Dave's Pest Control

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  • Common Myths About Bed Bugs

    It’s estimated that 20 percent of American families have either dealt with bed bugs or know someone whose house was infested. Bed bugs are an insidious pest because their numbers will multiply quickly and it is very difficult to eradicate the infestation without the assistance of a professional bed bug exterminator.

    There is a lot of misinformation about bed bugs, and some of it can be potentially dangerous. Here are a few of the most common myths associated with bed bugs.

    Bed Bugs Only Live in Beds

    The name bed bugs is very misleading because a bed bug will live anywhere that is warm and dark. This does include your mattress, particularly in-between your mattress and box spring and under the seams of your mattress. However, they will also live in several other areas of your bedroom and home, including:

    • Closet or dresser
    • Clothes hamper
    • Linen closet
    • Upholstered couches and chairs
    • Curtains
    • Rugs
    • Luggage or handbags

    Basically, bed bugs will thrive almost everywhere inside your home. If you suspect you have bed bugs, don’t hesitate to look beyond your mattress. Bed bugs can also live outside the home in cars, boats, and other vehicles; we can exterminate bed bugs in these areas as well.

    Bed Bugs Carry Dangerous Diseases

    Another common misconception about bed bugs is they are dangerous because they carry several potentially life-threatening illnesses. Fortunately, bed bugs do not carry any diseases that are transmissible to humans, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t a nuisance.

    Many people suffer an allergic reaction after being bitten by a bed bug. They will exhibit of number of symptoms, including raised bumps, a slight burning and itching. These signs typically manifest a few days after the bite occurred.

    For many others who are bitten by bed bugs, there will be no noticeable symptoms or marks. This fact can make it difficult to determine if there is a bed bug infestation; if no one suffers an allergic reaction to the bite, you might not even realize you have a bed bug infestation.

    Bed Bugs Will Only Come Out at Night

    If you’re waiting up every night with flashlight in hand waiting for bed bugs to emerge, you are missing out a good night’s sleep. Another myth associated with bed bugs is the idea that they only come out at night. Bed bugs do prefer to feed when it is quiet and dark, but that doesn’t mean they won’t bite you while you’re enjoying a mid-afternoon nap.

    Bed Bugs Can Be Eradicated With a Store-Bought Pesticide

    Finally, one of the most pervasive and dangerous misconceptions about bed bugs is the idea you can eradicate the infestation if you thoroughly clean your home or purchase a pesticide from your local home improvement store. Bed bugs are notoriously resistant to most store-bought pesticides, so if you utilize these products to get rid of your infestation, you could wind up wasting your money and needlessly exposing your family to harmful chemicals. Unfortunately, Do-It-Yourself bed bug removal methods will not eliminate your bed bug problem; you need bed bug removal specialists At Dave’s Pest Control, we use a thorough multi-step treatment process to kill bed bugs, including exterminating hatched adult bed bugs, sterilizing eggs with insect growth regulators as the eggs are difficult to penetrate with chemicals, and again exterminating the sterilized offspring when they hatch We are incredibly thorough and careful with our treatment to get rid of any bed bug infestation or issue.

    Instead, if you notice the presence of bed bugs in your home, your first call should be to a trained bed bug exterminator. Your exterminator will have tools and equipment available to eliminate the bed bugs. Depending on the extent of your infestation, extermination could involve the use of one or multiple treatments.

    One treatment your exterminator might recommend is heat. Bed bugs cannot withstand temperatures that exceed 122 degrees Fahrenheit, and when they are exposed to that level of heat, they will die instantly. Your exterminator might also recommend supplementing the heat therapy with powerful insecticides that can only be handled by a professional. At Dave’s Pest Control, we use chemical application methods as we find that heat treatments can scatter bed bugs into other areas, including adjacent rooms and neighbors’ apartments.

    Bed bugs are a serious problem throughout Florida and across the United States. If you suspect your home is infested with bed bugs, don’t hesitate to contact the professionals at Dave’s Pest Control LLC. Florida is our home and we’re the best exterminator for eliminating bed bugs in southern and central Florida.

  • 3 Types of Ants That Can Damage Your Yard

    Ants are annoying inside of your home, and even when they’re outdoors, ants can damage your yard. Field ants, farming ants, and army ants can all damage your grass if the situation is left untreated.

    Field Ants

    Field ants are not a specific species of ant. Rather, the term field ants refers to various species of ants that like to live in lawns and fields.

    What They Look Like
    Field ants can vary a lot in appearance since they encompass a variety of different species. Field ants are usually about a fourth of an inch long, and they vary in color, from red to black to brown. Field ants are the type of ants most people think of when they picture ants.

    How They Damage Your Yard
    Field ants live inside of mounds. These mounds often start underground but then push up the soil to create visible mounds in your yard. These mounds are large, spanning up to two feet.
    Field ants’ mounds damage the grass. They destroy the grass’s root structures, causing brown spots to develop in the greenery. Ant mounds can also make the surface of your grass uneven and tougher to mow.

    How to Treat Field Ants
    Field ants can live for years, so it is important to get them out of your yard. Applying insecticide directly to their mounds is the most effective means to kill field ants. If you are uncomfortable doing this on your own, our ant control experts at Dave’s Pest Control would be happy to help. You can contact our pest control team here.

    Farming Ants

    Farming ants are another broad category that includes numerous ant species. Farming ants are capable of secreting hormones that attract other insects, which the farming ants use as a food source.
    Aphids are one of the primary insects that farming ants attract. Aphids produce honeydew, which has sugar in it, and aphids are detrimental to the health of your yard.

    What They Look Like
    Similar in appearance to field ants, farming ants are small and can vary in color from red to brown to black.

    How They Damage Your Yard
    Farming ants’ relationship with aphids is the aspect of farming ants that cause the most harm to your yard. Aphids feed on plants and thrive on new growth, so they can eat up and destroy your yard. Aphids can also destroy nearby vegetation and transmit viruses. While farming ants may not be directly harmful to your yard, they attract company (aphids) that are. This is why it’s important to practice ant control to remove the farming ants from your property before they have a chance to bring harmful aphids to your yard.

    How to Treat Farming Ants
    Applying insecticide directly to farming ants’ homes is one way to kill them. Another way to kill farming ants is by getting rid of their food source, aphids. Horticultural oil and insecticidal soap kill aphids, and dish soap mixed with water can remove aphids from plants as well.

    Army Ants

    Army ants are the most destructive ants to have in your yard. Army ants are a very aggressive species that are most commonly found in the Southern United States.

    What They Look Like
    Army ants are surprisingly small and can be dark-brown and gold in color. While army ants can be small, they can grow to be much larger and have stingers and hooks.

    How They Damage Your Yard
    Army ants generally move around, so they don’t damage your yard via mounds in the same way field ants do. Army ants move together in large groups and kill all of the foliage in an area. A group of army ants can eat and destroy entire sections of your yard, killing the grass.

    Army ants’ power comes in numbers, with colonies including thousands of ants. Army ants attack insects and plants by swarming them in large groups.

    Army ants also bite things that get in their way, and their bites are often painful and itchy. If your yard is infested with army ants, you may have a hard time enjoying it until they are dealt with.

    How to Treat Army Ants
    Dust pesticides, traps, and liquid insecticides are three different ways to treat army ants. You can also ask a pest control professional to get rid of the army ants in your yard so you don’t have to put yourself in harm’s way.

    If you are spotting a lot of ants in your yard, contact the pest control experts at Dave’s Pest Control. Our ant control experts can identify, get rid of the ants in your yard, and prevent them from getting into your home.

    Have ants in your home?

    If you reside anywhere in central or south Florida and have ants in your home, feel free to call us. We have been providing pest control in Port Orange, Lakeland, Orlando, Sanford, Davie, Boynton Beach, Pompano Beach and other areas of Florida.

  • Fumigation Is a Safe and Effective Way to Exterminate Termites in Your Home

    No one in Eastern Florida is better at exterminating termites and effectively preventing them from returning than Dave’s Pest Control. We’ve learned a lot about exterminating termites since our founding in 1980.
    Termites do a lot of damage to an infested home. Regular inspections for these and other pests remains an important part of home ownership. When found early, a pest control company can eradicate them more easily. If you have a bad infestation that’s difficult to control otherwise, you may need to have your home fumigated.

    Here are some things to know about this pest control method.

    Fumigation Kills Bugs With Poisonous Gas

    Pest control companies utilize fumigation because of the effectiveness of the gas. It seeps into tiny cracks, flows between walls and permeates your entire home. The fumigation team first covers your home with a tarp to hold the gas in place for several hours. This ensures bugs have no place to hide and escape the deadly fumes, like bed bugs that are hard to exterminate.

    The gas is harmful to all living things, so you’ll need to stay out of the house until the process is complete. While the gas itself is poisonous, it doesn’t leave any dangerous residue behind, so the treatment is safe as long as it’s applied by a skilled professional.

    Preparation Begins Days in Advance

    The fumigation tent stays on your home for a few days, so you need another place to stay during that time because you cannot enter your home once the fumigation begins. Pack clothing and supplies for your family so you’ll have everything you need to stay with a friend or in a hotel. You must also remove all pets from the home, which includes fish, birds and small mammals such as gerbils.
    Take house plants outdoors and place them several feet away from the house. Nothing living should remain indoors except the termites.

    Your pest control company will instruct you on all necessary preparatory steps for your home, and you may be given bags to seal things in for protection.

    This includes putting food in boxes and bags. Some things you’ll want to ask about are dishes, linens, food and children’s mattresses. You may need to take some items with you and double bag others. Since residue isn’t a concern, there isn’t worry about contamination of your home after all the gas dissipates.

    You’ll also need to open everything in your home so the gas has easy access to your cabinets, drawers, and every room in your home.

    In addition, some prep work may be needed outdoors if you have landscaping plants close to your home. The plants need to be trimmed back from the foundation for their well-being and to allow the exterminators room to work.

    Airing Your Home Clears the Poison

    Once the treatment stage ends, the fumigators air out your home to get rid of lingering gas. This process lasts several hours, and the exterminator takes samples of the air in your home to determine when it is clear and safe for you to return. Ask for details about cleaning your home so you won’t worry about using your furniture and cooking supplies.

    Since no residue from the fumigation should be left clinging to the surfaces in your home, the only cleanup that’s generally necessary is what makes you feel comfortable, such as washing dishes and linens. The gas that’s used to kill the termites is mixed with tear gas when it is applied so people are alerted to its presence. You don’t have to be concerned about odorless gas being present that you are unaware of. Remember, your fumigator makes sure your home is completely safe before you’re allowed to go back inside.

    Once the gas is gone, all the bugs in your home, including the termites, should be dead. The gas may even soak into the soil around your foundation to eradicate termites under the ground too. Since there is no residual effect, you’ll want to work with your exterminator to prevent the termites from coming back.

    Fumigation is an important job, but it still disrupts your usual routine and probably causes you concern, so you want to work with experts who put your mind is at ease. If you have a termite problem, don’t let the bugs destroy your home. Call Dave’s Pest Control for a safe and effective solution that puts an end to your termite infestation fast.

     

  • Five Benefits of Hiring a Pest Control Company

    Five Benefits of Hiring a Pest Control Company

    Have you ever attempted to resolve a pest problem at your home, but the insects will not go away? Hiring a pest control company to take care of the annoying insects can eliminate that headache for you, all while offering other benefits as well. Here are five reasons that you should give a pest control company a call:

    Less Pesticides

    When you attempt to resolve a pest problem yourself, you are much more likely to use more pesticide and other toxins than a professional would use. You can eliminate unnecessary toxins by contacting the professionals.

    Eliminate the Source

    Professionals know where to look to find the source of the infestation. Instead of just killing the insects that are visible, the source can be eliminated.

    Save Money

    The amount of money spent on a professional exterminator is typically less than what a DIY exterminator spends attempting to resolve the infestation themselves.

    Healthier House

    Insects and improper pesticide use can cause residents of your house to become ill. Using a pest control company can help keep your house healthier.

    Worry Free

    By regularly using a pest control company, you can live peacefully knowing that your house is free of unwanted insects.

    You may not think a pest control company is necessary, but it is well worth it! Contact Dave’s Pest Control LLC. for more information regarding keeping your house free of pests.