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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

Roof rats, also called black rats or ship rats, get their name from their need to be up high in trees and roofs. Roof rats rarely live longer than 9 months, but females may give birth to as many as 3 dozen babies in that time. Such rapid reproduction lets infestations to occur rapidly.  These rodents are usually long and thin with a pointy nose and big ears. Roof rats will eat just about anything but prefer seeds, nuts, fruits, slugs, snails, and a various of insects, being nocturnal they like to eat at dusk and dawn. Their favorite places to live are in trees and the upper parts of buildings, like attics and rafters. Roof rats are smaller than Norway rats, but both species can carry similar diseases and their destructive behaviors differ. Norway rats often damage ground structures, while roof rats will damage walls, pipes, wires, and insulation. Because roof rats are so filthy, they contaminate food or preparation surfaces merely by passing by and gnaw their way into stored products in search of food, contaminating it as well. They also carry fleas that can spread diseases like typhus. To prevent a roof rat from getting into your house: install door sweeps on exterior doors, trim trees and shrubs away from the side of the building by 3 feet, keep pet food indoors at night, store firewood away from your house and repair any leaky pipes, roofs or water issues in a crawl space.

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

Go Green Peat Control acquires Insect and Rodent Exterminators

Chances are, there are toxins loitering around the corner in your home, often, when you don’t even realize it. Here are four simple steps to make your house greener.  Start slowly by replacing just  your top 1 of your most-used/most-consumed products first. Then follow the 80/20 rule – 80% of the time buy safer products so you don’t have to worry about the 20% of the time you have no control.  Replace plastics with glass in the kitchen as chemicals can leak into them.  Replace reusable plastic water bottles even the BPA-free ones with stainless steel or glass. Try eating more organic or at least eat the clean 15 rather then the dirty dozen. Avoid artificial fragrance as  indoor air pollution is the nation’s #1 environmental health problem, avoiding  air fresheners that can contribute airborne toxic chemicals. Common household dust is one of the biggest exposures to toxins in the home, concentrate dusting in bedrooms, family room, kids’ play area.

gogreenpestcontrol.ca & Exterminators Delta Ladner Tsawwassen Randy Bilesky BsF CPA RPF

: http://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/four-simple-swap…e-a-greener-home/ ‎

Santa is long gone now, but those Christmas pests & rodents might still be hanging around and now that the temperature has dropped, its important to winterize homes to keep them safe from incoming pests.  Here is some helpful advice to keep them outside in familiar Santa CLAUS fashion.

“C” stands for your chimney, make sure there is a screen at the top of the chimney, it will keep out rodents like rats and squirrels that love to access your house like Santa Claus does.  

“L” look out for all kind of wild animals that might be circling your house looking for a warm place, so make sure all doors, windows, and skylight are well sealed.  Have a look at the roof and soffits to see if there is anything missing or displaced.

“A” Ants, this time of year, carpenter ants are searching for moist areas of your house so they can set-up satellite nests. So, make sure the attic and crawlspace are nice and dry.

“U” Unbox and inspect storage bins looking for any signs of rats or mice and use plastic airtight containers for future use.

“S” Safety, make sure that all pesticides and insecticides in the garage are safely stored away. Also, any cleaning chemicals should be out of reach of children and properly stored.

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