Venice Pest Blog

Between 2005 and 2006, Mexico's Red Rump Tarantula began slowly taking over South Florida. It's not that the spider was totally new to the state at that time. After all, the first Red Rump Tarantula to be found in South Florida citrus groves was discovered in 1996, and within weeks, it became apparent that the spiders had already been breeding there. Nearly two decades later, the situation has become acute. Red Rump Tarantulas can be found all over South Florida, particularly in citrus groves and overgrown areas near swamps and canals.  Learning to recognize these spiders is important, because although their effect on humans is not life-threatening, contact with their venom is still painful, and their effect on pets and small mammals can be serious.  How to Recognize a Red Rump Tarantula: (Information courtesy of the Cincinnati Zoo.) Size: Large, measuring form 5-7cm, with a legspan of 13cm. Females are larger than males in both body and legspan. ...

According to recent reports, there's a new pest on the loose: the Super Termite. This hybrid is bound to cause all kinds of damage if it's not stopped. Scientists in Florida have tracked the development of a new hybrid species of termite — one whose colonies grow twice as fast as the parent species. Researchers say the new "super-termite" is even more destructive than other species and may carry a significant economic cost (NPR). It's the phrase "even more destructive than other species" that really sends our eyebrows up. After all, regular termites are already destructive enough. According to some estimates, over two million American homes are damaged or destroyed by termites every year, as opposed to only 350,000 destroyed by fire. It's easy to get people worked up about the dangers of fire, of course. Children in school are taught to "Stop! Drop! and Roll!", and parents are encouraged to make Family Emergency...

It doesn’t snow in Florida but there are times when palm fronds look like they are covered with a thin dusting of powder. Of course it isn’t really powder at all. Such discoloration is typically a sign that one group of lawn pests has been hard at work, mealybugs. There are numerous mealybugs that cause Floridians problems but the one we wanted to talk about today is the coconut mealybug. It is a lawn pest that poses significant damage to palms. Thought to be natives of Asia, they sport oval-shaped, yellow or pink bodies that have been embellished with their own natural secretions. The secretions resemble powdery snow but are actually quite waxy. They use the secretions in reproduction and to foster symbiotic relationships with other insects, like ants. Unfortunately, those same secretions lead to a deadly palm disease known as sooty mold. Sparking the rapid development of sooty mold isn’t...

Have you been noticing persistent brown areas in your lawn? Perhaps you thought they were dry areas in need of water. If watering doesn't make the areas greener, then you could have an infestation of white grubs which are the larvae of beetles. The test for white grubs or lawn grubs is simple. Grab some grass in your hand and pull up. If the grass is infested, then a patch of grass and its sod will easily pull right out of the ground. If you turn the sod upside down, you will see the grubs on the underside curled into C shapes. The reason the grass and its sod pulls out so easily is because most of the roots have been eaten away by grubs. If you don't want to get on your knees to test for them, shovel three sides and lift up the patch of grass. White grubs thrive...

Mosquito Control is important because of the vector potential that exists in the transmission of diseases such as dengue, malaria, yellow fever, encephalitis, and other serious diseases.  While many home remedies for mosquito control can be found on the Internet, it is vitally important that their extermination be left up to professionals that understand mosquito's life cycles, their mating habits and the best ways to eliminate them and to help prevent their recurrence. In addition to carrying diseases, mosquitoes can also put a damper on outdoor activities.  It is difficult to enjoy a picnic or baseball game when annoying mosquitoes are flying about biting people and resulting in painful itching for hours at a time. Mosquitoes are a nuisance and can affect labor efficiency in outdoor workers, and can even cause depreciation of real estate values when houses are located near standing bodies of water such as lakes. The insects can...

If you suspect that there’s a dead mouse somewhere in your home, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get the problem cleaned up right. In addition to carrying dangerous bacteria that puts your family and pets at risk for infection, dead mice attract worms and produce an overwhelmingly unpleasant smell that can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks. Tackling the carcass removal quickly is the best way to reduce the risk of contamination and prevent odor from seeping into your living space.  How Can I Find a Dead Mouse? It’s not uncommon for poisoned mice to die in hidden crevices within walls, ceilings and floorboards. If you don’t come face to face with the carcass, the odor trail should lead you to the problem area. Once in the room where the smell is the strongest, check superficial hiding spots, like behind the refrigerator, inside cabinets and...

Your bathroom is the place you get clean, but the humid atmosphere in the room can also be a welcoming home for a variety of bugs. When left uncontrolled, infestations can quickly take over your bathroom and cause damage. Some of the most common culprits are drain flies, silverfish, book lice, moth flies and psocids. However, other household pests may be found in the bathroom. Ask a professional for help identifying the pest infesting your area so that you can find the best methods to control them.  Many homeowners would like to take simple, do-it-yourself measures to keep their bathrooms from becoming infested. However, pests attracted by water and dampness can be tough to control with such measures because they are incredibly resilient and can hide in places that you simply can't reach. Small pests such as psocids can even be hard to detect, making it difficult to eliminate them effectively. ...

Pests don't just invade homes; they also infest offices and cause problems for workers and customers. In fact, a pest infestation can deter customers from returning to your business. With a few simple steps, you can prevent a pest infestation and make the office a much happier, cleaner place to work. Keep food areas clean. Make sure the employees eat in a designated area, and keep all food out of the work space. All trash belongs in the garbage bins and should be taken out every day. In addition, clean up any spills as they happen to prevent ant and roach infestations later. Keep the garbage under control. Indoor and outdoor garbage bins should have tight lids to prevent trash from falling onto the ground. If the outside garbage bin overflows, invest in a second garbage bin if possible. Maintain both garbage areas each day to prevent rodent and insect infestations...

February 14 is the day of love. It's also the one day of the year when you are allowed to enjoy candy without concern for calories or fat grams. From cute candy hearts etched with terms of endearment to boxes of gourmet chocolates, it's a tradition to give someone special a sweet treat for Valentine's Day. The problem is that most of these gifts are boring and outdated. If you're tired of giving the same presents year after year, it's time to step into modern times and give your loved one a gift to remember. This is best accomplished by offering chocolate-covered bugs instead of yet another red heart filled with the typical chocolates. While we work hard to keep bugs from infesting your home every year, there is no denying that bugs have nutritional benefits. If you were stranded in the wilderness, you would actively hunt worms and a variety...

By far, the most abundant rodent pest in Florida is the roof rat. This creature ranges in color from dark brown to black. Including its tail, it can be anywhere from 13 to 18 inches long. Weighing five to nine ounces, it is slender in build, with large, virtually hairless ears. In short, roof rats are neither cute nor cuddly, and you definitely do not want them to infest your property. One way to determine if they are over-running your home is if you see a lot of their long, cylindrical droppings. Perhaps you also are hearing them running around in the upper levels of your home, particularly the attic. This, along with ceilings, is a prime nesting location. They also love outdoor places such as woodpiles and dense vegetation. Roof rats do much more than just annoy you with their scampering. In fact, they can eat through pipes and wiring....

Is there a secret to effective pest control? While your neighbors or friends may swear by a particular regimen, the answer isn't quite so easy as jumping on the bandwagon. The only proven way to manage pests is to get an annual plan tailored to your property.   Different Tactics for Different Pests Pests come in many forms; each species leaves a unique calling card to mark its presence, but these traces are difficult to distinguish. In most cases, you need some professional experience. Property owners with annual pest control contracts get the benefit of working with someone who can keep an eye on continuing problems and devise a plan that combats serious issues with the appropriate responses.   When Should I Get Started? The New Year is by far the best time to get an annual contract plan started. During the height of the coldest season, many insects enter a...

Homeowners may occasionally hear scratches, scurrying sounds or other noises coming from the ceiling area. These sounds may seem to persist during the winter months; however, they are probably more audible because people tend to spend more time indoors when it is cold. While it may seem amusing during December to tell the kids that these sounds are just the hoofs of Santa’s reindeer, the truth is that these noises are probably being generated by pests. Attic Pests  Common attic pests thrive in the dank and dark areas above the ceiling. These critters may penetrate into other areas of the home when searching for food and water. They can quickly move between rooms by using the hollow vestibules between different walls.  If there are sounds coming from the attic during the cold months of the year, you might have one of these common winter pests: •Mice •Rats •Roaches •Spiders Insects, rodents...

Pest control services protect private property, but the elimination of common pests can also improve the health of the inhabitants as well. One of the major barriers to accessing these benefits is the simple understanding of how pests hide inside the structure of the building. This knowledge can help homeowners and businesses decide if they are facing a silent pest invasion. Common Pests Some of the most common pests can easily hide in crevices, attics, basements and other concealed areas without being detected for extended lengths of time. Homeowners often know next to nothing about the best methods used to detect an infestation. They might not know how to look for trails, eggs, carcasses or other signs of an active pest presence. Another problem involves the process of interpreting the meaning of a single pest. For example, some homeowners may spot a single mouse, roach, spider or other pest without thinking...

The season of cooler temperatures is upon us, and you will no doubt want to spend more time on the inside of your warm and cozy home. Unfortunately, several outdoor pests will also want to escape the elements and share your warm home right along with you. You may find such unwelcome visitors as spiders, stink bugs, beetles, roaches, silver fish, ants and centipedes inhabiting your home, but there is a way to avoid this unpleasant occurrence. Those bugs won't be able to enter your home through even the tiniest of openings when you choose to have a professional pest control company provide you with perimeter protection services. Timely Application Insects tend to gather in large numbers towards the end of the fall season when temperatures become unpleasantly cool to them. You will want to make arrangements for your perimeter protection services before those insects have had the chance to make...

Pests can be as common as pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a time of feasting and family, and those who are planning to either host or attend a large holiday get-together should be aware that uninvited guests may want to drop by. Rodents and bugs are often attracted to the excess food, people and activity that comes with a Thanksgiving celebration. Whether you’re traveling across town or across the country to visit family Thanksgiving weekend, you should be aware of the possibility that small insects can travel there or back with you. Even the cleanest of homes can have a pest invasion that goes unnoticed, such as bed bugs in the spare bedroom or fleas on the family pet. Cockroaches and ants can end up sneaking into luggage or hitching a ride on a pair of shoes, and just those few sneaky pests can turn in to a full-scale invasion...

Venice, Florida has a relatively small population, especially when the snowbirds are out of town. By 'small population' we mean people. The number of pests that enjoy the good life in Venice is actually rather staggering. The database at Insect Identification [[http://www.insectidentification.org/insects-by-state.asp?thisState=Florida]] lists 299 creeping, crawling, flying and biting pests that can invade your Florida home. Here are the top five: Palmetto Bug The warm, humid climate of Florida offers ideal conditions to roaches and palmetto bugs. If you live here, you will eventually have them in your house. They eat anything, and only a professional exterminator can get rid of them for good. Ants Ants are all over this part of Florida and not just one kind. Sarasota County is home to dozens of ant species, and none of them are fun to live with. Brown Recluse spiders Of all the spiders that inhabit Florida, this is by far the...

Being a homeowner is an experience that comes with many joys and unique privileges. The fall season is a time of change that offers families a chance to remain indoors and enjoy one another's company over the holidays. However, with the approach of Halloween, there is one trick-or-treater you want to avoid being greeted by at your doorstep. The dreaded houses spider is one of the greatest fears a homeowner will encounter, and once he has made himself comfortable in your home, he is not going to want to leave anytime soon.  Spiders not only wreak havoc on your peace of mind but also have the power to cause problems for your home. In fact, spiders can be one of the more aggravating pests in your home. Once you have them they grow in numbers pretty quickly. This is achieved primarily through egg laying. They will also make themselves comfortable in...

Fruit flies are tiny insects. The creatures are known for feeding on and residing in fruit, but they do eat other types of food. The bugs are located throughout the world, and they reproduce quickly, which makes them ideal for scientific research.  What do They Look Like? The insect species is typically a reddish brown shade, and their wings are translucent. Most fruit fly species are small, and they measure approximately 0.08 to 0.2 inches long. However, a few types grow to larger lengths and can become almost as big as a regular housefly.  How do Fruit Flies Get into Your Home? Fruit flies can get into your home in different ways. Often, you’ll bring them into your home by purchasing produce, but the bugs can also enter your residence through small cracks and holes in your walls, floors or windows.  Treatment Tips  Be sure to remove any food that is...

Bedbugs can infest almost any type of building, including homes, theaters and shops. They have even taken up residence in subway cars. Unfortunately, schools are no exception. This persistent pest finds its way into classrooms by hitching rides on backpacks, clothes and textbooks. It can put every student's home at risk. Recent News Educational institutions in many parts of the country have suffered infestations. Staff at two public schools in Kentucky recently discovered bedbugs in the classrooms, according to WDRB-TV. A pest control service helped the district quickly eliminate these insects. In February, CBS reported that a Yonkers charter school experienced a minor infestation and came under criticism from angry parents. Another facility endured a more significant bedbug invasion last November. Employees at a junior high school in Chicago had to call a pest control firm after the bugs were found in several rooms. They infested a locker area, multiple classrooms...

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to keep mosquitoes at bay without the use of citronella candles, bug sprays and other annoying solutions? Most people would agree with that statement, so it comes as no surprise that many have turned to ultrasonic mosquito repellents to ward off these pesky, biting pests. There's just one little problem, though: Ultrasonic mosquito repellents don't work. Don't Waste Your Money Ultrasonic mosquito-control devices are little more than placebos. Some people insist they work merely because they've spent a lot of money on them and don't want to admit that it was a big waste. The fact is that several studies have been conducted, and all of the most reputable ones have reached the same conclusion: These devices don't work, and people are essentially being ripped off. Studies Prove Ultrasonic Mosquito Repellents don't Work Manufacturers of ultrasonic mosquito control devices claim that the ultrasonic noises...