good information, you can make well-informed decisions. Every home is different. Construction type, pest pressures, and family situation all contribute to the need for a situational analysis approach to managing pests so that responsible pest management can occur.
2. PRESCRIBE
We will choose the right treatment based on the information gathered during our inspection and choose the best option to fit your unique situation.
3. TREATMENT
Training and knowledge are required to carry out the required action plan, ensuring that proper safety precautions are taken, and the results are consistent with our objectives. Several steps may be taken, including exclusion, physical repair, harborage reduction, sanitation, and trapping methods, as well as pesticide application.
4. COMMUNICATE
As a Central Pest Control customer, you will be informed of all actions taken prior to treatment. You will be brought into the pest management process so that you understand what is going on in your home.
5. FOLLOW-UP
When a service ends, it’s just the beginning.
Pest management is an ongoing process, not just a one-time event. Following up after initial treatment is a must so that an inspection can occur to be sure that our objectives are reached and satisfaction is ensured. Many pest problems are the result of continuous pest pressures on the home that require ongoing service to keep the problems at bay. Anticipating future pest pressures and developing a responsible program for the ongoing protection of your home. Each service will serve as a follow-up from the last, and early detection or prevention of new pest developments.
RODENTS
The Problem:
Rodents cause damage to our buildings by their burrowing and gnawing activity. They are able to squeeze through very small openings, 1/4 inch for mice and 1/2 inch for rats, and will gnaw through many types of materials in order to reach a location, including lead sheathing, cinder block, aluminum siding, and some concrete.
Rats and mice can invade homes and businesses without notice. Rodents have been implicated throughout history for their spread of disease to humans. They cause damage and spread disease as they leave urine and fecal material wherever they go. Mice will eat almost anything. They are nibblers, eating small amounts of food from multiple sources as they forage daily. Mice prefer cereal grains, seeds, or sweet material and require very little water since they obtain most of their water needs from their food.
Mice are small rodents that reproduce at a higher rate than rats. They become sexually mature in two months, producing about 8 litters in a one-year lifetime. Each litter has 4–7 pups. The droppings average 1/8 to 1/4 inch in length. They are shaped like rice with pinched ends.
As an adult, the Norway rat can weigh between 12–16 oz with a body length of 6–8 inches long. Young rats reach sexual maturity in 2–3 months; females average 4–7 litters a year, with 8–12 pups per litter. The droppings are 1/4 to 1/2 inch in length, capsule-shaped, with blunt ends. They prefer foods with a high protein or carbohydrate content, but are opportunistic feeders and will eat almost any type of food. Unlike mice, rats need water to survive and will drink readily when a source is available.
The Solution:
A successful rodent control program includes a combination of exclusion, baiting, and trapping for the highest rate of success. A general cleanup helps remove their hiding places and puts stress on the colony. If the population is large, we will begin with an intense trapping program and use high-quality rodent bait to quickly knock down a population.
Ask us about our rodent control programs:
1. Inspection and consulting
2. Exclusion
3. Sealing cracks and crevices
4. Trapping
5. High population clean out
6. Baiting
Mosquito Services
The first stage of control is to identify all potential sources of insect infestation in and around your home.
While nothing can eliminate every mosquito from your property, we guarantee you won’t be bothered by mosquitoes and lantern flies between treatments.
NO COMMITMENTS, NO CONTRACTS. CANCEL ANYTIME.
We’re so confident in our home exterior barrier treatment services that we don’t require long-term commitments. The most effective way to keep mosquitoes and lantern flies under control is to set up a regular maintenance program.
Mosquito Treatment
Our unique, multistep treatment process breaks the mosquito lifecycle. By identifying and treating habitat, mosquito larvae, and adult mosquitoes, we are able to eliminate the pests from your yard almost immediately. We come back every three weeks to keep them away for good. We proudly utilize the most effective mosquito control solutions available.
1. In2care pesticide-free trap: serviced monthly
2. Mosquito barrier treatment: two options; depends on how much vegetation breeding site density.
(1) Every three weeks
(2) Monthly + 1 In2Care Trap
Spotted Lanternfly Treatment
Since spotted lanternflies rarely cause damage to landscape trees, treatment is not necessary for the health of the tree; but if they become a nuisance, insecticides can be used. Organic oils and natural pyrethrins can be used when SLFs are found on plants, but repeated applications of these materials will be necessary as SLFs are very mobile, and more will move in after the pesticide wears off.
Special Event Treatments
Do you have an outdoor event planned? Don’t let mosquitoes ruin your special day! From outdoor weddings and community events to backyard birthdays and other family gatherings, we know mosquitoes aren’t on your guest list.
With just 48 hours’ notice, we can eliminate mosquitoes from your outdoor event space.
WE OFFER MANY DIFFERENT TREATMENT PLANS, INCLUDING OUR PESTICIDE-FREE ALTERNATIVE
BED BUG SERVICES
Most households of this generation have never seen a bed bug. Until recently, they were also a rarity among pest control professionals. Changes in modern pest control practices and increased city and global traveling are factors suspected of the recurrence.
The Problem:
Bed bugs are small, brownish, flattened insects that feed solely on the blood of animals. Female bed bugs lay their eggs in secluded areas, depositing up to five a day and 500 during a lifetime. Bed bugs are active mainly at night. During the daytime, they prefer to hide close to where people sleep. However, they will adjust your host’s sleeping pattern and will be day feeders if that is when the host is sleeping. Their flattened bodies enable them to fit into tiny crevices, especially those associated with mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and headboards.
A common concern with bed bugs is whether they transmit diseases. Although bed bugs can harbor pathogens in their bodies, transmission to humans is highly unlikely and has yet to be documented.
Bed bugs can be very difficult to control, their flat bodies allow them to hide in many tiny places, so inspections and treatments are very thorough.
Owners and occupants will need to assist in important ways. Since bed bugs can disperse throughout a building, it’s not a good idea to use over-the-counter pest control products since they may disperse the insects and force them into other, deeper hiding places. It’s a good idea, but also may be necessary to treat adjoining rooms and apartments.
The Solution:
Central Pest Control has committed to following the Best Management Practices (BMPs) for bed bugs, which were recently released by NPMA.
Affording access to inspection and treatment is essential. Excess clutter will become hiding and harborages areas and, therefore, should be removed. In some cases, infested furniture, electronics, mattresses, and box springs will need to be discarded. We recommend purchasing a high-quality Hypoallergenic zippered mattress cover. Covering your mattresses and box springs will trap and starve bed bugs already infesting these items, as well as prevent future infestations.
As in cockroach control, there are many state-of-the-art control techniques available. To limit the use of pesticides, vacuuming and steam treatments are available. They are simple, cost-effective ways to control an infestation and should be considered along with the traditional residual treatment. As in all pest control programs, the elimination of harborage areas should be eliminated. This includes removing clutter and sealing all cracks and crevices in the infested room.
When treatment is performed, all items in the room are treated. This includes but is not limited to beds, furniture, picture frames, closets, and electrical outlets.
FLYING INSECT SERVICES
The Problem:
Small flies, filth flies, biting and nuisance flies—they are all annoying—more importantly, they are all vectors of disease transporting dangerous bacteria and toxins to and from each spot they land upon. Hookworm, whipworm, tapeworm, pinworm, roundworm, cholera, bacillary dysentery, infantile diarrhea, typhoid, and paratyphoid are disease-causing organisms with which these flies are associated.
Small flies are usually found breeding in and feeding on damp organic matter or the organisms that grow in such materials. Locating and eliminating these breeding grounds/food sources is the first step of fly control.
Some common small flies are:
1. Fruit Flies
2. Drain Flies
3. Fungus Gnats
4. Moth Flies
5. Phorid Flies
Larger flies are usually found breeding in such areas as sources of trash, animal feces, or other decaying organic material, such as dead animals. It is within these sources which the female will lay her eggs. Females are capable of laying many eggs at one time, and within 24 hours, eggs hatch into small, white larvae known as maggots. Maggots feed on the same decaying, organic matter within which they hatched. The sole purpose of the larval fly is to store nutrients for the pupal stage of its life. After approximately four days, larvae develop small, hard, brown pupal cases in dry, dark locations.
Some common large flies are:
1. Houseflies
2. Flesh Flies (Green and Blue Bottle Flies)
3. Stable Flies
4. Cluster Flies
The Solution:
Fly elimination procedures include proper fly identification, source elimination, exclusion, and population reduction. In most cases, population reduction involves eliminating the source of the flies and excluding them from the environment. Other methods of reducing or eliminating flies include the use of Ultraviolet Pheromone Light Traps, Non-toxic Pheromone Traps, Toxic Baits, and Metered Space Sprays.
Every situation calls for different tools; our technicians will find the safest and most effective for your individual situation.
Ask us about our fly control programs:
1. Inspection and consulting
2. Exclusion
3. Sealing cracks and crevices
4. Trapping
5. Ultraviolet light installation
6. Metered space spray installation
7. High population clean out
8. Baiting
9. Residual treatments
ANT CONTROL
The Problem:
Ants are particularly troublesome when they come indoors and get into food. Once a few ants come indoors, hundreds more can quickly follow. Foraging ants will enter the house when outside conditions are extremely dry or wet. Colonies are large, often containing hundreds of queens. The queens and larvae form will eat the protein/grease combination almost exclusively, while the workers will eat the sugar-based foods.
Ants are extremely mobile and will move colonies frequently. The use of quick kill, liquid residual repellant sprays or dusts may cause stress on the colonies, causing them to split into sub-colonies that scatter to other areas in the structure. This is called budding. Buyers should beware of over-the-counter pesticides. After spraying with such repellant pesticides, your problem can be worse than when you first noticed the ants. In addition to increased toxicity from the misuse of over-the-counter pesticides, colony budding is the reason why such pesticides should not be used, or in this case, misused.
The Solution:
Baiting is the preferred treatment over typical residual spraying. When baiting, Central Pest Control will use slow-acting baits so that we will eliminate the entire colony. Quick-kill insecticides will only kill the foraging ants, not allowing the foraging ants to take the bait back home to feed the queen, nest workers, and brood. It is very important to remove any other food competition when baiting. Leave the ants and bait alone once the ants start feeding on it. Give the foraging ants time to take the bait back home to feed the colony.
Ants generate strong pheromone trails when foraging for food. They can be easily tracked by other ants to locate a discovered food source or, in this case, bait. In many areas, you will see them pathing three and four abreast. An excellent article by Univ. Of Florida Extension Service can be found at Ant Trails: Baiting. It gives an overview of management with baits.
New to the pest control industry are liquid and aerosol non-repellent sprays. They are increasing in popularity because they have proven to be a reliable control method for ants and other insects. This innovative technology is undetectable, which means the ants cannot see, smell or taste the insecticide. As a result, the ants unknowingly acquire the chemical, generally by contact with treated surfaces. Like baits, with these products, ants contacting the treatment are killed slowly enough to allow them to return to their colony and transfer the chemical to other ants.
Once we obtain control, it is recommended that you continue outside treatments to ensure that pest pressures are kept at a minimum, which will prevent future ant colonies from invading your home.
Ant problems can be controlled using this approach because it is complete. It is very likely the ants will persist if all listed treatments are not done.
1. Baiting the inside
2. Treating the inside with a liquid non-repellant residual spray
3. Treating the outside foundation with a liquid non-repellent residual spray
4. Baiting the outside
STORED PRODUCT AND FABRIC PESTS
The Problem:
Indian Meal Moths are one of the most common stored product pests found in homes, stores, restaurants, and food processing plants. Its larva is a common grain-feeding pest found around the world, feeding on cereals, nuts, herbs, and dry grain products. Pet foods such as dried dog food, flaked fish food, and bird seed can also become infected.
Since the moths do not feed, they usually survive little more than a week. During this time, the female may deposit over 200 eggs, laid either directly on food or in crevices adjacent to the stored foods on which they feed.
Carpet Beetles feed on animal and plant substances such as carpets, wools, fur, stuffed animals, hair, hides, silk, and velvet, as well as seeds, grain, cereals, red pepper, and flour. Other substances include dog and cat food, leather, book bindings, dead insects, and bird and rodent nests.
Mealworms are the larval form of the mealworm beetle, a species of darkling beetle. Mealworms are seldom major stored product pests in the home. The larva is found in dark, undisturbed locations, feeding on collections of grain dust and cereal products.
Spider beetles are general scavengers that feed on a variety of plant and animal foods, including cereals, seeds, flour, meats, dried fruits and vegetables, dead insects, and rodent droppings. Common sites of infestation in the house include wall voids and ceilings or similar undisturbed areas where food materials have been collected.
Drugstore and Cigarette Beetles infest a wide variety of foods, tobacco, books, and upholstered furniture. In addition to being common stored-product pests, these beetles also become a homeowner nuisance by flying on windows and doors in heavy populations.
Cigarette beetles may feed on pyrethrum powder strong enough to kill cockroaches, and drugstore beetles often feed on poisonous rodent baits.
Silverfish and Firebrats eat a wide variety of foods, including glue, wallpaper paste, book bindings, paper, photographs, starch in clothing, cotton, linen, rayon fabrics, wheat flour, cereals, dried meats, leather, and even dead insects. Silverfish often live in damp, cool places such as basements and laundry rooms. Sometimes, they are found in a bathtub, sink, or washbasin, unable to climb out. Firebrats live in hot, humid places such as attics in summer and near furnaces, fireplaces, and heat pipes in winter.
Carpet Beetles feed on animal and plant substances such as carpets, wools, fur, stuffed animals, hair, hides, silk, and velvet, as well as seeds, grain, cereals, red pepper, and flour. Other substances include dog and cat food, leather, book bindings, dead insects, and bird and rodent nests.
Spider Beetles are general scavengers that feed on a variety of plant and animal foods, including cereals, seeds, flour, meats, dried fruits and vegetables, dead insects, and rodent droppings. Common sites of infestation in the house include wall voids and ceilings or similar undisturbed areas where food materials have been collected.
The Solution:
The first stage of control is to identify all potential sources of insect infestation in a home. Infested food items should be discarded, promptly used up, or treated with heat or cold to kill insects found in the food. A thorough clean out of all food sources is critical to managing stored product pests.
Cabinets and shelving should be vacuumed to remove live insects, flour, and other food material from cracks and crevices that can provide these pests with a food source. Storing items in insect-resistant containers or cold storage can prevent re-infestation.
Mating disruption, pheromone insect traps, and insect growth regulators are used to control the current populations and prevent future generations from taking root.
TERMITES
Never be hit with costs from future termite damage. Our Termite Protection Plans can help catch the start of an infestation sooner and reduce the amount of damage termites may do. Plus, these plans cover you against the cost of treatments and damage repairs, which can cost an average of $8,184.
Get protection against the costs of a future termite infestation. The Termite Baiting System utilizes a combination of an advanced baiting system and inspections to ensure that you are never hit with the costs of future treatments or damage repairs.
How the Termite Baiting System Works:
Central Pest Controláperforms a Termite Inspection to determine if your home is free of subterranean termites and eligible for the Bait Barrier Plan.
Our trained technicians strategically install a series of termite bait stations in the ground around your home.
The bait stations are discovered by foraging termites near your home.
Once termites have fed on the bait, they carry the control agent back to the colony nests and share it with other termites.
Each station is specially designed to hold more termite control agents than many other termite bait systems, resulting in fast, effective control.
For as long as you keep your plan, annual monitoring will continue to protect your home against new subterranean and Formosan termite activity.