Everything you need to know about pests

At first glance, moths surely look harmless. In fact, we hardly consider them as pests since we don’t usually see them roaming around our house constantly and in a bothersome manner. Compared to roaches that look really gross and filthy, moths look more like not-so-pretty butterflies.

Moths and butterflies actually belong to the same family of Lepidoptera where insects with scales and wings belong. But moths are more numerous than butterflies at a ratio of around 10:1. In the United States alone, there are 11,000 moth species.

So the question is: should we consider moths as pests in our households? Here’s the answer.

The Harm that Moths Bring
As much as we’d like to think that moths are harmless brown butterflies that love to visit homes rather than gardens, they are actually not as safe as we think they are.

In fact, the mere direct contact with their feces and white cocoons to our food poses a wide range of health threats including allergic reactions, mucosal irritations, and intestinal diseases.

According to entomologist Rich Pollack, while most kinds of moths are inconsequential to people, some of them can cause contact dermatitis. Through a direct contact with their wing scales, a person may experience irritation on the skin and even on the cornea of the eye. Even feces and white cocoons left in our clothes and other wearable items can cause irritation.

Moths can also bite foils and thin plastics in order to penetrate sealed food containers. They pose health risk once they contaminate food.

There are also species of moths that feed on plants with cardenolides. This poisonous compound is very dangerous when eaten by humans because it can affect heart muscles.

Where Do Moths Hide?
A notable fact about moths is that they can dwell in your house unnoticed. Since some of their species are very small in size, they can get through wall crevices and furniture holes. Once inside, you can hardly notice their presence, so they can stay there their whole lives.

Although moths have a short life span of two weeks, they can fly hundreds of meters within that period of time. Imagine how much food one moth can contaminate at that range!

So the next time you see moths in your house, don’t simply shrug their presence off. Instead, contact trained and skilled pest management professionals from Jersey City Exterminators to take care of them.

If you’ve watched the movie Guardians of the Galaxy, we’re sure you were amazed by the wit and humor of Rocket Raccoon. Common ringtail and brushtail possums, on the other hand, look really cute, especially when you see a mother with her young riding on her back.

But wait! Don’t fall for that because, in reality, raccoons and possums are more troublesome than you can imagine. In real life, you should be very wary of these mammals lurking in your property. Here are some reasons why you should get rid of raccoons and possums.

Raccoons and Possums Cause Property Damage
Although their natural habitat is the forest, some of these mammals often wander into places where people live. Once they have ventured away from their original dwelling, they will learn to adapt to their new environment.

The catch is they have the ability to damage houses by ripping shingles off of roofs, making holes in walls, and destroying insulation, among others. These animals are compelled to do these things and more because of their need to find food.

Raccoons Carry Diseases
Just like dogs, a raccoon bite will give a person rabies. Basically, rabies comes from animal bites and can cause serious brain inflammation.

Getting in contact with a raccoon’s urine and feces is very dangerous because it can cause a wide range of diseases like leptospirosis and salmonella. A person who has leptospirosis will suffer liver failure and kidney damage while one who has salmonella will have diarrhea and fever.

PossPossums are particularly considered pests by farmers because they invade domestic gardens and farmlands. They feed on all sorts of fruits and vegetables that they can find.

They even eat chicken eggs and chicks as well as birds and insects.

Raccoons and Possums Consume Food Supplies
Since these pests are mammals, they have the capability to eat both meat and plants. Bad news for you folks because as human beings, those are the main things that we eat too.

Examples of what raccoons and possums eat are animal eggs, fish, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. Plus, they also rummage garbage cans for any sign of food.

Having pest problems because of raccoons and possums can sure be a hassle. But above everything else, there’s always a solution to this predicament. All you need to do is contact the pest professionals from Jersey City Exterminators and your raccoon and possum-related worries will soon be gone.

For some, ants are just a normal kind of insect that you can easily find anywhere. But the truth is, we are inviting them to our yards and homes once we left food for them like cookie crumbs, candy bars, empty soda cans, and food leftovers.

But do you know that a certain kind of ant can cause serious damages to homes? Yes, the carpenter ants can do that. They build their nests on structural lumber such as those in windows and hollow doors as well as other wooden parts that have been softened by moisture.

Identifying Carpenter Ants
If left undetected, carpenter ants can surely cause considerable damages to homes. Therefore, you have to equip yourself with the proper knowledge of identifying this damaging ant. Read on so that you can tell the difference between carpenter ants and the regular ants.

Firstly, you have to check the physical characteristics of the ant to identify its kind. Usually, carpenter ants are black or red in color. Sometimes, they’re even a combination of both.

Next, check if these ants’ thoraxes resemble a rounded shape. The thorax is the part below their head. Also, check their antenna and waist. If they appear slimmer, then those are carpenter ants.

Signs of Infestation
You can tell if your home has been invaded by carpenter ants when you find any form of damages in wooden structures. These ants have a knack of carving through wood and they do so in great numbers. If you see any holes in posts or walls made of wood, you can be sure that carpenter ants have a role in these damages.

In doubt whether termites are making the damages in your home? One sign that will help you determine if you’re dealing with termites or carpenter ants is the presence of sawdust. This indicates that the wood was carved through, and not eaten by termites. Termites damage wood by eating it and making it their source of sustenance. On the other hand, carpenter ants excavate through it to build nests for their kind.

Now that you know how to identify carpenter ants and how to look for their presence in your home, you can now take the appropriate action to get rid of them. On that aspect, you can count on the Jersey City Exterminators to eliminate them in the fastest time possible.

As much as we all love Sandy Cheeks from Spongebob and Scrat from Ice Age, we find it really hard to tolerate squirrels in our properties. The problems that these highly territorial and damaging rodents bring to households far outweigh their cuteness.

The common difficulties that homeowners encounter because of squirrel domination are faulty electrical wires that are fire hazards, and huge damage to insulation and roofing systems. These pests create nests using home insulation and tree cavities, which are the main reasons why they easily multiply and invade properties.

Understanding Squirrel Behavior
Squirrels are territorial. Once a mother squirrel finds an opening and enters the roof of your home, it’s the start of a chaos. What’s more, you can expect this female rodent to mate outside, especially during the late winter and early spring, and bring with her two to seven more of her kind.

They are also excitable and cautious animals with an excellent peripheral vision. These skills enable them to sense danger easily, run, and climb up the nearest tree to escape. Their highly excitable nature can lead to damaged attics and soffits.
 
As for their diet, they eat nuts, seeds, fruits, and field crops.

Proper and Regular Home Maintenance for Prevention
Nothing beats regular and proper home maintenance practices when it comes to avoiding a single squirrel from entering your home. It will be best to have recurring home inspections and repairs for possible entry points of these rodents, especially damaged soffits and eaves.

Chimneys are their easy entry points too, so better install chimney caps. Cut all the tree branches near your home exteriors because they can be their bridge to your roofs.

How to Eradicate Them
With the cautious and excitable nature of squirrels, it’s really very difficult to eliminate them. You might find your house in a big mess, with damages to furniture and centerpieces, if you try to chase them inside.

One of the remedies you can resort to is to use a live trap. You can put this on a flat surface right beside their entry point and bridges. Once a squirrel is trapped, you can inspect the attic or other dark and frequently closed areas of your house for the nests of young squirrels. Look for their food sources too. Right there and then, you can put these nests and food supply out of your home.
 
The next step would be to seal the opening of your properties. But make sure you’ve inspected all their possible hiding places before you do the sealing. Otherwise, they will make more damage when they found out that they cannot escape.

A small number of squirrels can be manageable using these methods. But when they have dominated your property that you actually hear their gnawing sounds every now and then, it’s time to call the pest control professionals from Jersey City Exterminators. They have the proper training and expertise to put an end to your squirrel problem.

Maintaining a home is never easy as it sounds. In fact, the sheer amount of money and time is considerable enough to give any property owner a pause. But in all of these, there’s one aspect of residential maintenance most people are averse about – pests. Generally, pests are unwanted insects or animals that infest your home and cause structural damage or spread diseases. One such pest you should keep an eye for are centipedes.

The Nature of Centipedes
Basically, common house centipedes have long antennae and thousands of legs that they use for moving. These pests thrive in dark and moist places in your house, such as bathrooms and basements. Plus, they can cause a severe case of rashes and allergies when they touch your skin.

But don’t worry though because centipedes are afraid of human beings. They mostly target other pests, such as termites, flies, and bed bugs, by using their venom. But just like any other unwanted pest in your house, you’d rather have them gone.

Action Plans to Remove Them
The first thing you can do is to get a dehumidifier for your home. Place them in areas where there are centipedes. Once you’ve placed them there, centipedes will have no damp location for them to live in anymore and they’ll relocate out of your place.

Another thing you can do is to check your home for any cracks. Centipedes favor these places due to their dark and damp environment. They also lay and hatch their eggs there. Seal these places in your home, and you can get rid of centipedes in no time at all.

Last, but not the least, you can remove any damp materials inside and outside of your property. Examples of these are leaves, debris, and anything that traps moisture or water, among others. Again, this process will help eliminate places where centipedes can grow and multiply.

If you have done these steps and your centipede-related problems are not disappearing, there’s a sure solution waiting for you. Call on the professionals from Jersey City Exterminators to help you. They have the proper training and use correct methods to remove centipedes once and for all. 

Of all the insects and pests that can infest your home, gnats are probably some of the most annoying, although less harmful than mosquitoes and less gross than roaches. These gnats are a big headache for homeowners because they’re quite difficult to identify. Thus, very difficult to control.  Here are some things to consider about gnat infestation. 

Should you wonder why gnats seem to live in your basement, it’s time you read these information and tips that we’re going to share.

How Would I Know They are Gnats?
This is probably the first question you have in mind, and this is the make-or-break query that will determine your success in preventing them. Unlike most pests, a gnat can either be carnivorous or a plant-eater, biting or non-biting. And you cannot eradicate them by ordinary pesticides. There are specific treatments and products that are effective against them.

Of all their species, the most common that you can find inside your house are the fungus gnats and fruit flies. They are dark or tan, short-lived, and very small winged insects that are 2 millimeters to 1/8 inch long at their adulthood. What’s annoying about them is that unlike mosquitoes and other winged insects, they do not fly alone. In fact, they fly as a brigade of a hundred or more, which is called a ‘cloud.’

If you have seen this annoying group of insects, you’re up for a big challenge.

What’s In My Basement?
What probably took you to this page is a gruesome scenario of over a thousand black gnats roaming around your basement when you last visited it. You probably tried spraying some products on them, but there seems to be too many that you keep seeing the same number of dead gnats after every spray.

Don’t panic! A solution is surely on its way, but you have to take some steps to address the problem. First, you need to identify their food source. After all, they wouldn’t be there if they don’t feed on something.

Fruit flies feed on fruits that are exposed to air. They love ripening and rotting fruits as well as perishable items brought inside from a garden, including melons and tomatoes.

They also devour sweet liquids, so don’t be surprised to have them if you keep empty and uncleaned bottles of energy drinks and other sweet beverages inside your basement.

Fungus gnats, on the other hand, feed on microbes that are associated with wet environments. Plants with wet soil are the main reasons why gnats live so comfortably in your basement. This is a favorable breeding ground for them so expect them to multiply in this condition.

The real challenge about irritating gnats is their identification. A person without any expertise cannot say for sure if the legion of black tiny insects inside his or her basement are actually gnats. It’s always best to consult pest control pros from Jersey City Exterminators to identify and address your gnat infestation problems.

Of all the pests out there, termites are the biggest threat to any structure due to their destructive nature. They are legion in number, and dealing with them is rather expensive. Plus, there’s a good amount of time that’s going to be spent in eliminating them. If you’d rather take the proactive approach against this pest, here are a couple of handy tips to help you out.


Destroy their Prospective Dwelling
Start by removing anything that termites can live in. These include debris, tree branches, and dead leaves, among others. These things provide ample room for termites to multiply as well as food for their growth. Once you’ve gotten rid of their homes, you can now concentrate on actually eliminating them.

Another solution is to have all plumbing pipes checked out for leaks. If there’s water leaking into the unknown parts of your home, this will attract termites and provide enough moisture for them. Without moisture, they will be forced to flee your property.

Common Home Wood Surfaces that Attract Termites
We all know wood is a magnet for termites. Therefore, get rid of all untreated wood inside your house and replace them with treated ones. This measure will deter termites and remove another place where they can source out their sustenance.
For new homeowners, it’s imperative to remove scaffolding wood immediately. This kind of wood, if not eliminated quickly, will be an entry point for termites in your new house. Once they have infested your property, you can expect to pay double in having the damage caused by these pests repaired.

The Danger that Awaits
Although a colony of termites can only feed one pound of wood a day, there’s a huge number of colonies that can actually enter your properties. What’s even worse is that termite queens who lay thousands of eggs a day can live up to 25 years while a common termite can live for 2 to 5 years.

Since this number of termites can feed on your wood surfaces daily and can live this long, they can do a lot of damage to the inner and unseen structures of your properties over time. And before the damage becomes obvious, the magnitude of the destruction has probably reached its highest intensity.

Getting rid of termites is certainly no walk in the park. With these proactive solutions, you are limiting the chances of them infesting your home. But if all else fails, there are pest control professionals from Jersey City Exterminators who are ready to assist you in handling your termite problems.