Category: Blog

Like most pests, termites don’t make things easy on homeowners. One of the trickiest things about termites is how difficult it is to determine whether or not you even have a termite infestation. Those buggy pests damage wood from the inside out, leaving the exterior of your wood looking quite normal and untouched.

Looking for termites on your own is only recommended if you used to be a termite inspector. All others should hire a pest control company to do a thorough termite inspection, and if needed, professional termite treatment. It’s the smart move to make.

Termites – The Silent Destroyers

Termites feast upon the wood of your home, and they do it silently. You won’t realize it’s happening as they attack the structural supports of your home. Those awful pests can even destroy exposed wood without you knowing it because the outside of the wood is left intact while the bugs go to town on the inside of the wood.

If termites are given enough unchecked time, they can compromise the physical integrity of your home, but it’s not just the structure they’ll go after. Termites can even destroy your paneling, carpet, furniture, and drywall. They give significant meaning to the term ‘pest.’

Termites Act Fast

A colony of termites can eat up to a pound of wood per day, and because you can’t see the termite damage with the naked eye, termites can eat away at the wood of your home for years, leaving a structurally unsafe building with a weak outer shell.

The only way to fully combat this? Stay on top of termite control. Hire a professional termite inspector to help you catch a termite problem before it becomes too severe.

Professional Inspection

A trained professional knows where to look when inspecting a home for termites. The professional can find those difficult-to-access, and even hidden, places where termites spend their time. The professional knows the most vulnerable places in a home, and conducts a thorough inspection.

Signs of Termites

Termites do leave slight clues as to their presence, if you know what you’re looking for. Termite wings near light fixtures and window sills are a giveaway, as are termite droppings.

And if you see these particular signs in your home, it’s likely late in the termite game:

• Sagging floors
• Bubbling paint
• Damaged and crumbling wood trim
• Loose tiles
• Pinpoint holes in drywall

A professional inspector can study the signs and determine how severe your problem is. Professional inspectors thoroughly examine your home, from the foundation up, looking at all the cracks and crevices along the way. Unfortunately, termites can ruin the foundations of your home and therefore, it’s important to get foundation repair in the case this does happen. You can click here to learn about Foundation repair in Austin if you’re having issues with termites and your house foundations. If the foundation is small, for example, for a shed, you can try and replace the foundation yourself. A gravel foundation is particularly easy to install. Just checking out this guide on how to build a gravel shed foundation should help you in your endeavors, but always contact a professional if you feel like it’s out of your hands.

Can You Prevent Termite Damage?

Homeowners can take several actions to minimize and prevent termite damage.

As established, getting a yearly inspection is critical in the prevention of termite damage. In addition, make sure your downspouts and gutters are diverting water away from your home’s foundation, and don’t let your sprinklers hit stucco or wood siding on your home. Otherwise you could not only be looking at termite damage, but also water damage to the siding of your home, requiring pest control, and also a repair like this hardie siding installation, for example.

Make sure you have proper ventilation in crawl spaces, and don’t allow vines, hedges, and bushes to block vents. Keep an 18-inch gap between any wood portions of your home and soil.

And finally, store firewood 20 feet away from your home.

Find a Professional Company You Trust

There’s just no smarter way to combat termite damage than to hire a professional to inspect your home. Find a company with a good reputation who will do a thorough job on your most important asset – your home. In the Austin area, that company is Barefoot Mosquito & Pest Control. Call us today at (512) 400-2008 or request a free quote online!

 

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Your pet is a part of your family, and it’s important to protect all members of your family from outside threats. Just as mosquitoes, ticks, and other pests prove a danger to humans, they can do just as much harm to your four-legged friends. Protect your pets from pests by learning about their threats and how to prevent them.

Ticks

Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, and tick paralysis. If your pet comes in contact with ticks, these are all real outcomes your pet may face. Ticks are especially dangerous to pets because owners don’t always realize they’ve been affected until symptoms become severe. This means prevention is key in protecting your pet from ticks, and here are some helpful tips.

• Have your pet wear at tick collar.
• Be sure to take your pet to the vet for an annual checkup.
• Thoroughly and regularly inspect your pet for ticks, especially after spending time outdoors.
• Minimize the risk of ticks in your yard by keeping your grass cut low, weeding, and removing debris from your yard.
• Talk with a pest control company about lawn tick treatments for the best chance of keeping ticks out of your yard.

If you find a tick, remove it immediately with forceps or tweezers. Grab on, or just behind, the mouthparts and pull slowly so you don’t leave any part in the skin. Ticks are hard to crush, so flush it down the toilet, or wrap it completely in a tissue and throw it in a closed trash can. Remember to wash your hands after you’ve removed the tick.

Fleas

Fleas are more than just a nuisance. In addition to causing itching, flea saliva can also cause dermatitis and anemia. Fleas also carry the larvae of tapeworms, and tapeworms can enter the digestive stream if your pet ingests them while grooming. Not only that, but sensitive pets sometimes experience hair loss and secondary skin infections.

Plus, fleas don’t mind going after humans either, and they like to get cozy in your furniture and bedding. Flea problems can multiply at rapid speed, so be sure you prevent them from joining your family by doing the following things.

• Giving your pet a bath regularly. If your dog has wrinkles or loose facial skin, he’ll need extra scrubbing.
• Washing your pet’s bedding and toys regularly.
• Vacuuming your carpet, floors, and furniture frequently.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes carry dangerous diseases, and your pet is just as susceptible to those diseases as you are. Most significantly, mosquitoes can transfer heartworm to your pet, which can cause serious health issues, and even death. Keep mosquitoes away from your home and your pets by following these tips:

• Get rid of standing water in your yard – check children’s toys, flower pots, birdbaths, and downspouts.
• Repair tears and holes in your screens.
• Don’t let your pet outside at dawn or dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.
• Talk with a pest control company about solutions for mosquitoes in your area.

Rodents

Rats and mice can endanger the health of your pet as well. Because rodents often carry diseases, your pet can be harmed if it catches and eats a rat or mouse. In addition, rats and mice may steal food out of your pet’s food dish, contaminating the food. Keep rats and mice away by:

• Keeping your pet’s food sealed and out of reach of rodents.
• Take your pet to the vet if you know you have a problem with mice or rats.
• Hire a pest control company to eliminate rodents from your home completely.

Your pet can’t verbally thank you, but it will still appreciate the work you do to keep it happy, healthy, and free from pests.

Contact Barefoot Today

 

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You’ve heard cockroaches can survive a nuclear blast (not true). You may have heard they can live for decades (not true), and you may have even heard they can survive for up to a week without their head (that one is disgustingly true).

How to Keep Roaches Away

 

 

Fact or fiction, we’re all pretty terrified of the longevity and strength of cockroaches and for good reason. While they can’t survive a nuclear blast, they are pretty resilient. And they’re found almost everywhere. Unfortunately, getting rid of roaches is something we all need to stay on top of. The process of getting rid of a roach infestation is difficult, but it does work.

Clean Up

Cockroaches love food, and they’re not picky eaters to say the least. They especially love what you leave behind on the counters and floors, and they’re crazy about grease spills. If you want some company from cockroaches, just go to bed without cleaning up dinner night after night. You’ll get several new roommates in no time. But if you’d rather not be greeted by cockroaches every morning, do the dishes, wipe off your counters, cover your leftover food, sweep your floors, and vacuum your rugs. Using a good vacuum cleaner is very important in keeping your house clean, shopping around for the best ones will help you make the right choice. All Great Vacuums have reviews on the best vacuum cleaners to suit your needs, keeping those pesky roaches away from your home!

And don’t forget your yard. Cockroaches will get quite cozy in decaying branches, wood, and leaves. Clean these up, and if you do need to leave a pile for a short time, keep it far away from your house.

Keep Them Out

Prevent these nasty bugs from ever coming into your home by sealing up all cracks and holes on the exterior of your home. Fix weather stripping around your doors and windows, and fix holes in baseboards, inside your pantry, and any other areas of your home.

Don’t Give Them Water

A cockroach can survive a week without its head and a full month without food, but it will dehydrate without water. Fix any leaks you have in your house, even if they’re just small. Don’t let water sit in plants or your sink. This is also good practice for minimizing mosquito infestations.

How to Kill Cockroaches

If you’ve kept a clean home, sealed up all entry points, and fixed all water leaks but still have cockroaches, don’t feel bad. You’re not the only one is this situation. Here are some other helpful ways to keep cockroaches away.

• One way to kill cockroaches is to use a mixture of sugar and boric acid. Mix three parts boric acid with one part sugar, and sprinkle it behind your appliances, under the sink, and into cracks along the edges of counters. The sugar will lure the cockroaches and the boric acid will kill them. You can also do this with equal parts sugar and baking soda.
• If you see a cockroach, and can quickly get to it, you can spray it with a mixture of soap and water. The soap will suffocate the roach.
• Put bay leaves in the areas where you’ve seen cockroaches. They hate the smell and will steer clear.
• Use a brush or empty ketchup bottle to apply diatomaceous earth around your baseboards. While safe for humans, the substance is lethal to cockroaches (and ants).
• Use a mixture of one tablespoon cayenne pepper powder, one crushed garlic clove, and one tablespoon of onion paste. Put it all in a spray bottle filled with water, let it sit for an hour before using, and then spray wherever you’ve seen cockroaches.
• Put a half-full jar of water in the areas where you know you have a roach problem. They’ll climb in, but won’t be able to get out.

Call the Experts

Despite your best efforts, you may still not be able to completely get rid of cockroaches in your home. If you find yourself in this situation, hire a professional pest control company, such as Barefoot Mosquito & Pest Control, to get rid of all your cockroaches. Contact Barefoot today at or request a pest control quote online!

Get Your Free Quote

 

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Unattractive isn’t typically a word you want associated with your home, but when pests are the ones eyeing your castle, it isn’t so bad to be seen as unattractive in their eyes. If you have ever had to remove your termites with Terminix in the past you will be more than aware of how important it is to follow these steps. An unattractive home for pests has nothing to do with your decorating or style though. Instead, it has to do with basic things you can do to make pests not want to stick around or even visit your home to begin with. Along with pests, you may also find that rodents could decide to pay a visit to your house as well. If this happens and you are unsure about what to do, you should call for rodent control who will be able to help you get rid of this problem so you can carry on living your life without the extra company.

It’s time to take stock of how well your home is fortified against creepy, crawly insects and rodents. Keep these annoying pests away with these tips.

Keep Food Out of Reach

Pests see food a little differently than we do. A small crumb might make an excellent feast for an ant or two. A spill you forgot to clean up might be just the treat a flying insect is looking for, and the crumbs that were ground into the carpet when your toddler walked around your living room with a handful of crackers are a smorgasbord for mice and insects.

To discourage pests from foraging in your home, keep your counters wiped down, your floors clean, and your trash cans cleared out. Fix leaking pipes and drains that might be seen as a wonderful water source to a small army of bugs (or a rat or two). Don’t leave pet food outside, and clean up after your outside barbecue.

Lock Them Out

We don’t mean that locking the doors will keep pests away. You have to think small. If you were tiny, and the weather was getting a bit colder, you’d do anything to get inside a huge, warm house. Excellent entry points for tiny creatures consist of holes in screens, gaps in door frames, holes where utility wiring enters your home, firewood, and outside toys you occasionally bring indoors. Seal up those entry points, and inspect anything coming into your home.

Tidy Up

Pests like clutter, so keep clutter in your home to a minimum. Get yourself on a regular cleaning schedule so you can stay on top of the piles of stuff. (Even stacks of paper can attract pests.) This goes for the exterior of your house also, make sure to clean regularly and store items that you feel might attract further pests, in spaces away from your home such as these garden storage sheds, for example.

Vacuum and clean your house regularly. Clean out your trash cans, and don’t leave trash outside if you deal with rats or raccoons in your area.

Did you know some pests can smell rotting food in your pantry? Stay on top of your food inventory to keep pests away.

Trim the Shrubbery

When you’re able to keep more pests off your property, you reduce the number of pests lining up to enter your home. It’s going to take a bit of labor, but you need to stay on top of yard work. Trim branches and bushes that are near the house, rake mulch away from your house’s foundation, and clean gutters regularly. Keep your BBQ clean and covered so rodents can’t make it their home. Clear your yard of any debris, and stack firewood far from your home.

Fortify Your Foundation

Make sure drainage is happening properly around your foundation. Keep your gutters working properly, and direct water away from your home. Seal foundation cracks to keep termites out, and enclose open areas under porches with mesh screening.

Get a Professional Opinion

These helpful tips can prevent many pests from entering your home, but it’s still possible for pest infestations to occur – even to the most careful of people. Before that happens, hire a local pest control company, such as Barefoot Mosquito & Pest Control to help protect and rid your home of all unwanted pests. Contact us today or request a pest control quote online!

 

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Bed bugs. Those two little words alone can set your skin crawling. And if you’re unlucky enough to actually spot a bed bug in your home, you may feel like just torching the place and starting all over!

While we can all agree that bed bugs give us the willies, are they actually dangerous? Well, they don’t spread infectious diseases, so you can breathe a sigh of relief about that. But they do, unfortunately, pose several health risks. All the more reason to swiftly get rid of them! With an effective bug spray and powder, you can say goodbye to these little pests for the last time.

Allergies

A bed bug bite affects different people in different ways. Some don’t even notice bites, while others notice small, red bumps that become an itchy nuisance. Some people actually experience allergic reactions to bed bug bites, and in severe cases, some may even experience anaphylactic shock, which can be life threatening.

Infections

No, bed bugs don’t spread infectious diseases, but a bite can lead you open to infections since you’ll probably spend time scratching at the itchy affected area. Excessive scratching can damage your skin, providing the possibility of introducing germs into open wounds.

Respiratory Issues

If you already have respiratory issues, like asthma, you may find that the problem becomes aggravated by bed bugs. This is because bed bugs shed their outer casings as they grow. They also leave feces behind, and all of these remnants can become airborne, aggravating any respiratory problems you may have.

Secondary Issues

The presence of bed bugs can be emotionally disturbing, causing several secondary issues that can affect your health.

• Insomnia – Trying to fall asleep when you know you have bed bugs can feel impossible. It’s easy to see that insomnia, as well as anxiety and depression (from lack of sleep), could befall someone experiencing a bed bug infestation.
• Stress – Getting rid of bed bugs is no easy feat. Dealing with the consequence of bed bugs is overwhelming. Bed bugs can cause a lot of stress, which can also lead to depression and anxiety.
• Latent illnesses – The constant blood feast can weaken a person’s immune system, causing issues with any latent illnesses.
• Social isolation – Nobody wants to bring bed bugs to their own home. Friends may drop out of your life temporarily if you have bed bugs in your home. And what’s worse? You can’t really blame them, but you can feel a whole lot of lonely.

How to Prevent Bed Bugs

Bed bugs love to travel, so one of the best things you can do to prevent bed bugs from entering your home is to thoroughly inspect your sleeping area when you’re traveling. Look for tiny blood spots, casings, or actual bed bugs along the mattresses, night stands, and headboards.

When you get home, leave your suitcase in the garage. Wash your clothes immediately, and dry on the highest setting to kill any bed bugs.

Make sure you examine anything you bring into your home – stuffed animals, new clothes, furniture, and even appliances can carry bed bugs.

Keep an eye on your own bed. Each time you change the bedding, check your mattress and along your headboard. You might also want to use a canister vacuum or something similar to clean your mattress as well as other places that could have them there. If you find that you have beg bugs, try your best to get rid them as soon as possible, you might want to look into contacting a pest control service, for example, someone like Future Services or a service that closer to you.

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

If you find bed bugs in your home, immediately wash all affected bedding and clothing in hot water. Dry your clothes on the hottest setting. Once washed and dried, put the affected materials in sealed plastic bags to kill any remaining bugs hanging on for dear life. Then, thoroughly vacuum every nook and cranny of the area where you found the bed bugs (and surrounding areas for good measure). Wipe down all surfaces with a disinfectant.

Call an Exterminator

Getting rid of bed bugs isn’t easy, and no matter how careful you are, you may miss some tenacious bugs. Your best line of defense is to use a pest control company with experience in bed bug extermination.

If you’re dealing with bed bugs, give Barefoot Mosquito & Pest Control a call today or request a free quote online for bed bug control.

 

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It’s understandably upsetting if you see any of the above signs of termites in your home. Don’t delay if you do though and get a pest control company to your home as soon as you see a sign of termites so you can work on a termite treatment to rid your home of these destructive insects. There are many companies that offer pest control that will guarantee complete termite eradication.

One of the worst fears for many homeowners is termites. These silent invaders can steadily eat away at the very structure of your home. It’s important to watch for signs of termites so you can stop them before too much damage is done. Taking care of a termite problem is not something you can easily do yourself, but it is something that, when handled quickly by a professional pest control company, can be managed.

All structures are at risk for termites. Even structures built of stone or brick have structural supports that are most likely built of wood. Watch for these telltale signs that you likely have termites.

Swarm

Termites will emerge from the ground as winged insects, most likely on a warm day in the spring or early summer. Their emergence happens as a swarm, and it happens quickly. If you see it happen, that’s a sure sign you need to call a pest control company. However, many people never see the swarm. That’s why it’s important to look for what the termites leave behind during their swarms – their wings. Termites intentionally twist their wings off after they land during this swarm phenomenon because they will never need them again. You can find their wings by your windows or in your basement. Their wings are all the same size, while the wings of flying ants are all different sizes.

Hollow Wood

It’s a good idea to periodically walk the perimeter of your home and inspect wooden sections for hollow wood. Termites eat wood from the inside out, so as you tap the wooden sections of your home, listen for a hollow sound. If you hear the dreaded sound, contact a pest control company immediately. Termites never stop eating, and they can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time. Swift action is imperative.

Mud Tunnels

Termites build tunnels so they can travel from their nest to their food (the wood in your home). These tunnels are about the width of a pencil and are found along interior and exterior walls. If you find a mud tunnel, remove a section from the center. Watch for termites crawling out of it, and keep an eye to see if the section is rebuilt within a few days. If you see either of these signs, you can be certain you have active termites in your home. However, this isn’t a failsafe test, as the insects might abandon the disturbed mud tubes and build new ones somewhere else.

Floor Damage

Laminate flooring that’s affected by termites will often blister or sag in certain areas. Your floor may feel more spongy in certain areas as well.

Wall and Ceiling Damage

Termites eat cellulose in the timber of walls. If you have unexplained cracks on the inside walls or your ceiling, it may indicate termite activity.

Doors and Windows That Stick

If termites are in your doors or window frames, they’ll be creating tunnels. These tunnels, along with all the eating the termites are doing, can cause your doors and frames to become misshapen. If the doors and windows stick, it’s a good idea to look into the possibility of termites.

Termite Droppings

Termite droppings, or frass, are a sure sign you have termites in your home. And not only are they in your home, they’re busy eating and digesting your home.

Get Rid of Termites

If you have a termite problem in your home, don’t attempt to get rid of them on your own. Call in professional help. The professional termite exterminators at Barefoot Mosquito & Pest Control are knowledgeable and experienced and will implement the most effective method of getting rid of termites in your home and keeping them away long term. Call us today at 512-400-2008 or request a termite extermination quote online.

 

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Cockroaches have a reputation for being impossible to kill. Their exoskeletons provide an extreme amount of protection, and they can also live without food for weeks. While they’re experts at hiding, it’s also true that they aren’t invincible. They are, however, tricky little bugs. If you’re on a mission to get rid of roaches, try these tactics to outmaneuver these pesky creatures.

Tidy Up

Sorry to break the news, but you aren’t going to get rid of roaches without doing some cleaning. Cockroaches live for food residue, especially grease and crumbs. This means you need to wipe down your counters, clean your dishes (no dishes in the sink overnight!), wipe down your stove, and sweep your kitchen floors every night. You should also regularly mop or spot clean your floor.

Set Traps For Roaches

First, find out where roaches live in your home. Since cockroaches love the dark, they become very active at night. Flip on the light, and pay attention to where they scurry. This is often under your kitchen sink, behind your stove, and even in your cupboards. Those are the areas you’re going to want to target.

Use sticky traps in dark locations where the roaches like to hang out. Check them every day, and throw them in your outside garbage when they’re full.

You can make your own trap with a jar, petroleum jelly, and fragrant fruit. Apply petroleum jelly to the inner rim of your jar, and add fruit peelings to the jar (bananas, mangoes, or apples do the trick nicely). Place the jar in an area where you have seen roaches before. They’ll be drawn to the fruit smell and will crawl inside. Once in, however, the petroleum jelly prevents them from escaping.

Seal Gaps

Insects (and rodents) have a knack for squeezing into the smallest of spaces, especially if there’s food to be found. This means you need to seal all entries into your home. Look for gaps in your baseboards, between the counter top and wall, and inside your pantry. Check for gaps in your doors and windows as well.

Eliminate Water Sources

Roaches need water to survive, so make sure you don’t have any leaking faucets or pipes. Don’t over water your plants, and keep an eye on the water you leave out for your pets.

Lure Roaches in for the Kill

Attract roaches with bait. Make a mixture of three parts boric acid and one part powdered sugar. Sprinkle it into any cracks in your pantry or along the edges of your counters, under your refrigerator and oven, under the sink, and under the dishwasher. The powdered sugar will lure the bugs to your kitchen, and the boric acid will kill them. Often, they will bring the boric acid back to their nests, killing the rest of the colony.

Make a Concoction

This concoction may deter cockroaches and includes one garlic clove, one tablespoon of cayenne pepper powder, one tablespoon of onion paste, and a liter of water. Marinate the mixture for an hour, and then add one tablespoon of liquid soap to the mix. Apply the mixture wherever you have a roach problem.

Call in Professional Roach Exterminators

While all of these solutions offer the possibility of getting rid of roaches in your home, it can take a long time to be completely rid of them. When you consider that a female can reproduce up to 5 times in 200 days, cockroaches can become a big problem – and fast.

The best defense is always a professional roach exterminator who is highly trained in removing cockroaches as well as preventing them from returning. Rest easy, knowing the professionals are handling your roach infestation. Give Barefoot Mosquito & Pest Control a call today or request a free quote online.

 

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Whether its mosquitoes, spiders, ants, or bed bugs, nobody wants to see pests in their home. We all seem to have a collective hatred of the little intruders — and for good reason. Pests can destroy our homes, wreak havoc on our health, and make outdoor activities unbearable. Not only that, they’re creepy! There are some renters who worry if they have insurance, does renters insurance cover bed bugs?

Why Is Pest Control Important?

Pest control is not just for our comfort. With more than 18,000 pest control companies serving the public in the U.S., pest elimination and control actually increases the standard of living for everyone. Pest control is a matter of personal health and safety as well as public health and safety.

Pest Control Stops the Spread of Diseases

If the only thing pests did is to creep us out at the sight of them, we may not feel such an urgent need to control pests in our homes and businesses. (Okay, some people still would. That creepy feeling is enough to cause some serious elimination action.) But along with being gross and icky, pests can cause serious health problems, infecting our food, poisoning our bodies, transferring diseases, and more.

Cockroaches(some of the filthiest insects in existence, by the way) carry millions of pathogens and bacterial cells. Millions! They carry allergens that almost 10% of the population are affected by. On top of that, they carry salmonella, molds, and other harmful microorganisms. And these disgusting creatures can be found in our kitchens and even in our food. When people eat food that’s already been handled by a cockroach, they can experience diarrhea and other illnesses.

We all know that mosquitoes carry dangerous, and even deadly, diseases like malaria, dengue, West Nile virus, and theZika virus. Ticks can transfer Lyme Disease, which can be debilitating for the rest of a person’s life.

Stinging insects can cause quite a bit of pain, and for more than 2 million Americans who have allergic reactions, they can cause hospitalization or even death. In fact, half a million people are admitted to the emergency room each year because of insect bites and stings.

And then there are the rodents, which carry diseases that are transmittable to humans like rat bite fever and salmonella. Plus, they also carry of fleas, ticks, and mites — which carry their own set of diseases. Statistically,most of the reported rat bites each year occur in homes while people are sleeping. Sadly enough, it’s the faces, arms, and fingers of children under 5 that are bitten the most.

Pest Control Helps Protect You

Pests don’t only destroy health. They also destroy homes. And the sneaky little devils often destroy homes from the inside out. For example, termites can busily chomp away at the insides of your home for years while you carry on with your life. Meanwhile, while they’re left free to their own devices, they also multiply like crazy and develop into an enormous colony that becomes more and more difficult to exterminate by the week. This is definitely when you know that it’s time to call in the professionals like Adam’s Pest Control, Inc., if you’re in Minneapolis.

In fact, termites and similar pests cause an estimated $30 billion in damage to structures and crops each year in the United States. And if your home is one that’s been targeted by termites, you can expect to spend $3,000 or more to repair the damage.

And then there are bed bugs that bite you while you sleep. Extremely difficult to get rid of, bed bugs infest and destroy furniture, carpet, and more. Once infested, many people end up having to replace expensive items.

Don’t forget the risk of fire either. Rodents quietly go about their business, chewing on different things throughout your house including wires and flammable items. It’s not enough that they’re simply disgusting, rodents are also a major fire hazard.

Pest Control Provides Comfort

Swatting mosquitoes out of your face, waking up each morning with fresh bed bug bites, and feeling squeamish about the mouse you just saw scurrying across your kitchen floor is the complete opposite of comfort.

When you have good pest control in place, you don’t have to think about bugs and rodents when you’re at home. You don’t have to worry that when you lay your baby down on the carpet, a spider may find its way over to take a bite at that perfect baby skin. You don’t have to feel itchy from flea bites, and you don’t have to brace yourself before you open your pantry, worried you’re about to see a line of ants.

When pest control is in place, you don’t even have to think about how you’re not thinking about pests. It completely eliminates worry and allows you to be comfortable in your own home.

Pest Control Protects The Value of Your Home

Whether you intend to stay in your home for years, or you’re hoping to one day sell, it’s important to keep the value of your home as high as possible. But when you experiencetermitedamage, electrical damage, or any other pest issues in your home, the value of your home will often go down. Taking care of the problem will help maintain most of the value, but it’s far better to keep the value up with pest control that prevents huge problems from ever occurring.

And if you own a business, it’s crucial to keep its value up as well. If the public finds out about a pest problem in your business, your business’s reputation could be destroyed. People have long memories when pests are involved.

Pests Are Often a Bigger Problem Than You Realize

Unfortunately, pests are very quiet and sneaky by nature. Their small size and quiet movement makes it possible for them to enter your home through tiny holes you may not even notice. And once they’re in, they’re in. They find quiet, hidden corners of your home to set up house – creating nests, webs, and adding other buggy homemaking touches.

Also, pests typically aren’t alone. One cockroach found in your kitchen almost always means there are plenty more hidden somewhere else. One bed bug is never one bed bug. It’s a sign of an entire colony.

And don’t forget how quickly pests can reproduce. Insects lay eggs and rapidly create generations of bugs that call your home their first home. Eliminating one or two cockroaches will not take care of your problem. You need agood pest control companyto find the source of your pest problem and stop it at the source.

Should You DIY?

Typically, pest control does not lend itself well to do-it-yourself projects. Pests are best exterminated through scientific methods, strong solutions, careful observation, and thorough monitoring. Most people simply don’t have the training to do this on their own. Even when you think you’ve eliminated pests, they could still be reproducing quietly somewhere else in your home.

Barefoot Mosquito & Pest Control is an expert when it comes to determining the real reasons pests are on your property. We will get to the source of the problem and quickly eliminate pests from your property with our effective and affordable pest control solutions. Give us a call today or request a quote online!

 

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You checked (and double checked) to make sure you didn’t leave anything behind when you checked out of your hotel or returned your rental car. But did you check (and double check) to make sure you weren’t bringing home any tiny stowaways?

Bed bugs are notorious for hitching rides on unsuspecting travelers, and since they are so hard to get rid of, do yourself a favor and learn how to avoid them in the first place. Learn the most common signs of bed bugs, and what to do if you see them.

Bed Bug Detection in Hotels

First, check reviews of the hotel where you intend to stay, and take any mention of bed bugs seriously. It’s better to change plans than to risk bringing bed bugs home.

Next, it matters where you set your luggage. Bed bugs can’t travel well on smooth surfaces, so as soon as you get to your room, place your luggage in the bathtub or on the luggage rack. You can also put your luggage inside a large garbage bag for further protection. Don’t put your clothes in the drawers or closets.

Don’t flop down on that bed yet, either. Use a flashlight to inspect your room before you make another move. Bed bugs can be found where their hosts can be found. (Psst… their host is you and any other living human.) At a minimum, you’ll want to thoroughly inspect the bed, headboard, and nightstand. Anything with nooks and crannies (like an alarm clock or drapes) is fair game for a bed bug, and merits inspection by you.

Shine the light on the front and back of the bed’s headboard, the screw holes in the nightstand, the corners of drawers, and along the seams of the mattress or box spring. Look for the bugs themselves (they are usually flat, reddish-brown, and about the size of an apple seed), but also look for tiny black dots that resemble pepper flakes. These are bed bug feces. If you notice any tiny black dots or tiny blood spots, get out of there!

If, after inspecting the room, you feel it’s free of bed bugs, still continue to be cautious about your luggage, keeping it in the bathroom or on a luggage rack.

In Rental Cars

Yes, surprisingly bed bugs can be found in rental cars. Fortunately, they hate heat, so the chances of encountering bed bugs in the summer is lessened. However, since they avoid heat, they may stay in the car but migrate into the trunk or under the spare tire. Use your trusty flashlight again to shine light in those places – no matter the weather.

When You Get Home

Before you go inside your home, use your flashlight to inspect all the crannies of your luggage. Check zipper pockets, seams, and folds. Even if you don’t find signs of bed bugs, launder all clothing and luggage in hot water as soon as you arrive home.

If you think you may have brought bed bugs home, throw everything (including the clothes you’re wearing) into the dryer. Run the dryer for a minimum of 30 minutes on the hottest setting. If you use collapsible luggage, this will be much easier. If it’s too late for that, you’ll need to call a good pest control company to help you eradicate the bed bugs for good.

Fortunately, most travelers never come in contact with bed bugs, but since the little pests don’t discriminate, it’s important to always be on alert no matter where you’re staying.

Contact Barefoot Today

 

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