The Power of 3
Get the protection you need with our


Click here for details

Call Now to Receive Your Discount!

Use the Pest Identifier to see what is invading your home or business

"Family owned and operated since 1996"

New!
Pay Your Bill Online!
___________________________________________________________________________
All-Star Pest Control
Pest Control Services for your
home and business

All-Star's Quick Tips
Pest Facts

Bedbugs

In recent years, bedbugs have made a comeback in the U.S. Infestations are growing in homes, apartments, hotels, motels, school, dormitories, shelters and modes of transportations. As people congregated, the potential for moving bedbugs dramatically increased. This pest is carried from one place to another in luggage and on clothing. With more bedbug problems, hotel and motel travelers run a greater risk of contact with bedbugs and may eventually bring bedbugs home with them. With more people living and working closer together, there was a greater opportunity for the bugs to find their preferred human hosts and flourish. Two of the major factors for this resurgence are immigration and international travel.

The bedbugs are nocturnal insects that feed only on blood, usually that of mammals or birds. The most common bedbug, Cimex lectularius, is the species most adapted to living with humans. Adult bedbugs are about 3/16-inch (5mm) long, 1/8-inch (3mm) wide, brown to reddish-brown, with oval, flattened bodies. The immatures (nymphs) resemble the adults, but are smaller and somewhat lighter in color and appear translucent. These insects can squeeze into very small openings. One male can fertilize several females within 24 hours. Once fertilized, the female bug will typically deposit one to five eggs a day. One female may lay 200 to 500 eggs in her lifetime. Eggs usually take six to 10 days to hatch. Under normal room temperatures and with an adequate food supply, bedbugs will typically live up to a total of 316 days.


Cockroaches

Cockroaches, are the most common insect pests infesting homes, food service establishments and other structures in the Northeast. Cockroaches are replusive and objectionable to most people simply by their presence. They are also capable of mechanically transmitting disease organisms such as the bacteria which cause food poisoning. Recently, cockroaches have been found to be an important source of allergy in people, second only to house dust. The German cockroach is by far the most common roach found in homes. Oriental and American cockroaches usually prefer dark, damp areas such as basements, floor drains, crawl spaces, and utility closets. Cockroaches typically become established in homes after being introduced in grocery bags, with laundry or, in some cases, wandering in from outdoors. Once cockroaches become established they are prolific breeders capable of producing several thousand offspring in a year.

Cockroaches prefer to live where there is food, warmth and moisture. Since cockroaches flourish where food and moisture are readily available, sanitation is an important step in prevention and control. Empty soft drink bottles, cardboard boxes and paper bags should not be allowed to accumulate. Food containers should be sealed and any crumbs or spillage cleaned up. Unlike many household pests, cockroaches are prevalent year-round, causing homeowners and businesses to eventually seek some form of control


Fleas

Some pet owners go for years without ever having a flea problem. For others, fleas are a seasonal worry. Still others, living in warm, humid climates -- must wage constant war on fleas to protect their pets (and homes!) from infestation. Adult fleas are not only a nuisance to humans and their pets, but can cause medical problems including flea allergy dermatitis (FAD), tapeworms, secondary skin irritations and, in extreme cases, anemia.

Although bites are rarely felt, it is the resulting irritation caused by the flea salivary secretions that varies among individuals. Some may witness a severe reaction (general rash or inflammation) resulting in secondary infections caused by scratching the irritated skin area. Others may show no reaction or irritation acquired after repeated bites over several weeks or months. Most bites usually found on the ankles and legs may cause pain lasting a few minutes, hours or days depending on one's sensitivity. The typical reaction to the bite is the formation of a small, hard, red, slightly-raised (swollen) itching spot. There is a single puncture point in the center of each spot. (Ants and spiders leave two marks when they bite. Until you have actually experienced flea infestation in your home, it's hard to imagine how this tiny insect can bring such havoc into your life. Yet historians recall the flea-borne "Black Death" (bubonic plague) that swept across Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe in the 14th century, killing (by some estimates!) as much as 1/3 of the world's population!

Adult fleas are about 1/16 to 1/8-inch long, dark reddish-brown, wingless, hard-bodied (difficult to crush between fingers), have three pairs of legs (hind legs enlarged enabling jumping) and are flattened vertically or side to side (bluegill or sunfish-like) allowing easy movement between the hair, fur or feathers of the host. Fleas are excellent jumpers, leaping vertically up to 7 inches and horizontally 13 inches and can attach themselves to both skin and clothing. There parasite lives off the blood of a host which can be either human or animal. About 1600 species of fleas have been identified. Fleas are found throughout the world. About 95% of these species live on mammals and 5% on birds.

Human flea concerns are twofold. Fleas bite and, for some pets and people, these bites are highly irritating to the point of causing allergies. Of even more importance, flea-borne diseases can sicken and (rare in the United States) kill both pets and their owners.


Mice

In urban cities, mice are primarily domestic pest; hence that is why it is call house mice. The average life of a mouse is 15-18 months. Like rats, mice also have six senses (kinesthetic - muscle sense) which allows them travel rapidly in the dark. On average, a mouses weight is 5/8 - 1 ounce and its body length is 5 1/8 - 7 3/4 inches. A female mouse has an average of 12 litter per years (3-16 pups per litter) or 36-192 off-springs annually. One mouse voids 40-100 dropping per day and it generally explores its territory of 10-30 feet daily. A mouse can go through holes or gap as little as 1/4 inch. In homes, the real damage or harm by mice is contamination. Spread diseases such as salmonellosi, rickettsialpox and lymphocytic choriomenigitis.

Rats

One of most common types of rats is the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus, also called the brown rat or sewer rat). The Norway rat is a destructive pest found in urban and suburban neighborhoods. These rodents eat and contaminate food, damage buildings and other property by their gnawing and burrowing, and may spread diseases that affect people and pets.

Norway rats are husky, brownish rodents that weigh about 11 ounces. They are about 13 to 18 inches long including the 6 to 8 1/2 inch tail. Their fur is coarse and mostly brown with scattered black on the upper surfaces. The underside is typically grey to yellowish-white. Rats will eat nearly any type of food, but they prefer high-quality foods such as meat and fresh grain. Rats require 1/2 to 1 fluid ounce of water daily when feeding on dry food. Rats have keen taste, hearing and sense of smell. They will climb to find food or shelter, and they can gain entrance to a building through any opening larger than 1/2 inch across. They are very good swimmers and can swim up through floor drains and toilet-bowl traps.

Rats have litters of 6 to 12 young, which are born 21 to 23 days after mating. That averages to 3-7 litter per years (5-12 pups per litter) or 35-84 off-springs annually. Young rats reach reproductive maturity in about three months. Breeding is most active in spring and fall. The average female has four to six litters per year. Rats can live for up to 18 months, but most die before they are one year old. Similar to mice, the real harm from Rats is contamination. One rat shed more than 500,000 body hairs each year and voids 20-50 droppings per day. Rats have been known to transit disease such as plague, tuberculosis and Hantaviruses - transmitted to people when they breath dust contaminated by rodent droppings, urine or saliva.

Ants

Ants build many different types of homes. Many ants build simple little mounds out of dirt or sand. Other ants use small sticks mixed with dirt and sand to make a stronger mound that offers protection from rain. Western Harvester ants make a small mound on top, but then tunnel up to 15 feet straight down to hibernate during winter. Ant mounds consist of many chambers connected by tunnels. Different chambers are used for nurseries, food storage, and resting places for the worker ants. Some ants live in wood like termites. Army ants don't make a home at all but travel in large groups searching for food. Ants are social insects which mean they live in large colonies or groups. Some colonies consist of millions of ants. There are three types of ants in each species, the queen, the sterile female workers, and males. The male ants only serve one purpose, to mate with future queen ants and do not live very long. The queen grows to adulthood, mates, and then spends the rest of her life laying eggs. A colony may have only one queen, or there may be many queens depending on the species. Ants go through four stages of development: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

Ants have three main parts: the head, the thorax (middle section) and the abdomen (rear). All six legs are attached to the thorax. The head consists of the jaws, eyes, and antennae. The eyes of ants are made up of many lenses enabling them to see movement very well. The antennae are special organs of smell, touch, taste, and hearing. The abdomen contains the stomach and rectum. Many species of ants have poison sacks and/or stingers in the end of the abdomen for defense against their many predators. Ants do not have lungs. Oxygen enters through tiny holes all over the body and Carbon Dioxide leaves through the same holes. There are no blood vessels. The heart is a long tube that pumps colorless blood from the head back to the rear and then back up to the head again. The blood kind of coats the insides of the ants and is then sucked into the tube and pumped up to the head again. The nervous system of ants consists of a long nerve cord that also runs from head to rear with branches leading to the parts of the body, kind of like a human spinal cord. If you watch ants for any length of time you will see that they really do communicate with each other and very effectively too. Ants communicate by touching each other with their antennae. Ants also use chemicals called pheromones to leave scent trails for other ants to follow.

There are 455 different types of ants found in North America and around 8,000 worldwide that have been identified. If you have an ant problem, it is critical you identify the specie before implementing a solution or the problem will only worsen.

Carpet Beetles

Carpet Beetles are found throughout the U.S. and are known to damage to fabric and, in some cases, stored food products. Carpet beetles are generally outdoor pest but sometimes find their way indoor into homes. They may enter through improperly sealed or improperly screened doors and windows, but due to their small size, keeping them out completely is difficult.

There are four common species of Carpet Beetles: The Black, Varied, Common and Furniture carpet beetles. They are small, oval insects, usually less than 1/4 inch long. Carpet beetle larvae are usually about the size of the adult beetle, 1/4 inch or less in length. They have dense tufts of long setae (bristles) on their bodies. Black carpet beetle larvae have a long tuft of hair at the end of their bodies. Adult carpet beetles are commonly found indoors at windows. Carpet beetle larvae often wander about the infested location-- from room to room in a house. This behavior results in spreading the infestation throughout the house. The adult Black Carpet Beetle is black in color where as the other three species will have a variety of different wing color patterns and are somewhat more oval in shape. Carpet Beetles go through complete metamorphosis which includes egg, larvae (crawling stage), pupae (cocoon) and adult (beetle). Larvae of Carpet Beetles are fairly distinctive. They are quite hairy and are striped tan and white in color. There may be tail bristles (hairs) visible at the back of the insect as well. Inspection commonly reveals either live larvae or sometimes cast skins of the larvae. It is this stage of the insect that actually ingests the fabric which is their food source.

Carpet Beetle larvae may damage carpeting, clothing, hair, fur and animal hides. They will also feed on dead animal carcasses. As stated above, they may also be found in food products including milled products such as pastas, cereals, nuts, etc.. Most homeowners spot the larvae or beetles crawling along a surface somewhere. They will wander about in areas away from where they feed. They will chew irregular holes in fabrics including carpeting, but often feed on the nap of the fabric without eating the base threads. A common food source for carpet beetles may be pet hair. In areas around or behind furniture, accumulation of pet hair may provide ample food for this pest. Although one may find beetles as well as larvae, we frequently see larvae being brought to us for inspections. Eggs are small and difficult to locate and the cocoons (pupae) are rarely noticed as they tend to blend in with the fabric. If you suspect carpet beetles, contact a professional because these insects can be very difficult to eliminate.


 

Triple Zone Protection Plan			All-Star's Quick Tips
			Odd but true. A Cock Roach can hold it's breath for more than 40 minutes!
Outside Perimeter, Interior, and Attic space or crawl spaces			Read More quick tips

 

Schedule Service		Our Service Area
Call Today to schedule your service! Call (903) 465-5099 or (903) 892-8900 Fall Savings		Proudly Serving Grayson County and surrounding areas.  Cities include: Denison, Sherman, Pottsboro, Howe, Gunter, Anna, Sadler, Southmayde, Whitewright, Bells, Tom Bean and Van Alstyne.
Receive 10% discount on initial service with agreement terms		Rated #1 Pest Control company for over 8 years
The highest compliment my clients can give is the referral of their friends, family and business associates.  Thank you for your trust."		Powered by NunleyStudio.com

All Star Pest Control, Inc. 2008 All Rights Reserved