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When it comes to pests, Asian lady beetles are one of the most unwelcome guests in many homes. These small yet mighty creatures have made their way from Southeast Asia and are now an invasive species across North America. While they can bring some natural benefits, they also often invade homes during autumn months, causing quite a nuisance.

So what can you do if Asian lady beetles show up unwanted at your doorstep? The first step is to identify them properly. These insects vary in color from red to orange and yellow and usually measure about 3/8 inch long. They also carry distinctive markings, including black spots or lines on their back, which make them relatively easy to spot!

Once you’ve identified the source of the invasion, there are several steps you can take to manage them effectively. Most importantly, make sure that any existing cracks or holes around windows and doors are sealed properly or else the lady beetles will find their way back in no time! It’s also important to keep your house clean as this reduces their chances of surviving indoors. Finally, use insecticides and a vacuum to treat the infestation. Make sure never to squish these beetles as they will stain a surface and will omit an odor. 

When it comes to outdoor control measures, removing potential food sources is key. Lady beetles enjoy consuming aphids that attack plants, so regular pruning and tilling can help prevent infestations before they start! Additionally, keeping a close eye on high-traffic areas such as porches, decks and gardens will allow you to spot any incoming lady beetles colonies early on and intervene appropriately.

In conclusion, Asian lady beetles aren’t always bad news; they provide some natural benefits by eating destructive crop pests and other bugs alike. That being said, if they become too much of an issue, then proper management strategies need to be put in place in order for you and the environment alike to benefit! That’s why The Bug Man is here.

Ah, the holidays. A time for friends and family to gather. A time for loved ones to relish in each other’s company and reflect on the year. However, one or two unwanted guests usually want to make an appearance and ruin the most wonderful time of the year. Yep, you guessed it – Mice and other rodents. 

These unwanted guests want in from the cold and want to partake in your holiday feast. Unfortunately, they carry nearly a dozen diseases. But don’t panic if they show up and scurry around. There are multiple ways to manage these tiny disease carriers and prevent them from further contaminating your home.

Read on for our 5 tips for getting rid of mice in your house.

1. Block all openings

Mice are sneaky as they come. They’ll find any way into your home. Walk around the exterior of your home and look for any openings or gaps. Spend the most time inspecting windows and the foundation. Remember, they’re unwanted guests. They’ll make their way to your celebration if there is an improperly sealed drain pipe or sewer line.

If you can’t correctly seal those openings, the next best thing is to use steel wool. You simply stuff it tightly into the opening. It’s impossible to chew through and not as tasty as your meal.

2. Don’t use mice poison—set traps.

You may think that the easiest way to rid yourself of these unwanted guests is poison, but it doesn’t always take care of the problem. Poison can take some time and doesn’t always kill all the mice. And guess what? The ones that survive will reproduce and start the cycle all over. The ones that take the poison can run off, eventually die, and leave a disgusting odor. Finally, and perhaps most important – poison isn’t good to have around for family and pets.

We recommend traps because they are the safest and most effective. There are several types of mouse traps to choose from. Spring-loaded is excellent for trapping mice in the house. For a more humane way to trap, try glued mouse traps which allow you to release them outside. Finally, there’s your good old-fashioned homemade mousetrap, which is a cage or cardboard box you lure in and prevent it from escaping. Much like the glued trap, you can release it outside.

3. Mouse repellents are a good option

Mouse repellent isn’t going to take care of the mice in your home completely, but it will help with more getting in. Mice hate essential oils, such as peppermint and clove and are great when you find a point of entry around your house. All you need to do is soak a rag or cotton ball and leave it at the entry point. Note: Natural mice repellents are not nearly as effective when dealing with a mouse infestation.

4. Meow meow

It may seem a little cliche, but it’s true; cats are natural-born hunters and can help with rodent infestations. This is considering no one in your house is allergic. Many don’t know this, but there are plenty of farms that are using cats to help with the problem.

5. Call The Bug Man

You may be able to manage the mouse problem in your home effectively, but your best bet is to work with a professional who has the experience and professionalism to help with your problem. The Bug Man is reliable and knowledgeable and can give you peace of mind this holiday season. Although the Bug Man may not be able to help you with a crazy sibling or relative, they can surely help out with the other unwanted guests. 

From all of us at The Bug Man, we want to wish everyone a happy, healthy and pest-free holiday season. 

Being a family-run business and setting only the highest standards for the people we serve has always been a part of our mission. We pride ourselves on delivering only the best pest control services to Baton Rouge and surrounding areas. And apparently, many of you agreed and voted us the Best Pest Control in Baton Rouge Parents Magazine. 

Winners are selected via people’s choice. That is what truly makes this award mean so much to us. It means that the people we serve value what we offer and what we can do to make their homes and businesses safer and pest free. It means that people know that we’re a part of this community and what we stand for. 

We’re proud to be alongside many other great companies that value our community by offering excellent services and setting a standard for what people should and can expect. So, on behalf of everyone at The Bug Man, we want to thank you for your vote and promise to keep setting the bar.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

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They’re creepy. They crawl and they’re slithering up your front steps. What is it, you say? It could be spiders, hissing cockroaches or rabid rodents. You may be done with the scares of Halloween, but the scares are not done with you.

Do you hear something in the walls?

Relax, it’s not a zombie. Chances are it’s most likely mice or rats that have moved into your wall voids for the fall and winter. If you hear squeaking floors or footsteps, your house may be haunted. But again, it may be rodents running across the floors. Even scarier, rodents are nocturnal, so you’ll hear these sounds in the dead of night as they search for food. While checking the pantry, if you notice any chewed bags or footsteps, these are signs that mice or rats are living in your home. If you sense there’s activity, it’s time to act now. Rodents reproduce incredibly fast and can transmit numerous diseases as well as fleas, ticks and other pests.

Is something skittering across the kitchen floor?

Do you see something scary when you come home and turn on the lights? Something like roaches. They’re resilient, can run as fast as three miles an hour, and can adapt to any environment. How creepy is that? They’re not just scary. Roaches can carry many diseases and pathogens. So how do you remove these creepy crawlers? 

• Clean your floors after all meals
• Wipe down counters and cooking areas
• Get a trash can with a tight lid and wash dishes immediately after eating
• Dispose of cardboard boxes

How about a bit of advice?

If you’re tired of the post-Halloween scares, it’s time to contact The Bug Man to handle your rodent or pest situation. The Bug Man gives you a free inspection by trained technicians. Our technicians place baits and traps in areas with evident rodent activity to reduce rodent populations. Catch something from the corner of your eye crawling around in your home. It might give you the heebie-jeebies; it could be roaches. Now’s the time to act. The Bug Man gets them before they get you. 

It should go without saying that one of the last places you want to see a pest is in the kitchen. Whether residential or commercial, flies can make their way in through the door while cockroaches and other rodents make their way through cracks. These pests and many others can contaminate food, spread disease and damage your home in ways you never want.  

To help avoid pests from making their way into your home or business and causing problems, here are a few tips and tricks.

1. It’s essential to maintain a clean kitchen

A clean kitchen isn’t just a pleasant environment; it will also help prevent the spread of bacteria and other unwanted contaminants. Always remember to disinfect countertops with a strong disinfectant cleaner. It’s a no-brainer, but remove food scraps that can attract pests. When using the cleanser, make sure to get all crevices and corners and spend an extra amount of time on food preparation surfaces. All in all, pretty simple. 

2. Think of yourself as a pest management professional in the kitchen.

It may seem overkill, but having a calendar of when things are cleaned and disinfected is a great routine. That way, you know what was cleaned when and by whom. Grease can easily add up if not addressed, bringing those unwanted problems to the table. While doing this, keep an eye out for any sort of leaks in either the sink or any other appliance.  

3. Sweep, sweep, sweep

Whether at home or running a restaurant, if you’re cooking food, it’s important to sweep daily to get those delicious crumbs off the floor. Make sure you clean under and behind your appliances and keep food storage areas free of clutter so you can spot an infestation. 

4. Know the importance of a clean kitchen

It’s easy to want to keep dishes in the sink. Don’t! Dirty dishes are perhaps the primary food sources for pests. Wash them immediately or store them in the dishwasher. 

If you keep dishes in the sink, the pest at first may be a nuisance. However, eventually, it will completely overrun your kitchen. Save yourself the hassle and wipe your counters and keep your dishes washed.

5. Hot days and months are especially troublesome

Food scraps can build up if you cook a lot or run a restaurant. If you have an unsealed trashcan, there’s a good chance pests have just found the perfect place for breeding.

Always keep your trashcan sealed and have it emptied regularly. If something spills, clean it up quickly because even the smallest amount can attract pests. 

6. Call The Bug Man

Working with a quality pest control company with many years of experience combating pests is especially important. 

Recently, The Bug Man worked with a commercial kitchen for some training on drain cleanouts. They were being trained in bioremediation. Essentially, it’s the use of naturally occurring or deliberately introduced microorganisms or other forms of life to consume and break down environmental pollutants to clean up a polluted site. 

If you stay on top of these tips, you can keep your kitchen pest-free. However, if your pests have already made their way into your kitchen, contact The Bug Man. We’ll get them before they get you. 

While spring cleaning is often the norm, we think one great big summer clean out of your pantry is even better because that’s when pantry moths are most likely to reproduce  (and your kids are home to help)! You may be asking yourself What’s a pantry moth? And how would I know if I have them? We’re here to tackle those questions and more.

What are pantry moths?

With gray, tan and brown features, pantry moths are a common species of meal moth that feeds primarily on dried foods, like rice, flour, pasta, cereal, spices, nuts and more. As their name suggests, you’ll always find them near food – in pantries, kitchens, grocery stores and even food processing plants.

How can I tell if I have pantry moths?

Oftentimes, you’ll spot the adults flying around your kitchen – but they aren’t the ones you need to be worried about. It’s the larvae that are hatched in your dried goods (females can lay 400 eggs at a time), producing the moths which will eat through your supply and leave excrement and silk webs in their tracks. While the moths themselves may not bite or sting humans, they can easily spoil the food you’ve worked hard to provide.

How did they get in?

Believe it or not, the most common way for pantry moths to get a foot (or wing) in your door is through the dried goods that you bought at the grocery store. Factories and processing plants often house them without even knowing it. But this shouldn’t stop you from purchasing these items – see the section below for how you can minimize the risk of bringing them into your home.

How do I get rid of moths in my pantry?

If you suspect that pantry moths may be in your presence, it’s important to act as quickly as possible because they can spread very rapidly. Follow these steps:

1. Clean out your pantry and throw away any sort of containers where you suspect moths, whether you spot holes in packaging, webs in your food or caterpillars themselves eating away at your dried goods. Be sure that you take the garbage outside.
2. Vacuum up your pantry, kitchen and in the general vicinity of your infestation. Then wipe down the entire area -walls, shelves, door hinges, baseboards and floors – with warm water and soap (and vinegar if you have it).
3. Put any food deemed safe in airtight containers -plastic, metal or glass- to avoid an opening for moths to slip in.

How do I prevent pantry moths from invading my kitchen?

Save yourself from the stress of having to manage an infestation, by taking these precautionary steps:

1. When purchasing dried goods at the grocery store, always check the packaging for any signs of holes or tears before placing it in your shopping cart. And then when you get home, you can be extra safe by placing your goods in the freezer for a few days before putting them away.
2. Start using as many airtight containers as possible to store your dry goods.
3. Store pet food and bird seed away from your food.
4. Use peppermint as a natural deterrent -pantry moths aren’t a fan of the smell. 

If you believe pantry moths have made themselves at home in your pantry, you can always give The Bug Man a call at 923-BUGS. Our professionals know exactly how to rid your kitchen of these pests for good. Get in touch now!

Although the housing market has shown small signs of slowing, many are still taking advantage of low mortgage rates to purchase a new home. While it may feel like a whirlwind, especially with the very-likely case of multiple offers, above-listing pricetags and split-second decisions, you may feel inclined to skip a couple of steps along the way. One you should never overlook is a Wood Destroying Insect Report (WDIR). While not all types of loans require a WDIR to be completed, it is absolutely always in your best interest to do one. The last thing you want is to find your perfect home, move in and then realize you have a huge infestation on your hands. Let’s break down what a Wood Destroying Insect Report is and why it’s important to get one.

What is a Wood Destroying Insect Report?

A Wood Destroying Insect Report (WDIR) is put together by a professional, registered pest control company after they perform an official inspection. The goal of the inspection is to search for any present or previous signs of wood destroying insects, such as termites, so that the buyer can be aware of any damage, repairs or treatments that may need to be incurred before making an offer (and to see if it’s worth the time and money to move forward with the purchase). 

What are inspectors looking for?

The inspector will thoroughly inspect all accessible structures of the home, including outdoor decks, railings and porches, for traces of any wood boring insects themselves or for any signs that the structure has or once had damage caused by them. The inspector will diligently search every area that can be seen without removing or altering any structures of the home.

Does the report only cover termites?

While the WDIR does cover termites, which is the most threatening type of wood destroying insect, it also covers others, like powder post beetles, old house borers, carpenter bees and carpenter ants as well as white and brown fungi. Anything that could cause structural damage to your home is worth identifying early on!

With termites causing $5 million in damage to homes every year, you can’t afford to not take every possible precaution to protect your future house. The Bug Man’s trained professionals will ensure you can move in with peace of mind – In addition to WDIRs, we also offer infrared camera inspections to detect what’s beyond the naked eye, through walls and under carpets, without having to disrupt the integrity of the home. Need a Wood Destroying Insect Report you can trust? Contact us today!

Mosquitoes…us Louisianians know a thing or two about these blood-sucking insects. According to National Geographic, there are now over 3,000 mosquito species worldwide. As the weather starts warming up, mosquitoes start to populate around your home. The annoyance of itchy mosquito bites is one of the few downfalls of playing outside in the summer. Not only are they annoying biting nuisances, but they are a public health concern across the world. A mosquito’s ability to spread fatal illnesses make them one of the most deadly animals in the world. It’s important for residents to understand the basic facts about the mosquito, the associated health concerns, and the best methods of controlling and preventing them.

Basic Facts About Mosquitoes

As you may have guessed already, mosquitoes prefer warmer and more humid climates. This is why Louisiana is a great home for them. The majority of the different species of mosquitoes can survive in temperatures between 50 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Whenever Louisiana begins to reach these temperatures, mosquito eggs will begin to hatch. 

Mosquito species have different breeding habits, but most want to lay their eggs near water, this could include dog bowls, birdbaths, tires, flowerpots, and gutters. Female mosquitoes can produce 100-200 eggs at one time, and the eggs can hatch into mosquito larvae within 48 hours. For about a week to 10 days, the larva will grow before changing into a pupa until finally emerging as an adult mosquito about two days later. After the mosquitoes are born, male mosquitoes live for about a week or two, feeding on nectar from flowers, and female mosquitos can live for over a month, feeding on humans and animals for blood to produce eggs.Believe it or not, your breath attracts mosquitoes to suck your blood. Carbon dioxide gives insects the signal that blood is nearby, and since we exhale CO2, we make it easy for these bloodsuckers to find us.

Health Concerns

Mosquitoes are in fact one the deadliest creatures on earth. They can carry dangerous diseases, and more deaths have been reported as a result of their bites than any other animal. According to The American Mosquito Control Association, mosquitoes cause more human suffering than any other organism — over one million people worldwide die from mosquito-borne diseases every year. Diseases that are spread to people by mosquitoes include West Nile Virus, Chikungunya, Zika virus, dengue, and malaria. It is important to learn about the different ways to prevent and control these pests before someone gets sick.

Controlling and Preventing

Just because mosquitoes are an inevitable part of summer activities doesn’t mean you’re left totally defenseless. Try these tips to prevent these pests from biting you:

• Get rid of standing water 
• Wear long sleeves and pants
• Avoid dusk and dawn hours
• Clean gutters and downspouts
• Wear repellent with DEET in it
• Plant mosquito-repelling plants such as Citronella & Lemongrass

If you are still experiencing mosquitoes on your property, it’s a safe bet you should call a pest control professional. The mosquito treatment plan usually begins with a thorough property inspection and identifying the kind of mosquitoes that are causing problems. Once the inspection and identification are complete, your pest management professional will prepare a mosquito treatment plan best suited for your property, such as mosquito pots, misting systems, or yard fogging.

If you are concerned about a mosquito breeding site in or around your home, consider calling a pest management professional. The Bug Man provides three revolutionary mosquito treatments that don’t just repel mosquitoes, the unit kills them for good! Our newest mosquito program is a great, inexpensive alternative to yard fogging. We place mosquito pots around your yard that sterilize a female mosquito from laying eggs. For an effective mosquito solution, contact The Bug Man and ask about their mosquito services or give us a call at (225) 923-2847.