Spring is well and truly here in Newcastle and the Hunter Region and that means it’s time for many of those nasty pests that we all hate to come out and invade our homes.

Spring Pests

Birds and Bird Mites will pose an immediate threat from here on. Ensure that birds cannot gain entry to your roof spaces and other areas of your home. Keeping birds out must be a priority. Birds carry Bird Mites which are tiny and can be in there thousands in a bird nest. The problem with these pests is that once the baby bird have grown up have left the nest these Bird Mites will disperse through your home in search of a new blood meal, the occupants of the house. Bees and Wasps are another pest of spring that will invade homes. Paper Wasps build a nest in areas such as under eaves and other similar places. They will usually construct their nests on northern and western facing areas, as this is the direction the sun moves. Sometimes they can be concealed in foliage. If you see paper wasps, it’s recommended that you leave their removal to a professional as their sting can be very painful and each wasp can sting multiple times. Bees will start to swarm.  Swarming is a natural part of the reproductive lifecycle of bees. The warmer weather and increases of nectar and pollen in the environment cause the colony to increase in population, leading to overcrowding of the hive. This over-population is what prompts the bees to begin to swarm and reproduce. The swarm will usually come to rest in a cluster on reasonably nearby objects such as trees, shrubs and manmade objects such as signs, fences and buildings. The swarm will usually stay clustered it the desired area from anywhere between a few hours up to two days. After this time they will move on to a new site to and permanent nesting site. When bees are in this swarming state, stay away from them and do not interfere with them. Contact a professional to assess the situation and take the appropriate measures that may be required. Do not attempt to remove the resting swarm yourself. During spring, certain pests will start to pose an increased threat to our homes. These pests can include cockroaches, ants, spiders, ticks, mosquitos and many more.

Spring Pest Checklist

Some of these pests there is not too much you can do to prevent them coming to your property. But for pests like cockroaches, ants, spiders and mosquitos, there are some measures you can take to make your home less susceptible to them

• Prevent their Entry: Ensure that your fly screens are properly fitted and have no holes in them. This will stop insects that fly in to your home.
• Reduce Clutter: Have a spring clean.Many pests love cluttered stored items as it provides very good hiding places for them. The big the problems is that if insects like to harbor within clutter, that’s where spiders such as Redbacks will hide. That’s were there food will be
• External Walls an Eaves: Check these areas for wasp’s nests and spiders. If you find a wasp nest – don’t attempt to remove it yourself, their stings are painful. Spiders commonly found on external walls are black house spiders. While these spiders aren’t the most harmful, they do attract other spiders that love to eat them such as the toxic White Tail Spider. Spiders can be easily controlled by Amalgamated Pest Control with a 12 month service warranty.
• Trees and Foliage: Keep trees and foliage trimmed well back from the external walls of your home. This is commonly how ants and other pests will access your home. If you have had a pest control treatment at your home this is especially important as ants will bypass the barriers will place and access you home
• Clean Out Gutters: Guttering that is full of leaves and other matter can mean that water is built up within and not flowing away as it should. This will be a good source of water for ants, mosquitos and other pests.
• Garbage Bins: Keep your bins sealed. Inside and out. If pests are able to access your outside bins, they will. There is plenty of food for them in there. Pest like flies, cockroaches and ants will take advantage of bins.
• These are just some of things that you can do to make your home less susceptible to invasion of spring pests.

We will treat your home for pests such as cockroaches, ants and spiders and provide you with a 12 month service warranty which means you can be assured that through spring and into summer, you and your property are protected against pests. If the pests come back within the service warranty period, so will Amalgamated Pest Control.

Still concerned?

If you believe or suspect that you have a spring pest problem, contact Amalgamated Pest Control Newcastle for further advice.

(02) 4488 4019

APC Newcastle has seen a sharp increase in rodent activity across the Hunter region this winter season.

Here’s a look at what we’ve been taking care of and important information for you.

1. Early indicators you have rodents at your home.

You might be wondering why these pests are attracted to your home. Like us, they need food, water and shelter to survive.

Once inside, these pests can cause serious damage to property, create health problems and cause an unsightly mess.

Here’s what to look out for:

• Noises in the roof
• Scratching sounds in the roof or walls
• Food missing
• Damaged food packaging from rats gnawing
• Unexplained excitement of your pets
• Rat droppings and rub marks, (caused by the rats dirty oily body scraping along a surface).

2. Health Issues you should know about

There are many hazards associated with rats and other species of rodents. The diseases associated with them, their urine and droppings and the rat flea are well documented.

3. How we can get rid of rodents for you

When people attempt to control rats themselves typically they will go and buy over the counter rodent bait. These products are generally not as palatable for rodents as baits that licensed professional’s use, but can be still very toxic. The problem is that a lot of people are not aware of just how toxic they can be.

Often they will be thrown around the roof or under the house, sometimes placed loosely behind washing machines and similar items. The big risk in this scenario is that the bait can be moved by rats and can become accessible to household pets or children. To be safe, don’t attempt your own rodent control. The risks are too high and worst-case scenario consequences are not worth it.

There are also a lot of ‘wives tales’ and ‘home remedies’ spoken about which simply do not work in the long run. Rodents may slow down their activity, but they WILL be back!

We use the best control methods available which will be decided upon after we inspect your property, discuss control options with you, implement the plan, suggest proofing when required, follow-up visits are built into our price and we will solve your rodent problem and provide you with a service warranty.

4. How rodents can put you and your family in danger

Another commonly encountered problem is rats gnawing or chewing on things. Rats have to continually gnaw to keep their teeth in check. If they stop gnawing their teeth will keep growing and growing.

Eventually they will not be able to even eat. This is a problem around all buildings be it a home or a business. There are not too many things around a home they can’t chew through. Something that there is a lot of around a home is electrical wiring.

Rats will chew wires. The problem with this is that chewing electrical wires can lead to electrical problems and worse still, fires. These pictures below illustrate the very real risk associated with rats chewing electrical wires.

This is what we found during our rodent inspection of a house in Warners Bay. The picture on the left shows the wiring coming off the junction and heading up to the floor between the joists and on the right, a close up. You can clearly see that the rats have been gnawing on this electrical wire, rub marks are also evident on the wire.

    

The customer contacted an electrician immediately after we showed her these pictures. Findings like this serve as a timely reminder to have your rats dealt with properly and professionally. If this had gone unchecked, who knows what could have happened.

5. Easy DIY Tips you can use

Follow these simple steps so you can help reduce the likely hood of rodents around your property.

• Seal outside bins
• Don’t leave food in pet bowls
• Trim tree branches close to your roof and gutters
• Seal cracks and crevices around walls, doors and windows

Want more information?

If you would like more information or need help, contact Amalgamated Pest Control Newcastle.

(02) 4488 4019

Well winter is finally upon us and while things may slow down for some pests in ‘pest world’ not so with many other.

Winter Pests

During winter we get increased threats from rodents, but our favourite ‘general pests’ are still active. Termites keep munching, cockroaches keep on creeping and ants keep on crawling.

This year there a new mosquito on the loose that is a spreader of chronic disease – and this mosquito doesn’t mind the colder weather. You might even discover that some of the favourite winter woollies that you pull out of storage may have been damaged by some ‘pest’ as well, nothing much you can do about that now – but there are things to do before you store the winter clothes away before next spring.

Winter Pest Checklist

Here’s a checklist of things to do this winter to keep you pest problems to a minimum:

Tidy the Clutter:

• Discover all the ‘hidden stuff’ you forgot you had – and re-stow it or throw it! If you have a lot of stuff – then its important to re-inspect/move it on a regular basis to discourage rats and mice from setting up an undetected camp.
• Remove Cardboard and Fabric. If you need a box – think of things other than cardboard. Plastic or metal containers are much better, this can discourage rodents and cockroaches.

General Storage:

• If you’re storing something a rodent would like – then put it in a sealed box or container that they can’t get in to.

Remove any food sources:

• Don’t encourage rodents to stay by giving them an easy meal. (for example, don’t leave uneaten pet food lying around). Ants are also attracted to left over food.
• Seal of entry points into the building. Especially for rodents you need to seal up any holes with small gauge mesh or similar material that a rodent cannot gnaw through, and seal the bottoms of doors with automatic weather seals or weather strips. A rat can gain entry through a hole as small as 12 mm in diameter and a mouse only needs a hole no larger than 6 mm in diameter. Don’t just look down – Look up. Often rodents get in via the roof, eaves or other less obvious entry points.

Rodent Traps:

You can use snap traps to catch the odd rogue rat or mouse, but don’t use cheese as the bait – its really doesn’t work that well – things like peanut butter or cotton wool are far more effective.

Inspect your home for any containers that hold water:

• This is really for mosquitoes. Make sure that water containers are emptied. This includes pot plant reservoirs. Make sure that water tanks are screened. Any container that holds water (where levels rise and fall) will encourage mosquitoes to breed. Keep an eye out for drains that hold puddles, car tyres and old buckets that everyone forgets about. Clean up the garden and make sure there is nothing around the house that holds permanent water that will rise and fall.

Screen your home:

• Make sure that all your windows and doors are properly screened so that you have a safe retreat from these mosquitoes and cockroaches.

Eaves and Walls:

Check your eaves and brickwork for wasp nests and spiders. Wasps can be prevalent even during winter.

Bins:

• Keep bins away from the immediate vicinity of the home. Keep them as clean as possible and wash them out regularly. Keep bins well sealed. They are a great breeding environment for flies and can encourage rodents.

Trees and Foliage:

• Foliage against the house can create a highway for ants, rodents, spiders and termites. Make sure that bushes and shrubs are kept well away from the walls. Trim off any tree branches that overhang the roof and gutters, yet another highway for ants and rodents.

Still concerned?

If you believe or suspect that you have a winter pest problem, please contact Amalgamated Pest Control Newcastle for further advice.

(02) 4488 4019

Recently we were called to a property in Charlestown for what the occupant thought was a bed bug infestation. On closer inspection we determined that the pest in question was Carpet Beetle. The occupant of the home was pleased for two reasons, 1. Bed bug treatments can be expensive and they cause levels of discomfort for obvious reasons and 2, They had an answer for why the carpets were being damaged. To the untrained person there may be some similarities between the two pests. There are however, significant differences between the life cycle stages and damage caused which is why it is crucial to ensure that you contact a professional pest manager to ensure the correct pest is identified and the correct treatment method is formulated.

Carpet Beetle Characteristics

Carpet beetles are quite a significant pest and can cause a lot of damage to carpets and other similar materials. You can see from the photos taken at the site the amount of damage caused to the carpet at this home.

These insects have a preference for materials of animal origin and can attack a wide range of materials. They can feed on wool, clothes, fabrics, felts, silk, fibre type insulation material even dried insects and animal carcasses.

Infestations can lead to significant damage. Signs that confirm this pest’s activity range from sightings of damaged materials, sand-like larval droppings, bristly caste skins and live larvae. The pictures taken from our customer’s property show some clear evidence of their presence. Sometimes the presence of crawling and flying adult beetles can indicate infestation.

DIY Tips

• Vacuuming or cleaning carpets, rugs, soft furnishings and upholstered furniture should be done regularly and thoroughly. When vacuuming you need to pay attention to carpet edges adjacent to skirting boards and areas that are covered with furniture. If these areas are neglected, as they often are then dust, hair, skin, pet fur and the like will accumulate and these areas are often the sites of infestation.
• Cut flowers pose an issue and is a very common way that carpet beetle enter the home. If you are bringing cut flowers in, inspect them to ensure that they do not harbour any carpet beetles.
• Before storing clothes that are out of season ensure they are thoroughly cleaned and stored in a tight plastic bag prior to storage.
• Exclude rodents and birds from your property. These insects are commonly found within bird nests and on rat carcasses.

How to get rid of Carpet Beetles

Prior to treatment we will ask you to ensure that furniture is moved so the areas underneath can be inspected. Vacuuming is extremely important prior to treatment, this process removes different lifecycle stages ensuring more effective control. It is important if vacuuming an infestation that you appropriately discard the contents of the vacuum as to not cause re-infestation.

Inspection is key, we will inspect all possible areas of infestation. Some may be obvious as pictured above, and some areas less obvious. Missing the less obvious may cause issues and service calls. It is also necessary to inspect the roof void. Insulation materials can be infested by carpet beetle we have seen many cases first-hand where roof voids completely infested with these pests.

Once all feeding areas are fully identified, a number of insecticides can be used such as surface sprays, space sprays and dusts depending on the area being treated. Chemicals must be used carefully to ensure they make contact with the insect.

Still concerned?

If you need help with Carpet Beetles or any other pest issue, contact Amalgamated Pest Control Newcastle for a Guaranteed Gone solution.

(02) 4488 4019