Yearly Archive May 22, 2020

ByRandy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

Sugar Ants vs Pavement Ants Debacle

The debate rages on about which is which and are they coming in from outside or visa versa, because they do look very similar in appearance. If you are reading this then you probably have an issue with those small ants, they look very much alike but roll one between your fingers and the indoor sugar ant doesn’t crush very easily, the outdoor pavement ant turns to mush rather quickly. In fact, you are probably observing a group of worker ants foraging for food to bring back to the colony. So, indoors we have sugar ants and outdoors they are pavement ants. They both will push up sand to create larger nests, so they do have that in common. The sugar ants nests will live in harmony indoors while the pavement ants outside seem to have daily battles amongst neighboring nests. The pavement ants have a habit of nesting near or below sidewalks, driveways, pavement stones, and foundations near sand, soil or decaying wood. Indoors, the sugar ant nest behind baseboards, under floating floors, in radiant floors and heating ducts. Both species produce winged mating ants that mysteriously appear for a day or two then disappear. And finally, yes we do have effective solutions for both, just don’t waste your money on any retail ant sprays or baits – as these are designed to feed the ants not eliminate them.

https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/sugar-ants-vs-pa…ent-ants-debacle/

gogreenpestcontrol.ca insectandrodentexterminators.com delta Ladner Tsawwassen B.C., Randy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sugar-ants-vs-pavement-debacle-randy-bilesky/?published=t

ByRandy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

How bad can Carpenter ants possible be?

So, carpenter ants aren’t as bad as termites but how bad are they, well – left untreated, carpenter ants (that work non stop 24/7) can do a significant amount of damage to a home. Since carpenter ants don’t consume wood, they chew through the wood waste and produce a fine sawdust. Once the sawdust begins to buildup they push it out through small exit holes, and this is your clue that those carpenter ants are slowly destroying your walls, weakening support beams and cause a structure to warp. Carpenter ants prefer to nest in wet rotting wood but 5% of the time they will chew through clean dry wood.  Carpenter ants often target exterior wooden structures such as the base of fence posts, on the supports for your deck or patio, on wood borders for flower beds, and more.​

https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/how-bad-can-carp…ants-possible-be/

gogreenpestcontrol.ca insectandrodentexterminators.com Delta Ladner Tsawwassen B.C., Randy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-bad-can-carpenter-ants-possible-randy-bilesky/?published=t

ByRandy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

Asian giant hornets Part II

These insects are large and distinctive, they will defend their nest but are not otherwise aggressive toward people. A single, fertile queen hornet entered Canada via shipping packaging and created the colony that was discovered on Vancouver Island in 2019. They usually nest inside dead logs and forage around 700 meters from their nest. They can’t tolerate extremely hot or cold temperatures which makes it unlikely that they would spread throughout Canada. The feed on different kinds of insects (not just honey bees), and bring captured dead prey back to their hive to feed to their young. In parts of Japan, people consider these hornets beneficial because they remove pests and are used as in food and alcohol.  

    

gogreenpestcontrol.ca insectandrodentexterminators.com Delta Ladner Tsawwassen B.C. Randy Bilesky CPA RPF BsF

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/asian-giant-hornets-part-ii-randy-bilesky/?published=t

ByRandy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

Carpenter Ant Issues

These insects usually build their nests in damp, decaying and dry solid wood, although 95% of the time – homes with moisture issues caused by leaks are prime targets for carpenter ants. These ants will use foundation concrete, tree and shrub branches, electrical lines and fences to find a way inside. When carpenter ants build nests, they dig out tunnels in wood – not actually eating the wood like termites, weakening it from the inside. An on-going infestation with multiple colonies in a home often means nasty structural damage. Carpenter ants build two types of nests: the main nest and satellite nests. The main nest consist of a queen (or multiple queens), the brood, and workers. Satellite colonies consist of mating ants, workers, older larvae, and pupae. Workers create several satellite nests when the main colony needs to expand due to lack of space.

gogreenpestcontrol.ca insectandrodentexterminators.com Delta Ladner Tsawwassen B.C., Randy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/carpenter-ant-issues-randy-bilesky/?published=t

ByRandy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

Rats and Mice are adapting to Covid 19 lock-down

Rats and mice are nocturnal animals but the Corona Virus have them scurry in daylight looking for their next meal, spreading disease and breeding quickly. The lock-down has not put off rodents in urban areas from trying their luck. Here at Go Green Pest Control, we have seen a 50% increase in rat and mouse call-outs from last year, and last year was already a record year. There has been more calls about mice, partly due to more residential garbage being produced from more eating at home. Children who normally would be at school or daycare are leaving food everywhere. There may not be a significantly higher number of rodents around, rather people are just noticing them now. Nearly half of reported electrical equipment damage is caused by rodents who gnaw through wires, and some empty office buildings are now providing a place for rodents to increase their populations.

https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/rats-and-mice-ar…vid-19-lock-down/

gogreenpestcontrol.ca insectandrodentexterminators.com Delta Ladner Tsawwassen B.C., Randy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rats-mice-adapting-covid-19-lock-down-randy-bilesky/?published=t

ByRandy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

Giant Asian Murder Hornets

There back, murder hornets, with a sting that can knock down a horse, are coming out of hibernation. The world’s largest hornet, 5 cm long, has quite the appetite for honey bees, wasps and large insects, and has been found in Cloverdale and on the Island. The venom is touted to be 10 worse then a normal sized hornet and like all wasps and hornet can sting repeatedly. The hornet’s life cycle begins in May, when queens emerge from hibernation, feed on plant sap and fruit, and look for underground burrows to build their nests. Hornets are most destructive in the late summer and early fall. Like a raiding army, they attack honey bee hives and wasp nests, killing the adults and devouring larvae and pupae.

gogreenpestcontrol.ca insectandrodentexterminators.com Delta Ladner Tsawwassen B.C., Randy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/giant-asian-murder-hornets-randy-bilesky/?published=t

ByRandy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

 The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – Garden Insects

Your garden is a home for both plants and insects. Some bugs are beneficial -the good, other are damaging, the bad and others are detrimental, the ugly. The slow moving insects are usually the ones feeding on plants, and the fast ones are the predators, feeding on other unwanted insects. Although minor damage by insects usually doesn’t threaten the plant’s health, major damaging bugs require intercession be it with chemicals, non-chemicals, or a selective weeding practice, which means leaving a few weeds that are attractive to some beneficial insects, such as dandelion, clover and goldenrod. Another natural predator is birds, so bird baths and houses are an excellent way to get birds to keep your garden healthy.   

The Good -Beneficial Garden Bugs – Ants, Lacewing, Ladybug, Assassin Bug, Ground Beetle, Soldier Beetle, Praying Mantis, Honey Bee, Black wasp and Parasitoid Wasp

The Bad – Damaging Garden Bugs – Earwig, Aphid, Japanese Beetle, Lily Leaf Beetle

The Ugly- Detrimental Garden Bugs – Slugs and snails, Mosquito, Cabbageworm / White Cabbage Moth

https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/the-good-the-bad…y-garden-insects/

gogreenpestcontrol.ca insectandrodentexterminators.com Delta Ladner Tsawwassen B.C. Randy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/good-bad-ugly-garden-insects-randy-bilesky/?published=t

ByRandy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

Fleas test positive for Yersinia Pestis plague  

Health officials report that fleas collected have tested positive for Yersinia Pestis plague in the parts of the US. Risk of exposure to this serious disease which can be present in fleas, rodents, rabbits and predators that feed upon these animals. The disease can be spread to humans and other animals by the bite of an disease-ridden flea or by direct contact with an infected animal. People should also avoid rodent burrows and keep dogs on a leash. Symptoms generally appear within six days following exposure and include the following:  fever, chills, headache, weakness, and muscle pain. The disease can spread throughout the bloodstream and affect the lungs but is treatable with proper antibiotics if treated early.  

https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/fleas-test-posit…ia-pestis-plague/

gogreenpestcontrol.ca insectandrodentexterminators.com Delta Ladner Tsawwassen B.C., Randy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fleas-test-positive-yersinia-pestis-plague-randy-bilesky/?published=t

ByRandy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

Fire Ants Season is back!

Fire ants can inflict painful stings and create unattractive mounds in your landscapes and there is no know treatment that will eliminate them from a yard forever rather you will have to control them as required. A variety of products and methods can be used against fire ants including baits, dusts, granular applications and organic controls including home remedies. Home remedies include pouring boiling water into the ant hill, this may kill 75% of the ants but will likely kill any grass and plants near the scalding treatment. Do not use gasoline to control fire ant control, yes it will kill the ants but this attempt is dangerously flammable and will kill grass and other plants, and pollute the soil. As a side note, fire ants are outstanding predatory insects, and yards with these guys usually have less insects such as fleas, chinch bugs and borers.

gogreenpestcontrol.ca insectandrodentexterminators.com Delta Ladner Tsawwassen B.C., Randy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fire-ants-season-back-randy-bilesky/?published=t

ByRandy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

Does the Virus come from a Raccoon?

Virologists believe other animal species other than bats can be intermediate hosts of the new coronavirus Covid 19. The newer suspect is a raccoon dog or a crawl cat (breeding of raccoon dogs is a huge industry in China). The first transmissions from animals to humans are said to have taken place at an animal market in Wuhan and a conspiracy theory hypothesis is that an accident in a Chinese research laboratory could have caused the global pandemic. Because of their fur, the raccoon dogs are bred commercially.

gogreenpestcontrol.ca insectandrodentexterminators.com Delta Ladner Tsawwassen B.C., Randy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/does-virus-come-from-raccoon-randy-bilesky/?published=t