We have been living in our current house for exactly one year this spring. This past June my children found an injured scorpion in our upstairs playroom (not sure if it got injured when my 5-yr-old son threw his bean bag chair on top of it – or if it was already injured and too slow to get out of the way before the massive bag landed on it). It was very disconcerting but wishfully hoped it was a singular occurrence (maybe it hitched a ride in a fed-ex box?).
I sent the little guy to NC State to find out the species. It was an adult male Centruroides Hentzi. Happily we did not see another till July and then some more in October and then again in November. Not sure if we are bringing these in (we were outside in the dark for a few hours enjoying the chilly weather by our pool.) I have called all exterminators in Wilmington and they have no experience with scorpions. Crazy thing is we found out our next door neighbors have seen a couple of dozen in their house over the last couple of years too. I do not know if we have the same problem!!! I am trying to contact the previous owners to find out – but I’m not sure if they’ll be honest with us. Any advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much. Sincerely, TK
If you read through our SCORPION CONTROL article, you’ll learn striped scorpions are common in the south and can be found from the southeast all the way to California. You’ll also learn scorpions like to live around homes where they can find shelter and food. Shelter for them is mulch or pine islands. They love living under rocks, pine straw and wood chips. And they’re mostly nocturnal so you wouldn’t expect to see them during the day. So just because you aren’t seeing a lot, it’s quite possible they’re active when you and the family are fast asleep.
For now, I suggest you start doing some pest control around the home. Start with the outside. Get a good application of DELTAMETHRIN GRANULES applied around the home and spray down the turf and exterior of the house after the granules have been applied. This should really help especially since spring is about to hit and the local insect population will be getting active. Once the granules are in place, spray over the top with CYKICK CS. This combination will take care of any living in these areas and with any luck, this is all you’ll need to do throughout the year.
Next, set out some SCORPION TRAPS inside the home. Set them out in living areas where you suspect scorpions might be active. Scorpion traps will really help identify key locations where they might be living or nesting if they’ve been successful moving into the home. It’s too early to tell if this has happened and I’m thinking you probably don’t have a major problem inside yet. The key word here is “yet”. I say this because if you don’t start treating soon, it will most certainly get worse.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
DeltaGard: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/granule/delta-guard-20-lb
Cykick CS: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/pt-cykick-cs-16-oz
Scorpion Traps: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/pheromone-and-food/scorpion-insect-lizard-15-pk
Hey, I live in east Alabama. Coyotes or fox are out of control. They are eating all my chickens. We have a 5 foot fence but they must be jumping it somehow. There is one section which looks like someone has been sitting on it and we think they’re jumping over that part. How do I trap them? What traps do you recommend? Thanks, Tim
If you go to our FOX or COYOTE articles, you’ll see complete write ups on how to trap both animals. And the traps recommended for both are the same. The challenge for trapping either species is being able to figure out which bait will work. In most cases this can be tough but when they’re already targeting a live animal and one that you have access to, the challenge will be a lot easier.
In our articles for fox and coyote, you’ll read about a large live trap with a sliding back door that can be fitted with a BAIT CAGE. This is the trap you’ll need. It’s known as a LT152248RD. Place the trap just outside the chicken pen and use one of your live chickens as bait inside the bait cage. No fox or coyote will be able to ignore this offering and you should be able to catch either within the first night of them coming around.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Bait Cage: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/cage/live-bait-cage
LT152248RD: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/cage/live-trap-15-x-22-x-48-rear-door
Coyote: http://www.bugspray.com/coyote.html
Fox: http://www.bugspray.com/article/fox.html
We have a place in Ontario Canada on a Lake. The home is set on a point with a bay to the north and the open lake to the south. The bay is fed by what once was a nice stream which according to a 1930’s survey was about 10 feet wide. The beavers dammed the stream in the 1940’s and every since then, the beaver problem has been never ending.
At one point we built a small bridge over the stream. The beavers then built a dam about 100 feet long just before the bridge and started to flood a larger area. Sometime in the 1960’s we replaced the bridge with a 3 foot culvert and the beavers dammed the culvert and flooded about 100 acres. Next we tore out the bridge and dumped tons of gravel to build the road up and filled in the culvert which basically built the beavers a nice dam. At this point I want to kill these beaver and make sure they never come back. I canoe out to their huts and try to dismantle them to spook them but this does no good. There are now four huts that I can see and a fifth is being built right now.
There are probably more huts that we have not seen from the road but we’re ready to take them on. My folks want to rip out the culvert and take the road down to the stream level now and they think the beaver will not be able to dam up such a huge area but they already did it once before so I don’t think this will work. I think the only solution is to trap and/or kill these things and wipe out the entire population on this property. Can you help us? I look forward to your response.
No doubt there is a long history of beaver related problems on your property. That means it will take a lot of work to trap them out and even after they’re gone, my guess is you’ll have a constant flow of new animals coming around based on the lay of the land, the scent left there from previous beaver, etc. But I do believe you can tackle this problem or at least reduce the population to something more manageable and in the process, gain back control of your land.
For now, I suggest you read through our BEAVER CONTROL article which goes over the most common traps used for beaver. After reading it through, make some decisions about which trapping method you’re comfortable attempting. Next, give us a call and we’ll spend some time answering questions and outlining a game plan that should tackle the problem. As long as you understand it will most likely take a couple of months to get the area cleared out, I’m sure we’ll be able to set you up with what you’ll need.
Here’s a link to the article:
Beaver Article: http://www.bugspray.com/articles99/beaver.html
I have been fighting moles and voles for some time now and I have not had very effective results. I have tried the baiting, smoking them out, traps of all types and yet I seem to have a knack at growing the population. They are concentrated around our bird feeder so I believe it is the seed they are after. However I carefully bait the holes, cover them so as not to disturb the ground any more than needed.
Enclosed is a picture of current damage in the area. What would you suggest short of getting rid of the bird feeder? If you look at the records of what I have purchased over the last 3 years to get rid of these unwanted guests, I have been serious at it. I have at times abated their numbers. However, I think feral cats may have helped more as well as a fox or two, and a number of snakes. I have moved the feeder to a location so the lawn in front of the holly plants can become lawn again but, it has been a slow process. So what would you suggest? Thanks.
What the pictures show is most likely VOLES. I had these under my bird feeder too and not surprisingly, I had local cats and coyotes harvesting the voles too! I also started attracting CHIPMUNKS which present a whole new array of potential issues. Here’s what I did to alleviate the problem.
I first installed what I refer to as a “catch tray”. This is a small pie pan thats wider than my feeder and hung from the bottom. Basically it catches the seed which feeding birds miss or push aside. I use a wild bird seed mix and every species of bird seems to like some but not all of the seeds available. That means there is a lot of waste being pushed to the ground and based on the pics you sent, it would appear the same thing is happening to you.
Once I installed the catch tray, I found most of the seed started getting caught. Cardinals and other birds learned to use the tray so this turned out to be an efficient way to handle the messy seeds and prevent unwanted varmints from coming around.
But I also knew it wouldn’t take care of the active voles and chipmunks still around. For them I went with the TUNNEL TRAPS listed in our article. They’re ideal for this application but a little tricky. For most people, getting 5-6 MOUSE TRAPS with the expanded trigger will prove easier to use. Don’t use the ones with the regular metal trigger – only the expanded trigger will work for voles. If you bait them with PECAN PASTE and then drop seed over them, you’ll be making a set no vole can refuse.
Now I know you’re probably thinking this will be a hazard to the birds and you’re right. So to prevent birds from being caught, all you have to do is place a garbage pail lid or box over the traps. Remember, this is not a permanent situation so eventually all these items will be removed. But for the time being, the traps and cover will be needed. And using the lid will really help here because voles don’t like light. By covering their holes you’ll get them to surface and feed almost immediately too so you should get ahold of the problem right away. Start checking the traps once a day, like every morning, and you’ll soon catch them all.
Once you don’t catch any for 7 days, you can proceed with sealing their tunnels because at that point you will have gotten them all. Before you do, pour at least 1 pint of RED FOX URINE down the tunnels and then dress them out with top soil making sure all the voids, dens and tunnels are filled. The urine won’t bother the birds but will definitely deter moles, rats, mice, voles, chipmunks and most any small animal from coming around. And with the catch pan catching most any seed that falls, there should be little to no chance of re-infestation.
Tunnel Traps: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/snap-snare-and-tunnel/mole-tunnel-trap-4-pk
Mouse Traps: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/snap-snare-and-tunnel/mouse-trap-expanded-trigger
Pecan Paste: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/lure/pecan-paste
Red Fox Urine: http://www.bugspraycart.com/repellents/liquid/red-fox-urine
Voles: http://www.bugspray.com/article/voles.html
Chipmunks: http://www.bugspray.com/articles98/chipmunks.html
We have a horse and a few cows. Our farm is in north Georgia and we’re having a mild winter. What would you recommend for controlling the Nats? We have 25 acres and they are the worst I have ever seen them in over 30 years.
When you combine the mild winter temps we’ve had this winter with lots of rain and moisture, the local nat population will explode at times. If you read through our NAT CONTROL article, you’ll learn there are usually some key locations where this pest will be nesting and really, you need to target these locations. I’m sure if you went through carefully and look, you’ll find there is only 1-2 acres of prime nat nest sites and these are what you should target.
So for treatments, I recommend fogging for nats because it’s fast, effective and very cost efficient. Based on the size of the area, you should get the BACK PACK FOGGER and some BIFEN. I use this combination to treat about 3/4 of an acre and it handles all my pest problems. We live on the Hootch and there are lots of mosquitoes, gnats and other biting pests. The Bifen will control all these pests and so many more. Plus it’s odorless, easy to mix and inexpensive.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Back Pack Mister: http://www.bugspraycart.com/equipment/foggers/solo-mistblower-backpack
Bifen IT: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/bifen
There is at least one mole in my front yard. I see the tunnels in one section and I’m afraid he’s killing all my grass. Every day there are more and more tunnels and it’s confusing where to start. I tried stomping them down but they just keep coming back. What’s the best thing for moles in the lawn?
Start by reading through our MOLE CONTROL ARTICLE. In the article we go over various methods of controlling moles but in the end, you’ll need to choose whether to use a Mole Trap or Mole Bait. Clearly the MOLE BAIT is the easier method but in many cases it’s not accepted right away which leads to an ongoing problem. Especially when they’re feeding on something like grubs which are very active right now.
So if you want to use a bait, go with the TALPIRID over the pellets. It’s a sure bet when it comes to using a bait. As for traps; the TUNNEL TRAPS are discreet yet highly effective and efficient to deploy.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Mole Bait: http://www.bugspraycart.com/bait/animal/mole-bait-rco
Talpirid: http://www.bugspraycart.com/bait/animal/talpirid-mole-bait
Tunnel Traps: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/snap-snare-and-tunnel/mole-tunnel-trap-4-pk
Mole Control: http://www.bugspray.com/articles98/moles.html
I’m looking for some kind of non toxic organic bugspray for my vegetable garden. I grow an organic garden with vegetables and some herbs and can’t use anything toxic. But I get aphids and sometimes whiteflies. Do you have anything I can spray or do I have to just keep pulling them off my plants by hand?
We get asked for non toxic bugspray all the time and really, it’s kind of a oxymoronic request. That sentence might sound rude but if you think about it, how can something be non toxic and yet be strong enough to kill something? What I think most people are asking for when they request something non toxic is a spray that can safely be used for some kind of pest yet not adversely affect the applicator, their plants, their family, their pets or their environment. So to answer your question using this as the guideline for what you believe to be non toxic; yes, we have some non toxic bugspray that will be safe enough to use on your organic garden.
In fact there is a whole group of products that are now approved for organic gardening. In general these products will target pests like aphids, spider mites, white flies, thrips, caterpillars and other garden pests yet not make the fruit or vegetable uneatable. The reason these products are safe enough for such applications is that in general, they don’t last long. In other words, if you apply them in the morning, by the next day most if not all of the active will be gone from the plants where it was sprayed.
And the ability of a spray to quickly breakdown and dissipate is fundamental for it to be labeled as organic. By quickly metabolizing, these products won’t pose a hazard to the people applying them, the plants they’re applied to or the harvest being grown that will someday be consumed. But keep in mind this ability comes with a price. In this case what we find is that products which break down quickly don’t protect the plants a long time so the treated plants are more likely to get re-infested faster compared to when a traditional pesticide is used. But that’s okay; it only means you’ll need to treat more frequently and if that’s what it takes for something to be safe enough for use on plants we grow for food, so be it.
So what do we have that’s approved for organic gardening and works on aphids and white flies? We’ve got a few products. The best is probably the MULTIPURPOSE INSECT KILLER. Another good choice is 3 IN ONE SPRAY. The Multipurpose controls most any common garden pest so it’s versatile and pretty much the only spray you’ll need. The 3 In 1 adds a fungicide, miticide and spreader sticker to the formulation so you’ll be able to take care of even more potential problems gardens typically fall victim to during the course of any growing season.
Here are direct links to the products listed above:
Organic Insect Killer: http://www.bugspraycart.com/organic/liquid/multi-purpose-insect-killer-24-oz
3 in 1 Spray: http://www.bugspraycart.com/organic/liquid/3-in-1-fungicide-miticide-insecticide
And for future reference, refer to our Non Toxic Pest Control site. This site features nothing but products that are either approved for organic gardening or federally exempt under section 25b of FIFRA. Products exempt use low impact actives like food extracts. plant oils and other essential elements.
Non Toxic Pest Control: http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/
How much does a repellent or granules or whatever cost to put on my yard to keep the dogs away so they won’t go to the bathroom on my yard?
It sounds like you need ROPEL DOG REPELLENT applied to the spots where the dogs are urinating. Ropel can also be applied along property borders so stray dogs won’t wander onto your land.
We also suggest setting out one or two YARD GARD ULTRASOUND DEVICES. These emit a sound dogs do not like and will stay clear of the area in which the sound can be heard. You can set the devices to turn on by motion and when running them by battery, they can be discreetly placed in the yard around plants and bushes.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Ropel: http://www.bugspraycart.com/repellents/granules/ropel-granules-2-lb
Yard Guard: http://www.bugspraycart.com/repellents/sound/usd-acbatt-yard-gard-49
Dog Article: http://www.bugspray.com/articles98/dogs.html
Is it possible that there are more than one snake lurking about in my home? I started noticing something was weird when my two cats started tiptoeing around and acting so scared of something. They get real low to the floor and approach things totally terrified. They are 3 years old and just started doing this about a year ago. Then shortly after that I noticed I started smelling a very strong sweet smell, like corn. In another room I smell a strong musky like smell sometimes. Also I keep hearing some weird snorting sounds and so I am wondering what it is I am facing here?
Then I found a 4 foot long snake skin in my basement. My husband and father in law say it is just a rat snake. But I found a snake skin in the same place the year before that. It was a bit smaller but the same snake shed it I bet. Anyway I read that cottonmouths and rattlesnakes often den with rat snakes. I don’t know what to do but I am considering taking my cats and moving if I don’t find some alternative. Please any suggestions would be great!!!!!!!
If you review our SNAKE CONTROL article, you’ll learn about the various snake control options we have. Based on your story, it would appear that at least one snake has found your home to be a good place to spend some time. And it sounds like he’s coming back time and time again. Finding snake skins of various lengths over time with the skins becoming longer and longer is a good sign the same snake is using the structure. So even though you’ve found multiple length skins, its most likely from the same snake.
Now is there any reason to move? Not yet. For now, I recommend setting out a SNAKE LIVE TRAP where you found the skin. These traps don’t have to use bait to catch snakes. Just locate it along a wall where you think there might be activity. This will effectively force the snake to go around the trap and in doing so, enter through a door. Snakes are naturally curious and this entrance design tends to lure snakes naturally so it’s a great way to have something working for you that doesn’t require constant maintenance or management of any kind. And since you have cats, the live trap with no bait is the best option. This way there is no reason for the cats to mess with it.
A few other things worth mentioning. First, do you have a crawl space under the home? These are great hiding spots for snakes – especially rat snakes – during winter and summer. If you do, make a set down there with either a live trap or a SNAKE GUARD glue trap. Crawl spaces will commonly house snakes throughout the year and having a trap installed can help defeat a potential problem before it has a chance to escalate.
And second, have you had a mouse or rat problem? Snakes will naturally be attracted to homes with rodent activity and if you’ve had squirrels, rats, mice, chipmunks or any small animal, having a snake snooping around would very much be expected. So if you’ve had a small animal problem, it will need to be addressed too.
In summary, if you have had a small animal problem, make sure it’s corrected. This alone will many times force the snake to forage elsewhere. But if the home is rodent free but still has snake activity, the use of live traps is ideal because it can capture just one or several snakes with one set making it very efficient.
Lastly, once you know the home has been cleaned out of snakes, treat the outside foundation every 3-45 days with some SNAKE AWAY or SNAKE OUT snake repellent. Both will keep snakes away but don’t use it till the current problem is better evaluated and the snakes are gone.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Snake Trap: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/cage/snake-trap-med-18-x-12-x-8
Snake Guard: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/glue/snake-guard-trap
Snake Away: http://www.bugspraycart.com/repellents/granules/snake-away
Snake Out: http://www.bugspraycart.com/exempt/granule/snake-out
Snake Article: http://www.bugspray.com/snakes.html
We have a serious problem with long eared brown bats in a house in Belgium. They are coming in to create a maternity nest into the loft space of a large old house. This loft has recently been converted into an apartment and the bats are making it unlivable. What can we do?
This should be an easy fix. If you review our BAT CONTROL article, you’ll see we have a section that discusses various devices that emit a sound bats don’t like. When installed, you can direct the sound at the area they’re using and this will make the area uncomfortable for them. In most cases, they’ll leave within a day of the unit being installed.
The unit best suited for small areas and small bat colonies is the TRANSONIC. This unit has multiple settings and when using them for bats, it’s entirely possible people living in the structure may hear the setting best used for bats. This is okay and no cause for alarm.
First, the sound is not harmful so there is no need to worry about pro longed exposure if anyone can hear it. And if the area involved where the unit is installed is enclosed, the sound may not be audible in the living space anyway.
But more importantly, you only need to keep the Transonic running to scare the bats away. In most cases having a light switch for the outlet used that powers the Transonic or simply plugging and unplugging the power cord when needed will make it’s use efficient and effective because again, this should not be viewed as a permanent solution.
What would be more permanent fix would be to install some BAT SCREENING on the outside of the home once the bats left. When properly installed, small sections of screening can be stapled to the structure over the entrance/exit holes thus excluding the bats for good. So the Transonic need only be deployed to chase the bats away and once gone, the screening installed as the permanent fix.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Ultra Sound Repeller: http://www.bugspraycart.com/repellents/sound/usd-transonic-tx-pro
Bat Screening: http://www.bugspraycart.com/equipment/netting/screening-48-x-12
Transonic: http://www.bugspraycart.com/repellents/sound/usd-transonic-tx-pro
My husband just found a 6 foot long snake skin in our attic!! Does this mean we’re infested? I haven’t seen or heard anything up there but he went to put away some boxes and there it was. He also said there are dropping up there like mouse poo. What do we need to do?
Start by reviewing our SNAKE article which will help educate you on what might be happening. As you’ll learn, snakes will commonly forage into homes for the winter hibernation but they’ll also be attracted to food like rats or mice. If you had or have mice active up in the attic, there is a good chance some kind of predator like a snake would be curious and come inside. Snakes have a strong sense of smell and will track rodents and other prey food so if you have mice or rats around or in your home, it’s only a matter of time before snakes came around looking for a meal.
At this point I recommend setting out at least one SNAKE LIVE TRAP and/or SNAKE GUARD GLUE TRAP. Either can catch snakes well and help provide more information about the extent of the problem, where it’s most active, etc. Be sure to bait either with SNAKE LURE.
You should also clean up any mouse droppings and snake skins. Once the area is clean and the traps are deployed, go back up at least once a week to inspect the areas and see if anything new happens. Look for any new activity and take further action if necessary. For now it’s too early to panic but based on what you found, I’d be prepared to deal with both Snakes and Mice in the coming months as winter turns to spring.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Snake Trap: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/cage/snake-trap-med-18-x-12-x-8
Snake Guard: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/glue/snake-guard-trap
Snake Lure: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/lure/snake-lure-4-oz
Snake Article: http://www.bugspray.com/snakes.html
I’ve got what looks like mealy bugs on my cactus plants. I had a similar problem a few years ago on my jade plant and before I knew what was going on, it died. Can you help me treat my cacti without killing it?
Mealy bugs can be active year round if you keep potted plants. They will target most any plant and no doubt cactus and jade plants are high on their list of preferred food. Anything succulent is a sure target for mealy bugs and since mealy bugs can transmit all kinds of disease, even a small infestation can turn deadly.
I suggest you treat with some 3IN 1 CONCENTRATE. This is an organic product, approved for organic gardening, and includes a spreader sticker mixed with the concentrate. This is critical when treating mealy bugs because they’re naturally protected with a white, waxy coating. This coating makes it particularly difficult for most standard insecticides to penetrate for a good kill.
What makes 3 In 1 Spray work well is that it has what’s called “spreader sticker” built already built in. These are “agents” which work by enabling the active ingredient to better spread and “cover” the target area. In this case the cacti limbs and trunk as well as the mealy bugs themselves are all important to spray so don’t miss any when treating.
Now if you have a large area to treat, you will find BIFEN to be more economical to use. You’ll need to add some SPREADER STICKER to the tank mix to insure proper coverage because Bifen does not include this additive. But compared to 3 In 1, the Bifen mix will last 4 weeks or more making it economically advantageous. And it has no odor at all which is nice.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
3 in 1 Spray: http://www.bugspraycart.com/organic/liquid/3-in-1-fungicide-miticide-insecticide
Bifen IT: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/bifen
Spreader Sticker: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/additive/spreader-sticker
Help ! I have read your information on thrip control. They showed up on my pink roses here in Ohio last summer and absolutely nothing killed them that I could buy locally. They ruined every pink rose I had last summer. I finally cut all the blooms off (just about killed me!!) to get rid of them….but alas of course they returned. I had these bugs when I lived in S Carolina, but never experienced them here in Ohio…until summer of 2011. The only thing I found that killed some of them was yellow sticky fly/bug strips….which just looked lovely next to my bushes.. :( I hate using dangerous and expensive methods on my roses…..but I know they will show up with the first blooms of summer this year. I am printing out your info….but can you offer anymore. I live in NE Ohio. We are having a very mild…warmer than usual winter. Thank you for any more information.
I’m not sure what else I can offer information wise. In our article we list the organic thrip repellent PEST RID that you should start spraying now. And if you get thrips, use either the organic MULTIPURPOSE INSECT KILLER or the strongest product listed called BIFEN. The Pest Rid won’t kill them and it does have a slight odor but if you keep treatments fresh throughout the season, you can keep thrips away without having to use either of the thrip killers.
The organic Insect Killer will have an odor too but it’s approved for organic gardening and works good on thrips. Expect to use it every 1-2 weeks in season and more frequently if the thrips persist. The Bifen will last 2-4 weeks no problem, has no odor, and will definitely knock them out. I’ve dealt with thrips many times and prefer the Bifen because it handles so many pests, is so inexpensive to use since you only need 1/2 ounce per gallon of water when mixing and since it lasts so long. Plus it’s odorless so you don’t even know it’s there. But as the expression goes, you need to “choose your poison” because in the end, thrips are highly destructive if left to do as they please and will no doubt kill your roses if you don’t treat.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Pest Rid: http://www.bugspraycart.com/exempt/liquid/pest-rid-exempt-liquid-repellent
Organic Insect Killer: http://www.bugspraycart.com/organic/liquid/multi-purpose-insect-killer-24-oz
Bifen IT: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/bifen
Thrip Repellent: http://www.bugspray.com/article/thrips.html#thrip-repellent-for-plants
I recently moved to Virginia Beach and in the past week I have seen two very BIG roaches in my house. These big roaches are fast and at first I thought they were mice. I was finally able to smash one and that’s when I could tell it looks just like a roach but much bigger than the ones I know about. Does this mean that these things are living in my house somewhere? Just coming in from outside? I can’t deal with living in another house that has roaches so I’d really like to get some advice on how to treat.
Big roaches are almost always American Roaches. They thrive in sewer lines, crawl spaces, basements and adjacent to homes and other buildings. When populations get big enough, some will forage out into the living spaces and it sounds like this is what you have happening in your house. The good news is that american roaches don’t reproduce fast like GERMAN ROACHES. But they will readily nest in your cabinets and other living spaces if given the chance so you need to take of the problem by treating.
In our AMERICAN ROACH CONTROL ARTICLE, you will see we have a product called MAXFORCE GEL and ROACH TRAPS listed. In most cases these are the only two products you need to apply inside. Bait the area you see them active with the gel. American roaches love this stuff and will no doubt eat some and die. The Roach Traps can help monitor the problem by catching some and alerting you to where problems are still active.
Ideally you really need to figure out where they’re coming from. If you have a crawl space under the home, they could be living in there. If the house is a slab, they could be living in mulch alongside the home and from there migrating inside. With the mild winter we’re having, they’ll be extra active and moving around quite a bit. This means you should probably treat the exterior too focusing on mulch, pine straw, wood chips, gutters, shutters and any place else they might choose to nest. Spray the entire exterior with some CYPERMETHRIN and this will take care of anything outside that might come in. Do this every 1-2 months and you’ll effectively take care of most any pest control needs for the home including these big roaches.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Roach Gel: http://www.bugspraycart.com/bait/gel/maxforce-magnum-roach-gel-1-oz
Roach Traps: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/pheromone-and-food/roach-trap-6-pack
Cypermethrin: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/viper-cypermethrin
American Roaches: http://www.bugspray.com/american-roaches.html
Roach Control: http://www.germanroaches.com/roach-control
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