Pest Control Services with EnviroTech Exterminating of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Pest Control & Exterminator Services with EnviroTech Exterminating, Inc. Serving Broken Arrow, Bixby, Jenks and the metro Tulsa area.

Pest Control for Bed Bugs, Fleas, Spiders, Brown Recluse Spiders, Black Widow Spiders, Cockroaches, Termites, Ants, Carpenter Ants, Carpenter Bees, Wasp, Rodents, Mice, Rats, Raccoons, Squirrels, Opossum, Skunk, Pigeons, Bats and other Nuisance Animal Wildlife Removal. Visit our Pest Control website.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Pest Control Blog & Others Promoting Their Blog



Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
(918) 282-7621

Since creating our blog, I’ve not been the most diligent blogger out there. Probably like most, I posted a bunch early, and have “gotten busy” and not posted. Another factor is on each of my posts, I find I receive very little good constructive responses. I get quite a few, but 90% of them are just promoting their own blogs, or at least that’s what I think. The response might be like:
   I like your blog. Check out ours at….
or
   Pest Control is important, as we state at www…
It won’t discourage me from blogging, but I screen the responses and don’t release them unless:
  1. They add to the discussion, and
  2. They don’t reference their own site (with some exceptions). Contact me first if you would like to exchange links.
I figure it is better for our readers and to be fair I only exchange links with those that offer to do the same back.  Please contact me regarding doing this.  Links can be exchanged but the sites must be relevant to pest control or offer something in the way of the biology of insects and or wildlife.


Sincerely,

Billy H.
EnviroTech Exterminating

Sunday, November 27, 2011

How Did I Get These Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs in mattress seam
New bed bug infestations are usually centered around the bed
Photo © Pinto & Associates

 "How Did These Bed Bugs Get Into My Home?"

Brought to you by EnviroTech Exterminating of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. (918) 282-7621. Visit us online: www.GotPest.com

Bed bugs are secretive insects. They live in the dark tight cracks, crevices, and holes near sleeping areas.
New bed bug infestations are usually centered around the mattress and bed frame. In heavier infestations, bugs move out to occupy hiding places further from the bed as well.
Bed bugs can hide in beds, furniture, piles of clothing, back packs, and similar everyday items. They can live for 6 or 7 months between feedings.

Common Ways for Bed Bugs to Infest Apartments

The most common way for bed bugs to invade your home is for you, your family, or your friends to bring them in without realizing it. Bed bugs are excellent “hitch-hikers.” Here are some ways you could bring bed bugs into your home:
    Mattresses discarded at dumpster
    Discarded mattresses, box springs, and furniture are often infested with bed bugs
    Photo © Pinto & Associates
  • Picking up bed bug-infested beds, mattresses, or furniture that has been discarded and placed on the street or by a dumpster.
  • Visiting someone who has bed bugs and carrying them back with you on your clothing or possessions. (Children playing together in one home after another can be transferring bed bugs in their toys and backpacks.)
  • Staying overnight in a bed bug-infested room in a hotel or home and bringing them home in your luggage.
  • Renting furniture infested with bed bugs from furniture rental companies.
  • Buying bed bug-infested second-hand furniture, carpets, blankets, luggage, pictures, and fixtures from stores, yard sales, auctions, and flea markets.
  • Bed bugs can also migrate from one apartment to the next through pipe and wiring runs, and through wall and ceiling voids, in the same way that cockroaches move between apartments. 
Got Bed Bugs? Need Bedbug Treatment?  EnviroTech Exterminating Services the Local Tulsa & Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Metro Area.  Call EnviroTech Exterminating (918) 282-7621 Online: www.GotPest.com

Getting Ready For Your Bed Bug Service Visit


EnviroTech Exterminating
Pest Control, Wildlife Animal Removal & Termite Control
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Call (918) 282-7621

www.GotPest.com

 

The Tulsa, Broken Arrow area has been hit hard by the recent rise in Bed Bugs.  Prior to your service it is recommended that you use the following plan to prepare for your service. Following this plan will help yourself, the service tech treating your bedbug problem and will increase the quality of service you receive.

Bed Bug

How to Get Ready for Your Bed Bug Service Visit

Bed bugs are tough to control. They hide in many places…in beds, closets, furniture, behind pictures, in tiny cracks in the wall… so inspections and treatments must be thorough. Pest control technicians need your cooperation in order to control bed bugs successfully.
Before technicians can treat your home, you must prepare your home for service. Here’s how:

Strip your beds

Bed Bugs in Mattress

Remove all sheets, blankets, mattress covers, pillowcases, etc. from your beds and wash. Fold them and place them in plastic garbage bags. Do not put them back on the bed until the evening after pest control service.
Mattresss stripped of all sheets Cluttered closet
Strip your beds of sheets, blankets, mattress covers, etc. A cluttered closet makes it impossible to control bed bugs
  Photos © Pinto & Associates

Remove everything from bedroom and hall closets

Your closets must be empty. Empty all dresser drawers and night stand drawers. Take everything out of nightstands and other furniture near the beds. Dresser drawers and nightstands must be empty. Remove all clothing, toys, boxes, etc. from bedroom floors. Place items in the living room.

Wash ALL clothing, towels, and other linens

This means everything… and place the clean items inside plastic storage bins or plastic garbage bags. Store them in the living room until after treatment.

Vacuum

Vacuum floors, furniture, and inside closets, dresser drawers, and bedstands. Also vacuum mattresses and box springs. Dispose of vacuum bag.

Provide access for pest control technician

Make sure the technician can get into all closets. If possible, move bedroom furniture away from walls so there is a 3 foot space between the furniture and walls.

Avoid contact with insecticide until dry

Make sure there are no animals or people in the apartment during treatment and for at least 2 hours afterwards (check with the pest control technician for the exact time period needed) 
If you are in a situation where you need pest control services for Bed Bugs or any other pest please call EnviroTech Exterminating, Inc.  We would be happy to discuss your pest control needs and schedule an appointment with you. We service the entire Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area. EnviroTech can be reached at (918) 282-7621.  You may also visit us online at www.GotPest.com

Monday, November 21, 2011

Pest Control Broken Arrow, OK: Bed Bugs & Frequently Asked Questions

EnviroTech Exterminating
Pest Control, Nuisance Wildlife Animal Removal & Termite Services
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
www.GotPest.com 
Call (918) 282-7621




 Harold Harlan, who was a career bug expert for the military, is a prominent authority on bed bugs. Below, he answered a few frequently asked questions: 

Are bed bug attacks a sign of dirty living conditions or living in older homes/building, or is anybody at risk?  
Infestations of common bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L., are not directly related to sanitation levels.  The cleanest living area can have a very large infestation , and improving sanitation alone will not eliminate an established bed bug population.  Cluttered conditions can offer the bugs a lot of excellent harborages very near their human blood-meal hosts.  Almost anyone is at risk of having an infestation if bed bugs are brought into their home.
   
Can you get anything serious from a bed bug bite? Are there physical/physiological effects if you are living with bed bugs?  According to scientists, naturally occurring populations (infestations) of common bed bugs have been documented to have at least 28 different kinds of human pathogens in their bodies.  However, very careful and detailed studies by both entomologists and medical doctors have never shown that those bed bugs could transmit (infect) even one of those pathogens to humans or lab animals.  They simply have not been shown to transmit any human disease known so far.    
When a bed bug feeds, it injects saliva into its blood-meal host, and that saliva contains several proteins which can routinely cause an allergic response from most hosts.  The severity and timing of those reactions depends on the bitten person’s immune response to the salivary allergens, and they can vary greatly from one individual to another.Typical reactions to bed bug bites usually include some level of local reddening, minor swelling, inflammation and  itching (which can be very intense, and can sometimes recur without another bed bug bite) at each bite site.  A person being repeatedly bitten by bed bugs can be very uncomfortable, develop lots of reddish, itchy welts (at bite sites) and often have difficulty sleeping.  The more bugs present, the more bites they inflict, and the worse the problems usually become (tending to be progressive as the bug numbers increase – usually rapidly).  Also, some people can be significantly affected by the social stigma of having a bed bug infestation in their home.

Microscopic view of Bed Bug

If you are a home owner and have an infestation, and you do all the preliminary cleaning and self-help steps,  is an exterminator really necessary?  Are there sprays/home cures? 
Most people who work in urban pest control in the U.S. would prefer to be called Pest Management Professionals (PMPs) rather than exterminators.  Unfortunately (as stated above), cleaning alone will not usually have much impact on an established bed bug population.  Successful programs to eliminate these bugs require detailed knowledge of their biology and exact harborage (hiding) locations determined by thorough inspection.  PMPs must also know a lot about the strategies, techniques and products which can be used effectively, safely, and legally to control bed bugs.  The vast majority of laymen could not expect to effectively control even a very small and localized infestation; and they probably could not even tell if their efforts had any impact.  Under current conditions, the use of some kind of residual (long lasting), properly labeled insecticide is needed to effectively control bed bugs in the U.S., and any practical control effort could not be carried out without use of such a product.  The U.S. EPA-approved insecticide products that are currently labeled against bed bugs must still be used properly and applied at the proper sites (in the proper formulations and concentrations) to be effective.  No “home cures” I have encountered so far have much affect at all against bed bugs.  Regardless of any specific material used, self-help efforts seldom have a noticeable impact because individuals do not have the background knowledge or technical support needed.
          
Why are the bugs hard to kill?
  Common bed bugs are small, thin, and can hide deep in very narrow cracks. They are mainly active at night. They will routinely travel as far as a 20-foot radius from their hiding places (and back) in one night to take a blood meal. Bed bugs are very adaptable. They move much quicker, and can pass through much smaller openings or cracks, than most people expect.  Even Ph.D. entomologists who work with live bed bugs for the first time are often surprised.  Bed bugs can detect (and often avoid) chemical deposits such as some cleaning agents.  Adult bed bugs can live longer than a whole year without feeding and most currently labeled insecticides used against them in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia, do not last more than one to three months when applied by a well-trained and competent PMP.  In addition, there are reports in older literature that state that certain populations of bed bugs have developed physiological resistance to specific chemical insecticides in past, making these products ineffective.  Although such true resistance has not been documented or reported against any currently labeled and commonly used insecticides, it could be developing in field populations and it should be screened for by professional diagnostic labs.  Such testing (screening) in North America and Europe has only recently begun and has been very limited, so far.
   
If you don’t have an infestation in your home, are there things you can do to prevent one?
   Take steps to try to avoid picking up bed bugs from hotels, hostels or any other sources when you or your family members travel, even to local destinations (e.g., within the same or a nearby city).  Do not buy used furniture (especially bedding items or upholstered items), or at least do not bring them into your home until you, or a competent expert, have inspected them carefully for any signs of bed bugs (live or dead bed bugs, their eggs, fecal spots, or cast skins).  Also consider covering all of your mattresses and box springs with a plastic cover which you can seal shut to prevent such pests from getting into them (or to permanently trap any already there).  Periodically inspect bedding and other places in your home which are typical harborage sites for bed bugs.  No control efforts (or products) are needed unless an infestation is detected and verified by an expert.  If an infestation is confirmed, it is wise to consider contracting with a properly licensed, trained, and experienced (with bed bug control) local PMP or company.  They should help with effective and thorough inspections, to provide you with information you may want, and to carry out any needed control effort under a suitable contract.  Be sure to ask any questions you may have before you sign a control contract.  Web sites of several Co-Operative Extension offices (at the state government level) and Universities, as well as trade associations (like the NPMA), and urban pests management (often called ‘pest control’) trade journals, currently offer fairly good, informative and balanced fact sheets and additional information on bed bugs.  Educating yourself can be quite helpful and re-assuring.
    
How would one go about avoiding them at hotels?
   Inspecting fairly thoroughly for signs of bed bugs when you first arrive in a room can be very helpful.  Include checking the bedding (especially near any attached type of bed headboard), the luggage holding rack, night stands by any bed (remember to check underneath and inside drawers if possible), closet shelves, dresser drawers, and along carpet edges under and near (e.g., within about 5 feet of) any bed.  Report any evidence of bed bugs to the management immediately for their corrective actions.  Just moving to a different room may not be the total answer.  You should repeat the thorough inspection of any new or different room you are offered.  When you pack to leave, inspect your luggage carefully first, and inspect every item as you pack to help detect any bugs or their signs. Laundering most cloth items with typical hot water and detergent followed by drying on low heat for at least 20 minutes (or standard dry cleaning) should kill all bed bugs in or on such items. Sealing freshly-laundered items inside a plastic bag should help keep any more bed bugs from getting in those items later to hide (and be carried back with you).  Initially detecting and then excluding the bugs is the usually best strategy.
    
Bed bugs were almost eradicated years ago – why are they back these days?
    Many factors probably have contributed to this apparently sudden bed bug resurgence.  It is hard to say any one factor is the most important in every situation.  A few of the most probable factors include:  much more rapid travel over greater distances on both a local and global scale (e.g., flying to or from Europe, Africa, Asia, etc., or any closer destination, in less than 24 hrs.); much less current overall public and PMP knowledge about these bugs, their biology and effective control strategies (i.e., many PMPs in developed countries have only begun trying to learn about and control bed bugs in the last 3-5 years); changes in available properly-labeled insecticides to less toxic, less persistent, chemical active ingredients and formulations; and some construction practices and furniture design choices in hotels, motels, and homes.  Grossly ineffective self-help “control” practices which probably help spread infestations include:  throwing out infested furniture (without any inspection or treatment to try to remove the bed bugs present) which is often picked up by someone else for their own use; leaving a room vacant for a few days as a means of getting rid of bed bugs present (this does not work and may make them migrate and spread out to find a blood meal); very inadequate partial or spot treatments by occupants of infested rooms or homes (even the use of most kinds of total-release aerosols or “bug bombs” is very ineffective); and placing infested items outdoors in either hot sun (by day) or below freezing temperatures (overnight) to kill infesting bed bugs (both of which are generally not effective).
    
The story is on 'Dateline' and all over local news all over. It has even been called the “scourge of America.”  Is the threat as bad as it appears?
    It may not be quite as bad as that, but there is no doubt that bed bug infestations are being reported more often and from more and more places world wide.Currently, controlling bed bugs in most situations is certainly not a simple or easy thing to do. It requires considerable time, technical knowledge, and assistance by occupants or property managers for the most competent and best trained and experienced PMPs to effectively eliminate established bed bug infestations. Occupant compliance, especially regarding reducing clutter, making infested spots fully accessible for inspection and treatment is crucial for successful bed bug control.  Under the best of situations, at least two separate visits by a PMP should be expected as a minimum.  Thus the cost of technical labor, and related overall cost for control, is often higher than expected.  Litigation is becoming a significant concern for the hospitality industry in the U.S. and abroad (you can check recent news stories for good examples).  Personal discomfort and the distasteful aspect of “being bitten” by these bugs can be very significant on a personal level and must be considered a growing problem for the general public. There are also a few cases of true allergy (anaphylactic reactions) being infrequently reported, and as more people are bitten or exposed to the bugs, those cases should be expected to increase, too.

If you have a Bed Bug problem and live in the Tulsa or Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area you need a Pest Control Professional Immediately.  Call EnviroTech Exterminating for a consultation at (918) 282-7621

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Pest Control, Nuisance Wildlife Animal Removal in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

EnviroTech Exterminating
Pest Control, Nuisance Wildlife Animal Removal & Termite Services
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
www.GotPest.com 
Call (918) 282-7621


EnviroTech Exterminating uses humane animal control & removal methods.  Opossum control and removal can be challenging for the wildlife control & removal professional. Opossums can be a very aggressive animal and their initial appearance makes them seem really aggressive and vicious. However, the opossum are actually very shy, very mellow animals that only look to gain a free meal every chance they get. They will bite if provoked but will usually run from any confrontation.

Opossums are categorized in the marsupial family and one of the only animals in the United States that carried their babies in a pouch just like a kangaroo. Kangaroos and opossums are in the same family structure and have very unique and similar birthing and young rearing practices. Opossums can and are a nuisance animal they carry many unique diseases that are very unique to this animal.  Some of the diseases are:  tuberculosis, relapsing fever, tularemia, salmonella, spotted fever, toxoplasmosis, coccidiosis, trichomoniasis, Chagas Disease, yellow fever, and rabies.

Opossum Life Cycle

Opossums life cycle starts in a pouch, like all marsupials including kangaroos, the opossum bears is and after only a 14 day gestation. After the baby opossum is born in the bout it makes its way through the house to find teat. Here the opossum mother will nurse the baby opossum for approximately 75 days at this point the baby opossum is considered weaned. Shortly after being weaned the young opossums start to ramble around the neighborhood with their mother getting into trash cans and eating roadkill all along the way. Young opossums become sexually active at the age of six months, their the reproduction cycle starts all over again. Opossums have one of the shortest lifespans for are a marsupial their size, living only 2 to 4 years in the wild. Opossums are considered omnivores and have a very broad diet. They can be seen along the road eating carrion, they are also known to eat insects, bird eggs, birds, small mammals and anything else they can find.

Opossums usually will stay in one area as long as there’s food shelter and water in the vicinity, they are known to be solitary creatures only interacting with the opposite sex during the breeding period which is in the months of February and March. There are many different species of opossums with the most common posture being the Virginia opossum. 

Opossums can become a nuisance when they either enter your attic to find shelter, or they turnover your trash cans in search of food, or they find their self in some of the curious position been in your garage, your shed or some other common place in which you run into a possum.

Opossums trapping can be done to eliminate a nuisance opossum problem. Traps can be baited with several different varieties of bait including raw meat, chicken eggs, sardines and fruit.  Contact a trapper licensed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.  We are licensed as a professional trapper and can assist you if you need the removal & relocation of pests such as Raccoons, Squirrels, Skunk, Opossum and other nuisance wildlife.


EnviroTech Exterminating
Broken Arrow, OK
(918) 282-7621
www.gotpest.com