Author Archive Randy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

The spring is just around the corner now and I was thinking about another year of being stung by wasps and red ants and where they stand of the ‘ouch that really hurt” scale. Well there is actually a scale that deals with is. They say that the concept of pain and distress is personal, the Schmidt Pain Index categorizes the least to the worst of the worst in insect stings. Justin Schmidt was an American entomologist back in the 1980’s and his work was around the order of insects. Most insects in the Hymenoptera order (order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants) have stinging capabilities. His pain scale ranges from 1 to 4 with “Level 1” being the least painful (bees, twig ants) and “Level 4” being the most painful (tarantula hawk, bullet ant, warrior wasp), and a thorough account of the stinging sensation. For an example the sting from the velvet ant -the cow killer ant, is described as explosive and long lasting and that you sound insane as you scream or also described as – the sensation of hot oil from the deep fryer spilling all over your entire hand. For the common honey bee, hornets and most wasps the rating is 2 but the paper wasp is bumped up to a solid 3.  

http://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/rating-the-sting…-of-hymenopteras

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

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rating-stinging-pain-hymenopteras-randy-bilesky/?published=t

Bugs and insects use toxins to hunt prey or help evade predators. So are they venomous and poisonous, we often use this interchangeably, but do they mean the same thing? Spiders are equipped with venomous fangs that deliver their poison to prey or use against those that hunt them. Alternatively, some butterflies and caterpillars spread poison simply by being touched or consumed by another creatures. So the main difference between venomous and poisonous is how the toxins are delivered. Wasps, hornets, ants and bees are considered venomous because they inject their venom.  Stinging caterpillars, some butterflies and moths are considered poisonous because parts of their bodies have toxic materials that are hazardous if touched or eaten.

https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blog-eerie-cockroaches-send-shivers-down-his-spine-1.23605161

 http://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/venomous-or-pois…-in-the-delivery/ ‎

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

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/venomous-poisonous-its-all-delivery-randy-bilesky/?published=t

Cockroaches, next to rats are the nastiest creatures in the pest control business. These eerie crawlies are flat, brown and their shells are greasy to touch. Yes, just writing this sends shivers down my spine. Cockroaches can survive a nuclear explosion, their ability to withstand extreme radiation exposure comes down to their simple bodies and slower cell cycles. Cockroaches are well known for carrying many harmful germs from asthmas to deadly infections like Salmonella, E. Coli and Listeria monocytogenes. The most common ones found in Delta are the German cockroaches measuring 15-15mm long, about the size of a shelled pistachio. German cockroaches prefer the indoors where it is warm and humid environment rather than outdoors. One thing about German cockroaches is that they are always near food or water. And speaking of food and water, a cockroach can live for a week without its head! the organs that control the vital functions can be found in the middle part of their bodies and  without a head they end up dying of thirst.

gogreenpestcontrol.ca insectandrodentexterminators.com Tsawwassen Ladner delta BC Randy Bilesky BsF RPF CPA

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

A longer milder spring and a warmer winter so far has left us with more rats than usual this time of year. The warmer it is the more rodents survive.  In Delta, with a substantial shipping industry coupled with this years mild climate, has made us a hotbed for rat infestations. Another contributing factor is new construction sites, which displace rats that then go looking for new homes, be it dumpsters or compost containers or surrounding houses. What really draws the rodents in are sanitation issues with dumpsters and garbage bins, which are breeding grounds for rodents. Rat can carry numerous pathogens, like leptospira, bartonella, C. difficile and the staphylococcus bacteria. The best way to keep the rodents off your property is to make sure you keep food and garbage indoors and to cover up any holes where rats can come into your home.

https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-delta-still-teeming-with-rodents-1.23602051

 http://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/delta-still-teeming-with-rodents/ ‎

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

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/delta-still-teeming-rodents-randy-bilesky/?published=t

https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-2019-and-rodent-free-1.23600386

Mice, rats and squirrels are some of the most communal pests that occupy our homes regularly when the weather starts turning cold. Although squirrels, like rats and mice, are in the order of rodentia, not all rodents are “vermin,” but rats and mice definitely are. Here are a few suggestions to keep all three rodentia out of your house. Remove food sources by packing food, especially grains, pet food and bird seed, in glass or thick plastic containers that are considered rodent-proof. Grass seed and grass fertilizer are both a favourite meal for rats and mice so also seal them plastic containers. Put away uneaten pet food. Make your garbage cans rodent proof by setting them on 25 cm high concrete pads. Make sure the lids fit tight; use bungy cords to fasten them down as our other favorite night crawler, the raccoon, is also always looking for its next meal. Have a look around your house searching for holes around the foundation and soffits and fill them with latex causing, wire mesh or sheet metal. If mice are a concern, set snap traps with the baited trigger end of the trap tight against the wall, use two traps and reuse snap traps that have caught a mouse – as the scent of the dead mouse will help attract another mouse.   

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/2019-rodent-free-randy-bilesky/?published=t

https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-carpenter-ants-in-the-winter-1.23598052

So we are in mid January now and carpenter ants are popping up around your house, what is up with that? So you ask, are carpenter ants really active in the winter? Well it depends on were they are living, in a wall or floor of your house were it is warm enough and they can access food, then you will have a satellite nest in your house. Most carpenter ants living outdoors go into a pseudo hibernation called diapause (a pause in activity) but all it takes is one warm day in the middle of winter for the ants to start moving around again. If carpenter ants are living in the walls your house that are being kept warm throughout the winter, then they will send out scouts in search of food to feed their colony. They really are not picky eaters, a couple small morsels of pet food, some food in the garbage or remnants that hit the floor is all they need. What they don’t actually eat is wood. They burrow though soft, usually wet or rotting wood to live in, store eggs and larvae and food. The sawdust or frass that is left behind is a tell-tail sign that carpenter ants are slowly destroying your home. That is why it is important to quickly address a carpenter ant issue, no matter what time of year it is, so yes, right now is a good time.

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

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

https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-rodents-attacking-your-car-1.23593474

Your car is a warm, dry and undisturbed ideal shelter for feeding, nesting and breeding rodents. Rodents can cause significant damage to the car, damage that could end up costing you thousands of dollars in repairs. You can’t exterminate every rodent in your area, but you can take some hands-on steps to reduce the hazards of unwelcome vermin in your car. Here is a starter kit to help, although some of these may seem a little overboard.

1) Eliminate the rodents, set snap traps to catch and eliminate them.

2) Watch for rodent activity near the car – looking for signs such as feces.

3) Reduce rodent hiding spaces such as bushes near your car, keep garages and surrounding areas tidy and seal off entry points where rodents can get into your garage.

4) Open the engine hood making it less inviting shelter for the rodents.

5) Use ultrasound gizmos or strobe lights to disturb rodents. You can spray deterrent smells around the engine such as peppermint oil but remember that you’ll have to drive with that smell.

7) Remove any food from the surrounding area such as pet food or bird feeders.

8) Wrap engine wires with anti-rodent electrical tape.

http://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/rodents-attacking-your-car/ ‎

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

Rats language is all about whistling, chirping and bruxing in the form of ultrasonic vocalizations that we need specialized equipment to hear.  By understanding their speech we can also understand their emotional well being. Rodents make 20 + types of whistles that make up their language in form happy and sad calls. Changes in frequency, duration and type of ultrasonic vocalizations all pass along important information from one rodent to another. Now software has been developed that can make ultrasonic vocalizations identification and classify it faster, simpler and less prone to error.  A new program identifying detailed calls, recognizing them in syllable orders and sorting those arrangements to which produces a outline for understanding rodent language.  

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

A new study has discovered that Leaf-cutter ant nests produce thousands of times more carbon dioxide than the adjacent soils do. In Costa Rica on the forest floor, leaf-cutter ant nests, that cover 1.5% of the forest floor,  make massive piles of dirt spotted with several holes that release carbon dioxide from the ant nests into the air, as much as 100,000 times more then surrounding soil. It is estimated that this contributes near 1% of total forest carbon dioxide discharges, which in part adds to global warming. In the ants nest,  fresh leaves are feed to fungi, which change the plant solid to a form that the ants can digest. The ant and fungal actions are what produce this carbon dioxide that escapes the soil through carbon dioxide chimneys. These ants move a lot of plant material that creates soil disturbance which is part of the carbon recycling .

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

If you are returning from a trip, you should follow these guidelines to avoid bringing bed bugs home with you. Luggage stands in hotel and motel rooms are a hot spot for bed bug activity as they use luggage to travel and infest a new home. When you return from a trip, you might have brought bedbugs home unexpectedly. When you get back home, remember to wash your bed clothes at a temperature of at least 59℃, and use the dryer on high temp for at least 30 minutes as bed bugs can’t survivor in high temperatures. Washing clothing will help eradicate both adult bed bugs and eggs. Also, if you brought your luggage back throw the house the bed bugs may have dropped off so inspect your luggage, clothes, beds and furniture for signs of infestation. If you find out any signs of bed bugs, you should contact a professional pest control exterminator as soon as possible because they can get rid of bed bugs and usually help prevent new infestations.

http://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/christmas-holida…age-for-bed-bugs/ gogreenpestcontrol.ca & Exterminators Delta Ladner Tsawwassen BC Randy L. Bilesky BsF CPA RPF https://insectandrodentexterminators.com/455-2/ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/christmas-holidays-over-check-your-luggage-bed-bugs-randy-bilesky/?published=t