Most of you may know the nationally syndicated radio host and HLN consumer expert, Clark Howard. His audience loves him for providing useful tips and information to help people keep more money in their wallets, and for helping them avoid some of the worst scams. Recently, a producer for the Clark Howard Show, Joel Larsgaard, purchased some Talstar from us and blogged about his experience in this post. As Joel points out in his post, doing your own pest control is not only an effective and safe way to control unwanted pests, it’s also extremely cost-effective.

Later, Joel’s post was mentioned on the Clark Howard Facebook page, here. Yay! We’re famous! Okay not really, but it is nice to see prominent money savers recognizing the enormous savings we are offering our customers!

Entomophagy -the art of eating insects-  is a rapidly growing field these days. And its no wonder.  With livestock supply diminishing, meat prices rising, and now the overseas scandal involving Eupropean hamburgers laced with horse meat, the world is turning its interest toward a revolutionary new protein source: insects. 

Seriously.

The United Nations has even gone so far as to launch a website touting the potential benefits of bug farming, and promotes more chinese maggot factories as a way to end world hunger. In fact experts from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are looking increasingly to insects as a substitute for meat and fish worldwide. Their reasoning includes the fact that Insects are cheaper to feed, more sustainable, and have superior nutritional value to meat. Who knew a simple insect could contain polyunsaturated fatty acids, iron, calcium, and B vitamins? It’s true… the UN website graciously includes  nutritional labeling for some of their favorite six-legged snacks.  

Gosh I’m getting hungry! How about you? Are you hungry?

Not yet huh.  Well, perhaps you just lack adequate imagination to really understand the endless yet magical possibilities of bug cuisine.  You’re probably thinking of eating bugs straight off the plate, no sauces or seasonings. Boorr-iingg. See where I’m going with this? Chefs worldwide who embrace the Insects As Food movement recognize that most people aren’t going to pluck a meal worm off a blade of grass and chew it up.

But what if that same meal worm was to be fixed all gourmet like in a quiche-style mini pie? (Go ahead, click on the link. Get a load of that baby. Who could say no to that?)

Or maybe you prefer something more posh, like this African blesbok samosa with insect crumble — complete with meal worms and buffalo worms — available for your eating pleasure only at the Specktakel restaurant in the Netherlands. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy,they also offer a crocodile pie with fried crickets. And for dessert, warm cake with candied WORM topping. 

Despite predominant popular opinion- and especially American opinion- that insects are ‘yucky’, world premier entomophagist Arnold van Huis fully believes that insect cuisine is the wave of the future.

“If your Big Mac is going to cost about $100 and your Bug Mac is going to cost only $4, people will change to a Bug Mac,” van Huis asserts.

What do you think? Is van Huis right?  Would you ever consider a bug mac?

Termites are a constant threat to business and home owners.  As with most pests, it is much easier to take precautionary measures and to treat before an infestation hits, rather than to wait until after the problem is obvious and widespread. You may be wondering what you can possibly to to prevent termite infestation. The truth is that there are a lot of small and simple things you can do now that can make all the difference later on.  A good place to start is to eliminate as many food and moisture sources around your home as possible. These are some of the main factors that can attract termites in the first place.

First, eliminate moisture sources.  

Walk around your home and the surrounding area, looking for any sources of dripping or pooling water, and evaluate each one to decide how can be eliminated or minimized.

• Check a/c units, water pipes, and faucets for leaking and repair these.
• Direct free flowing or dripping water away from the foundation of your home
• Clear and clean gutters and downspouts
• Reduce excessive plant cover and wood mulch which absorbs and holds excess moisture
• Eliminate standing water on roof
• Ensure that all vents are clear and open
• Make sure that entry points around utility and water lines or pipes are properly sealed

Second, eliminate food sources

Walk around your home again, this time looking for wood sources and exposures, and evaluate each one to decide how you can eliminate them.

• Do not store lumber, firewood or paper near your foundation or crawlspace. If you must store wood of any kind, deposit it a good distance away from your home.
• Remove debris or tree stumps in your yard and garden
• Place screens over the outside vents
• Repair and seal or replace damaged wood in decks or fences

Pre-treat your home for termites, and insure your home for years to come.

I know how hard it is to spend money on something that isn’t an immediate problem, but trust me on this one. Pre-treating your home for termites before they hit may be one of the wisest forms of insurance you can purchase against future home damage. Termite treatments do not have to cost an arm and a leg, especially if you are willing to put in a little extra effort and do it yourself! Do My Own Pest Control offers a wide variety of termite products  including termite bait systems and liquid barrier applications, which you can view here.   With competitive low prices on professional grade products, free shipping and pest control advice, you have nothing to lose except maybe a wooden deck, staircase, or the entire right side of your home. Call us today to find out how you can get started protecting your home from termite infestation and damage.

Termite season is here. And for a limited time, you can enjoy an additional 20% savings plus free shipping on one of the best-selling professional termite products around by clicking right here.

Why is Termidor a top selling termite control product?  

• Termidor eliminates almost any termite problem in less than 90 days, and will continue to protect your home against future infestations for up to 10 years when used as an in-ground barrier treatment. 

• Termidor is completely undetectable by termites so they don’t know what’s coming, or what hit ‘em!

•  From the moment a termite comes in contact with Termidor, it will ingest and spread the termiticide until it eliminates the entire colony. 

• Termidor controls all types of termites including difficult to eradicate species such as subterranean, formosan, and drywood termites.

Awhile back I posted about the annual New Jersey Pest Management Association  presidential cockroach derby. (See original post here).  I failed, however, to remember to give a report several days later on the results of the race.  With the real 2012 presidential election just around the corner, I thought this would be a good time to unroll the results of the infamous cockroach derby to see what the roaches have to say about the future of our country. Will it be Obama for another four year term or will we see a new face in the white house? Keep in mind this event has been held for fifteen years running and boasts an accurate prediction rate of 85%.

And the winner is…

ROMNEY ROACH!!!

If you want to see the entire exhilarating edge-of-your-seat race from beginning to end – and you know you do!- grab some popcorn and check out the video below. I assure you it will be the most exciting thing you do all day.

Check out the latest and greatest infographic from Do My Own Pest Control. We hope this easy to understand termite treatment guide will help you visualize exactly how to perform your own next termite termite treatment. Click here for more detailed information on how to perform a termite treatment at home.

Several weeks ago I wrote this pouty letter to the president of DMOPC complaining about an impending roach problem at my apartment.  I requested an arsenal of roach control products to address the situation, and he kindly obliged.  The package of ammunition arrived on my doorstep about two days later.    The next few days were a blur of cleaning and prepping the apartment and then finally the actual pimping out of my kitchen and other spaces with roach bait, dust, IGR, and pheromone traps.

The next morning I found a few dead roach nymphs on the kitchen floor, and since then, nothing. Not a single roach! This stuff really works.

Here’s what I used, and where:

1- DuPont Advion Roach Gel Bait  in cabinets, under sinks, along kitchen baseboards and underneath appliances. Since roach baits are most effective in the absence of competing food sources,  I removed everything from the cabinets and drawers and cleaned out crumbs and sticky spills before applying the bait.

2- ECO PCO D-X Dust - Applied every 12 inches or so inside walls by sticking the tip of a hand duster underneath the baseboards. This knocks out the critters living in wall voids.

3- Gentrol IGR -  Applied with a long, thin straw applicator in a narrow line along baseboards, underneath appliances, and into cracks and crevices in the kitchen. I also applied this in carpeted spaces in a line between the bottom of the baseboards and the edge of the carpet because we have a long standing carpet beetle problem as well.

4- Roach Pheromone Traps - Under the stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer, and in closets and pantries.

This application model represents a pretty comprehensive integrative pest management program for roaches, in that it really attacks the problem from every possible angle. (In other words, those suckers didn’t stand a chance!)  Feel free leave a question about roach control in the comments.

For more how-to instruction on roach bait application, here’a great DMOPC product video:

 

Do My Own Pest Control is proud to have been honored for the third year in a row with the Bizrate Platinum Circle of Excellence Award, a prestigious honor that is bestowed upon only 38 of 5200 online retailers. The Platinum Circle of Excellence is granted on merits of exceptional customer service ratings that are significantly higher than the network average. Winners of this award must obtain all scores above 9.0 (on a scale of 1 to 10) across seven key satisfaction indicators. Less than 1% of online retailers are eligible for this award.

Congratulations to our staff for maintaining an exceptional standard of customer service!

Have you ever read the book or seen the movie Jumanji? It’s a story about these kids who find a mysterious jungle-themed board game and each time they roll the dice and land on a new square, whatever is written there becomes reality. So throughout the story they are trying to survive lions, wild monkeys, herds of rhinos, snakes, killer mosquitoes, etc. The movie is pretty intense and when I was younger it really freaked me out.

I’m starting to feel like this blog is a little like that board game. It’s almost as if the arthropod world is getting revenge on me for writing a blog about the best way to exterminate them. Let me give you some examples of what I mean.

A few months ago I wrote a post on swarming insects, and then several weeks later I came home to thousands of winged ants swarming in my kitchen.  In August I blogged about the Obama vs Romney Presidential Cockroach Race. Until that point I had never seen a cockroach in our townhome! Not one! A couple of weeks after writing that post I had little baby roaches getting all up in my grill all of a sudden.

But the most recent post-turned-reality situation is the worst yet.On August 23rd I blogged about brown recluse spiders invading homes by the dozens, with one family in Missouri reporting hundreds of brown recluse invaders. That particular  infestation was so bad that the mother and daughters actually moved out.  As I was writing that post I remember thinking, I am so glad we don’t have a brown recluse problem!  

Well… what do you know.. the very next week I spotted about 10 live brown recluse spiders all over our home within two days time. I’m sure there were more I didn’t notice.  Um… does anyone realize how dangerous these things can be?! have three little kids! You better believe that in no time flat I had Catchmaster glue traps placed in every closet and under every appliance, and some Eco PCO Dust under every 12 inches of baseboard. I also called our landlord to put new weather stripping on our doors because there was definitely some gap-age going on there.

Thankfully, since then the only spiders I’ve seen have been shriveled up and stuck to a glue board. Phew. (Hey Missouri family, you should order some glue boards!)

See what I mean now? Totally spooky. Now  I’m feeling just a wee bit apprehensive about what to post next.  One thing is certain, you won’t see me writing about either of these guys any time soon..

…Maybe I’ll just stick with butterflies for awhile.

This Guest Post was written by John Henry of Active Pest Control in Atlanta.

DoMyOwnPestControl.com is your online source for roach control products and information.

Blattella Germanica are “German” Cockroaches in the United States. The Germans call them “Russian Cockroaches”. The Russians in turn call them “Polish Cockroaches”.  It seems no one wants to take credit for this roach and with good reason.

Once an infestation occurs they are difficult to control. A strong odor from their feces, molts, and hormones permeates the air causing serious health risks, including increased risk of asthma in children.

German Cockroaches measure ½ inch to 5/8 inch in size with a brown outer exoskeleton. Two dark streaks run on its back.  They can contaminate food with their molts (dead skins) and often leave a trail of bacteria. Females can have 200 offspring each year.  It takes two months for a female to reach reproductive age. German Cockroaches like sweet and floury food but will eat nonorganic food as well such as books.

It’s a good idea to keep the lid on your toothpaste by the way…

German Cockroaches do not typically invade from the outside. They are usually a gift from your local grocery store or from a friend. They love warm, dark areas and often infest cardboard boxes and storage containers. Since females carry their egg sacks on their back, an infestation can happen rapidly.

Treatment Plan

Step 1: Identify Harborage Areas

German cockroaches are nocturnal and prefer dark areas. You will find them gathering around electrical outlets and motors. We have seen German Cockroaches infesting a sonar pest control repel device.

German cockroaches leave behind feces and skin molts. Usually you will be able to see roaches in their preferred hiding spots.

Carefully inspect these areas:

• Counter cracks and crevices
• Around electrical outlets
• Under appliances
• Behind refrigerators
• Under freezers
• In plumbing voids
• In cabinets (remove food and other containers)
• Cabinet voids found at joints
• In crown molding
• Behind mirrors

Step 2: Use a Flushing Agent

Flushing agents immediately control German Cockroaches and flush them from their hiding places. Flushing will kill much of the adult population. However, flushing and contact kill spray will not wipe out your infestation.

If you have a serious infestation, prepare to see roaches. When we arrived at the location below, we saw one German Cockroach. Once we started using the flushing agent they covered the kitchen. When I left this home I removed 40-50 German Cockroaches from my clothes before I got into my truck.

Delta Dust is effective at controlling pest long-term. As long as it doesn’t get wet, dust will last two years or more. You will need a dust applicator with a fine tip to spray in cracks, crevices, wall voids, and plumbing voids.

In every kitchen infestation I have ever seen German Cockroaches infest the motor of the refrigerator and congregate around the refrigerator outlet. I recommend taking the plate off the outlet (with the breaker turned off) and treating that wall void with dust.

Step 4: Apply a Growth Regulator & Micro-encapsulated Pesticide

Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) prevents German Cockroaches from reproducing. IGRs ensure that young German Cockroaches that survive contact with other pesticides cannot reproduce.

Since IGRs affect a hormone only found in insects, the label is less restrictive for use in food preparation areas. You should read the label on any pesticide you buy since it has valuable information on application and safety.

Micro-encapsulated pesticide is effective in controlling full-grown German Cockroaches that move around after the first cleanout. The pesticide is encapsulated in microscopic spheres that break down overtime. This ensures there is pesticide active in the area insects travel.

I typically mix Gentrol Concentrate and Onslaught into a sprayer and treat areas of roach activity. At the time of writing, both of these pesticides are approved for use in food establishments. But as always, read and follow the label before application.

Step 5: Baits

Cockroach bait serves as an important step in controlling German Cockroaches in a heavily infested area. Since they reproduce so rapidly, food sources may become scarce. You should make sure you are using proper sanitation and storage techniques.

Newborns feed on the feces of adults. When an adult cockroach eats Cockroach Gel Bait it passes through its feces. So, young German Cockroaches die from eating feces containing the pesticide.

I prefer Dupont Cockroach Bait because it takes longer to kill. The infected Cockroach has longer to spread the pesticide.

Treatment Plan

The steps I outlined above will control German Cockroaches in the quickest manner. You need to repeat this at least once. Most German Cockroach Treatment Plans last three months.

You don’t have to follow all the steps I outlined to control German Cockroaches. But at a minimum you should use an IGR and Cockroach Bait. You will not see a huge difference the first month or two, but you can control a German Cockroach infestation in four to five months with those products alone.

*John Henry works with Active Pest Control. Active has been serving Metro-Atlanta since 1985.