Worldwide Pest Control Blog

As Thanksgiving approaches, that coveted turkey day feast awaits dinner tables across the United States. The turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and dinner rolls just scream “eat me”. Unfortunately, humans aren’t the only ones that will be going back for seconds. With the amount of food cooked each year, every house is bound to have tons of leftovers that find their way to the garbage. With pests moving indoors in the winter months, it’s a safe bet that they will find their way to the garbage as well. Clean Those Crumbs Of course, food crumbs are among the most well-known sources of food for pests in your home. With all the dinner rolls and carb-filled food at the Thanksgiving table, crumbs are inevitable. Keep in mind this holiday is usually a family affair, so the younger kids who may not know the cleanest form of eating are likely to spread crumbs.......

Pests create a variety of problems in your home. The insects enter your home for three main reasons - food, water and shelter. When the weather begins to get colder and the food sources start to diminish, pests look for the easiest ways to obtain the necessities to survive and that way is moving inside. The Electronics Attraction As the bugs move into your home, they are going to look for a place to hide. The place is warm and dry. Your electronics fit the bill because pests look for the following: Electronics are warm and give off heat. Provides a hiding spot during the day. Food sources are nearby. Water is generally in the vicinity. An undisturbed breeding ground. Invasion of Your Electronics Since pests find their way into your home through small cracks, it is not uncommon to find them in your electronic devices. Pests can squeeze themselves into......

Fall is a beautiful season, filled with cool breezes, leaf piles, and of course, holidays. Halloween, for example, a day to celebrate spookiness, is one of the biggest highlights of this time of the year. Nothing is more fun than dressing up, buying candy, and making your house look creepy with decorations. However, these Halloween decorations may attract something truly scary: Pests. Here is how to decorate for the holidays without inviting pests over for the party. Fake Webs Fake webs are a great way of preparing for Halloween. If you want, you can even put plastic spiders one them to make it extra real. Just make sure that any real spiders don’t crawl all over them. To prevent pests from spreading from your spider webs to your house, when you take them down either throw them in the garbage or seal them in a plastic bag. Once your webs are s......

As the seasons change and summer gives way to fall, some pests become more active than usual. The shorter days and chillier nights mean pests begin looking for warm shelter along with a good meal. Though our winters here in southern Texas are on the mild side, during the fall a variety of insects start making their winter plans. Unfortunately, that often means moving into your home. So which pests should you be on the lookout for? We’ve identified pests that are most active during the fall in Texas along with offering prevention tips. Fleas This often surprises people, but fleas become more active in the fall season. Typically, they hitch a ride into your house with a pet dog or cat. But pests such as mice can also be the culprits. Once inside your home, an infestation can occur as they hide in carpeting, bedding, floor cracks and furniture. Cockroaches ......

As temperatures gradually begin to cool here in Texas and fall weather arrives, many pests begin looking for warmer lodging to escape chilly nights. Homeowners are often surprised to discover that cockroaches are infesting their homes as the days grow shorter. Like humans, roaches want a comfortable home environment with plentiful food and water for the winter. And your home may look attractive. Just when you’re spending a bit more time indoors and thinking about plans for the holidays, the roaches have arrived! Roach Infestations Usually cockroaches migrate from the outdoors to enter your home. During the fall, leaf piles or fallen leaves can attract them — making it even easier for them to discover your house. It’s easy for roaches to slip through small holes and crevices. Once inside, they often hide in your kitchen. They are nocturnal and like to take up residence under sinks, in walls, behind appliances and i......

Now that summer is coming to a close, we need to start paying attention and planning for the fall season. Although many things come around this time of year, one element you should be aware of is pests. Now is the perfect time to start prepping your home for the various bugs and critters that will otherwise take residence. Two of the most notable pests are the stink bug and the ladybug. What makes these species so infamous is that fall is when they will start crawling into your home, looking for space to overwinter. As the weather gets colder, these bugs will hibernate in the cracks and crevices, only to reemerge come spring. Keeping Your Home Stink Bug Free If you’ve encountered stink and ladybugs before, you know that part of the problem is that you can’t kill them with conventional methods. Not only do they stink something awful when you......

Discovering that you have a cockroach issue in your home can be horrific. Once finding out about your pest issue, you may feel contaminated- as though you and your house are filthy, no matter how much you clean. You feel disgusted, or sick to your stomach. Or, you may start having trouble breathing. For those who suffer from asthma, cockroaches can have damaging effects. Keep reading to discover more. Why Cockroaches Can Irritate Asthmatics A cockroach’s body parts and droppings act as dust mites as they fly into the air and into your nasal passages. Those who suffer from asthma are more prone to suffer from a cockroach’s droppings. However, it can affect anyone who suffers from allergies. Unfortunately, about 63 percent of homes are affected by cockroaches, so it is wise to check with your doctor if you are prone to become irritated by them. Symptoms That You May Be All......

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 ......