Set for this weekend, May 19 and 20, the Bug Fair will feature hundreds of flying and crawling insects ready to make your acquantaince and even excite your taste buds.

Western Exterminator is thrilled to once again partner with the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum to let visitors get up-close and personal with a whole range of the fascinating insects who share our world. Western has been working with the Museum for over 20 years and we look forward to this event as much as the over 20,000 visitors do!

As North America’s largest insect festival, the Bug Fair has a variety of offerings for visitors which are both educational and entertaining. Learn and see about the homes and habitats of spiders (watch out for the jumping variety!), butterflies, scorpions and dozens of other cool insects you might encounter on a daily basis.

Don’t worry. All the insects you’ll encounter at the Bug Fair are friendly.  And, don’t miss the awesome Butterfly Pavilion where you can enjoy these beauties as they fly freely all around you.

While you are enjoying the Bug Fair you’ll have the opportunity to meet my colleague Honey, Western Exterminator’s resident four-legged bed bug sniffing expert. You’ve read about Honey’s adventures in previous posts  http://www.askmrlittle.com/?p=71, http://www.askmrlittle.com/?p=200,  http://www.askmrlittle.com/?p=260 and while at the Bug Fair she will be doing demonstrations of her sniffing prowess when it comes to finding nasty bed bugs

The Bug Fair will also see the debut of the latest installment of my own personal coloring book – Mr. Little’s ABC Coloring Book of Bugs. Make sure to stop by the Western Exterminator booth and pick up a copy to take home and enjoy.

There will also be cooking demonstrations with Bug Chef David George Gordon, a world renowned insect chef and author of the Eat-a-Bug Cookbook, so bring your appetites! See my April 23 blog (INSERT LINK to 4/23) for more information about insects and food.

The fair will also be abuzz with more than 70 exhibitors, displaying everything from live specimens to bug-related products, such as honey, silk, and wax as well as bug-inspired artwork. All of this and more, plus all the great exhibits housed at the L.A. County Natural History Museum. What an awesome way to spend a day!

Make plans to stop by the museum on May 19 and 20 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and join in the fun. For more information on the Bug Fair visit www.nhm.org.
Have a question about bugs? I would like to hear it. Send me an e-mail at AskMrLittle@WesternExterminator.com. I’ll get back to you right away with more information and to set up a no-cost inspection.

Until next time, thanks for making Western Exterminator Company “The Final Word in Pest Control®”

Have a pest free day.

According to a recently released National Pest Management Association Ant Industry Study, ants are the No. 1 nuisance pest in the United States. A majority – 54% – of pest control companies surveyed indicated customer calls regarding ants are on the rise.

Ants have long been part of Western Exterminator’s history, and we’ve been treating customers’ homes and offices for them since Carl Strom started the company in 1921. Trust me when I say we know ants and know how to eliminate them.

The report identified the most commonly encountered ants and several of them are frequent, albeit unwelcome visitors to the homes and business of Western Exterminator customers in Arizona, California and Nevada.

At Western Exterminator, we receive more calls about Argentine Ants than any other pest.  In fact, four of the top nine ants listed in the report are among those we receive the most calls on from customers. This includes Carpenter, pharaoh, Argentine and the ill-tempered red imported fire ant.

Ants can be found both indoors and outdoors, and can be more than just a nuisance to your backyard picnics. Ants will move into kitchen cabinets or try and take over a restaurant kitchen when they forage for food. They can damage and spoil food supplies, as well as spread bacteria and other harmful food-borne diseases.

Then there are the red imported fire ants and their nasty habit of emerging from their nests like lava from a volcano, and stinging anything in their path when they are disturbed. These stings are serious business, and cause an irritating burning sensation for people and pets unfortunate enough to cross their path.

Where are ant infestations most likely to take place? Like all pests, ants are on the prowl for food and water, and office buildings (88%) and restaurants (83%) were the top two locations identified in the study. Think of all the snack food that is left in desks or break rooms, and you understand why offices are a top destination for foraging ants (they aren’t going there to work!).

Kitchens and bathrooms were the top two areas within structures where ants were most often found, again reinforcing the fact that pests, ants included, thrive with easy access to food and water.

Why have ants suddenly become such a nuisance? The study said consumer tolerance for ants has lessened, and increased moisture and rainfall in certain regions have given these pesky little creatures what they need to survive.

If ants are public enemy No. 1 in your home or office, there is no need to worry. Western Exterminator’s highly trained Technicians have the knowledge and products to eliminate ants for good.

Send me an e-mail at AskMrLittle@WesternExterminator.com. I’ll get back to you right away with more information and to set up a no-cost inspection.

Until next time, thanks for making Western Exterminator Company “The Final Word in Pest Control®”

Have a pest free day.

Unfortunately, it also means where there is tasty food there will be annoying flies. These food-hounding pests seem to show up whenever the grill is fired up, the picnic basket is pulled out or your bacon-cheeseburger arrives at the table. Have they no sense of decency?

Adult house flies are dull gray in color and measure 1/8 to 1/4 inch in length. Females, which are larger than males, will lay their legs on most any warm, material that provides a food supply.  And they are so dirty that it’s just plain disgusting!

House flies do not stray far from home during their short lifespan – they only live 15 to 25 days depending on the temperature – and stay within a mile or two of their habitat. During the day they rest on surfaces at or below 5 feet from the ground; at night they rest above the 5 foot level, but always near a food source (no big surprise there!).

Don’t be fooled by their name. House flies are commonly encountered pests in both residential and commercial settings. Not only are they a nuisance, but also are carriers of diseases such as salmonella and other harmful bacteria.

House flies collect bacteria and other disease organisms on the sticky pads of their legs and the hairs on their body after landing on garbage, feces or animal carcasses.

They in turn transfer the bacteria and organisms when they come in contact with food or surfaces. Did I also mention house flies spit out both ends when they land? Yes, they transmit disease by excreting and regurgitating what they ate. I told you these creatures were disgusting!

How do you keep house flies from becoming an unwelcome guest to your next outdoor party or your restaurant’s patio? By keeping it clean.

Sanitation is the key step to reducing house flies, as well as identifying breeding sites. Use tight-fitting closures for garbage receptacles and make sure to empty, clean, and dry them regularly. When serving food outdoors make sure to cover the food securely when it is not being served. Cleaning up after pests will help curb their attraction to your burger and potato salad!  The key is to not let them land on the food – you remember what they do when they land. Ugh!

If you see house flies on the inside of your home or office, check window screens and door seals to make sure there are no openings that gives them access to the structure. Finding and eliminating the source of house flies is the best way to achieve long-term control.

If you are still experiencing a problem with house flies after taking these steps, contact Western Exterminator. We will find a solution to eliminating these disgusting, unwanted visitors once and for all.

For more information on house flies and other pests, check out my latest best-seller, Mr. Little’s Book of Bugs and One Bird, at www.WesternExterminator.com/Classroom.

It is filled with information and cool illustrations of bugs, and will help you understand how to identify and prevent these little critters from infesting your home or business.

If you think you have house flies in your home, send me an e-mail at AskMrLittle@WesternExterminator.com. I’ll get back to you right away with more information and to set up a no-cost inspection.

Until next time, thanks for making Western Exterminator Company “The Final Word in Pest Control®”

Have a pest free day.

I recently caught up with Janet Yaldezian who as a member of Western Exterminator’s Commercial Services team helps protect food distribution and production facilities, as well as grocery stores, restaurants, hotels, theme parks and sports stadiums, from pests and food-borne diseases.

Yaldezian, who is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist and a Registered Dietician, has helped train not only our Technicians but hundreds of our customers who are restaurant owners, chefs and food service staff on techniques for the safe preparation and serving of food.

Yaldezian recently spoke at the California Environmental Health Association’s annual meeting where her presentation, “Edible Insects: You Can Eat A Bug!”, opened some eyes (and maybe turned a stomach or two!) to the role insects play in the culinary world.

“We usually think of pests as something we want to eliminate and the thought of eating them is a definite turn off,” said Yaldezian. “The reality is that insects are regarded as healthy, nutritious and tasty food in many cultures.”

We as consumers actually eat insects without knowing it on a daily basis in many processed foods including peanut butter, cereal and chocolate. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has set maximum levels of natural or unavoidable defects (i.e. insects) in foods for human use that DO NOT present a health hazard to consumers.

Yaldezian said it is estimated each of us eats about 500 grams of insects each year. Maybe that’s why I thought I tasted a hint of grasshopper in my oatmeal this morning!

Before you grab your favorite box of cereal and pour it in your colander looking for an insect, remember these minuscule pest parts are not harmful and actually are low in calories and fat content, plus they’re high in protein.

Professional pest management services are a critical part of food safety since pests can contaminate foods with pathogenic microorganisms and make people sick. One of the reasons our life expectancy has increased so dramatically over our great-grandparents is the scientifically based increased importance we place on proper sanitation and pest control.

Although there are pests that can be eaten without harm, there are others that cannot. Our integrated pest management programs exclude and prevent pests from entering a structure, and protect the safety and integrity of the food products you serve your family or customers.

If you want more information on how Western Exterminator can help protect your business or your home, send me an e-mail at AskMrLittle@WesternExterminator.com. I’ll get back to you right away with more information.

Until next time, thanks for making Western Exterminator Company “The Final Word in Pest Control®”

Have a pest free day.

Speaking of serious sniffing skills, did you know canine inspectors like Honey can clear a standard size bedroom in just minutes when it would take a human inspector up to an hour?

Adult bed bugs are about the size and shape of an apple seed, and when you are trying to find a pest that can hide in spaces as small as the seams of mattresses; you need a reliable inspection professional. While bed bugs can easily stay out of visual site, they can’t hide their scent from a trained canine professional like Honey.

But Honey is not just a California girl. She often takes her bed bug sniffing talents on the road to Arizona and Nevada to work with Western Exterminator’s Service Centers in those states, and along the way she has collected some interesting stories.

Honey, who travels in her own special crate while on the road, and Lauren Small, Western Exterminator’s K9 Handler, recently visited a number of accounts in Phoenix and Las Vegas in search of elusive bed bugs.

One of Honey’s favorite inspection stories came at a movie theater in Arizona where once Honey’s inspection was complete they cranked up the popcorn machine. The sounds and of course wonderful smells grabbed Honey’s now undivided attention. She had no idea they served food there too!  I totally understand; I’m a big fan of movie theater popcorn – extra butter, light salt, please!

And who doesn’t have a good Las Vegas story? During an inspection at an apartment building where the tenant said her dog and cat were locked in another room, Honey and Lauren heard noises coming from a laundry basket in an area they were inspecting. All of sudden what certainly looked like a cat’s arm popped out from under the blanket covering the basket and Honey received a smack in the face! Always a composed professional, Honey wrapped up her inspection and moved on to the next appointment but still wondered if the cat was locked up, who did that paw belong to?

As Honey celebrates her third birthday – she is hoping for a new squeaky toy or Frisbee – she wants to remind everyone that it’s Bed Bug Awareness Week April 22-28. Bed bugs are a real nuisance and are becoming much more common as they continue to spread across the country. According to a recent list published in Pest Control Technology magazine, the top 50 cities for reported cases of bed bugs include six names that hit a little close to home!

#5 – Los Angeles
#12 – San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose metro area
#16 – Las Vegas
#26 – San Diego
#34 – Phoenix
#41 – Sacramento

Fortunately, if you live in California, Arizona or Nevada, and think you have bed bugs, Honey and the team at Western Exterminator Company can take care of them for you.

Have questions on bed bugs? If so, send me an e-mail at AskMrLittle@WesternExterminator.com. I’ll get back to you right away with more information and to set up an inspection with Honey.

Until next time, thanks for making Western Exterminator Company “The Final Word in Pest Control®”

Have a pest free day.

This month I am joining my fellow pest management professionals across the country in celebrating National Pest Management Month! For more than 30 years, pest professionals from Maine to California have celebrated the valuable role we play in protecting the public’s health, food supply and property from pests.

We all know the dangers and annoyances pests can cause to our everyday lives. From rodents spoiling food supplies, cockroaches contributing to asthma and allergies, bed bugs invading your hotel room and termites literally eating your home out from under you, pests can be a real pain!

That is why my talented colleagues and I at Western Exterminator work each and every day to help protect our customers from these sometimes harmful but always annoying pests.

From commercial bakeries to hotels, schools, restaurants, and sports stadiums, to your very own back porch, our goal is to provide you with the most effective, environmentally-respectful pest management services you’ll find in the West.

So when you see a member of our Western Exterminator family this month, if they happen to have a little leftover frosting on the corner of the mouth, excuse them. They just finished having a piece of cake in honor of National Pest Management Month and the valuable services we are proud to provide.

If you have questions about pests in your home or business, send me an e-mail at AskMrLittle@WesternExterminator.com. I’ll get back to you right away with the information you asked for.

Until next time, thanks for making Western Exterminator Company “The Final Word in Pest Control®”

Have a pest free day.

There is one household problem, however, that can’t be solved with a swing of the hammer and a strip of duct tape – carpenter ants.

Carpenter ants are often confused with termites because both have a fondness for wood – usually the wood in your house! However, there is a big difference between the two insects; termites will actually eat the wood in your house while carpenter ants won’t feed on your home’s wood they will move in and live there.

With spring having officially arrived in the West, it is time to keep an eye out for swarming carpenter ants. It is possible to see them both inside and outside your home, as they forage for food including sweets, grease, meat and eggs.

Carpenter ants select wood that has been damaged by fungus or rot, wall voids, hollow-core doors or insulation in attics, basements and crawl spaces. Outside in your yard, they like old tree stumps and rotting firewood piles, fence posts, and landscape timbers.

Carpenter ants can access your home through doors, windows, pipes, utility wires and by overgrown tree or shrub branches that provide an easy pathway to your house. Keep in mind that in many instances an interior nest is just a satellite of the main colony that is located outside.

And with mature colonies having upwards of 100,000 members, carpenter ants can pose a real threat to the structural integrity of your home as they hollow out their nests.

How do you know if you have carpenter ants? There are several signs to watch for:

• If you see small piles of wood shavings mixed with insect parts or insulation it can be a sign of carpenter ant nesting locations.
• Watch for foraging trails outside, which are most active at night, as carpenter ants like to use the same trail over and over again.
• Check high moisture areas of your house (basements or crawl spaces) using a moisture meter as these are prime nesting areas.

Back

For more information on carpenter ants and other pests, check out my latest best-seller, Mr. Little’s Book of Bugs and One Bird, at www.WesternExterminator.com. It is filled with information and cool illustrations of bugs, and will help you understand how to identify and prevent these little critters from infesting your home or business.

If you think you have carpenter ants in your home, send me an e-mail at AskMrLittle@WesternExterminator.com. I’ll get back to you right away with more information and to set up a no-cost inspection.

Until next time, thanks for making Western Exterminator Company “The Final Word in Pest Control®”

Have a pest free day.

There is nothing overly complex about these ideas. They are straight-forward and simple, but have proven to be very effective and have served us well for over 90 years.

Another cause Carl Strom was passionate about was education. He believed in training. He wanted his employees to know the latest application techniques and use the most-effective products available. He knew that research was needed to study insect behavior and biology to find out how best to eliminate them. In fact, he was himself quite a chemist, developing some early pesticides.

Carl knew it would take an investment of time and resources to ensure his staff of Technicians were truly the best. Today, Western Exterminator continues to operate by these principles, supporting our commitment to urban entomology research and development by investing in training and education.

That is why I am so pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Carl Strom Western Exterminator Scholarships at the University of California, Riverside.

The scholarship, which was started in 1999, supports graduate and undergraduate students studying urban entomology (that was my major!) who are working on projects to assist the structural pest control industry in California better understand pests and how to control them.

This year’s scholarship recipients include undergraduate Tina Kim, and graduate students Andrew Soeprono and Rochelle Hoey-Chamberlain, who are all doing research in the UC Riverside labs and will have an impact on urban pest control techniques. On behalf of the entire Western Exterminator family, I want to thank and congratulate this year’s recipients for their hard work and wish them good luck in their studies.

This marks the 14^th year of our partnership with UC Riverside and there have been many worthy students who have furthered their studies in structural pest control over the years.

In fact, one of the earliest recipients, Dr. Dong-Hwan Choe, is now a professor in the Entomology Department at UC Riverside, and chairs the committee that selects the recipients each year.

Western Exterminator is proud to invest in the next generation of pest control professionals. These are the men and women who will find solutions to tomorrow’s pest challenges and allow us to continue to live a pest-free life.

If you have questions about pests that are invading your home or business, send me an e-mail at AskMrLittle@WesternExterminator.com. I’ll be sure to get back to you right away with the information you are looking for.

Until next time, thanks for making Western Exterminator Company “The Final Word in Pest Control®”

Have a pest free day.

Last weekend there was a lot of great  basketball! The enthusiasm of the teams and their fans, the big upsets that turned everyone’s brackets upside down, and being able to watch basketball from noon to midnight – what a deal!

We had five teams from California and Nevada in this year’s NCAA tournament but even though they all played well unfortunately none made it out of the first round. My tournament bracket now looks like a colony of termites chewed their way through it!

And if you were driving around or had the radio on during work in Los Angeles or San Diego, trying to catch the score or highlights, then you might have heard one of Western Exterminator’s new radio commercials.

The ads can be heard on ESPN Radio 710 AM Los Angeles, and in San Diego on XX1090 AM San Diego’s Sports Leader and ESPN Radio 1700 AM San Diego. They feature Western Exterminator’s All-Star team of dedicated pest management professionals who are ready to tackle your toughest pest problem.

As part of this campaign we are also supporting community sports with ESPN doing live broadcasts from various community sites.  You might see one of the station’s bright yellow VW bugs at a local high school and college game sporting the Western Exterminator name and a likeness of yours truly on the side!  Go team!

From controlling Argentine ants and cockroaches to termites and rodents, Western Exterminator has the experience, technology and talented team of players who will,  “hit a home run every time” when it comes to eliminating pests from your home or office.

Many of the positive aspects of Western Exterminator are applicable to the world of sports including working as a team, the persistence to keep trying until we have a solution to your pest problem and being dedicated to achieving a shared goal – making your home or office pest-free.

We’ve been on top of our game battling nuisance pests since 1921, the same year Babe Ruth led Major League Baseball in home runs by swatting 59 round-trippers. Let us go to bat for you against your pest problems; we guarantee a winner.

As a bonus visit www.westernexterminator.com and receive $50 off a new service. How can you beat that?

If you have questions on how you can hire our team of pest control experts to join your team to eliminate pets, send me an e-mail at AskMrLittle@WesternExterminator.com. I’ll be sure to get back to you right away with the information you are looking for.

Until next time, thanks for making Western Exterminator Company “The Final Word in Pest Control®”

Have a pest free day.

Today, owners and managers of grocery stores, food processing facilities, warehouses, hotels and apartment buildings, and even some homeowners who are enduring the wrath of nuisance birds feel as if they have been cast as the leading characters in the film’s sequel!

What’s the problem with nuisance birds hanging out in and around your home or business? Plenty. According to my copy of the PCT Bird Management Field Guide, an industry training and reference guide, bird droppings from pigeons and starlings are not only aesthetically unpleasing (is there no respect for park statues?) but are transmitters of disease-causing bacteria.

Over 50 diseases are attributed to bird droppings ranging from allergies to E. coli to salmonella. The bacteria can contaminate unprocessed grain and processed food, and pigeon droppings also carry several viral encephalitic diseases.

If that doesn’t gross you out, consider that many of the parasitic mites associated with pigeons also bite humans. A bird’s nest is not a clean environment and in addition to the blood-feeding insects mentioned earlier, house flies and blow flies like to call them home. Do you still want to feed the pigeons at the park?

In addition to the serious health issues nuisance birds cause, their presence can deal a blow to the structural integrity of a building. Consider the following:

• Bird droppings can be extremely slippery, leading to problems in areas where the public has access. They also have an acidic content, which is corrosive to paint work and masonry.
• Droppings and nest materials can block gutters and downpipes, which can damage the pipes themselves, as well as cause water damage to buildings.
• Bird nests can block chimneys and flues, which can lead to serious buildup of poisonous gases.

What can you do about nuisance birds if they have picked your home or business to roost? Call in the professionals.  I of course, suggest the experts at Western Exterminator and our team of highly-trained bird specialists who will come out and conduct a thorough inspection of your property.

Based on the findings of the inspection, our specialists will make recommendations on how to safely and discreetly eliminate the bird problem without ruffling the feathers of employees or customers, and without harming the birds.  A total win-win.

If you have questions on nuisance birds, send me an e-mail at AskMrLittle@WesternExterminator.com. I’ll be sure to get back to you right away with an answer.

Until next time, thanks for making Western Exterminator Company “The Final Word in Pest Control®”

Have a pest free day.