Worldwide Pest Control Blog

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......

Halloween is a time of the year when you begin to see bat decorations, but you probably don't want real bats hanging around your house. You can hire a professional bat control company like Worldwide Pest Control to help solve the issue or use a few tips to keep them away on your own. An easy way to keep bats away so that you can enjoy time outside as well as the Halloween season is to put mothballs around the exterior of your home. Put a few mothballs in a cloth to hang in your attic or in areas where bats could easily get inside your home. Replace the mothballs frequently so that the smell continues to exude from them, keeping the bats away. When you spot the area where bats are getting into the home, you need to use some kind of sealant to block off the entrance. Sometimes, bats......

If you suspect rodents have gotten into your home, you must follow steps to control the problem before it gets out of hand. Take some time to learn about the issues you could face when rodents get into your home and cause damage. You will then understand the importance of taking fast action to contain the threat, and doing so will give you peace of mind. Once you discover the top issues you could encounter, you will have a clear picture of what you need to do to protect yourself and your home. Rodents Taint Your Food Controlling and containing rodents is essential if you don't want to waste your food. It won't take these invaders long to find your kitchen and other food storage areas, and they will chew through your bags and containers before you spot the signs of trouble. Since you can't risk eating food that rodents have......

There are many environmental conditions that contribute to mosquito infestations, and some of them can be addressed. If the area is humid and warm during certain parts of the year, mosquitoes will tend to appear, for example. In addition, these pests gravitate towards stagnant bodies of water, which are common in certain regions and territories. Understanding the top signs of a mosquito infestation can help you to take the necessary precautions. Top Mosquito Symptoms Mosquito bites can be painful, and in some cases they can cause illness. Some mosquitoes carry diseases, so you will have to be alert to this particular danger. Always check with the local health agencies and disease prevention service organizations to determine if there is a mosquito infestation in your area. If a mosquito bites into the skin, they can leave marks behind; however, this can happen without the bite victim being aware that a mosquito is......

When it's time for kids to go back to school, bed bugs are not something that you want them to take to class in their bags or on their clothing. Whether they are in elementary school or college, there are a few ways that you can check for bed bugs to keep them from spreading to other people and to see if they are in your home after some time of being back in class as this can be an indication that the pests have been brought home from someone else. If your child goes to someone else's house or brings someone home, you need to check all bags and clothing after the visit to ensure that there are no bugs present. If a child takes bed bugs into the classroom, the bugs can quickly spread from one person to another, resulting in an infestation with all the students. It would......

Scorpions belong to the same insect family as spiders and ticks. These are known as arachnids, and there are many different species. This means that an infestation of scorpions will require the pest control expert to have experience in correctly identifying the particular species of scorpion. The tail of the scorpion gives it a bad reputation, and there is a good reason for people to fear this pest. Although most scorpions do not have the ability to poison their victim, the sting from a scorpion’s tail can be traumatic. Many people compare the scorpion’s sting to the sting of a wasp or a bee. However, if the scorpion happens to be poisonous, the victim could suffer serious injuries. Top Three Facts, Scorpions Preventing a scorpion infestation can help you to guard against the potential dangers of encountering a poisonous scorpion. Keep the area free from debris and trash as an important ste......

Bed bugs are one of the toughest pests you can encounter. They get everywhere, almost before you know it, and the steps to get rid of them are long and labor-intensive. Their range throughout the Austin area is wide and ever-growing. During the Austin City Limits Music Festival this year, which is being held October 5th to the 7th, and October 12th to the 14th, there will be people from all over coming together. While there will be plenty of fun to be had thanks to Paul McCartney, Shawn Mendes, and many more, there will also be plenty of time spent in hotels nearby. Bed bugs love to stay in places such as hotels, and we are here to help visitors leave bed bug free. Take a look below at some bed bug tips so you can be prepared for your trip to Austin City Limits. What Attracts Bed Bugs? The......