Exterminators Providing Top Notch Pest Control Services in Tennent, NJ

As one of our pest control technicians was performing a routine treatment service at this home in Englishtown, NJ, they spotted a bird nesting in the siding of the home! The technician informed the owner who then called Little Rascals and we were sent out. Once we arrived and inspected the area, we discovered that the bird was no longer nesting in the area. So we carefully removed all the nesting debris and disinfected the area with a solution that targets and eliminates bird mites.

Afterward, we installed sturdy metal flashing over the opening (that the homeowner is going to paint once we finish). Lastly, to prevent any future issues with nuisance birds, we installed several Intimidator bird flashers around the exterior of the home. The Intimidator reflects the suns rays as the wind spins it around and gives off Ultra Violet "flashes" (ultra violet is a color that birds can see but humans can not). The birds will relate the UV flashes as a danger and stay away. This is a humane and effective visual deterrent to prevent the nuisance birds from causing any further damage to the home.

During a start up treatment service for a new customer in Englishtown, NJ, we noticed multiple burrows around the chicken coop. As we examined them closely, we were able to identify them as rat burrows. We then inspected the shed that was close by and found even more rat burrows around that area. As we took a look inside the shed, we found several bags of chicken feed that had holes in them made by the rats and the feed was spilled all over the floor! Looks like this customer has a rat problem.

Rats create these burrows to travel from their nest to a food source and to escape predators. Rat burrows usually contain a main entrance and 1 or 2 exit holes away from the main entrance. We brought our findings to the owner's attention and mentioned that all the chicken feed should be properly stored in sturdy, plastic containers, not just in bags on the shelves in the shed. The owner agreed and will do just that!

In the meantime, we installed several rodent bait stations near each one of the burrows around the chicken coop and the shed. Once that was finished, we installed several snap traps that are inside temper-proof, child resistant boxes near the burrows. Lastly, we scheduled several follow-up visits to monitor the rat infestation and replenish the bait in the rodent bait stations as needed.

Despite their name, bed bugs aren’t always found in beds. Bed bugs are a type of external parasite that live exclusively off blood. Because these bugs have a strong preference for human blood, they have always been a problem for us. Bed bugs come out of hiding for their blood meal while we are still, either at rest or fast asleep. This way, they can take their sweet time finding a good place to draw blood and feed. Although bed bugs commonly infest bedrooms in and around the bedding, they can also spread elsewhere throughout a home.

Recently, a two-person team of bed bug specialists was sent to an apartment unit in Tennent, NJ to deal with a possible infestation. Apartment buildings and other high density living arrangements are more prone to bed bug infestations, but that’s not to say that these pests can’t find their way into homes as well. Bed bugs are unknowingly carried into residences. They don’t get there on their own. They latch onto people or their belongings and enter as stowaways. 

Bed bugs, when not feeding, are masters of stealth. They look for the smallest gaps, cracks, and crevices or underneath furniture to hide when not feeding. It is rare to find a bed bug out in the open in plain view. Because of their behavior, an inspection to find their harborage areas must be thorough and systematic. During the inspection we found bed bugs hiding in the couch, nesting in its tight cracks and crevices. Fortunately, the bed bugs were limited to this one piece of furniture.

We started by vacuuming the couch, being careful to not accidentally flick off and bugs or their eggs. We then treated the couch as well as the surrounding baseboards. We also noticed an electrical outlet on the wall behind the couch. These bugs will sometimes crawl into the plug holes and hide behind the outlet place! Whenever we see outlets near an infestations, we always remove the outlet cover to inspect for possible bed bugs. Here, there happened to not be any. However, out of an abundance of caution, we treated the outlet area in the wall with a dust that will kill any bugs that come into contact with it. 

Fortunately, this was a limited bed bug infestation that was caught and treated early before it had a chance to spread We scheduled a two-week follow-up to re-inspect and apply additional treatments as necessary.

Recently, I was called to service a home in Tennent, NJ to resolve an ant infestation. During my exterior inspection, I found exactly what I was looking for — an ant trail on the foundation. Ants use highly visible scent-marked trails in search of food and water. These ants were traveling from the foundation war under the siding to find their way into the home.

I started my treatment by setting a residual application to the foundation, under the siding, and around the doors and windows. We use residual applications so the ants carry the product back to the colony. Ants are social insects that can only survive in colonies, living like one giant organism. To get rid of an ant infestation you must kill the colony and the queens, not the isolated foraging ants. Foraging ants are expendable. There are always hundreds, if not thousands, more where they came from. Next, I applied a residual pyrethrin dust behind the siding and into the open pipelines and cable/power lines going into the home. Finally, I completed the exterior servicing by spreading a granular ant bait around perimeter of the home. 

The customer was pleased with the thoroughness of my treatment. I’m confident that, once the foraging ants come into contact with these applications and spread them to the colony, the remaining days of the queens and everyone else in the colony are numbered. Finally, before leaving, I set up a two-week follow-up where I’ll reinspect and assess the effectiveness of the treatment. If necessary, I’ll re-treat certain areas to make sure that this ant infestation is permanently resolved.