With these current restraints regarding social distancing and stay at home orders to reduce the spread of the Covid-19 Virus, one silver lining that has emerged is family members reconnecting with one another.

Spending more time with family, especially outdoors in the yard during warmer weather, may increase the risk of mosquito bites. The question trending on social media is “Can mosquitoes transmit the coronavirus?” According to World Health Organization, mosquitoes cannot transmit coronavirus. “To date there has been no information nor evidence to suggest that the new coronavirus could be transmitted by mosquitoes. The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus which spreads primarily through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose,” World Health Organization.

However, mosquitoes are known vectors capable of transmitting parasites and viruses that cause West Nile, Zika, chikungunya, malaria, yellow fever, and dengue fever. “Vector-borne diseases,” says the World Health Organization, “account for more than 17 percent of all infectious diseases.”

Did you know female mosquitoes can lay up to 300 eggs at a time? Female mosquitoes need protein to lay their eggs and get it by feeding on warm-blooded creatures. If a mosquito bites an infected animal or a person, then bites you, it can pass the disease into your blood through its saliva.

Did you know mosquitoes can breed in a container as small as a bottle cap?

Here is a list of preventive measures to mitigate the spread of mosquito-borne diseases by eliminating breeding areas and mosquitoes’ bites.

• Keep grass mowed
• Clean and drain all clogged gutters
• Remove any old tires that allow water to collect
• Remove all water puddles around the foundation of home
• Replace or repair any torn window screens to prevent access
• Ensure water leaking from air cooling systems does not puddle
• Remove and drain all still water in fountains, ponds, and swimming pools
• Remove all standing water from flowerpots, small jars, pet dishes, and bird baths

• Apply mosquito spray that contains DEET
• Limit daytime outside activity at dusk and dawn
• Wear light long-sleeve clothing and pants (no exposed skin)

Read more about Mosquito Bite Prevention

About Southern Pest Control & Sovereign Pest Control
Southern Pest Control & Sovereign Pest Control offer a full line of pest control, termite, exterminating, and mosquito management services for residential homeowners. A dedicated dispatch, GPS, and routing system, along with on the hour appointments, enables SPC to cater to their customers’ schedules. All field personnel are state registered or certified. SPC services over 40,000 residential homeowners. Contact Southern Pest Control at (800) 627-0577 to schedule an inspection. For a list of complete services and locations please visit www.southernpestcontrol.com. Southern Pest Control can also be found on social media websites: facebook.com/southernpestcontrol

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• Zika was first discovered in 1947.
• Zika, doesn’t infect the same mosquitoes as West Nile virus (the Culex species spreads West Nile).
• Aedes aegypti mosquito transmits Zika. The Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes spread Zika, Yellow Fever, Dengue and Chikungunya viruses.
• Mosquitoes will lay eggs, often waiting for a few drops of water so they can hatch (some mosquito eggs can withstand drying for up to a year). Eggs are often found along riverbanks. Mosquitoes can develop from egg to adult in 10 to 14 days.
• Mosquitoes are not always seen since they don’t typically fly out in front of you.
• Mosquitoes are sneaky preferring to bite in the daytime while lurking close to the ground, where they are more difficult to spot (they will also feed at night). Be sure to protect and cover your legs and feet.
• Mosquitoes will breed in water collected in old tires, ditches that don’t drain, flowerpots, small jars, pet dishes, bird baths, clogged gutters and even containers as small as a bottle cap. Homeowners should empty any and all containers with standing water. Your yard could be the breeding ground.
• Mosquitoes don’t travel very far. Given the chance, they’ll even reside in the cleanest homes, preferring to hide in utility rooms, and will bite everything in sight.
• Mosquitoes spread diseases such as West Nile Virus, malaria and dengue fever.

Read more about Mosquito Bite Prevention (PDF)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, currently, there is no vaccine or medicine for the Zika Virus (CDC Website: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/index.html).

The post Zika Virus appeared first on Southern Pest Control.

ROACHES
The largest cockroaches found in homes, the American cockroach, is not native to North America. The American cockroach most likely was transported to North America via ships from Africa in the 1600s. Being nocturnal, cockroaches spend the daylight hours in dark secluded areas. They venture out at night in search of food and water.

• Cockroaches need daily consumption of water
• Females can hatch up to 150 offspring per year
• Cockroaches don’t get their wings until they become adults
• Cockroaches are mainly nocturnal and run away when exposed to light
• Cockroaches will eat just about anything, including plants and other insects
• Sightings of the cockroach are most commonly reported in the evening hours
• Cockroaches can cause allergies and trigger asthma attacks, especially in children
• The average lifespan of an adult cockroach is about 1 year depending on the species
• Most species of cockroach are about the size of a thumbnail, but several species are bigger
• Cockroaches prefer warm environments close to food and water, therefore they are commonly found in kitchens and bathrooms
• Cockroaches prefer close spaces, fitting into small cracks and crevices, thereby evading humans and eradication efforts

ANTS
Trouble distinguishing an ant from a termite? This can be difficult because termites and ants do look very similar, especially during the spring when female termites seek a mate before losing their wings and finding grounds for a new nest. When wings are present, the front wings will be longer than the back wings on ants. Only reproductive ants, queens, and males, have wings. Queens shed their wings after the nuptial flight.

Ants are social insects that typically live in underground colonies, made up of workers and a queen. Most queen ants live for many years and breed millions of baby ants. The queen, the female workers, and males make up the ant colony. The queen and the males have wings, while the workers don’t have wings.

Ant colonies also have soldier ants that protect the queen, defend the colony, gather or kill food, and attack enemy colonies in search for food and nesting space. If they defeat another ant colony, they take away eggs of the defeated ant colony. When the eggs hatch, the new ants become the slave ants for the colony. Some jobs of the colony include taking care of the eggs and newborns, gathering food for the colony and building the anthills or mounds.

• An ant has three distinct body regions: head, thorax and abdomen, as well as antennae
• An ant’s head contains many sensory organs
• Two antennae (“feelers”) are attached to the head; these organs detect chemicals, air currents, and vibrations
• The queen is the only ant that can lay eggs
• Once the queen grows to adulthood, she spends the rest of her life laying eggs
• Depending on the species, a colony may have one queen or many queens
• Queen ants may live for up to 30 years, while ant workers live from 1 to 3 years
• Ants are active during warm/hot weather, but hibernate during cooler/cold weather

Ant invasions usually start with a few lone ants striking out to find a food source for the rest of the colony. Scout ants mark a scent path to the food and then return to the colony. The scent trail leads other worker ants straight to the food source. Ants will eat practically any kind of food, but are especially attracted to sweets.

MOSQUITOES
Best known as a summer pest, female mosquitoes can lay up to 300 eggs at a time. Mosquitoes can develop from egg to adult in 10 to 14 days. Once reaching adulthood, the mosquito may live 5-6 months.

A mosquito uses heat sensors on its antennae and around its mouthparts to locate capillaries near the skin’s surface. The mosquito has a proboscis, a long pointed mouthpart, uses it to pierce the skin and to tap the capillary then drink up to three times its weight in blood.

• Mosquitoes are attracted to your body warmth and odor
• Carbon dioxide is considered to be the greatest attractant to mosquitoes
• When the female mosquito sense carbon dioxide (your breath), she will fly back and forth in a zigzag pattern, until she finds the source
• Female mosquitoes need protein to lay their eggs and get it by feeding on warm-blooded creatures. If a mosquito bites an infected animal or a person, then bites you, it can pass the disease to your blood through its saliva
• Mosquitoes breed in soft, moist soil or stagnant water sources such as storm drains, old tires, clogged gutters and birdbaths
• Mosquitoes are busiest at night and will fly up to 14 miles for a blood meal
• Mosquitoes spread diseases such as West Nile Virus, malaria and dengue fever
• People with Type O blood attracted more mosquitoes than any other blood type
• Almost all mosquito-bite illnesses have similar symptoms: Fever, Body aches, Rash & Headache
• Ideally, you want to avoid being bitten by wearing long sleeves and long pants or other protective measures

The post Usual Suspects – The Top Three Insects and Bugs Expected To Be a Pest In 2019 appeared first on Southern Pest Control.

Since hot air incubates viruses faster in mosquitoes, there is an increased risk catching West Nile (most commonly transmitted by mosquitoes that have bitten infected birds) or the Zika Virus during warmer weather. The warmer it gets, the more efficiently they transmit the virus. In addition, warmer temperatures increase their appetite for blood meals.

Did You Know?

• Some female mosquitoes will lay their eggs in the fall, lying dormant and eventually freezing. The frozen larvae keep until the weather warms up then they hatch.
• Only female mosquitoes bite. The female needs the protein in blood to help her eggs develop.
• For the majority of mosquitoes, their activity peaks during the dusk hours.

Tips: Control Mosquito Populations on Your Property

• Make sure you drain or get rid of any standing water.
• Keep grass and vegetation cut/trim to reduce places to hide.
• Have a pest control expert treat your property.

For more info regarding Mosquito Elimination Services click here.

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Mosquitoes are more than just a nuisance. Prepare now by taking measures to ensure the mosquito population is kept in check.

• Keep grass mowed
• Prevent breeding grounds by removing debris from ditches, and gutters
• Inspect window screens and doors are in good repair and fit or close tightly
• Empty out any standing water, ensuring all water reservoirs are removed, as these can include tires, unused flower pots, kids toys and non-circulating water in bird baths

Mosquito Prevention

• Dress in light long-sleeve clothing
• Limit daytime outside activity at dusk and dawn
• Apply mosquito spray that contains DEET

Fight back against mosquitoes with help from Southern & Sovereign Pest Control. Our mosquito control options are designed to reduce mosquito populations around your property so you can enjoy your outdoor living space. If you’re planning a large gathering in your backyard, mosquito service can make for a much more comfortable, and safe, event.

• Weddings
• Family Reunions
• Team Building Events
• Graduations
• Other Outdoor Parties Or Events

Mosquito reduction will directly address the mosquitoes hiding on your property, and eliminate eggs, so they don’t hatch into a mass of new mosquitoes on the day you plan to have family and friends congregating in your yard.

Let us help you host a pest-free outdoor event. Call today and ask about our monthly special for April 2018 (4 mosquito treatments for $200).

Southern Pest Control does not believe in multi-hour appointment windows. All appointments are scheduled on the hour. We respect our customers’ time and want to make it easy and convenient to schedule service.

The post Are You Prepared for Mosquito Season? appeared first on Southern Pest Control.

Best known as a summer pest, female mosquitoes can lay up to 300 eggs at a time. Mosquitoes can develop from egg to adult in 10 to 14 days. Once reaching adulthood, the mosquito may live 5-6 months.

A mosquito uses heat sensors on its antennae and around its mouth parts to locate capillaries near the skin’s surface. The mosquito then uses its proboscis, a long pointed mouth part, to pierce the skin and to tap the capillary then drink up to three times its weight in blood.

• Mosquitoes are attracted to your body warmth and odor.
• Carbon dioxide is considered to be the greatest attractant to mosquitoes.
• When the female mosquito sense carbon dioxide (your breath), she will fly back and forth in a zigzag pattern, until she finds the source.
• Female mosquitoes need protein to lay their eggs and get it by feeding on warm-blooded creatures. If a mosquito bites an infected animal or a person, then bites you, it can pass the disease to your blood through its saliva.
• Mosquitoes breed in soft, moist soil or stagnant water sources such as storm drains, old tires, clogged gutters and birdbaths.
• Mosquitoes are busiest at night and will fly up to 14 miles for a blood meal.
• Mosquitoes spread diseases such as West Nile Virus, malaria and dengue fever.
• People with Type O blood attracted more mosquitoes than any other blood type.
• Almost all mosquito-bite illnesses have similar symptoms: Fever, Body aches, Rash & Headache.
• Ideally, you want to avoid being bitten by wearing long sleeves and long pants or other protective measures.

The post #3 Top Five Pest Concerns for 2018 appeared first on Southern Pest Control.

Mosquitoes
If history is any indication, there will be several concerns regarding the increase in population of mosquitoes following Hurricane Harvey. Hurricanes bring rain and localized flooding and leave behind large areas of standing water (clog gutters and storm drains), the perfect breeding environment for mosquitoes to lay their eggs (only needing a tablespoon of water to breed). These breeding areas spawn a new generation of blood sucking irritating biters, thus increasing the exposure of arboviruses, such as Dengue, Zika, and West Nile.

Tips to avoid mosquito bites and reduce mosquito activity following a storm:

• Empty any containers that hold water
• Use an EPA-approved insect repellent when working outside
• Wear long sleeved shirts and long pants when working outside, keep as much of your skin covered as possible
• Clean clogged gutters and drains as soon as possible, eliminate as much standing water as possible to prevent mosquitoes from hatching

Pests can be relocated as a result of flooding.

Rodents
Rodents are excellent swimmers. Flooding forces rats and mice to vacate their hiding places (sewers) and hunt for dry shelter. Mice and Rats are experts at survival and will squeeze or chew their way into wherever they can find dry secluded areas.

Fire Ants
Texas residents dealing with flooding now need to worry about running into piles of stinging insects. Residents of the Houston area affected by Hurricane Harvey may have noticed an unusual red raft in the floodwaters. Colonies of fire ants will join together to form a floating raft. Some of these rafts may have more than 100,000 stinging ants. Whenever a major storm brings flooding, these ant rafts appear to escape floodwaters. Theses venomous insects quickly link together, with the queen and larvae at the center of the raft. The ants mesh themselves together tightly enough to trap air in the middle, with the ants on the bottom knitted so tightly that water can’t get through. Fire ants can survive in these structures for weeks or even longer, though they’re constantly seeking new dry land to colonize as they float.

While an isolated sting is painful, it’s usually only serious for people with an allergy. But a whole colony can pack a punch.

Flies
Decay, rotting perishable food items, garbage, dead animals, backed up sewage and bad odors will attract large amounts of blow and fruit flies seeking to deposit their eggs on the filth and waste.

The post Hurricane Aftermath Brings Unwanted Pests appeared first on Southern Pest Control.

Thus far 2017 has been warmer than usual. Warm weather wakes hibernating pests from their winter hiding spots. Due to pests and insect species being able to survive the warm winter weather, they may appear earlier and more abundantly. When you mix the warmer weather with the amount of rain, expect to see more pest in the next few weeks, especially snakes, spiders and mosquitoes.

There are some things you can do to reduce the presence and the negative impacts of pests. One of the best control plans is to get an early start on control. If you wait until summer, you might lose the battle and have a heavy infestation.

• Check for debris around your house.
• Remove any firewood stored near the home.
• Remove leaf piles (perfect places for snakes to hide) and keep yard well landscaped.
• Cracks by doors and walls should be covered, and wooden boxes should be checked closely.
• You can disrupt the breeding of mosquitoes by eliminating areas of standing water (anything from flower pots, clogged gutters, birdbaths and old tires).
• To prevent ants, earwigs and other invasive pests from entering your home this spring, make sure your house is properly sealed, with window screens in good condition and weather stripping around the doors.

The post Warmer Weather Pushes Pests from a Winter’s Rest appeared first on Southern Pest Control.

• Zika was first discovered in 1947.
• Zika, doesn’t infect the same mosquitoes as West Nile virus (the Culex species spreads West Nile).
• Aedes aegypti mosquito transmits Zika. The Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes spread Zika, Yellow Fever, Dengue and Chikungunya viruses.
• Aedes mosquitoes are not always seen since they don’t typically fly out in front of you.
• Aedes mosquitoes are sneaky preferring to bite in the daytime while lurking close to the ground, where they are more difficult to spot (they will also feed at night). Be sure to protect and cover your legs and feet.
• Aedes mosquitoes will breed in water collected in old tires, ditches that don’t drain, flowerpots, small jars, pet dishes, bird baths, clogged gutters and even containers as small as a bottle cap. Homeowners should empty any and all containers with standing water. Your yard could be the breeding ground.
• Aedes aegypti mosquitoes don’t travel very far. Given the chance, they’ll even reside in the cleanest homes, preferring to hide in utility rooms, and will bite everything in sight.
• Mosquitoes will lay eggs, often waiting for a few drops of water so they can hatch (some mosquito eggs can withstand drying for up to a year). Eggs are often found along riverbanks.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, currently, there is no vaccine or medicine for the Zika Virus (CDC Website: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/index.html).

Read more about Mosquito Bite Prevention (PDF)

The post Zika Virus – Did You Know? appeared first on Southern Pest Control.

• The Zika Virus has become a growing concern, especially with pregnant women. Those infected may give birth to babies with microcephaly, a disorder that leads to babies born with abnormally small heads and severe brain damage.
• The New England Journal of Medicine, shows a staggering jump in the risk rate if a mother is infected with Zika in the first trimester.
• Symptoms of the virus include muscle aches, a rash and pink eye or conjunctivitis.
• Pregnant women should reach out to their doctors for more information, as not everyone knows if they’ve contracted the virus.
• In adults the Zika Virus has been linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome, a neurological auto-immune disease that can cause paralysis and death.
• Beware, the mosquito that carries Zika doesn’t travel very far during its lifetime. The species that carries Zika tend to live right around homes.
• Prevent or avoid mosquito breeding. Health officials ask residents to remove or dump anything that holds standing water, including bird baths, old tires, gutters, potted plants and children’s toys.
• Use EPA-registered insect repellent containing DEET.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants to protect from mosquito bites.

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