Chorley Pest Control

Archive for June, 2010

Bed bugs are making a comeback nationwide and the pest control industry is seeking new technologies to combat the increasingly pesticide-resistant insects. Cutting-edge technologies at both ends of the temperature spectrum include Cryonite which uses a non-toxic carbon dioxide snow to instantly freeze and kill the noxious pests and giant infrared heaters that raise the temperature in a room and bake the bugs to death. The University of Minnesota is working on a trap that simulates a sleeping human, the bed bug’s favorite meal.

Perhaps the most popular weapon in the bed bug-fighting arsenal – possibly because of its sloppy kisses and wagging tail – is the dog. Dogs, which have been trained to sniff out weapons, arson, drugs, missing persons, termites and cancer, are now being trained to detect and pinpoint bed bugs and their eggs, helping exterminators target treatment areas.

The average dog has 200 to 250 million scent receptors in its nose. Its nasal membranes cover seven square meters. In comparison, human nasal membranes cover barely half a meter and contain only 5 million receptors. A dog’s scenting ability is so sensitive it can smell things that can’t be detected by the most sensitive scientific instruments. Depending on the dog and its training, a dog’s sensitivity to odors is 10 to 100 times greater than man’s.

“A dog’s nose is cutting-edge technology,” Carl Massicott, owner of Connecticut’s Advanced K9 Detectives, told the New York Daily News. “Our animals are 100 percent honest and trained to work for food and love instead of profits.” It’s the dog owners who are raking in the profits. Depending on facility size and travel time, the cost of K-9 bed bug detection is about $200 per hour. Typically K-9 services provide initial and follow-up detection but not bed bug extermination services. Dogs can help pest control experts determine what areas to treat and in follow-up can indicate whether all bed bugs have been killed.

A trained dog can thoroughly investigate a room and locate bed bug infestations in two to three minutes, less time than it takes a human technician who must rely on visual clues which can require a thorough inspection of the home. Typically, dogs can detect infestations within a three-foot radius but may not be able to narrow it down further. For example, a dog may indicate that bed bugs are under a piece of furniture but be unable to indicate whether the bugs are hiding in furniture joints or floorboard crevices. Dogs are trained to alert their handlers to the presence of bed bugs by swatting a paw or barking. Smaller dogs are favored for their ability to negotiate tight spaces.

Pepe Peruyero, owner of J&K Canine Academy, got started in the pest control business by training dogs to detect termites. A former law enforcement officer who worked with K-9 units in Gainesville, Florida, Peruyero assisted University of Florida entomologists in conducting rigorous scientific tests to determine dogs’ ability to detect insects. Those tests confirmed that dogs could detect not only termites, but several other types of insects, including bed bugs, and a business venture was born. Employing the same training techniques used to train drug- and bomb-sniffing dogs, Peruyero was able to develop training and testing standards for bug-sniffing dogs.

Today, business is booming. Last year Peruyero trained just one dog to sniff out bed bugs, but this year he has already trained 15 dogs and has another dozen or so dogs on the waiting list. His is one of only six facilities worldwide that train dogs to detect bed bugs. Training takes five days and includes training the dog’s handler. Handler and dog teams must prove themselves in simulated hotel room settings, detecting the presence or absence of bed bugs with 100 percent accuracy before graduation. To prevent dogs from spreading bed bugs while they’re working, handlers are taught specific grooming protocols that include brushing, cleaning and drying the dog immediately before and after a job.

Insect detection is a cutting-edge business opportunity. “We realize that bed bugs are on their way to becoming part of our daily lives,” said Mary Silverson, vice president of Hunter Detection Services on Florida’s Gulf Coast and new owner of one of Peruyero’s bed bug-sniffing dogs. Trained pest-detection canines cost around $8,000 and their upkeep, including food, veterinary care, handler’s salary and transportation, can range from $80,000 to $100,000 a year. To keep their sniffers sharp, dogs must run through their detection paces every single day.

Bed bugs are tiny, blood-sucking insects that feed on human blood. They are easily spread and difficult to detect as only about 50 percent of the people whose beds they share react to their bites. About the size of an apple seed, bed bugs hide in tiny crevices and cracks. They are most commonly found in mattresses, box springs, furniture, baseboards, carpeting, floorboards, behind wallpaper, and in electrical outlets near the bed. Although bed bugs are not known to carry disease, the itchy red welts they raise and the emotional toll of knowing you’re being nibbled on in your sleep can cause serious mental distress. Their slightly sweet scent, which has been likened to fresh red raspberries or coriander, makes bed bugs a natural for K-9 detection.

Well-trained dogs can enter a room and within two to three minutes alert their handlers to the tiniest trace of bed bugs. Dogs can be trained to tell the difference between live bed bugs, dead ones, cast skins, eggs and even bed bug fecal matter. Paired with cutting-edge pest extermination, bed bug-sniffing dogs can perform an invaluable service for hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, colleges and universities, apartment complexes, military barracks, camps, cruise ships, airlines, and anywhere bed bugs might be a problem. The dogs quickly locate bed bug trouble spots, allowing the pest extermination experts to efficiently target and eliminate bed bug infestations. Dogs can also be used in follow-up procedures after treatment to guarantee that all bed bugs have been killed.

The exclusive Jurys Boston Hotel is one of 10 Boston hotels that uses canine patrols to check its 225 guest rooms for signs of bed bugs. In its nearly four years of operation, Jurys has never had a bed bug incident. Only twice in those four years have the specially trained canine pest hunters barked, apparently detecting the scent of bed bugs or their eggs. In both cases, Jurys took no chances. They immediately fumigated the room for bed bugs and burned the mattresses. “At the first sign or suggestion of a problem, our reaction would be to treat the room with chemicals, no questions asked,” said general manager Stephen Johnston in an interview with The Boston Globe. Johnston calls in the canine patrol for a bed bug inspection every three months.

While guest comfort may be the primary reason hotels contract for pest control, avoiding potential law suits runs a close second. A couple from New Jersey sued the Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers last fall after claiming they were bitten by bed bugs during a two-night stay.

Another couple who suffered a similar experience sued the Sheraton Four Points in San Francisco. It takes just one unwitting bed bug-carrying guest to infect a hotel room. Adept hitchhikers, bed bugs can be carried into a hotel or home on clothing, suitcases, linens and used furniture.

The National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association was formed to develop and set training and certification standards for bed bug-sniffing dogs. Before you hire a K-9 patrol, ask the following questions:

Is the dog certified?

Can it differentiate between living and dead bugs?

Can it sniff out eggs?

How are the dog’s findings validated?

Remember, finding bed bugs is just the first step. Exterminating them is what’s important.

Douglas Stern is the managing partner of Stern Environmental Group and a bed bug extermination expert. His firm serves clients in New Jersey, New York City, and New York. You can reach him toll free at 1-888-887-8376 or by email at info@sternenvironmental.com or at http://www.SternEnvironmental.com.
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“Eeek!  There’s a mouse in the house.”  In the old classic cartoons maybe the lady standing on the chair holding her skirts up and screaming bloody murder over a tiny mouse knew something about mice that you don’t?

This is what mouse poop looks like. We know you don’t wanna see it, but now you know one way to find out if there’s a mouse in your house.

Admittedly, the terrified cartoon lady is probably overreacting because one little mouse is most likely not dangerous, but what if your home is infested by mice?  Where there is one mouse there could be many.  Did you know that mice reproduce so quickly that one breeding pair can produce as many as 200 offspring in four months, a downright population explosion?

Should you be concerned if you see a mouse in your house?  If the health and safety of your family is important to you the answer is yes.  Even though one mouse is certainly not cause for panic, it is cause to begin becoming an astute observer.

Health Implications
Mice are known carriers of viruses and bacteria, and also heavily infested with other pests like ticks, lice, fleas and mites-all of which can be seriously detrimental to your health.

Direct Infection – Through urine, droppings or saliva, deer mice and several other common species of mice transmit the Hantavirus, a potentially deadly virus that causes Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Humans become infected when they inhale the aerosolized virus.  According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), this virus has been identified throughout the United Sates and the primary mode of prevention is rodent control in and around the home.

Mice are also carriers of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV).  This virus is particularly dangerous to pregnant women because the virus can pass from infected mother to unborn baby resulting in the loss of the pregnancy or severe birth defects in the developing fetus.  Transmission of the virus from mice to humans occurs when urine, blood, saliva, droppings or nesting materials of carrier mice come into contact with humans through a break in the skin, a bite from an infected rodent or inhaling bacteria laden dust or droplets while sweeping infected droppings.  It is estimated that 5% of adults have positive blood tests for LCMV indicating infection at some time in their lives.  A person with a normal immune system may be infected but have no symptoms.  On the other hand, some people manifest flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, headache and muscle aches.  In severe infections, meningitis may result.

Indirect Infection – Mice are also hosts for immature deer ticks (which carry certain pathogens like the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, the cause of Lyme disease in the United States), fleas that transmit rickettsial infections and other diseases to humans, and disease-carrying lice. (For a list of diseases known to be transmitted by rodents-some of which are mice, see cdc.gov/rodents/diseases.)

Most Common Mouse Types
The four most common mouse types found in the United States are the (1) house mouse (2) deer mouse (3) roof rat and (4) Norway rat. The largest is the Norway rat and the smallest the deer mouse.  You can distinguish one from the other by tail length, fur color, size of ears and eyes, and shape of the nose. Visit orkin.com/rodents/house-mouse for pictures of the four types.

What to Watch For
Mice are attracted to food, water and warmth, the primary reasons for invading homes and outbuildings.  In northern climates, home owners tend to see mice more regularly in the colder months because warm, dry homes provide snug shelter.  Mice also seem to be more prevalent during and after severe weather conditions like hurricanes because they migrate from outside to inside seeking protection from the elements and from place to place in search of new food.

Even without seeing a mouse, you’ll know you have at least one if you see mouse droppings in places like the kitchen, basement, attic, garage, barns and outbuildings.  Like humans, mice are omnivores meaning they eat both meat and plants and if they are hungry, they will chew their way through plastic cans on lids, box tops, even electrical wires.  In the process of eating, mice contaminate food with their bodies and their excrement.  In fact, mice contaminate 10 times the amount of food they eat and one mouse can devour 2-3-grams of food per day or up to 11 ounces.

You might also see the remnants of nests.  Nests are usually made from easily accessible materials such as grass, hair, feathers, leaves, shredded cloth and paper, milkweed silk, moss, cotton, or straw and resemble messy bird nests. Even if you do not find a nest, watch for other clues like shredded shelf paper which may indicate a nest in progress somewhere in your house.

Another clue that you might have a mouse in the house is the presence of gnawing marks on foodstuffs and around holes.  Sometimes you can hear mice, especially at night, chewing away or scrambling about in the walls.  It’s enough to keep you awake!

What You Can Do to Prevent Mice in Your Home
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends eliminating possible rodent food sources and nesting possibilities by implementing the following steps:
Store food in closed containers made of glass, metal or thick plastic.  (A hungry mouse can chew right through the top of a cereal box.)
Don’t leave pet food or water bowls out during the night because this is the time when mice, nocturnal creatures, are most actively looking for food.
Use rodent-proof, closed garbage and trash bins.  Take trash and garbage out of the kitchen at the end of the day to avoid tempting hungry scavengers with leftovers.
Clean up food spills, dishes and tableware as soon as possible.
Keep outdoor grills clean.
Birdfeeders should not be placed near the house and compost piles should be at least 100 feet away.
If you store feed, grain or other animal food in an outbuilding, store it in rodent-proof containers so as not to attract unwelcome guests.
Elevate hay, woodpiles and garbage cans 1 ft. or more off the ground to avoid creating easy nesting places outside your home.
Keep your grass short and trim the shrubbery around the house to reduce hiding places for mice.
Don’t store unused vehicles and tires on your property unless you want to provide a free hotel for four-legged creatures.

Trapping and Removal
If you think your problem is only a couple of mice, the CDC recommends setting snap traps of the appropriate size and baiting them with peanut butter (and you thought mice liked cheese).  Set traps in places like attics, basements and crawl spaces where evidence of mice has been discovered, but not in areas likely to be discovered by children and pets.  Position the bait in the trap, then put the bait end of the trap against the wall to form a “T” with the wall.  (Mice prefer to run next to walls as opposed to out in the open.)

Always wear gloves when picking up mice or removing them from a trap.  Place the mouse in a plastic bag and seal, then into another plastic bag for disposal.  By the way, releasing a live mouse into the wild will only postpone its return to your house.

Sealing Entry Points
In addition to trapping, eliminating food sources and reducing nesting possibilities, it is essential that you seal up holes and gaps that allow mice to enter your home and navigate from place to place.  Even a hole the size of a nickel is large enough to accommodate a mouse.

Inside – The most common places to discover the holes and gaps in your home are around, behind and under kitchen cabinets and appliances, washers & dryers, fireplaces, pipes, doors, drains and vents. Also check inside closets near the floor corners, attics, basements and crawl spaces.

Outside – Look for holes and gaps around windows, doors, foundation, attic and crawl space vents.  Gaps are common under doors, roof rafters, gables and eaves.  Mice also enter homes through holes made for electrical, plumbing, cable and gas lines.

Professional Remediation
Prevention – If you are like most people, prevention measures like eliminating food sources and nesting places is easily managed in the house, but sealing up gaps and holes correctly is quite another matter. Unless you want to spend hours caulking, stuffing steel wool in holes, nailing screening, applying flashing, and affixing metal sheeting and hardware cloth over gaps, here’s where a professional pest control agent not only comes in handy but is a valuable, time-saving, cost effective alternative to a do-it-yourself repair.

Elimination – If you have an infestation of mice, the safe way to approach ridding your home of these dangerous pests is to hire a professional exterminator.  A trained technician will use an effective, safe and up-to-date method of eradication saving you from being infected inadvertently by a bacteria or virus during the clean up process. Once the infestation is eliminated and your home is sealed correctly, the likelihood of reoccurrence is greatly minimized.  A periodic follow-up is recommended.

Unfortunately, the best laid plans of mice and men aren’t always compatible and a mouse in your house could do more than keep you up at night.  Cohabitation is ill-advised.  Rid your home of mice, protect the health of your family and get a good night’s sleep for a change!

Pat Perkins is a writer for Yodle, a business directory and online advertising company. Find a contractor or more home and garden articles at Yodle Consumer Guide. How to Get Rid of a Mice Menace
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