Wood Moth Control in Melbourne

There are many species of wood moths that attack growing trees and are therefore forest pests. All these species are native to Australia. The larval stage is the destructive one, but their damage is seldom seen during inspections of buildings in Melbourne as the holes are usually large and detected during milling. A professional pest control technician must inspect wood moths and apply the best solution based on the situation to do an effective wood moth control and treatment in Melbourne. The native species of wood moth range in size in the larval stage up to 100 millimetres long. The giant wood moth is the species sometimes encountered at mills. These night-flying moths lay their eggs in damaged bark, and the larvae, which have three pairs of thoracic legs, mostly feed in the phloem-cambial region and enter the sapwood when fully grown to pupate. Some larger species live entirely in the sapwood and heartwood, leaving a covering of chewed wood and faeces bonded together with silk on the outside of the hole. The life cycle is variable in time, depending on the species, but is usually one to two years.

Wood Moth Treatment
Professional and certified pest control technician need to inspect the wood moth infestation, identify the pest problem and analyse the damage. Tree surgery procedures are required where ornamental trees are affected. In some situations, because wood moths are forest pests, the larvae do not continue to feed in swan wood, and treatment is not required. As Australian hardwoods are not used as framing timbers any longer, these pests are not severe problems to houses and buildings. Pest control technician can detect wood and timber pests correctly and prevent further damages and repair costs for property owners. Problems caused by termites or white-ants are required to be identified in their early stages and managed immediately. Pest control technician will recommend the best termite treatment based on the termite inspection analysis and the pest status.

Do I have a rat problem?

What a nuisance rodents would be when they get into your house! Rodents, rats and mice do a lot of damage to your property structure, insulation, pipes and even electrical wiring. They scurry in our walls and above our heads during the night and reproduce rapidly. The question is that how can you know if you have rodents, rats or mice in your house or office? Well, I am going to tell you some signs! First of all, if you heat scampering or gnawing sounds at night in the attic or behind walls, then what that could be? Possibly these small pests: Rodents, Rats or Mice! If you have seen gnawing on food boxes and walls around pipes or ducts, or smudge marks on walls, then that’s the time to call a professional pest control exterminator. Search on Google for a pest control company and call them. You can use keywords like “pest control Melbourne” or “Rodent control Melbourne” (if you live in Melbourne) and you will see a list of pest control companies. Check their certificates, customer ratings, service areas and of course, price! Then ask them for a Rodent/Rat/Mice control service.

But how do rats and mice get in to your house? It’s easy question! They are very small pests and can gain access through holes as small as a pencil! They can climb up trees near buildings or pipes even to access roofs. Rodents and rats can get in to your property through pet doors, holes in walls, small opening around pipes, through vents and via roof.

If you want to keep rats and mice out of your house and property: seal all holes, cracks, voids and vents. You need to cover ducts with fine mesh and fit brush strips to base of external doors. Adoption of high levels of sanitation and hygiene, is always an effective practice and solution for controlling unwanted pests and preventing them. So remove all food and water sources in garden and yard and cover bins with proper lids. It is a good idea to move stored firewood away from the house and keep house tidy and clear.

Six Facts About Bed Bugs

If we track the news and have screened all the consideration bed bugs have received in the past few years, we might wonder we are familiar with all there is to know about this pest: They feed on people while they sleep at night, they cause itchy, red bumps and they are hard to remove! But these annoying bed bugs have a lot of secrets that we might be surprised to come across.

1. Bed bugs could possibly make it at any place. While nearly everybody think of bedbugs, they think of hotel rooms. However the actual truth is, bed bugs may also do well in single-family houses, apartments, hospitals, office buildings, schools, trains, movie theatres, outlet stores and just about at any place that humans are.
2. Bed bugs are not just metro area dwellers. Opposed to popular belief, bed bugs are not just in big towns or third-world countries. They are found all around us. Unfortunately, the occurrence of bed bugs is 3 (three) times higher in towns than in rural zones due to variables such as superior population amount, apartment living and greater mobility, which generally are helpful to the hasty extent and breeding of bed bug pests.
3. Bed bugs are lasting. Bed bugs could possibly reside for a number of months without ever a blood meal. This implies they can reside in home or office furniture, carriers and carrying cases for a long time awaiting they are close a person host once more. Additionally, bed bugs can persist temperatures of nearly freezing to very hot. Because of this, bed bugs are not a pest that can be treated with actions. Well trained pest control specialist is the most doable strategy to handle a bedbug infestation.
4.  Bed bugs are savvy. As a effective instinct, bed bugs are challenging. They know to hide during the daylight, hiding in mattress crevices, in the rear of electrical switch-plates, in picture places, and even behind wall coverings. However during night, the carbon dioxide we breathe in brings them out of their covering spots.
5. Bed bugs are methodical. Bed bugs have a standard feeding pattern. Just after a bed bug detects a human, it will usually supply 3 or more times, for 5 to 10 minutes every time. These three meals are mostly referred to as breakfast, lunch and dinner. But the three nibble marks they make behind usually right one after the other and on exposed skin on the chest, arms or legs are revealing evidences of a bedbug infestation.
6.  Bed bugs might actually have a certification in anaesthesiology. Groups of people often doubt why a biting bedbug does not wake up its human host when it feeds. The reason is that bed bugs feed by applying two dimpled, beak-like feeding tubes into their host. The initial conduit injects the bug's saliva, which actually includes anaesthetics to numb the feeding spot. The other tube takes in blood. Immediately after feeding, they move to quiet places and conceal for five to ten days. During this period, they do not feed but alternatively fully digest their meal, friend and lay eggs.

In case you have a bedbug infestation, do not attempt to control it on your own. Alternatively, call an accredited bedbug treatment and pest control professional who is trained on the (very special, in most cases sneaky) behaviour of bed bugs. They qualified to check your apartment and recommend an effective solution of integrated pest management and control.

Doing your own pest control

It is not always as easy as you may read in many “do-it-yourself pest control” blog posts or websites. Did you know that it may also be very dangerous or even deadly! If you are going to do your own pest control, you need to take required safety precautions, be very careful and aware of possible dangers.

In some situations, you may use pesticides to control or remove unwanted pests. Pesticides are toxic. These materials need to be used and applied with great care. If you use them carelessly they may damage your health or the health of your family. They may also damage the environment or your home. In some conditions, you may use some pest control devices or special product packages that may also be very dangerous. There are a lot of reported deadly incidents where pest control products or devices are used by unprofessional unqualified people or even carelessly. Due to the potential risks involved in handling pesticides, anyone who uses pesticides is required to pass certain training courses and hold a Licence to use pesticides.

I read an article in a news website (source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8503096/cockroaches-1-melbourne-thai-0) that a cockroach 'bomb' blowed up a Thai restaurant. Staff at the Melbourne CBD restaurant, activated 10 cockroach bombs after the restaurant closed on Saturday night. An unknown ignition source caused the bombs to explode, blowing the back door off its hinges, destroying an internal wall and shattering a second storey window. The Metropolitan Fire Brigade reported that a staff member at the restaurant suffered minor cuts from shattered glass in the explosion, which occurred about 12.50am on Sunday.

This is not the first time a restaurant has exploded by the staff using cockroach bombs purchased from a supermarket. They tried to save money, but lost many more! If you have a pest control problem or need pest inspection, it is easier and of course safer to contact a professional pest control company in your area. Following are some safety precautions and recommendations.

• Always follow recommendations provided by the professional pest control operator carefully.
• Use only a licensed pest control operator.
• Obtain the full chemical name of the pesticide to be used – in case of an emergency; this will assist with first aid.
• Ensure food, clothes or furniture are covered or removed from the area to be treated.
• Ensure that all doors and windows are closed if the pesticide is to be applied outdoors.
• Vacate the premises while the pesticide is mixed and applied, and until the pesticide is dry.
• Advise your neighbours in advance of any external pesticide treatments.

I hate cockroaches

I hate cockroaches. But usually we hear (especially from girls) that cockroaches are horrid and hideous creatures. But the problem is that they are everywhere! Cockroaches can be found in homes and offices where food is stored or handled. They are night riders! and most active at night. Like some people who scare of them, cockroaches scare of us. If a light is turned on at night, they will escape away to hide. They spend most of the day hiding in cracks, crevices and warm places. During cold seasons and especially in winter, they invade our homes and warm buildings looking for shelter and food as unwelcome guests.

Cockroaches can carry organisms that cause human diseases such as food poisoning and Salmonella. They can contaminate foods and water resources. Allergies are also an important issue caused by cockroaches. Cockroaches also can spread very fast and in most cases it is very difficult to control and remove them. The female cockroach can produce up to eight purse-like egg cases monthly, each containing up to 30 eggs and nymphs hatch in two to four weeks. Young cockroaches look the same as adults, only smaller.

Prevention is the best way to control cockroaches. Sanitation is a key measure for this purpose and cannot be neglected. Following are some prevention tips for cockroaches control:

• Open food should be kept in a refrigerator
• Sweep and mop floors as often as possible to remove a possible food source
• Cover rubbish bins with a tight fitting lid
• Never leave food items in desks, lockers or anywhere exposed to them especially overnight
• Store all food items in air tight containers
• Reduce overall clutter to eliminate shelter options.
• Dirty crockery, cutlery and cooking utensils should be washed and stored away as soon as possible after use
• All goods, especially the cartons and packages should be closely checked for live cockroaches
• Seal doors and windows.  Fit mesh on drains and check that there are no gaps around service pipe entry points
• Cracked or loose tiles, laminates, and wall coverings should be re-adhered or replaced

What do you know about Pest Control?

Have you ever thought about the Pest Control? If not, you should know that Pest Control is an important step toward protecting people from unwanted pests. Pests in homes, offices or urban areas,  can pose a significant threat to the health and safety of people. Pests also could cause significant damage to houses and buildings. Some property managers hire a pest control service to spray the house or building in order to remove or control bed bugs or cockroaches.

In traditional pest control methods (relied heavily on the use of broad-spectrum pesticides to control pests), pest control companies used toxic chemicals that were also dangerous for human. Another problem is that the tenants have to collect and pack up all of their belongings whenever the exterminators sprayed. Instead of using the new, safe and more natural Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach, the property manager chose an unsafe and invasive solution that could even worsen the problem (as reliance on chemicals has grown over the years more and more pests have developed resistance to insecticides).

Integrated Pest Management refers to a set of techniques and methods used to prevent and control a pest infestation, using more than one control method or approach to pest management. It relies on the integrated use of Cultural, Physical, Biological and/or Chemical pest control methods and provides the most appropriate, fastest, safest techniques and the best possible results.

It also includes best practices and recommendations for preventing pest problems, physical pest control and safe chemical pest control methods. For example, instead of immediately spraying chemicals to control and kill cockroaches, Integrated Pest Management experts start with the least toxic methods for removing pests including identifying the exact pest problem and checking outside and inside prevalence points or physical issues such as blocking and sealing up cracks around the exterior of the property, providing tenants with lidded trash cans and scheduling regular garbage pickups. You can read more about Integrated Pest Management here.

Improvement in standards of hygienic is a part of Integrated Pest Management programs. To control an infestation, a professional pest control company provides hygienic recommendations and training materials, also eliminates sources of food and water, finds and alters nesting sites, or uses baits that are safe to use around humans. Regular property inspection is an important part of this approach, to help prevent or control any pest infestation, and if required (an important principle of this approach is that pesticides should be used only when absolutely necessary to prevent and control pests and these chemicals) apply treatments using the least-toxic and safe treatment available.

This approach is based on the planned and strategic use of pest control methods (using more than one control method). So a plan for Integrated Pest Management inspections should be prepared and scheduled. The professional pest control companies provide tip sheets about how you can keep your spaces pest free. They also prepare proper guidelines and encourage tenants/owners to report all signs of a pest infestation.

Annoying Ants

Ants are the guests that no one wants, but almost everyone gets them. It is really annoying to find ants in our home, and unfortunately many of them can be very difficult to control. As the weather continues to warm here in Melbourne, this pest will begin marching one-by-one indoors. Ants frequently travel through unsanitary areas before they end up on countertops, we should take steps to control and remove them at the first sign of a problem and keep them away from our family, pets and food. Ants are the most nuisance pest in many countries including Australia, and often become a problem during the warmer months (September to March) as they appear indoors looking for food. Unfortunately, ants are more than just a household annoyance; they can also cause health risks and bring extensive property damage once inside the house or office.

Though there are many different ant species, there are relatively few of them that are commonly considered as pests. The most important ant pest groups are:

• Argentina Ants: 1.5 to 3 mm. They are light brown to brown and have single flattened node on pedicle. The often nest in exposed soil or under cover in rotting logs plant cavities. 
• Pharaoh Ants: 1.5 to 2 mm with light yellowish brown to darker brown colour, typically form large colonies and are almost the most difficult ant species to control. They are originally from the tropics and need in-building heat in order to survive and reproduce. Pharaoh ants often nest in warmer parts of buildings or tend to live in large heated buildings such as hospitals, apartments and hotels. They eat almost any type of food material (prefer high protein materials, like meat and blood, as well as fatty foods and vegetable matter)
• Odorous Ants: 2 to 3 mm and brown to dark brown. These ants commonly nest within building in walls, under stoves and cupboards, and in subfloor voids. They eat most types of household food, prefer sweets but will eat meat and breadcrumbs.

Other common ants are: Coastal Brown Ants, Singapore Ants, Brown House Ants, Whitefooted House Ants, Black House Ants, Greenhead Ants, Meat Ants, Jumper Ants and Building Ants.

Ants can contaminate food sources and cause property damage (e.g. to build nests inside structures). There are effective tactics to effectively prevent and control ants. There is also a wide range do-it-yourself ant control products, such as ant spray and ant bait products, available for treating and controlling ants. A very effective method to control ants is to remove the ant nest. If you have a recurring problem or a more serious Ant infestation, it is recommended to contact a professional pest control company for ant problem inspection and control.

effective control of ants often relies on a knowledge of their foraging and nesting habits. Also, where a given infestation is being treated, a thorough survey and inspection should be carried out. Following tips are recommended to avoid ant infestations:

• Remove sources of moisture or standing water near the property.
• Regularly trim tree branches and other shrubbery and keep them away from the house.
• Seal crevices, cracks or holes on the outside of the house. Also cover cracks and crevices in door and window frames.
• Store firewood at least 5 to 10 meter away from the house and about 10 centimetres from the ground.
• Always cover food. Keep food in sealed and closed containers. 
• Regularly dispose of garbage. Also make sure all garbage cans are tightly sealed.
• Keep pet food and water dishes clean and clean food and liquid spills immediately.