Are subway rats really the size of house cats? Are there American cockroaches or “waterbugs” as big as your hand? Fortunately, neither is true. But a 2012 study offers insight as to why those beliefs exist. First, some background. Whenever I give a presentation about structural pests, I like to bring some specimens along for…Continue Reading Have No Fear: Pests Are Smaller than They Appear
Tis the Zzzzzzzzzz Season
After a long winter, warm weather is a welcome change. But no season is perfect. The air is abuzz with the zzzzzzzzzzz’ing of mosquitoes, a small insect that more than makes up for its size in its capacity to annoy. But mere annoyance is not the extent of the problem with mosquitoes. Itching and swelling…Continue Reading Tis the Zzzzzzzzzz Season
Why Is This Grass Weak?
Let me count the ways. First, a little perspective – this is the front lawn of a school that was just renovated. There was little money to invest in the lawn and even less to help the struggling lawn. Problem #1: Compaction This area was the staging area for the equipment and material storage during…Continue Reading Why Is This Grass Weak?
Identifying Your Pest – with Poop?
Whether you are dealing with a pest problem, having car trouble, or trying to figure out who stole the cookie from the cookie jar, your job starts with an investigation — the information-gathering step where you search for clues. In pest management, inspection is the first and most important step toward addressing an issue, helping…Continue Reading Identifying Your Pest – with Poop?
Athletic-Field Disaster — It’s All About Prevention
We’ve all heard it: “Lack of planning on your part doesn’t constitute an emergency on my part.” But — but — sometimes it creates an incredible mess. Two basic steps in Integrated Pest Management — planning and communication —avoid a number of problems. Recently an upstate NY school rented its space to an outside agency…Continue Reading Athletic-Field Disaster — It’s All About Prevention
Mice in Your School? Who’s Job Is It, Anyway?
School kitchens, cafeterias, and food storage areas provide great habitat for mice. And it takes real dedication and attention to detail to deep-clean those hard to reach places. But here’s why you’ve got to: Mouse droppings, urine, and even the greasy sebum trail — grease marks from protective oils on rodent fur —aren’t just health…Continue Reading Mice in Your School? Who’s Job Is It, Anyway?
Don’t bee fooled
April can fool you all month long. Even if your pest-prevention responsibilities lie mostly indoors where frost and rain rarely intrude — a school, an office building, a museum, your home — April has some tricks up her sleeve. Those perimeter pests, for example: wasps, bees, ants, termites. For many species of wasps and bees,…Continue Reading Don’t bee fooled