Worldwide Pest Control Blog

10 Fascinating Cockroach Facts Most people are familiar with cockroaches and do well to try to keep them out of their homes at all costs. They are well known for health risks and enjoying dirty environments, but there is a lot more to them than just that. Below are 10 facts about cockroaches that may be a surprise. A cockroach can live for up to a week without its head. They have an open circulatory system and breathe through holes in each body segment, which removes the need for a mouth to breathe. However, one is required to consume food and water, which is the real reason the cockroach dies from decapitation - thirst. They can hold their breath for up to 40 minutes. A simple flushing is no guarantee to kill one. Their average running speed is 3 MPH. A one-day-old cockroach can run almost as fast as its parents.......

Scorpions and Their Home Scorpions are invertebrate arachnids closely related to spiders and ticks. Though usually associated with deserts, they can survive in other climates (such as humid), if conditions are right. In the United States, Texas and Arizona are famous for having scorpions due to the desert conditions. They also do well as far northwest as Tennessee and North Carolina. The only continent known to be free of them is Antarctica. Scorpions typically consist of a sectioned abdominal area which features four pairs of legs, a pair of pinchers and its famous stinger tail. Though there are nearly 2,000 species of scorpion, only about twenty-five are considered lethal to humans. However, when such a tiny creature is such a threat to us, it only means that the venom is nothing short of effective for the scorpion’s target prey - insects. With many nocturnal insects using UV for vision at night, s......

Discovering you have a termite problem is not always apparent to the untrained eye. Termites hide their eating activity and foraging habits. This covert way of living protects them. This is why they are so destructive. By the time you discover you have a problem, the termites have eaten their way through your home. Early detection and recognition are key to spotting a termite infestation before you spend thousands of dollars repairing the damage. Mud Tunnels Termites create tubes made from wood and dirt. Subterranean termites use their excrement waste to build these tunnels. The tunnels look like mud. Termites use these tunnels like a subway system to explore and work. They also protect and conceal their presence from predators. Working tunnels extend from your foundation or the side of your home to the soil. Exploratory paths usually only extend from the soil. Both types of tunnels connect to where the......

If you are a pet owner, you try to do all that you can to keep your pets safe and healthy. This means that you feed them the right foods, give them plenty of water, keep them clean and try to keep them well. This especially means that you try to keep them free of fleas and ticks in order to prevent an infestation in your home. But this can be easier said than done. Here are some simple tips for keeping your home free of fleas and ticks this season. Keep A Tidy Yard It’s not just about curb appeal, because keeping your yard tidy means that pests will be less likely to make nests there. If bushes and trees are trimmed back and the grass is regularly cut, pests will not have as many areas to hide. Also, try to detract unwanted animals, such as opossums, raccoons and feral c......

Pests are tedious creatures to expel from your home, so why not do everything you can to keep them out in the first place? It's not very difficult. All it takes is a few small changes in your daily routine. Here are some simple lifestyle tips to keep bugs and insects out of your house. What not to do First, let’s talk about what you should avoid doing. For starters, if rodents have been known to be a problem in your area, don’t leave rat poison strewn across the floor haphazardly. Don’t use any chemicals, for that matter, without guidance from pest control experts. These chemicals can be dangerous, especially around children and pets. Speaking of pets, if you have any dogs, cats, etc., don’t let them run around the woods unsupervised unless you want them returning with some new friends, namely fleas and ticks. Also, keep in mind that pests, like al......

Ants are a common problem for homeowners. Though they are most active in spring and summer, ants can be unwelcome house guests any time of the year. And often when you spot a few, you know that legions more are on the way! So why does your home attract ants? The three main reasons are food, water and shelter. Food Ants love sugar and grease, but they are drawn to any strong-smelling food. Favorite targets are the kitchen garbage and the pantry or cupboard. That jar of honey with a bit of nectar dripping down the side is an ant paradise. But other morsels, such as the toast crumbs on the counter, are appealing as ants forage through your kitchen. And like many families, food may not always just be in the kitchen in your house. This makes keeping hungry ants at bay even more challenging. Try keeping your kitchen as......

Bathroom moisture creates the perfect habitat for the bugs that make your skin crawl. Here are a few bugs that you might encounter in your bathroom sink. Drain Flies These flying fur balls are little but annoying. The goo on the inside of your drain pipes is their perfect nursery. Mommy drain flies lay their eggs in your drain, and once hatched, the larvae feed on that slime. After their wings develop, they fly up and out of your drain. Addressing this problem can be as simple as cleaning the inside of your pipes. Pour about half a cup of baking soda down your drain. Let that sit. It will break down the sludge while you boil a kettle of water. Once boiling, pour the hot water down the drain. Give that at least 10 minutes. Plan to do that on a monthly basis to keep the drain flies away. Cockroaches......

You've been waiting for summer get-togethers and barbecues for months -- but bugs threaten the fun. Use these 7 tips to take back your backyard and bring on the barbecue. Decorate for the Bugs Decorate your tables, porch railings and garden planters with bugs in mind. Herbs such as basil, dill, mint, lemon grass, thyme and rosemary will add beauty and natural bug repellent to your decor. Pots of marigolds and geraniums give you colorful bug deterrents. Add some of these herbs in the form of essential oils to tiki fuel. You can decorate with mason jar lanterns or tiki torches around the yard. They will smell lovely to you, provide beautiful lighting and repel those pests. Spray Ahead for Ants Mix equal amounts of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle and spritz it over table tops, table legs and chairs before the party. Once it dries, your guests......

Spring is coming soon, and so is the time to bust out Pinterest to pin all sorts of DIY projects on your boards. However, it is also a time of year where you will have to deal with busy bees… and ants, rodents and all sorts of other pests. While it’s alright to save money with DIY decorations, gardening or other household items, your family can be harmed if you try at-home remedies for pest removal. Read on to see five reasons why you should hire a professional pest control service so your home can be cute and safe: DIY Pest Removal Can Cause Injuries Each year, the Center for Disease Control receives dozens of reports regarding accidental poisonings and chemical burns from homeowners who tried to use pesticides and insecticides. These reports include numbers that exceed the stereotypical cases of a child getting under the kitchen sink where all the che......

It goes without saying -- no one likes to be bit. Most bug bites might be small, but they’re still a painful inconvenience that we’d rather do without. The problem is there are so many different bugs out there that can bite, it can be hard to know what to watch for. This is why we’ve compiled a short guide to help teach you what you need to know about those biting insects. Mosquitos One of the most common insects in the world, the mosquito isn’t technically a biter. Instead, it sucks blood out through a long, needle-shaped part of its mouth. While doing so, it injects a little bit of its saliva into your body -- this is where the itchiness and irritation come from. Mosquito bites usually appear as raised red welts, and are usually pretty itchy. Prevention: Mosquitoes breed and thrive wherever you can find standing water, so the bes......

Almost every scary movie has one thing in common - when the character of the movie is inside an old, run-down house, he will inevitably open a drawer or shine a light in the corner, and cockroaches will scatter. They are the quintessential “dirty” houseguests. Luckily, roach pest control is not as difficult as you might think, and certainly not the nightmare those scary movies would have you believe. With proper preventive techniques and professionals on stand-by, your roach problems will be over before you know it. What You can do to Prevent a Roach Infestation Preventing a roach infestation is much easier than correcting one. Try these easy steps to help keep the roaches out. First and foremost, keep your house clean, chiefly where food is concerned. If you have kids who like to eat in their room, it would be a good idea to check that they haven’t left any l......

Few situations can be as unnerving as realizing you’re sharing your home with a rodent or insect population, and your first thought might be to jump online and research DIY home remedies for these newly found roommates. While the urge to save yourself a few bucks or accomplish home ownership tasks on your own might be tempting, there are a few reasons you might want to think about hiring a professional when it comes to pest control. DIY Methods Could Be Harmful to Your Health Examples of injuries from misapplied home remedies for pest control range from chemical burns to accidental death. For example, a man in Maine burned down his parents’ home, killing the family pets in the process, while trying to incinerate ants. One woman from North Carolina accidentally killed herself and another in New York caused a partial collapse of an apartment building, injuring 12 people, when they bot......

While admittedly it doesn’t happen often, occasionally at Worldwide Pest Control Inc., with service areas in Austin, Texas, we get calls from clients who have just returned from a trip abroad and are now facing an infestation in their homes. Often, pests that hitch a ride in your luggage are a little bit more difficult to take care of than native pests, for a multitude of reasons. First, you likely only brought a few back with you, so they went unnoticed until they had established a colony large enough to catch your attention. This means that there could be many more hiding out in your walls or home that you can’t reach. You’ll need the help of our professional team to ensure that your house is treated fully, so that you can rest easy again. The next time that you go on a trip, follow these tips to help ensure nothing else ......

Worldwide Pest Control Inc, in the Austin, Texas area, gets a lot of calls from customers distressed over suddenly facing a pest infestation. The first thing we want to tell each and every one of our customers is that they’re not alone, a pest infestation can happen to anyone. Contrary to popular belief, having pests in your home doesn’t mean that you have not kept your environment tidy. The reasons for that are varied, but they all center on the fact that a lot of pests come into your home only seeking shelter then end up staying for items that most people don’t even realize can sustain them. Below, we’ll outline some little-known things that can attract pests to your home, but, also, be sure to contact-us to develop your home’s personal treatment plan to ensure that it stays pest-free. Outside Attractants Leaves, tree branches, older mulch and even your neighbors. There’s n......

For many of us, our shared knowledge about the world comes from a vast array of sources. Unfortunately, a good chunk of those sources is not exactly the best, meaning that much of our knowledge of the world and how it works is misrepresented at times. When it comes to pest control, there are a lot of myths out there, both on how to manage pests as well as what it means to have a problem. Because of the persistence of these myths, a lot of people can make a pest problem worse, meaning that it’s imperative to squash those myths like a roach in a motel. So, with that in mind, let’s tackle some of the most prevalent myths about pests you may find in your home. Mice and Rats Prefer Peanut Butter, Not Cheese This myth can be traced back to medieval times when cheese was one of the onl......

For a growing number of people, apartment living is the way of life. While renting is a cost-effective way to live in the most desirable areas, one aspect of being in a building with a bunch of other people is that pests can take hold rather quickly. In a house, you can control any pest problem relatively easily. However, when you’re renting an apartment, things can get a little trickier. So, with that in mind, we want to look at the best methods of pest control to use while renting. Step One: Live Clean One of the most significant issues with pest control in an apartment building is that pests can take root in other apartments in the building, which means that they are always close by. However, if you can remove many of the attractions that would compel pests to come into your apartment, you can help prevent any infestation b......

An attic can provide an ideal spot for a variety of critters to call home. A dry and mostly secluded area with lots of insulation that can be used as bedding pretty much fits all of the requirements for any animal looking for a spot to nest. However, these pests can damage your home and put your family at risk. Understanding what pests are likely to find their way into your attic and knowing the warning signs can help you identify the problem and take steps to remove these unwanted guests. Mice and Rodents Mice can squeeze through very tight spaces, so any holes or gaps can become an access point and allow rodents into your home. A rodent infestation is easy to spot because you’ll see plenty of their droppings, which can make humans sick. Mice are also notorious for chewing electrical wires which can pose a fire risk. Squirrels A......

Bed bugs are a major nuisance that can cause discomfort and spread quickly if left unchecked. When you know the signs of a bed bug infestation, you can identify the problem and implement a solution. Here’s how to spot a bed bug infestation. Bites and Other Skin Irritation Perhaps the most noticeable indication of a bed bug infestation is skin irritation. These tiny insects bite humans and survive off of the blood they collect during feedings. Small bites and cuts on exposed skin are usually the first sign of a problem. If you suspect a bed bug problem, check your body for bites as soon as you wake up. It may take several days for the bites to begin to itch, and the discomfort can last for up to nine days. Keep a Lookout Conduct a thorough search to look for both bed bugs and their eggs. Bed bugs can range f......

When it comes to pest control for your home, the best offense is really a good defense. Preventing problems is much more effective than needing to treat them later on. There are things that you can do to prevent and discourage pests from coming into your home. When you plan ahead, you can avoid many costly issues later How to Make Your Home Pest-Resistant Repair and seal any openings This is one of the most important things that you can do for preventing pests from entering your home. You need to make it difficult for them to get in. Check for gaps and cracks, especially in the basement and in any crawl spaces and in the siding on the outside of the house. Exterior outlets, utility meters and laundry vents can also have openings. Fill in these spaces. Make sure your weather stripping is secure on doors and that you repair......

The changes in weather and seasons greatly affect pests in your yard and your home. No matter what the season, you may notice these pest population fluctuations. Because of these changes, it can be hard to control insect infestations. By understanding how weather affects pests, you will better be able to combat this issue. How Weather and Seasons Affect Pests Spring During the spring, any ice melts and the temperature warms up. Pests come out of their nesting spots. Bees and wasps wake up, and you may see termites and ants as well. Most pests are busy mating in the spring, so they remain outside. There are some that look for protected places to build a nest. In order to combat issues, take note of insect patterns around and in your home to notice any changes and talk to a pest control professional. Want to keep bees out of your Springtime......