RODENTS:

HABITS AND BIOLOGY:

If there are good living conditions(food, water, and shelter),they can multiply rapidly. They sexually mature in two months, producing about 8 litters in a one year life time. Each litter has 4-7 pups. A house mice in a city environment may spend it's entire life in buildings. In rural and suburban settings, it may not only live inside, but be found outside near foundations, in the shrubbery, weeds, crawl spaces, basements, or in garages. They survive well on weeds, seeds, or insects, but when their food supply is shortened by the colder months they move inside nesting closer to a food supply. They make their nest from soft material like paper, insulation, or furniture stuffing. These nest are found in many places including: in walls, ceiling voids, storage boxes, drawers, under major appliances, or within the upholstery of furniture. Outside the nests are found in debris or in ground burrows.

Mice while being "nibblers" eating many times at different places, they do have two main meal times...just before dawn and at dusk...they simply "snack" at other times at intervals or every 1-2 hours. They can eat about 10 to 15% of their body weight every day, the adults weighing about 5/8-1 oz. They get much of there water from food products.

HOUSE MOUSE INSPECTION:

Their droppings(feces)are about 1/8-1/4 inch long, rod shaped. They gnaw small, clean holes about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Many times in kitchens you will find gnawing damage on the corner of boxes and paper, shredded for their nest. They will gnaw at bar soaps.

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FLEAS:

Fleas are known to remain in the pupal stage from five days to five weeks in the absence of hosts. Adults emerge from the pupal case when vibrations from pets or humans let them know a host is near. This is one reason why people returning to an unoccupied home may suddenly be attacked by an army of fleas.

Adult fleas must feed on blood in order to reproduce; however, adults can live for long periods without feeding. Fleas usually live and breed most heavily where pets rest. Persons coming near these resting places are also subject to attack. If fleas are established in a home, they will feed on man as well as on the pets. The usual places of attack are the ankles and lower portions of the legs.

The so-called "sand-flea" is nothing more than a common flea that is breeding outdoors in the soil. Contrary to belief, fleas cannot go through several generations without having a blood meal.

The entire life cycle ( Figure 5 ) of a flea can require from two weeks to two years. Hot, wet, summer months favor egg laying. Hot, dry periods give maximum adult production, so greatest adult flea populations are produced in August to September.

Figure 5. Flea life cycle.

Importance  Fleas often breed in large numbers where pets and other animals live. Pets infested with fleas bite and scratch themselves constantly. Their coats become roughened and the skin can become infected. Symptoms of sensitized hosts are often mistaken for mange. Cat fleas and dog fleas may be intermediate hosts for the dog tapeworm.

Some people suffer more than others from flea bites. The bites can cause intense itching often resulting in secondary infection. The usual flea bite has a small red spot where the flea has inserted its mouthparts. Around the spot there is a red halo with very little swelling. Many people do not react to flea bites at all while others are sensitive and suffer severe allergic reactions. Fleas may also vector such human diseases as plague, typhus, and tularemia.

Control Flea control is difficult for pet owners to implement because two things must be done: (1) treat the pet and (2) treat the premises. Pet treatment alone is not sufficient because the animal quickly becomes reinfested from untreated premises.

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SCORPIONS:

All scorpions have a long, slender body with a five-segmented tail that can be arched over the back. The tail ends in a bulb-like poison gland or stinger. Scorpions have four pairs of legs and two large pincer-bearing arms (pedipalps) in front. Scorpions are well equipped to defend themselves or attack prey with their pincers and stinger. Between the last pair of legs is a comblike structure (pectines) that is used to identify surface textures and to detect prey.

Scorpions have two eyes on the top of the head, and usually two to five pairs of eyes along the front corners of the head. They do not see well, however, and must rely on the sense of touch, using their pectines and other organs for navigation and hunting. Their bodies are flat, which allows them to hide in small cracks, under rocks and under bark.

Worldwide, scorpions range in size from ½ inch to 7 1/4 inches long (including the tail) depending on the species. The most common species in Texas is the striped bark scorpion, Centruroides vittatus. The adult scorpion is about 2 ½ inches long, which is typical of the size of all species found in the state.

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BIRDS:

We love birds at our feeders and their song in our yard, but birds can become a problem.

Sparrows, pigeons and starlings can cause damage to your home and business. Besides being a nuisance, nests can clog pipes and vents. Droppings deface buildings, sidewalks, outdoor furniture, metal, roofing and more. High levels of acidity in their droppings can even corrode metal, painted surfaces and concrete.

Birds can also carry up to 60 diseases, such as salmonellosis, encephalitis, New Castle disease, toxoplasmosis and histoplasmosis. Left unchecked, pest birds can pose a health hazard to family, friends or customers.

Pest Control can take care of bird problems, safely and humanely. We offer a wide range of bird-deterrents that will protect your property. By breaking their habits and modifying their behavior, we can help. Methods include Bird Control Netting, Wire Barriers, Bird Control Gel and more.

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Bees are a common problem during summer, often when the commercial honey bee seeks to establish a new hive inside a wall cavity of a residential or commercial premises.

A swarm of bees can be extremely aggressive and are known to attack a person in such large numbers as to cause death. Also they are known to carry a highly toxic venom which is injected directly into the victim's bloodstream, thereby inflicting a hideous swelling of the skin, particularly of children and people with a fair complexion.

Bee Control: Safety First

In some cases, death may arise to people who are allergic to the bee venom or who are bitten by the swarm of bees in large numbers.

DO NOT attempt to eradicate swarming bees, unless you have the complete range of protective equipment and professional knowledge essential in the circumstances.

RECOMMENDED Best Pest Control Practice:

That the pest control professional use a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide - as the safer, more effective method. A professional pest control service for bees should cost on average around $150 to $250 to eradicate a swarming hive of bees, where the safer more effective synthetic pyrethroid insecticdes are used.

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