Author Archive Randy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

Nutrias have been in North America for over 70 years and are now considered one of the most ecologically destructive invasive species on the planet. Nutria are about the same size as a raccoon weighting up to 10 kilograms and they look like a cross between a small beaver and a Norway rat. They also carry several diseases and parasites including tuberculosis, tapeworm, liver flukes and nematodes. They are aquatic animals that prefer freshwater and they live in burrows connected by tunnels that they dig in wetlands. Eighty percent of nutria don’t survive their first year, and those that do survive, only live for three years. Nutria eat about a quarter of their body weight daily in plants and their roots, wreaking havoc on the native ecosystem by removing the root systems destabilizes the soil around the water, which causes it to quickly erode and become open water.

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

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/nutria-the-invasive-swamp-rat-randy-bilesky/?published=t

What is a psocid you ask, well they are also called book lice or barklice and although they are not truly lice, they live in warm, moist places. They feed on mold or fungi and grains, insects, and starches like book binding glue. They are found in humid and poorly ventilated areas in homes and are attracted to damp cardboard boxes, books, papers, molded wood and leaking sinks. They don’t harm us or our pets and do not bite, they are just a nuisance and large populations usually indicate a moisture problem in the house. If they are spotted in the pantries it is means there is spoiled food around. Psocids don’t retain water in their bodies well so the first step in controlling psocids is reducing the humidity in the area they live.

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

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/book-lice-aka-psocids-randy-bilesky/?published=t

The firebrat is a small hexapod (six legs) that are grayish-brown and have a body that is tapered from front to back and is somewhat carrot-shaped. They prefer high temperatures and require some humidity so they are often seen near boilers, dryers, ovens, attics, hot water heaters and furnaces. They feed on a wide variety of carbohydrates and starches that are also protein sources such as dog food, flour and book bindings. They do not have wings, but move around by running rapidly. Often confused for silverfish, firebrats are a different species and generally prefer warmer habitats than silverfish. Infestations usually begin when infested books, papers, cardboard boxes, shipping cartons or furniture are brought into the home. If firebrats become a problem, seek the help of a pest control pro.  

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

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/firebrats-randy-bilesky/?published=t

Ok, you keep your house clean and uncluttered, you maintain the your yard and nothing is overgrown or touching your house. Repairs are always made to any holes and cracks in walls, windows and screens. So why is it that you still get pest in your attic. Not only can pests keep you up at night, but they can cause property damage and health problems. So here are a few pests that like to use your attic as a hotel. Squirrels love to build nests in attics, especially in breeding season. They also leave behind, body dust, feces and urine, which can cause damage or transmit disease. Bats live in colonies and once they discover attic they usually stick around all year. Bats can carry diseases and their feces can cause illness. Mice and rats also carry many diseases and like to urinate and defecate everywhere they go. These rodents also like to chew through wood, siding, wires and drywall. Once a raccoons gets on a roof they typically sneak through soffit material or roofing materials. Raccoons leave behind waste, carry disease and may cause damage to your home.

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

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/toys-attic-pests-randy-bilesky/?published=t

In the Chinese zodiac calendar, the rat is the first of the 12-year cycle of animals. And it looks like 2020 will really be the year of the rat based on the number of inquires we have had about rats in the attic, crawl space and infesting structures. Chinese legend states that rats are shrewd, fast thinkers; efficacious, but contented with living a quiet and passive life. The rat is also linked with the Earthly Branch (an ordering system used throughout East Asia) and the midnight hours. The Rat is the  yang of yin and yang and represents the beginning of a new day. In Chinese culture, rats were seen as a sign of wealth and surplus, although it is pretty much opposite here. Because of their reproduction rate, married couples also prayed to them for children.  

https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/2020-year-of-the-rat/ ‎

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

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/2020-year-rat-randy-bilesky/?published=t

Insect, those edible ones, are chocked full of protein, vitamins, amino acids and they are Popeye like spinach -loaded with calcium and iron. Insects such as beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, locusts, crickets and ants are a nutrient-dense food. There are over 2,000 edible insect species currently available and these insects are eaten around the world. Edible insect consumption is called entomophagy: eating insects such as eggs, larvae, pupae and adults, are harvested from forests or other suitable habitats. Edible insect farming is relatively easy compared to animal farming, as insect farming needs less soil, water, and feed. Edible insect production will continue to increase as the world’s resources are diminish, food scarcity continues and the world population continues to grow.

 https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/edible-insects-entomophagy/ ‎

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

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/edible-insects-entomophagy-randy-bilesky/?published=t

Any warm-blooded mammal can carry or contract rabies, but the main carriers are raccoons, skunks and bats. While it’s often thought that raccoons and skunks are “carriers” of rabies, they can only transmit the virus to another animal when they are rabid. Because most pets are vaccinated, wildlife account for over 90 percent of all reported rabies cases. Rabies is an infectious disease that affects the central nervous system in mammals and is only transmitted through the saliva, not blood, airborne (smelly skunk spray), urine or feces of an infected animal. In the “furious” form, animals may appear to be agitated, bite or snap at imaginary and real objects, appearing drunk or excessively wobbly, circling, seeming partially paralyzed or acting disorientated and drool excessively. If a raccoon or skunk, is active during the day and exhibiting abnormal behavior then it may have rabies.  

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

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rabies-skunks-raccoons-randy-bilesky/?published=t

Raccoons are typically unsociable creatures except for breeding season which happens now and into February, as they are not true hibernators . Males will travel quite the distance in search of females in heat, mating with several females yet once the mating is done they have no part of the rearing of the offspring. The pregnant female will den up in a tree cavity, under a porch, a culvert, chimney, attics and crawlspaces. Within two weeks of being born, the cubs are furry with the bandit masked faces. By ten weeks the cubs are weaned and soon begin foraging with the mother. They normally stay together until the following breeding season. They are normally nocturnal although they will search for food during the day, depending on the need for food. Raccoons are omnivores (eat everything) with four types of teeth necessary for their diverse diet of worms, slugs, insects, frogs, snails, berries and garden vegetables.  

https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/our-raccoons-pro…-dog-like-washer/

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

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/our-raccoons-procyon-lotor-dog-like-washer-randy-bilesky/?published=t

Ants use several ways to find their path and recognize familiar scenery even when they’re walking behind, not necessarily seeing something from the front to know a familiar location. When walking forward, ants use a technique called trail or path integration. The ants remember the sensation of the rotations and turns they took and how many steps they’re from the nest, which they use to calculate the quickest course back home. Ants also use the angle of the sun to track their bearings and they remember the scenery and landmarks that are used on their return trip. Ants have eyes that view a full 360 degrees, whereas we only see about one-third. Sometimes the ants drop their food and turn around to determine the trail ahead, a behavior called peeking, before picking up the food and trekking along on their backward way.

https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/ants-peeking-beh…-to-move-forward/

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

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ants-peeking-behind-move-forward-randy-bilesky/?published=t

Mayflies (shadflies and lake flies) are aquatic insects that have two pair of wings, they are not related to house flies or other true flies. They are attracted to light and become a pain when they collect at night near doorways in large numbers. Make the house less attractive to mayflies by changing from white bulbs to yellow l.e.d. bulbs or moving the light away from entrance. Also. consider reducing the light that shines from windows to avoid attracting mayflies to them at night. Insect light traps that use UV light with sticky pads is useful in attracting mayflies away from the building.

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

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mayflies-randy-bilesky/?published=t