What is the best prevention treatment for my yard?  Well, when it come to ticks in St. Louis, there is only one type of treatment that I would recommend.  A full yard service.  Now, there are two ways to have this done. The first way is to spray your entire yard with a residual pesticide labeled to kill ticks.  This type of liquid application would need to be repeated every month or so if the tick pressure is high in your area.  The one good thing about a liquid application is the D.I.Y.’er can do this themselves given they have a good compressed air tank and the time it will require to spray the entire yard.

The better way to treat an entire yard would be to hire a professional pest control company (Blue Chip – St. Louis Pest Control).  Blue Chip uses a gas powered back-pack mister to blow the material into the grass, brush, plants and trees (up to 10-15″ high) where ticks will hang out looking for something to walk by so they can attach themselves to your body or clothing.  The reason the back-pack mister is better than just spraying a liquid is that it has the ability to dispense the material onto the  undersides of  grass and leaves.  A typical liquid application would only get the tops wet leaving the bottom side dry.  The nice thing about this type of service is that it will also take care mosquitoes and fleas.  We make monthly applications May – September, and offer a season long guarantee that we will come back and treat again should you see too many pests.

You are always welcome to call us at 636-343-7900 or go to bluechipexterminating.com for more information regarding our service options that can help you deal with mosquitoes.

Our last article focused on what attracted mosquitoes to us, and this article will lay out some things that you can do to prevent them from getting too close.

We last discussed that mosquitoes are attracted to heat and carbon dioxide.  What this means to you and me is that if you are going to be doing some sort of physical activity outside around dusk, you need to take extra steps to preventing mosquitoes as you will be a greater target for them.  This also means that if you are working around a heat source like a grill or camp fire, you may be again more of a target for them.

The first steps we will talk about will involve things that you can do to prevent the mosquitoes from breeding on or near your property.

1. Look for standing water.  Mosquitoes require water to be still for about a week to make it from egg to the pupal stage.  They can use almost any source of water such as slow stream, clogged gutters, bird baths, pet dishes, kids pools, soda cans, and even downspouts.  Keep the water moving or dump it and change it out periodically to prevent them from maturing.  If this cannot be done there are several larvicides or “mosquito dunks” that can be applied to these areas to prevent mosquito larva from hatching.
2. See #1.  That is really the only rule in preventing the mosquitoes from breeding as water is essential to their development.  If the area you find is not on your property you can also contact the county department of health to report a breeding site and they can address it with the property owner.

Next we will look at things that you can do to be a bit more transparent to the mosquitoes.

1. Repellents.  Love them or hate them they do remain the most effective way to prevent yourself from getting bitten by mosquitoes.  There are many varieties, but the truly most effective ones use DEET as their active ingredient.  Other ingredients may work, but only DEET has been shown to be almost completely effective.
2. Treat your yard.  This is the one thing that we can help with.  Our mosquito misting service, which targets all of the places that mosquitoes hide out during the day is truly an effective way to limit the number of mosquitoes that try to invade your yard.  We use a backpack fogger to treat all of the foliage around your house and yard witha  microscopic material that clings to the mosquitoes when they land.  This type of treatment is very effective and unlike mosquito mister systems you don’t have pesticides floating around the yard while you are trying to enjoy it.
3. Avoid peak times for mosquito activity.  Just before sunset to just after is when the mosquitoes are most active.  If you can adjust what you need to do by a little you can avoid most of them.
4. Wear long sleeves or pants.  I understand that this is not really a great option for a St. Louis summer, but it will make it hard for the mosquitoes to get to you.  So if the weather is nice, or you are going into an area that is really infested it may be worth it.
5. Don’t forget your pet.  They are just as attractive if not more so to the mosquitoes, so let them in for a bit at dusk, or look for a pet safe repellent for them.

Mosquitoes are much more than a nuisance, they are a specific health threat.  Diseases like West Nile, and malaria kill millions around the globe each year, and there are always a few reported cases each year right here in St. Louis, Missouri.  Take every possible precaution and enjoy your yard and summer, because before we know it we will have a “St. Louis” winter to deal with next.

You are always welcome to call us at 636-343-7900 or go to bluechipexterminating.com for more information regarding our service options that can help you deal with mosquitoes.

There are several signs to look for when inspecting your home for termites.  Luckily for us in St. Louis, we only have to deal with subterranean termites.  Why is that helpful? For one thing, they have to make mud tubs from the ground to anything above ground that they what to get into to.  These mud tubs are a clear sign of termite activity.  If they are found, start by breaking a small piece apart, if the termites are still using the tub, they will repair the break within minutes.

Another sign of termites is when they swarm.  Only a mature colony of termites will swarm.  If they swarm in your home you will find the termites near a window ledge. Most people find the dead bodies or discarded wings along the ledge as they will die off fairly quickly if trapped inside the house.

And last most common way people find termites is when they doing remodeling inside the home.  Most people find the activity when walls or flooring is removed during this process.  It is very shocking to find termite damage when it may have never been found if walls had not been disturb during the construction.

Please call us if you have any questions or concerns regarding these pests at 636-343-7900 or go to bluechipexterminating.com for more information regarding our service options.

In case you missed it.  Fox 2 in St. Louis ran a story about how fleas may be worse this year than in years past.  Click the link here to see the story.

You know, this might be true of all insects this year.  Thus far, our winter in St. Louis has been almost none existent.  Let’s hope for the best, but when all fails, remember you have a friend in Blue Chip.

The article does give some solid advice about dealing with fleas on your pet though:

One way to discover fleas early is to go over your dog with a flea comb, which can find fleas and flea dirt much better than you can just with your eyes.  If black specks fall out of the hair you’ve combed, chances are you’ve found fleas.  The best way to tell is to shake the hair pulled out by the comb over a white surface.  Then add water to any black specks you find.  If those specks melt and turn red, it is flea dirt, meaning your fleas have already made a home on your pet.

Along with fleas, ticks are expected to be bad as well, especially for pets that spend much time around water.

Please call us if you have any questions or concerns regarding these pests at 636-343-7900 or go to bluechipexterminating.com for more information regarding our service options.