How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Home Safely
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Home Safely (Ken Chadwick)
How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Home Safely – Black or Garden Ants (Lasius niger)
Black ants are commonly found throughout the UK, and although they nest outdoors, they are often found inside houses, causing a nuisance more than anything.
They are social creatures, and live in colonies containing workers (infertile females), males, queens and grubs (larvae). Ants mate on the wing, so the “flying ants” are either males or immature queens.
Where do they come from?
You will find ants nests in dry earth around plant roots, with sandy soil in particular attracting colonies.
The sand used in house foundations, garden paths and patios forms a good site for the queen ant to start a colony. Nests are increasingly being found inside the walls of properties (cavity walls, for example). Once a colony develops it can be difficult to get rid of.
Why do ants come indoors?
The ants found indoors are usually worker ants, which are foraging for food for the queen and the grubs. They have found that buildings inhabited by humans are a good source of provision, particularly sweet or sugary items, and a good dry harbourage.
Do black ants just live on human food?
No, the worker ants are scavengers and collect seeds, nectar, and even dead insects as well to take back to the nest. They also prey on greenfly, blackfly and other small insects, so cannot be considered to be all bad.
Do black ants do any harm?
Although it is unpleasant and a nuisance to find a large number of them in your home, black ants do not transmit any serious diseases.
However, you should remember as well that the ants may have travelled through unpleasant or dirty places during their foraging and before entering your home. This means that they can taint any food, making it unsuitable to eat.
Do not leave food uncovered if accessible to ants, but if they have contaminated food, dispose of in the dustbin (wrapped first to prevent it smelling in the warmer weather).
They are able to bite and squirt formic acid as a defence mechanism, irritate those with sensitive skin.
How do I get rid of them?
There is no single method available to the general public which is guaranteed to succeed. Often it is better to rely on professional pest control companies.
You can try the proprietary powders available at DIY stores and hardware shops however this often proves only to be a short-term answer, firstly because of the low dosages of active ingredient allowed in domestic insecticides.and secondly, there can be so many ants in one nest that it is difficult to eradicate the whole colony.
You will often find that the problem re-occurs year after year and it is often worth spending a few pounds to have the problem professionally treated.
The most common treatment that a professional pest control company will carry out is a spray treatment of the infested area. This will usually have the effect of reducing or even removing the problem for a period of some weeks or even months.
The operative should spray inside and outside the property where ants are seen and attempt to get insecticide into the nest itself although this is rarely possible.
The cost for this treatment for an average sized property is in the range £45 – £100 depending on distance travelled and time of call out.
The most successful, but also most expensive method of curing an ant infestation is to drill holes into the cavity walls of the property and inject insecticidal dust into the cavity itself.
This forms an impenetrable barrier, which the ants cannot cross, and is 99.9% successful in removing ant infestations. Although the treatment is more expensive it lasts for several years depending on how dry the cavities are and has the benefit that once the holes are drilled it is a simple and relatively inexpensive matter to re-inject the cavities with insecticidal dust every few years.
Harrier Pest Prevention guarantees the treatment for an initial three years after which an inexpensive top up of the insecticide extends the guarantee for a further three years.
As a rough guide to cost of this treatment measure the external walls of your property, all around the house and multiply the number of metres by £8.
We will be pleased to carry out a survey and provide you with a fixed quotation for this work free of charge.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Chadwick
AuthorThat concludes this article entitled – How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Home Safely
How To Kill Wasp Nests
How To Kill Wasp Nests (Ken Chadwick)
How To kill Wasp Nests – Although 11 species of true wasp are found in Europe, only two, the Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) and the German Wasp (Vespula germanica) are important as pest species in the U.K. although in recent years the European Wasp (Dolichovespula media) has made inroads into Britain after arriving on the South Coast in the early 1980s.
All three species over-winter as queens. The Common Wasp usually hibernates in buildings and the German Wasp typically over-wintering under the bark of trees.
In spring the queens leave their hibernating quarters to seek nesting sites which could be in a hole in the ground, a hollow tree or artificial structures such as eaves, lofts and attics, garden sheds etc.
The queen starts to build her nest with a papery material that she makes by chewing small pieces of wood mixed with saliva; this is known as ‘wasp paper’.
She will raise the first few workers by her own efforts and those workers will then commence the enlargement of the nest and caring for the immature wasps to follow.
Nest construction starts in earnest in June and will reach its maximum in size in September when 5 – 30,000 workers may be present. These workers will forage for food up to 400 metres from the nest.
The size of wasp colonies will vary from year to year, the severity of the previous winter is probably the key factor in determining wasp numbers.
In summer as nest building continues apace the wasp is a gardener’s friend as it enjoys a high protein diet of aphids, grubs and larvae but as summer turns to autumn the wasp turns to feeding on fermenting fruits, in short – alcohol!
It is now as the days shorten that the wasp becomes troublesome and pest controllers across the country are deluged with call-outs.
In the late autumn the nest starts to produce the new queens to continue the cycle into the following year and when the time is ripe the young queens leave the nest and mate before hibernating. The rest of the colony dies and the nest is never used again.
Individuals react differently to being stung by wasps; some are hardly affected, others suffer considerable pain and swelling and a few become seriously allergic which in a very cases each year results in sudden death due to anaphylactic shock.
It is always advisable to let a professional deal with a wasps’ nest. An insecticide will be used to cover the entrance to the nest. Returning wasps will carry the insecticide into the heart of the nest and within a few hours all wasps will be dead.
It is inadvisable to allow a wasps’ nest to remain untreated as the resultant queens produced by the nest will invariably nest nearby in the following spring resulting in many more nests the following year. For this reason several nests are often clustered together in a locality.
Ken Chadwick B.A. (Hons) is a Pest Controller and author on pest control issues. For further information please visit http://www.waspgo.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Chadwick
That concludes this article entitled – How To Kill Wasp Nests
Bed Bugs On The Rampage
Bed Bugs On The Rampage (Ken Chadwick)
Bed Bugs On The Rampage - One of the most feared and misunderstood pests known to man is the bed bug (Cimex lectularius). How many of us 
have dozed off to sleep at night as children with the words of our parents in our ears ‘sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite’?
Bed bugs probably started to feed on man at about the time we moved into caves, the ‘bat bugs’ Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella primarily feed on bats and it is probable that bat feeding species of bug evolved to dine on human blood when our ancesters started dwelling in bat infested caves.
Until the advent of DDT in the early 20th century bed bugs were common non-paying guests in most poor quality housing.
The later part of the 20th century saw pest control companies dealing with very few bed bug infestations indeed, their presence being largely confined to cheap holiday camps and student accomodation etc.
Many people confuse dust mites, which are not visible to the naked eye, with bed bugs which certainly are.
Adult bedbugs are reddish-brown, about a quarter of an inch in size and decidely swollen after a feed of human blood.
They have an incomplete metamorphosis which means that the young are just smaller versions of the adult, they do not have a pupal stage like a flea or a fly.
Bed bugs typically feed on human blood every 7 – 10 days, coming out in the hours before dawn and sensing their prey by detecting the exhaled CO2 from respiration and when nearing in on their target, body heat.
In the absence of a convenient human to feed on they can lay dormant for periods of up to 18 months.
Signs of a bed bug infestation are spots of blood on bedding and on the underside of mattresses and some people can react badly to their bites.
The early 21st century has seen bed bug numbers explode across the globe, the cheap availability of global travel and economic migration have both been blamed for the resurgence.
What is certain is that thet are now making a major comeback not only in poor quality housing but high class hotels, schools and even hospitals.
One London borough reported a doubling of bed bug infestations every single year from 1995 – 2001.
A single night away in an infested hotel is all it takes, they hitch a ride in your suitcases or bags. Pest control companies are also now reporting instances of transport related bug infestations on tubes, trains and buses so a simple journey to work on an infested tube or train can be enough to spread the infestation to your home.
They are an expensive pest to eradictate as contrary to popular opinion they do not just live in beds. They infest any nook and cranny conveniently close to a sleeping human, beds, electrical sockets, televisions, bed-side telephones etc and eradication is both difficult and time consuming. They have even been found living under the toe-nails of infirm people and in the creases of flesh on grossly over-weight people.
They are not a pest that can be eradicated by an amateur and a professional will almost certainly be needed.
Ken Chadwick B.A. (Hons) is a Pest Controller and author on pest control issues. For further information please visit http://www.waspgo.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Chadwick
That concludes this article entitled – Bed Bugs On The Rampage
Get Rid Of Ants In Your House Permanently – Spring Special Offer
Get Rid Of Ants In Your House Permanently – Spring Special Offer
Get Rid Of Ants In Your House Permanently – spring is here and with it comes the annual scourge of ants which for many people can be nothing short of a nightmare.
In North West England the summers of 2007 & 2008 were very poor and the ants did not thrive, a respite for those who suffer ants in the house on an annual basis but already 2009 looks like it will be the summer of the ant as calls are being received already.
Those that suffer know that flying ants in the house can be a nightmare, almost impossible to cure as the nests are hidden in cavity walls and beneath floors, and the only way to destroy the nest is to kill the queen. This is all but impossible using powders and potions from hardware stores.
There are a variety of new techniques available to pest controllers now which are highly effective in dealing with ant infestations.
These range from using micro-encapsulated insecticides which stick to the worker ants’ bodies and are taken back into the nest and a special technique which effectively puts an impenetrable barrier around the house which the ants cannot cross.
This involved drilling tiny holes into the cavity walls from the outside of the property and blowing in an insecticidal powder under pressure which forms a barrier that the ants cannot cross.
This will effectively prevent the ants inside from foraging outside and dooms the colony.
We are able to give a three year guarantee which is then extendable indefinitely in periods of three years by topping up the powder.
There is no smell or odour and it is perfectly safe for children and pets and can be done whilst the property is occupied.
For a short period we are offering a 30% discount on our normal prices so for a limited period the costs would be as follows
Semi-detached house £175.00
*Detached house £225
*Terraced House £125
Prices apply throughout South Lancashire, Greater Manchester and North Cheshire, further afield work will require a supplement.
All with three year guarantee including unlimited *free call outs
On terraced & semi-detached we can only guarantee the treated walls, so if they are coming in through the untreated party wall there is little we can do unless your neighbours agree to treatment.
To have a chat with us or arrange a free site survey to establish if your premises are suitable call us now on Free phone 0800 019 8382 or 01257 230637
Manchester Pest Control The Rat Is Back
Manchester Pest Control The Rat Is Back
Manchester Pest Control The Rat Is Back – The rat population of Great Britain is currently at an all time high, fortnightly refuse collections, reduction in sewer rodent treatments and the popularity of the late night takeaway are all routinely blamed for this explosion in the rat population, but what do we really know about the mysterious nocturnal creatures that live in our sewers and induce almost universal fear and loathing in all who see them.
Rats are not native to Europe or North America but originate in Asia and almost certainly arrived in Europe as stowaways on trading ships, indeed the common name for Rattus rattus is the ship or black rat.
Brown Rat
In Asian folklore the rat is a prominent character, in Hindu mythology the elephant-headed god Ganesh is accompanied by a rat wherever he travels. An offering to Ganesh and his companion Vahana the rat is therefore an important part of Hindu worship.
To the Romans the sighting of a white rat was considered to be lucky but if you found that rats had chewed your belongings then you should postpone any business affairs that you were planning that day or they would surely fail.
Reviled in the west, the rat is revered in Chinese mythology, being part of the Chinese zodiac and respected for its quick wit and resourcefulness. The rat is considered good luck in China & Japan where it is credited with bringing the gift of rice to the world.
To the Polynesians rats were an easily bred and transportable source of food
In 1347 the Mongols laying siege to the Crimean city of Caffa began to succumb to a mysterious illness that killed swiftly and mercilessly. In order to weaken the city the Mongols catapulted the bodies of their own dead over the city walls and within days the inhabitants of Caffa also fell prey to the disease.
However, a group of Italian merchants were allowed to leave the city and return to Italy, and probably unknowingly took with them the Black Death, Yersinia pestis.
Black or Ship Rat
The ensuing plague raged throughout the continent reaching Britain in 1348 with up to 90% mortality in some areas and it reappeared in Europe in every generation for over four hundred years.
We now know of course that the rat was a carrier, or to be more precise the fleas that the rats carried on their bodies were the agents of plague transmission.
Indeed whilst being in no way established in fact, it is possible that the children’s story of the Pied Piper of Hamlyn is an allegory of the plague, it certainly indicates that the rat population was booming at the time.
Every cloud however has a silver lining and the survivors of the 14th century plagues found that they could now demand higher wages and better conditions as the shortage of workers in the wake of plague deaths created a seller’s market for labour. The rise of the Yeoman Farmer and the British class system could be argued to be attributed to the humble rat.
Into modern times and the Black Rat is now almost extinct in the British Isles, having been replaced from the 18th century onwards by the Brown or Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus) and it is this creature that now thrives in our sewers, on our streets and in our homes and it is when we encounter it there that it creates most revulsion.
A typical rat weighs around 200 – 300 grams or half to three quarters of a pound, and has a tail around the same length as its body, often making it appear bigger than it really is.
One of the primary functions of a rat’s tail is thermo-regulation; it uses its tail to dissipate body heat. When a rat’s temperature falls it restricts blood flow into its tail.
Rats are rodents, the word comes from the Latin ‘Rodere’ meaning ‘to gnaw or eat away’, aptly named as their teeth never stop growing and they gnaw on hard objects to keep them sharp, unfortunately this can often include electrical wiring and water pipes. A rat’s teeth can penetrate mild steel.
Often a rat will move into a loft or roof void looking for somewhere safe to give birth, being excellent climbers the interior of the cavity wall of the building is a common route, especially if there is an underground breach in the drainage system.
They are sexually mature at around 13 weeks and have a gestation period of about 20 –22 days giving birth typically to 7 – 10 young per litter.
They are naturally shy and nocturnal creatures said to suffer from ‘neophobia’ a fear of anything new in their environment.
Often the first signs that a house is infested will be the patter of tiny feet on the upstairs plasterboard ceilings, although with the modern trend for roof insulation an infestation can often go undetected for quite some time. In homes with floorboards gnawing will often be heard in the sub-floor area.
Their need to eat will often betray their presence, food stored in cupboards will be taken, cereal packets chewed, chocolate and crisps are favourites, although a rat often has a diet that we would find somewhat strange.
The rat has no ability to taste ‘bitter’ foods so it can quite happily munch away on a bar of soap for the fat content. Pest controllers use this as a safety feature and all rat poison is coated in a bitter substance that the rats can’t taste but which would make it totally unpalatable to a dog or a child.
Although the rat is no longer a plague carrier it does come with a number of unwelcome traits. It is a carrier of a number of diseases including Murine Typhus, Salmonella and Weil’s Disease, spread from rats’ urine, which unfortunately usually claims at least one life in Britain each year.
If you have a rat infestation then you have a legal duty to remedy it and in extreme circumstances forced entry to your property can be made against your will.
As a final sting in the tail, many household insurance policies specifically exclude damage by vermin so if a rat chews your wiring and the house burns down you may find yourself without insurance cover.
Hated, despised and unloved the humble rat continues to share and shape our environment in ways that we do not see or appreciate and despite our best effort the rat and man will always co-exist.
Related articles by Zemanta
- The Black Death in Europe (weuropeanhistory.suite101.com)
- Return of the Plague (time.com)
That concludes this article entitled – Manchester Pest Control The Rat Is Back
Manchester Pest Control – Getting Rid Of A Wasps’ Nest
Manchester Pest Control – Getting Rid Of A Wasps’ Nest
Manchester Pest Control – Getting Rid Of A Wasps’ Nest – Although 11 species of true wasp are found in Europe, only three, the Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) , and the German Wasp (Vespula germanica) are important as pest species in the U.K. although in recent years the European Wasp (Dolichovespula media) has made inroads into Britain after arriving on the South Coast in the early 1980s.
All three species over-winter as queens. The Common Wasp usually hibernates in buildings and the German Wasp typically over-wintering under the bark of trees.
In spring the queens leave their hibernating quarters to seek nesting sites which could be in a hole in the ground, a hollow tree or artificial structures such as eaves, lofts and attics, garden sheds etc.
The queen starts to build her nest with a papery material that she makes by chewing small pieces of wood mixed with saliva; this is known as ‘wasp paper’.
She will raise the first few workers by her own efforts and those workers will then commence the enlargement of the nest and caring for the immature wasps to follow.
Nest construction starts in earnest in June and will reach its maximum in size in September when 5 – 30,000 workers may be present. These workers will forage for food up to 400 metres from the nest.
The size of wasp colonies will vary from year to year, the severity of the previous winter is probably the key factor in determining wasp numbers.
In summer as nest building continues apace the wasp is a gardener’s friend as it enjoys a high protein diet of aphids, grubs and larvae but as summer turns to autumn the wasp turns to feeding on fermenting fruits, in short – alcohol!
It is now as the days shorten that the wasp becomes troublesome and pest controllers across the country are deluged with call-outs.
In the late autumn the nest starts to produce the new queens to continue the cycle into the following year and when the time is ripe the young queens leave the nest and mate before hibernating. The rest of the colony dies and the nest is never used again.
Individuals react differently to being stung by wasps; some are hardly affected, others suffer considerable pain and swelling and a few become seriously allergic which in a very cases each year results in sudden death due to anaphylactic shock.
It is always advisable to let a professional deal with a wasps’ nest. An insecticide will be used to cover the entrance to the nest. Returning wasps will carry the insecticide into the heart of the nest and within a few hours all wasps will be dead.
It is inadvisable to allow a wasps’ nest to remain untreated as the resultant queens produced by the nest will invariably nest nearby in the following spring resulting in many more nests the following year. For this reason several nests are often clustered together in a locality.
Ken Chadwick B.A. (Hons) is a Pest Controller and author on pest control issues. For further information please visit http://www.waspgo.co.uk
That concludes this article entitled – Manchester Pest Control – Getting Rid Of A Wasps’ Nest
Decorate Your Home With Perfect Window Blinds
To own a beautiful house is dream of every single person. Your home is the only place on this planet where you feel relaxed, comfortable and contented. With a little extra effort you can make your home beautiful and elegant.
Windows play a significant role in enhancing the beauty of your house. Taking all the things in to consideration you should always choose the best blinds for your home. Faux blinds are the best thing in the market nowadays. Faux blinds give you the feeling that you are surrounded by nature. And if you are very choosy types and want good colors then buy oak, maple and cherry color blinds because they are very popular and in fashion too. In fact you also get the chance to paint them according to taste and suitability.
The best alternative for faux wood blinds could be wooden blinds. Although faux blind are made up of vinyl, but it is very difficult to differentiate between wood blind and faux blinds. They look exactly the same as wood blind. These blinds are available in different colors and are very cheap. Moreover they are water resistant so it really becomes easy and feasible to preserve them. Those who are staying in a humid area for them these are the perfect blinds.
And if you are looking for discount blinds then there are options available in the market. While shopping for discount blinds make sure that you buy high quality product. You will be satisfied for sure. Buying a high quality product assures you that you are investing your money in a right manner. Although discounted blinds have the capacity to stay long in harsh conditions but the life time warranty shows the confidence of the manufacturer in his product.
A lowest price blend is one name you can trust upon for the quality discount blinds, faux blinds and wooden blinds. As we want our customer to feel confident and pleased while purchasing our product that’s we offer products which may suit your pocket as well as your taste. In the industry of window blinds we are one who make the fastest shipping and gives guarantee of the product too.
Trendy Nursery Decorators Are Going Buggy Over Cute New Prints
Most of us have heard the old nursery rhyme that begins “Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home,” but these days many expectant parents are choosing to bring some of these charming little creatures back to their own homes instead. Ladybug baby bedding has become more and more popular in recent years, since it brings so much cheer and color to baby’s room. It can be found in both lightweight cotton and super-soft brushed flannel, so that it will suit the climate in any region.
Patterns featuring ladybugs are a perfect option for those who wish to create a cozy and informal space filled with storybook-type illustrations. Decorators find them a pleasure to work with, because the red “pops” and is an easy color in which to find all the necessary baby accessories that must be coordinated with the bed linens and window treatments.
Some parents, on the other hand, decide to do their ladybug decorating using a slightly different, but just as appealing, approach. They buy curtain tie backs and valances and an assortment of throw pillows in a ladybug textile to use as accents. Then they go to an internet search engine and check some of the numerous baby outfitting sites on the web to complete the decor with well made, low priced sets of solid color red baby bedding.
While searching on the Net can be a bit daunting at times because of all the links that result from any entry, here it is simplified by the fact that the search has been narrowed down to a single color. And looking for pre-packaged sets is almost certain to turn up a choice of easily affordable products while saving both time and effort.
Above all, however, regardless of the colors and fabrics chosen, certain factors must be taken into consideration when purchasing crib bedding. Past tragedies have demonstrated the necessity for selecting only bedsheets which are properly sized to fit mattresses snugly, to avoid the danger of their slipping off and becoming wrapped around a little one’s face or neck. It is also equally important that any overly puffy crib accessories be avoided due to the possibility of smothering.
Checking all bedding labels to ensure that none of the materials contained can be harmful to baby’s respiratory system is of great importance as well. All of these safety concerns highlight yet another reason for buying linens in sets, since those are generally more likely to have been manufactured according to the most current safety standards. Then, once the excited parents-to-be have exercised their caution as well as their creativity, both parents and baby can relax and enjoy their delightful new space.
Never forget to take into consideration some facts, irrespective of the colors and the fabrics opted by you, in the choice of crib bedding. Experience has shown that the only safe sheets are ones that are the right size and will therefore stay put throughout the night. Keeping into mind the safety consideration of the little baby, it is significant to avoid any of the overly puffy crib accessories so as to be a cause of suffocation for the little baby.
Your online search can be somewhat overwhelming as you follow the links that appear because of your inquiry, but if you focus on one color, the selection narrows. Selecting coordinated ensembles is also a way of cutting the cost as well as the labor.
Those parents who have an aspiration to have the decoration of their baby in a comfortable and informal style with story-book type images printed on the bedding of the baby, would naturally opt for the perfect choice available to them in the form of patterns featuring ladybugs. The human eye immediately is attracted to anything red. The color red comes in so many shades, and so many colors can be coordinated with red, that decorators have fun creatively accessorizing the nursery’s bedding and window decor.
Fenella McPherson is a writer for Baby Bedding Zone, an online retailer of baby bedding, including a wide selection of ladybug baby bedding and red baby bedding.
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