Monday, December 27, 2010

UF Rep-FPMA Member-Entomology Chief- About Bed Bugs

Important suggestions on controlling bed bugs.

Michael Page, Chief of the Bureau of Entomology for the FDACS, Fred Santana, entomologist with the Sarasota County Extension Agency, and Wayne Walker, senior pest control technician at the University of Florida Department of Housing and Residence Education recently made the following recommendations in this Miami Herald Tribune article:

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20101218/ARTICLE/12181005/2055/NEWS?p=1&tc=pg

You can verify your insect on our bed bug web page or check with your local extension agent.
For more information or to schedule an appointment for a bed bug inspection.
Reynolds Pest Management offers a variety of solutions to many pest control problems including Bed Bug control in Port Saint Lucie, Jensen Beach, Stuart, Palm City, Hobe Sound, Jupiter, Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, Palm Beach.

Reynolds Pest Management offers full service pest control for homes and business’. Reynolds Pest Management also offers insect, weed, and fertilization services to ensure a beautiful, bug free lawn all year round.

Our services include Residential and Commercial Interior Pest Services, Lawn and Ornamental Spraying and Fertilization, Rodent Control, and Termite Control. Tubes in the Walls Installation and Service.
 
Phone #’s:
Main: 772-334-7007
St. Lucie County: 772-337-2131, or 772-464-4707
Martin County: 772-283-8986, or 772-546-9999
Jupiter/Tequesta/Palm Beach: 561-746-7969
Indian River: 772-778-5507
Visit our Website:
http://www.reynoldspest.com
Email Us:
mailto:info@reynoldspest.com

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

State Urges Professional Treatment-Bed bugs

Bed Bugs Treatment-Control

TALLAHASSEE – Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson and State Surgeon General Dr. Anna Viamonte-Ros are urging consumers to choose a licensed pest control company to help control breakouts of bedbugs in homes. Efforts by homeowners to treat bedbug infestations rarely succeed, and using the wrong pesticide or using it incorrectly can make you, your family and your pets sick.
bed bugs, bed bug, bedbugs
Prior to the 1950s, bedbugs were common pests in the United States, but few people know much about them today due to the use of chlorinated pesticides like DDT and lindane, which successfully wiped them out in the past.
However, over the last decade, bed bugs have slowly made a comeback as many of the pesticides of the past can no longer be used. Staying at a hotel, going to the movies, riding in a taxi or spending time in other places where people congregate are now commonplace activities that can spread bedbugs.
Like many states, Florida has recently had an increase in the number of bedbug complaints with people traveling today more than ever, and controlling the pests has proven difficult with pesticides that are available today.
The treatment for bedbugs is a growing cause of concern. They come out at night and are hard to detect. Since they can often remain unnoticed while breeding an even larger population, it can frustrate those having to battle infestations.
Reports of pesticides and other chemicals being misused in the treatment of bedbugs have made headlines in many states across the nation,” Commissioner Bronson said. “Due to the difficulty in controlling this pest, the public may resort to the use of pesticides in ways that are not in compliance with their label directions and are frankly unsafe.”
As a result, he is urging consumers to choose a licensed pest control company to combat infestations in a home or business.
State Surgeon General Viamonte-Ros agrees:
“Application of pesticides or chemicals by untrained or unlicensed individuals is a primary concern of the Department of Health because misusing pesticides in a desperate attempt to control infestations can lead to harmful exposures in private homes, public housing, workplaces and institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes and schools.”
Avoiding bed bugs and finding them early are important in controlling these pests. The following are a few hints for consumers that are recommended by the University of Florida:
  • Choose a licensed pest control company which has experience, knowledge and knows how to manage bedbugs.
  • Effective control of the pests often takes more than one visit.
  • Proper fumigation by a pest control company can control bedbugs with a single treatment.
  • Consumers should know that bedbugs are not known to carry diseases.
  • Adult bedbugs are the size of an apple seed while immature ones are smaller. They can be found in the seams of bedding and sofas, behind headboards, picture frames, dressers, backpacks and many other places.
  • Signs of the pest include small brownish-red to purple spotting on infested materials.
  • Not all people react to bedbug bites so reacting to a bite is not always the best way to determine whether your home is infested by the pests.
  • De-clutter your home to decrease places where bedbugs can hide.
  • Use bedbug monitors and traps as an easy, relatively inexpensive way to find bedbug infestations that can help target treatments (http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/homemade-bed-barriers-climbup-interceptors.)
  • Inspect items before entering the home with them and take precautions against bringing home bed bugs after traveling.
  • Follow pesticide label guidelines for the use of any registered pesticide.
To view the press release, to the DACS website here:
http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/press/2010/11082010.html
You can verify your insect on our bed bug web page or check with your local extension agent.
For more information or to schedule an  appointment for a bed bug inspection.
Reynolds Pest Management offers a variety of solutions to many pest problems including Bed Bug control.
Reynolds Pest Management offers full service pest control for homes and business’. Reynolds Pest Management also offers insect, weed, and fertilization services to ensure a beautiful, bug free lawn all year round.
Our services include Residential and Commercial Interior Pest Services, Lawn and Ornamental Spraying and Fertilization, Rodent Control, and Termite Control. Tubes in the Walls Installation and Service.
Phone #’s:
Main: 772-334-7007
St. Lucie County: 772-337-2131, or 772-464-4707
Martin County: 772-283-8986, or 772-546-9999
Jupiter/Tequesta/Palm Beach: 561-746-7969
Indian River: 772-778-5507
Visit our Website:
http://www.reynoldspest.com
Email Us:
mailto:info@reynoldspest.com

Sunday, September 26, 2010

EPA Releases New Tips - Bed Bugs

Bed Bug Pest Control

Although they're called bed bugs, they don't just live in beds. Clutter, baseboards, carpeting, sofas and other furniture are all posh resorts to bed bugs, and at night they come out to dine on your blood, an all-you-can-eat buffet to them.

Bed Bug
If you ever wake up with itchy or bruised skin, you may have a bed bug problem without even knowing it.
Fortunately, a bedbug problem is entirely controllable under professional care. Using state-of the art equipment and techniques, our licensed exterminators will inspect your home's environment and construction to identify the problem and determine the best course of action.
We are committed to providing a quick, affordable, and most importantly, effective solution to your pest problem, and we take every measure to protect your and your family's safety throughout the process.
So whether you suspect you have a bedbug problem or just want to make sure you never get one, we have the expertise and training to get rid of your unwanted house guests, for good.
Female bed bugs can lay up to five eggs a day and 500 during a lifetime, so call today, before your small problem becomes a big one. For more information or to schedule a free consultation, for bed bug control please contact us at (772) 334-7007 or (561) 746-7969.

Here are the Top Ten Bed Bugs Tips from the EPA:


  • Make sure you really have bed bugs, not fleas or ticks or other insects.









  • You can verify your insect on our bed bug web page or check with your local extension agent.


  • Don’t panic.









  • Eliminating bed bugs is difficult, but it is not impossible. Don’t throw out all of your belongings; most of them can be treated and saved. Throwing out belongings is costly, may spread the infestation, and could be unnecessarily stressful.


  • Think through your treatment options -- Don’t immediately reach for the spray can.









  • Be comprehensive in your approach. Integrated pest management Exit EPA disclaimer techniques may reduce bed bug populations and limit pesticide exposure to you and your family. If pesticide treatment is needed, it is best to bring in a professional. There is help available to learn about integrated treatment options. (2 pp, 63k, About PDF) Exit EPA disclaimer


  • Reduce the number of hiding places -- Clean up the clutter.









  • A cluttered home provides more places for bed bugs to hide and makes locating and treating for them more difficult. If bed bugs are in your mattress, using a mattress/box spring encasements makes it more difficult them to get to you while you sleep. To be effective they must be left in place for a year. Be sure to buy a product that has been tested for bed bugs and is strong enough to last for the full year without tearing.


  • Frequently wash and heat-dry your bed linens.









  • Wash bed spreads, and clothing that touches the floor to reduce bed bug populations. Bed bugs and their eggs can hide in laundry containers/hampers so clean them when you do the laundry.


  • Do-it-yourself freezing is not usually reliable for bed bug control.









  • While freezing can effectively kill bed bugs, temperatures must remain extremely low for an extended period of time. Home freezers typically are not cold enough to kill bed bugs. Freezing temperatures outside may be used to kill bed bugs, but can take several days (at 0oF) to almost a week (at 20oF).


  • High temperatures can kill bed bugs.









  • Raising the indoor temperature with the thermostat or space heaters won’t do the job, though. Space heaters must always be used with care, as they have the potential to cause fires and serious burns. Specialized equipment and very high temperatures are required to successfully heat treat a structure. Black plastic bags in the sun might work to kill bed bugs in luggage or small items, provided the contents become hot enough (approximately 110oF for at least 3 hours).


  • Don’t pass your bed bugs on to others.









  • Bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers. If you throw out a piece of furniture that is harboring bed bugs, take steps to destroy the item so that no one else adopts it (along with the bugs!).


  • Reduce populations to reduce bites.









  • Thorough vacuuming reduces populations. Carefully vacuum rugs, floors, under beds, around bed legs, bed frames, and all cracks and crevices around the room. Thoroughly vacuum upholstered furniture. Change the bag after each use so the bed bugs can’t escape. Place the used bag in a tightly sealed plastic bag and in an outside garbage bin. will reduce the populations.


  • Turn to the professionals, if needed.









  • Hiring an experienced, responsible pest control professional can increase the likelihood and the speed of success in eliminating bed bugs from your home. If you hire an expert, ensure it is company with a reputable history and ask them to use an IPM approach. (53 pp, 42mb, About PDF) Contact your State pesticide Agency for guidance about hiring professional pest control companies.


    For more information, or to schedule a pest control service you may contact us at: 

    Reynolds Pest Management(772) 334-7007
    (561) 746-7969
    info@reynoldspest.com
    http://www.reynoldspest.com/
    Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H6ufm4dcJQ

    Monday, July 19, 2010

    How to - Pest Control - Tick Infestation-Florida





    This was a case where Reynolds Pest Management had an opportunity to use it's expertise in pest control for this infestation of Brown Dog Ticks in a Martin County Florida home. This tick problem had to be addressed on multiple occasions which is often the case at the homes we treat on The Treasure Coast, and in Palm Beach County, Florida.
    Most of the tick problems we encounter in Stuart, Jensen Beach, Port Saint Lucie, Jupiter, and Palm Beach are Brown Dog Ticks.

    Ticks
    Appearance:
    Ticks come in a variety of colors as regards specific species. Smaller than a sunflower seed (1/8 inch); yet if engorged with blood, adults can be up to 5/8-inch long.  Nymphal (or immature) ticks are less than 1/16-inch. Common problem ticks include the Brown Dog tick,  American Dog tick, deer or black legged tick and lone star tick.
    Habit:
    While some species require moisture to survive, others can and do in more arid environments. They habituate near wooded and highly vegetated areas.
    Diet:
    They consume blood meals during all of the four developmental stages in a tick's life cycle. All females and males of most species feed on blood of mammals, birds and reptiles.
    Reproduction:
    From egg and larvae, to nymph and adult; ticks have only six legs during their larval stage and eight legs during the nymphal and adult stages. A tick's life cycle will support and transfer pathogens (organisms that cause diseases) in the animals they infect and can be passed through all stages of a tick's life cycle.
    Reynolds Pest Management offers a variety of solutions to many pest problems including Tick control.
    Reynolds Pest Management offers full service pest control for homes and business'. Reynolds Pest Management also offers insect, weed, and fertilization services to ensure a beautiful, bug free lawn all year round.
    Our services include Residential and Commercial Interior Pest Control Services, Lawn and Ornamental Spraying and Fertilization, Rodent Control, and Termite Control. Tubes in the Wall Installation and Service.

    Phone #’s:
    Main: 772-334-7007
    St. Lucie County: 772-337-2131, or 772-464-4707
    Martin County: 772-283-8986, or 772-546-9999
    Indian River: 772-778-5507
    Jupiter, Palm Beach: 561-746-7969
    Visit our Website:
    Email Us:
    .