Now you may wonder how it’s possible in this day and age of clean living for an average single-family home to become infested with (ugh) rodents. But as someone who knows firsthand about infestation, cleanliness doesn’t necessarily dictate which homes rats and mice move in to. (Unless, of course, someone in your family leaves a half-eaten pizza under a bed for weeks, in which case you may end up sharing living space with rodents, ants, and cockroaches. And as you well know, they all refuse to pay rent.)

So imagine my surprise when one night I noticed a lonely little mouse creeping across the back deck of my house. At first I thought it was just a dust bunny floating on a breeze, but when I saw it pick up a errant saltine cracker I knew it was either a rodent scouting for a new home or the cockroaches had been working out again.

Here’s the thing, in the winter rodents move into over 21 million homes across the U.S. That’s a lot of real estate. If the housing market could see that kind of turnover for people, the economy would be in better shape than a beauty queen (or a cockroach) with a gym membership.

I mean, come on. It’s not like rodents don’t come with a lot of baggage. And I’m not talking about the kind with designer initials stamped all over it. Rats and mice can bring really serious diseases into your home, like hantavirus, salmonella, and even fleas, which technically aren’t a disease, as much as they are a painful nuisance to people and their pets. (And if you think rats and mice are hard to get rid of, try evicting those pesky fleas once they’ve settled in. It’s like attempting to boot out that obnoxious neighbor who prefers your place over his because you have better snacks and a home theatre system with big screen, satellite TV.)

Plus, rodents are notorious for destroying property, and that’s where I draw the line. Nobody gets to cause “lived-in” damage to my home but me. No question, that mouse had to go.

I immediately buzzed around the house looking for any points of entry he might use. I found a few and decided the next day I’d get my brothers to help me patch those holes (my family are masters at woodworking). I’d also get everyone to help with:

• Cutting back tree branches that hang over the house
• Moving the firewood pile away from the house
• Checking the screened vents
• Making sure items in the garage are sealed in plastic
• Getting rid of any garbage or food (including pet food) that might be lying around

And if all that doesn’t work, well, then I guess we’d have to call in a professional. Fortunately, I have a connection in that department. But we’ll try these preventative measures first, and THEN if we have to, we’ll bring in the big guns.

Either way, stay tuned. I’ll keep you posted.

Although there are over 4,000 species of cockroaches throughout the world today, only thirty of them are known to interact with humans and earn the notoriety of being pests. Of these, the most common found within US households is the American cockroach (Periplaneta Americana) and its smaller cousin the German cockroach (Blattella germanica). Although fully capable of surviving outside and away from people, these species prefer to cohabitate our living quarters because of the ample food and shelter our homes provide. Of the many unique features that lends to the cockroach’s survivability is that they eat just about anything and are capable of digesting almost anything that contains nutritional value.

Cockroaches prefer living near water and will normally seek out dark places with high humidity. Within a home, this usually includes beneath kitchen and bathroom sinks, underneath refrigerators, or even within walls. Like most insects the cockroach is nocturnal and will normally only seek out food during the evening hours. Since their diet is so vast they are often associated with the spread of dangerous bacteria and disease within their waste or by shedding their skin near human food products.

Through the use of pheromones within the body this species is able to signal other nearby roaches to the presence of danger or food. This greatly limits the risks that a single cockroach must endure and it is this group type of mentality that has ensured their survival throughout the ages. With a single female cockroach producing over 150 newborns each year, this species can prove to be very difficult to eliminate once established within a residence or building.

When attempting to remove cockroaches from your home or office, it is important to first eliminate any sources of easy access to nourishment. This includes placing pantry items within plastic storage containers, cleaning dishes and taking out trash immediately after meals, and removing any pet food left out during evening hours. The next step would be to limit the amount of hiding places around the home such as clutter within closets, underneath sinks, and throughout basements.

While the above methods can reduce a cockroach infestation, stronger pest control methods may be required, which of course Admiral Pest Control can help you with. Remember that ultimately even Mother Nature herself has been unable to stop the cockroach over millions of years; destroying a cockroach infestation will take a bit of time and professional help.

Before Traveling

Before booking any hotels, it is important to do your homework.  This means that it’s time for a little internet research.  One website to check is www.tripadvisor.com. TripAdvisor, is a website where travelers can rate the quality of their hotel experience.  Scan the reviews for any mention of bed bugs and avoid any place that has at least two or three recent bed bug sightings.  Since it is always important to get a second opinion, check out www.thebedbugregistry.com to see if the hotel you’re leaning towards is listed.  Remember, though, that only US, Canadian and UK hotels are listed.  And, if all else fails, try googling the name of the hotel and “bed bugs” to see if there are any hits.

While packing, put as many of your belongings into ziplock bags.  This is a great organizational technique, but it is also just another layer of defense against bed bugs that might crawl into your bag.  After all, they can’t infest your clothing if you put it into airtight bags.  Be sure to pack extra bags in case one of them breaks, as well as gloves and a mini flashlight to use when inspecting the hotel room for an infestation.

While Traveling

Adult bedbugs can be identified by their reddish-brown color. They are wingless, and have oval shaped bodies. Before feeding, they are about the size of a pencil eraser and nearly as flat as a piece of paper, which is why they can fit into such narrow crevices. After they have fed they become bloated and dark red.

The first thing that every traveler should do when entering a hotel room is search it for signs of bed bugs. While you do this, put your suitcase in the bathtub where it is less likely that there will be any bugs.  First examine the headboard and then check the mattress – being sure to examine the upper and lower seams, as well as the tag.  Next inspect the drawers of the bedside table and along the wall.  Telltale signs of an infestation are tiny reddish brown or black excrement spots, light brown skins or the actual bugs themselves.

If you find something, go down to the front desk and discreetly explain your discoveries.  Ask for another room and go through the same examination process.  If you don’t find anything, still take the following precautions:

• Don’t unpack your clothes if possible.
• Keep your suitcase on the luggage stand. Never put it on the bed.
• Each morning check the sheets for blood spots.
• Inspect all of your clothing before leaving.

Upon Returning Home

Upon returning home, unpack and examine your clothes in the bathtub.  Put the clothing into large ziplock bags until they can be washed with hot water and detergent and dried on low heat for at least 20 minutes. If you happen to see bed bugs,

1. There are approximately 45 species of termites that live in the United States and more than 2300 species worldwide. Most Californians will encounter either subterranean termites (Reticulitermes hesperus) or drywood termites (Incisitermes minor).  Respectively, they are the first and second most destructive insect in California according to UC Davis.
2. While humans (homo sapiens) have inhabited the earth for nearly 500,000 years, termites have lived on earth for 250 million years. Researchers think termites are wood-eating descendants of cockroaches.
3. Termites might be called “royal” insects. A female that has flown and mated is called a “queen” while a male that has flown and mated is called a “king”. There are also soldiers and workers in every colony.
4. Most Americans don’t consider bugs to be a delicacy but in Africa and Indonesia, termites are frequent visitors on native culture’s menus. Typically, they are fried and sprinkled with salt or they are eaten “raw” after their wings have been removed. They are said to taste like carrots when they are uncooked and popcorn when they are cooked.
5. Termites offer hope to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Department of Energy scientists are studying termites because of their unique ability to generate large amounts of hydrogen as a part of their digestive process. A termite can generate up to two liters of hydrogen after digesting a single sheet of paper.
6. Worker termites are blind. Termites communicate primarily by secreting chemicals called pheromones. Each colony develops its own characteristic odor. An intruder is instantly recognized and an alarm pheromone is secreted that triggers the soldiers to attack the intruder.
7. Admiral Pest Control was one of the first pest control companies in the United States to use Vikane gas to eradicate termites. Vikane and high heat are the only treatments approved for whole-house eradication of termites. Orange Oil, microwave, extreme cold and other similar treatments have been found to be of limited efficacy on small areas.
8. Ants, nematodes and spiders eat termites and are considered natural enemies of termites. Unfortunately these predators typically don’t eat enough to stop an infestation.
9. Termites do more damage – around $5 billion – every year than fires, floods and other natural disasters combined.
10. Termites keel over and die when they see an Admiral Pest truck pull up. Wait a minute, aren’t termites blind?

If you think you have termites in Orange County or Los Angeles, give us a call and we’ll make sure they don’t eat your house!

Like cockroaches, fleas have persisted because they are tough.  A flea can live over 100 days without a meal, although their average life span is on a few months.  This does not mean that fleas cannot eat.  Female fleas often eat 15 times their own body weight in blood every day.  These females cannot lay eggs until 36 to 48 hours after they have their first meal.  While most fleas are so small that they are barely visible to the attentive gaze, the world’s largest recorded flea, the North American hystrichopsylla schefferi, measures almost half an inch.

The flea lifecycle consists of 4 stages, the egg, larva, pupa, and biting adult.  Flea larva are blind and feed on organic debris on their host animal.  Females can lay 2,000 eggs in their lifetime, so fleas spread quickly.  If you see a tiny bug (1/12 to 1/16 of an inch), check to see if it is dark reddish-brown and has no wings.  If it is, then you may be dealing with a flea.

Numerous problems follow fleas.  Pets that swallow a flea carrying a tapeworm larva will contract tapeworms.  Some pets and people develop allergies to flea saliva.  The allergies can result in itchiness, hair loss, scabbing, or infection.  Serious flea infections can even be fatal to pets.  Since these tiny bugs feed on blood, a large population of fleas can cause anemia, or significant blood loss.

Our pets, namely our dogs and cats, are favored transportation and meals for fleas. Many times when a pet is playing outside, fleas will hop on for a quick meal and get transported into your house, thus creating further issues and more meal opportunities – you! Besides limiting your pet’s outdoor activities, regularly vacuuming and washing clothes in hot water will help reduce and eventually stop an infestation by killing the flea eggs. Regularly combing through your pet’s fur and observing their behavior is also crucial. Fleas will show up as small black specks (a little bigger than coffee grounds). An Admiral Pest technician can help you with this during your regular service.