STOP STINK BUGS

STINK BUGS ARE COMING INSIDE 

TO ESCAPE THE COLD

Get ready this weekend... the temperatures are supposed to drop to around 40° and it's going to trigger STINK BUGS to look for a place to overwinter...that could be your home. They find their way inside around windows, loose screens, ridge vents, ...they find cracks and crevices you had no idea your house had!  They also love unused chimneys so use your fireplace...but make sure you check the wood before you bring it inside...there are probably STINK BUGS living in your woodpile.  If you can...seal up your windows with caulk...a good idea anyway for winter. Cover your window air-conditioner. There are light traps you can put in the attic but don't do that yet. Be wary of all these goofy STINK BUG TRAPS you have been hearing about. Many of the ATTRACT STINK BUGS to your home with pheromones. I'm a believer in getting the pros to do it... check out Royal Pest Management.

How to Attract Butterflies

Would you like to see BUTTERFLIES in your yard without planting a BUTTERFLY BUSH...try WATERMELON. According to Royal Pest Entomologist John Moore, if you put a chunk of watermelon on a stick, and put several sticks in a row so the watermelon is up in the air, the color attracts them and they can easily feed on the water in the melon. Butterflies feed through a small pipe, like a straw, which is coiled under their head most of the time. That straw is what an adult butterfly uses to suck up all of the nectar from plants. The straw is called a ‘proboscis’. This is the reason that all butterflies generally stick to an all-liquid diet. Put out some watermelon and watch how it attracts butterflies...make sure you have your camera ready!

Purple things hanging from Pennsylvania trees are bug-fighters

By: Lynne Adkins, KYW Newsradio 1060

Strange purple boxes are springing up in trees along roadways in southeastern Pennsylvania. They're deep purple in color and look like box kites.

But it's not a joke or part of a creative installation.

Jean Kummer, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, says they're called "purple panel traps," and they're part of a survey to determine how widespread the infestation of emerald ash borers is in certain areas.

"They just attract them. The color and the oils that they put on attract the emerald ash borer, and that way we can determine if they're in that specific area," she explains.

The borers are killing ash trees across the commonwealth. The hardwood is used to make, among other things, baseball bats, and is important to the state's lumber industry.

Kummer says the purple panels will stay up through August, and then officials will decide where the problem is and what action is needed to stop the pests.

(I just grabbed this story...I was wondering what these boxes were)

Bed Bug Travel Tips

GET A BED BUG PROTECTION TRAVEL KIT at
http://www.royalpest.com

Here are several tips to help travelers remain bed bug-free:

• Pull back hotel bed sheets, inspect the mattress seams, box spring, around and behind the headboard, sofas and chairs for telltale brownish or reddish spots, shed skins or bugs.
• Avoid putting luggage on the bed or upholstered furniture.
• If changing rooms, be sure the new room is not adjacent to the possibly infested room.
• Use a large plastic bag to store luggage.
• Upon returning home, inspect and vacuum suitcases thoroughly before bringing them into the house.
• Wash and dry clothes on hot – whether worn or not or have them dry cleaned.
• Consumers suspecting an infestation should contact a licensed pest professional.

Royal Pest's Royal Engagement Gift

In celebration of The Royal Wedding,
Royal Pest Management, USA,
sent a Royal flyswatter to the happy Royal couple.
In this engagement photo released by the Royal Family,
we offer our representation of what we suspect may be
an outtake photo that WOULD have been released
if Kate had her say in the Royal matter.

There are many signs of rats and mice living in your home: a greasy “runway” along a wall they travel, gnawings, footprints… but one of the best ways to identify if you have rodents and what kind are inside is by their droppings.

Fresh droppings of rat and mice feces are usually moist, soft, shiny and dark, but in a few days they become dry and hard. Old droppings are dull and grayish and crumble when touched.

The Roof Rat's droppings are up to 1/2 inch long, spindle shaped and curved.

Norway Rat droppings which are about the same length but blunt.

Mouse feces are about 1/8 inch long, and are pointed on both ends.

BED BUGS ARE BAD IN PHILADELPHIA

We have been seeing a resurgence of BED BUGS all over the country and especially on the east coast. New York City is so infested that there are Government Task Forces working on the problem. Recently, Philadelphia was named the #2 most-infested city. Bed bugs are bad in your home but in cities like Philly, three of the worst places where they can fester, and spread are:

Bed Bugs are Bad for HOSPITALITY Business.

• Although they don’t spread disease, they do cause embarrassment about the “stigma” associated with an infestation. These places need routine inspections and regular treatments
  

Bed Bugs THRIVE at UNIVERSITIES

• With all the clutter and in and out of guests, dorms are a perfect home for Bed Bugs. Let Royal show you our plan for University housing that includes education of the students as well as treatments, regular inspections and prevention.

Bed Bugs can overtake an APARTMENT complex

• With so many common walls and tenants always changing you may never know WHO brought the bed bugs into the complex. Once they are there it only takes ONE person to not take care of them and everyone is stuck with them.

Call a Pest Professional and let them handle this problem. Bed bugs are very tough to eliminate, and with a thorough inspection a Certified Pest Professional will determine if direct treatment, heat or fumigation will be the most effective method to end your nightmare.
photos at top courtesy of Bayer