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.

These cold evening temperatures mean one thing to a fireplace owner – a warm fire and a comfortable spot on the couch. Unfortunately,  this scenario may mean something different to the creatures who have made an overwintering home in your firewood stack outside your home.

There are a lot of insects that will use firewood as an overwintering home.  These can include millipedes, pill bugs, beetles, spiders, and even some wildlife like snakes and mice.  They will find cracks in the wood or crawl under a loose piece of bark and so on.  That’s why it is not recommended that firewood be brought inside the house and stacked for a future burning.  Once the firewood starts to warm up in the house those insects who were in a somewhat dormant state will also began awaken and become active.  This is why it not uncommon for people who have brought in firewood to suddenly see an increase in pests that they normally hadn’t seen all winter long.

It is recommend that you only bring in the firewood that will be thrown directly onto the fire.  Otherwise, you may be surprised as to what was hiding where you could not see.

On a side note, make sure that your firewood pile is stored either away from the home, or on a rack as pictured.  This will keep termites from using the firewood as a bridge to enter the home undetected.

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.