Author Archive Randy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

The presence of a large number of carpenter ants in your house could indicate several potential factors:

1. Moisture: Carpenter ants are attracted to damp or moist environments, as they prefer nesting in areas with high humidity levels. Check for any leaks in plumbing, roofing, or areas with poor ventilation that might create dampness, as these could be attractive nesting sites.
2. Wood Damage: Carpenter ants typically nest in wooden structures, especially those that are damp or decaying. If there is wood damage or decay in your house, it could be providing suitable nesting sites for carpenter ants.
3. Food Sources: Like other ants, carpenter ants are also attracted to food sources. They might be entering your house in search of food, such as sugary substances, crumbs, or other organic matter.
4. Entry Points: Assess your house for potential entry points where carpenter ants could be gaining access. These could include cracks in the foundation, gaps around windows or doors, or openings around utility lines.
5. Neighboring Nests: If there are neighboring properties with carpenter ant infestations, they might be migrating to your house in search of new nesting sites or food sources.

To address the issue, you may consider:

• Eliminating Moisture: Fix any leaks or sources of moisture in your house to make it less attractive to carpenter ants.
• Sealing Entry Points: Seal off any cracks or openings that carpenter ants could be using to enter your house.
• Removing Food Sources: Keep your house clean and free of crumbs or spills that could attract ants. Store food in airtight containers.
• Professional Help: If the infestation is severe or if you’re unable to manage it on your own, consider contacting Go Green Pest Control and we can assess the situation and provide appropriate treatment options.

Regular inspections and maintenance can help prevent future infestations and keep your house free of carpenter ants.

Overall, maintaining a healthy lawn through proper cultural practices like mowing, watering, fertilizing, and soil management can help prevent and mitigate pest problems. Go Green Pest Control can help you with an effective control for:

1. Black Turfgrass Ataenius (Ataenius spretulus):
   • Larvae feed on grasses, causing yellowing and patches of dying grass.
   • Control by maintaining healthy turf and considering pesticide application if larvae are abundant.
2. Chinch Bug (Blissus sp.):
   • Uncommon in some regions, they can damage grass under drought stress.
   • Healthy, well-irrigated turf is less susceptible.
   • Grass with endophytic fungi is more tolerant.
3. Cutworms (Actebia fennica, Peridroma saucia, Noctua pronuba):
   • Thick-bodied caterpillars that feed on grass stems.
   • Damage is rare but may occur, especially with the European cutworm.
   • Control warranted if populations are high, typically with insecticides.
4. European Chafer (Rhizotrogus majalis):
   • Serious pest, damaging turf in late summer and early spring.
   • Control with nematodes or limited synthetic pesticides, preferably by professional lawn care companies.
5. June Beetles (Phyllophaga and Polyphylla spp.):
   • Occasionally infest turf but rarely cause significant damage.
6. Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica):
   • Serious pest of turf and other crops, eradication measures may be necessary if detected.
7. Lawn Moths (Sod Webworm):
   • Larvae feed on grass blades, causing irregular brown patches.
   • Control usually not necessary unless severe damage is observed, can use insect parasitic nematodes if needed.
8. Leatherjackets (Crane Fly) (Tipula palludosa, Tipula oleracea):
   • Larvae feed on grass roots, causing irregular brown patches.
   • Treatment with insecticides may be warranted if populations are high.

Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that can play a role in controlling pests like raccoons. However, they don’t directly stop raccoons from digging up your lawn. Instead, nematodes can be used to control the population of grubs, insects that live in the soil and are a food source for raccoons.

Here’s how it works:

1. Application: Nematodes are applied to the soil, typically through watering or spraying. They penetrate the bodies of insect larvae, including grubs, and release bacteria that kill the larvae.
2. Grub Control: By reducing the population of grubs in your lawn, nematodes indirectly reduce the food source available for raccoons. Raccoons often dig up lawns in search of grubs to eat, so by targeting the grubs, you can deter raccoons from damaging your lawn.
3. Environmentally Friendly: Nematodes are considered environmentally friendly and safe to use around pets and humans, as they specifically target certain pests without harming other organisms.
4. Effectiveness: However, the effectiveness of nematodes in controlling raccoon activity may vary depending on factors such as the severity of the infestation and the specific behavior of the raccoons in your area.

While nematodes can help in reducing the presence of grubs and thus deter raccoons from digging up your lawn, it’s important to also consider other methods of raccoon control, such as securing garbage bins, removing other potential food sources, and employing deterrents like motion-activated sprinklers or lights.

Crows are known to eat a variety of insects, including grubs. Some of the grubs that crows commonly consume include:

1. Beetle grubs: Crows often feed on the larvae of beetles, such as June beetle larvae (also known as white grubs) and Japanese beetle larvae.
2. Moth larvae: Crows may also eat caterpillars and larvae of various moth species, such as cutworms and armyworms.
3. Fly larvae: Crows are opportunistic feeders and may consume fly larvae found in decaying organic matter, such as maggots.
4. Ant larvae: While less common, crows may also eat ant larvae if they come across ant nests.

These are just a few examples of the types of grubs that crows are known to eat. Crows are highly adaptable birds and will consume a wide range of food depending on what is available in their environment.

To manage skunk and raccoon and crow damage to lawns, particularly caused by their search for grubs there are several strategies you can employ:

1. Assessment of Grub Population: Start by assessing the population of white grubs in the soil. You can do this by inspecting nearby undamaged areas or areas that have previously shown signs of grub damage. If the grub population is low, no treatment may be necessary, until it is. Once the pests start tearing up your lawn there is no relief. 
2. Grub Control: If the grub population is high enough to attract skunks and raccoons for feeding, consider implementing grub control measures. There are various methods for controlling grubs, including biological controls.   
3. Physical Barriers: Install physical barriers to deter skunks and raccoons from digging up the lawn. This could include installing lawn mesh barriers around the perimeter of the lawn or covering vulnerable areas with wire mesh or netting.
4. Scare Tactics: Use scare tactics to frighten skunks and raccoons away from the lawn. This could involve using motion-activated lights or sprinkler systems, playing loud country western noises or using strong scents that these animals find unpleasant.

Grubs and raccoons and skunks and crows, and oh what a mess. Chafer grubs are the larvae of chafer beetles, which are common garden pests known for feeding on the roots of grass and other plants. Raccoons and those other two, on the other hand, are omnivorous mammals known for their scavenging habits. By consulting us at Go Green Pest Control we can manage these pests effectively, by addressing both the chafer grub infestation and implementing strategies to deter raccoons, skunks and crows, we can help mitigate damage to your lawn or garden. These animals are opportunistic feeders and may indeed consume chafer grubs if they find them in the soil. They are known to dig up lawns and gardens in search of food, including grubs, insects, small animals, fruits, and vegetables. However, it’s important to note that while these pests may target areas where chafer grubs are present, they typically do not solely rely on them as a food source.

If you’re dealing with chafer grub infestation in your lawn or garden and are concerned about raccoons causing damage while foraging for grubs, here are several measures you can take to address the issue. These include: grub control, physical barriers, secure garbage bins, scare tactics and habitat modification.  

Indeed, warmer temperatures can significantly impact rat behavior and reproduction. Rats are known to breed more frequently in warmer weather conditions. This is because warmer temperatures create a more favorable environment for reproduction and survival of offspring. Warmer weather provides rats with better access to food, water, and shelter, which are essential for successful breeding and raising young. In our regions with milder climates now, rats may breed year-round both indoors and outdoors. However, when temperatures rise, outdoor populations of rats may experience increased breeding activity, leading to larger rat populations overall. It’s important to note that the increase in rat breeding during warmer weather can exacerbate issues related to pest control and public health. Rats are known carriers of various diseases and can cause damage to property and infrastructure. Therefore, implementing effective pest control measures and maintaining proper sanitation practices are crucial for managing rat populations, especially in areas prone to warmer weather conditions. This may include sealing entry points, eliminating food sources, and using traps or baits to control rat populations effectively.

Spider farming for pest control

Spider farming for pest control involves breeding and maintaining populations of spiders that are effective predators of various pests, such as insects and other arthropods. This approach can offer a natural and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides. Here’s how spider farming for pest control might work:

1. Species selection: Different species of spiders have varying prey preferences and hunting behaviors. Farmers would select species that are known to prey on the target pests in their specific environment. Common pest-eating spider species include jumping spiders, wolf spiders, orb-weavers, and cellar spiders.
2. Habitat management: Spider farms would need to provide suitable habitats for the spiders to thrive. This includes providing appropriate shelter, humidity levels, temperature, and access to prey. Farms might utilize specially designed enclosures or natural environments that mimic the spiders’ natural habitats.
3. Feeding and maintenance: Spiders would need to be regularly fed and cared for to maintain healthy populations. This might involve providing a steady supply of live prey, such as insects or other small arthropods. Farmers would also need to monitor the health and behavior of the spiders and address any issues that arise.
4. Release strategies: Depending on the scale and target of pest control efforts, farmed spiders could be released directly into agricultural fields, greenhouses, or other areas where pest populations are a problem. Alternatively, spiders could be used in conjunction with other pest control methods, such as integrated pest management (IPM), where they complement existing practices rather than serving as the sole means of pest control.
5. Monitoring and evaluation: Farmers would need to monitor the effectiveness of spider populations in controlling pest populations. This might involve regular surveys of pest populations, as well as assessing the health and abundance of spider populations. Adjustments to farming practices may be necessary based on the results of monitoring efforts.

Benefits of spider farming for pest control include:

• Reduced reliance on chemical pesticides, which can have negative environmental and health impacts.
• Targeted control of specific pest species, minimizing damage to crops and reducing the risk of pesticide resistance.
• Promotion of biodiversity by supporting natural predator-prey relationships.
• Potential cost savings for farmers compared to traditional pest control methods.

Overall, while spider farming for pest control shows promise as a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to pest management, further research and development are needed to optimize farming practices and address potential challenges.

Carpenter ants typically become more active in the spring and summer months when the weather is warmer. However, there could be several reasons why you’re observing carpenter ants in January:

1. Mild Winter Weather: If the winter temperatures are unusually mild, it could trigger early ant activity. Carpenter ants are more active in warmer conditions.
2. Indoor Nests: Carpenter ants might have established nests inside structures, such as homes, where the temperature is more stable. This allows them to be active even during colder months.
3. Seeking Food: If there is a food source available, carpenter ants may become active earlier. They could be foraging for food within your home or nearby.
4. Colony Growth: Large colonies of carpenter ants may have matured and grown to a size where some individuals are active year-round.

If you are concerned about carpenter ants in your home, it’s advisable to inspect for potential nesting sites and address any conditions that may be attracting them. If the issue persists, consulting with Go Green Pest Control to determine the best course of action for your specific situation.

Small flying sugar ants are likely referring to a species of ants commonly known as sugar ants or flying ants. It’s important to note that “sugar ant” is a general term that people use for various ant species, and the appearance and behavior can vary.

If you’re dealing with small flying ants in your home, they could be winged reproductive ants, also known as swarmers. These ants are usually looking to establish new colonies, especially during certain times of the year.

To manage small flying sugar ants, consider the following tips:

Identify the Species: Knowing the specific ant species can help you understand their behavior and tailor your control methods accordingly.

Cleanliness: Keep your living space clean, especially in areas where food is stored or prepared. This can help reduce the attractiveness of your home to ants.

Seal Entry Points: Make sure to seal any cracks or openings in doors, windows, and walls to prevent ants from entering your home.

Remove Food Sources: Store food in airtight containers, clean up crumbs promptly, and avoid leaving open food containers around.

Natural Repellents: Some natural substances, such as cinnamon, vinegar, or lemon, can act as ant repellents. Sprinkle these around entry points or areas where ants are seen.

Professional Help: If the infestation persists, consider seeking help from Go Green Pest Control for more targeted solutions.

Remember that effective ant control may require a combination of these methods.