BEDBUG

How to identify Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are flat, reddish-brown, oval insects up to 4 to 5 mm long or the size of an apple seed. Swollen and reddish after a blood meal. For more information, see What do Bed Bugs Look Like?

Behavior, Diet & Habits

Bed bugs only feed on blood. Under cool conditions, bed bugs have been able to survive up to a year without a meal. They prefer to be more active at night when the host is asleep. Bed bugs are found in cracks and crevices, including mattress seams, sheets, furniture, behind baseboards, electrical outlet plates and picture frames. Often found in hotels, where they can travel from room to room and in visitors' luggage or other personal belongings such as purses and briefcases.

Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation

1. Seeing the bugs. Adult bed bugs are about the shape and size of an apple seed.
2. Case skins. As the juvenile bugs grow, they shed their skins, discovery of which can indicate their presence.
3. Defecation. After feeding, bed bugs return to their harborage to hide where they defecate black to brown stains on porous surfaces or black to brown mounds on nonporous surfaces.
4. Bites also may indicate bed bug activity, but further signs will need to be found, since other sources can cause red welts on the skin.

How serious are Bed Bugs?

Reproduction

Females can deposit one to five eggs a day, and may lay 200 to 500 eggs in a Bed Bug's lifetime. Under normal room temperatures and with an adequate food supply, they can live for more than 300 days.

Bed Bugs and Disease

It is possible that Bed Bugs can carry diseases, however, they are not known to transmit diseases to people. To learn more, see Bed Bugs and Disease.

Bed Bug Bites

Bed Bugs feed exclusively on blood, and people have various responses to Bed Bug Bites. To identify, learn about symptoms etc, see Bed Bug Bites.

FLIES

Flies: Facts, Identification & Control

More than 100 pathogens are associated with the house fly, including Salmonella, Staphylococcus,E. coli and Shigella. These pathogens can cause disease in humans and animals, including typhoid fever, cholera, bacillary dysentery and hepatitis. Sanitation is critical to controlling these pests, but accurate identification is essential for successful fly control. Here are some other things you should know about flies and fly control:

• Depending on the species, the life expectancy of a fly is eight days to two months or, in some cases, up to a year. Flies belong to the order Diptera, meaning two wings. There are more than 16,000 species of flies in North America. Flies plague every part of the world except the polar ice caps.
• One pair of flies can produce more than 1 million offspring through their offsprings' offspring in a matter of weeks.
• Millions of microorganisms may flourish in a single fly's gut, while a half-billion more swarm over its body and legs. Flies spread diseases readily because they move quickly from rotting, disease-laden garbage to exposed human foods and utensils.
• Because they only have two wings, flies land often and therefore can deposit thousands of bacteria each time they land.
• Every time a fly lands, it sloughs off thousands of microbes. If a fly lands on food or utensils, customers may ingest germs that can trigger serious illness such as diarrhea, food poisoning, meningitis and bloodstream infections.

When flies feed on waste, they collect pathogens on their legs and mouths. These pathogens are then transferred to food on tables or counters when a fly lands again. Flies regurgitate on solid food then they eat the liquid. They are capable of transmitting disease when they vomit, groom themselves or just walk on surfaces.

The best way to repel flies is through simple, preventive measures. Flies prefer warm temperatures and are most active from late spring to early autumn. In order to best repel flies during this time, limit access to your home as much as possible, keeping doors and windows closed. You may also choose to screen windows, doors and vents. Keep garbage cans clean and securely closed. Keeping surfaces clean will make your home less appealing to flies. For best results, contact a pest control professional to discuss extermination options.

RODENT

RMS (RODENT MANAGEMENT SERVICE):

RODENT CONSEQUENCES -

• Plague, Murine Typhus, Rickettsial Pox, Salmonellosis, Rat Bite Fever, Wail's disease, Hantavirus, Typhoid, Dysentery and many others Field Rat : - 7-9.5 inch long, heavy, thick body with brown, shaggy fur
  - Droppings are 1/4 inch long and capsule-shaped
  - Small ears, blunt nose, small eyes; tail is shorter than head and body
  - Prefers to eat meat
  - Nests in outside underground burrows
  - Shy around new objects; Excellent swimmers

Bendicoot :

• Large rat-like rodent, up to 40 cm including tail
• Dorsally dark brown fur
• Light to dark grey fur ventrally
• Head body length about 25cm
• Long and scaly tail uniformly dark and shorter than head-body length
• Adults of both sexes have a smell which is similar to pigs
• Blunt muzzle
• When cornered, the bandicoot rat erects is bristles and spits like a cat.

Roof Rat :

• 6-8 inch long, with a light, slender body
• Droppings are 1/2 inch long
• Large ears that can be pulled over eyes
• Pointed nose and large eyes; tail is longer than head & body
• Black or brown in colour with smooth fur
• Body is smaller and sleeker than a Norway rat


• (1) Prefers to eat fruits & vegetables
  (2) Nests inside buildings, in attics, and high areas
  (3) Shy around new objects; Excellent climber

House Mouse :

• 2.5 to 3.5 inch long, dusty gray in colour
• Droppings are 1/8 – 1/4 inch long with pointed ends
• Large ears and small eyes
• Often confused with a smaller rat, but mouse has a smaller head
• Enters through holes the size of a pant button
• Prefers to eat seeds and cereals; destructive in pantries, stored food
• Nests in insulation, inquisitive around new objects

Control:

Start with a thorough inspection Rule of 4 "D"s: Deny Entry, Deny Food, Deny Shelter, Destroy
Use of snap-traps, rodent stations (rodabox), glueboards, multi-catch traps, baits (in sealed containers)

4-Line defense system

Twice a month frequency (Recommended); AMC = 24 services; Fence line rodent stations at 80ft apart; Building circumference rodent stations at 40ft apart; Inside building multi-catch traps at 20ft apart; Snap and glue traps in false ceilings and rodent runways