Pests can be a major problem in any situation and it is always best to plan ahead and take precautions. Pests may invade at any time and they must be dealt with quickly and efficiently. What should you do if you find yourself in a situation where pest control creativity was needed? Take a look at the situations below and see what steps would have been taken by pest professionals to get rid of the pests without harming humans or other animals.
Carpenter Ants or Termites?
The Difference Between Carpenter Ants and Termites: What You Need to Know Carpenter ants are common household pests and are often mistaken for termites. They can be found almost anywhere in the United States, but they’re most commonly found in the southern and eastern regions of the country. Carpenter ants are winged insects with a black or nearly black body that is about 1/4” long. They possess a stiff, pointed abdomen that is used to break into the wood in order to lay eggs. Carpenter ants have six legs, two antennae, and one pair of wings. Termites are more challenging to identify because they have a wide variety of sizes-from microscopic to over 12 inches long! Termite workers will eat through wooden materials to bring them back to the nest, where others will carry on the work. They cannot live without eating wood-this is why they can do so much damage. Termites also have an equal number of males and females, so each colony has both genders present. The next time you find unwanted visitors Is it a termite or a carpenter ant? Termite Warranty and Control Carpenter ants and termites have a very similar appearance. The most noticeable difference between termites and carpenter ants is their number of wings. Carpenter ants are winged insects while termites are not. Termites are larger and can vary significantly in size, including microscopic to over 12 inches long! They also have an equal number of males and females, so each colony has both genders present. If you find either type of insect, it is best to contact a professional pest control service. The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) recommends that homeowners call a professional if they see any evidence of either type of an insect for the first time or multiple times. What do they look like? Carpenter ants are black, and their body is about 1/4 of an inch long. They have six legs, two antennae, and one pair of wings. Termites are a bit harder to identify because they come in a wide variety of sizes-from microscopic to over 12 inches. Termite workers will eat through wooden materials to bring them back to the nest, where others will carry on the work. They cannot live without eating wood-this is why they can do so much damage. Termites also have an equal number of males and females, so each colony has both genders present. The next time you find unwanted visitors, you’ll know what kind you’re dealing with! Call to Action How can I get rid of them? Carpenter ants can be challenging to get rid of because they live and travel in colonies. They’re often found in moist areas and may drain from your house’s plumbing or seep through cracks in the foundation. If you think you have an infestation, contact a professional pest control service to identify the problem and provide a solution. Termites are more difficult to exterminate because they never stop eating wood! To eliminate termites, it needs to be done all at once-the entire colony must be eliminated for them to die out. If you have a termite problem, contact a professional pest control service ASAP! What do carpenter ants eat? Carpenter ants will eat almost anything, but their favorite foods are sweets, breads, and meats. They can get into your home or office through tiny cracks that lead to wall spaces and door frames. What do termites eat? Termites eat wood and can cause considerable damage to your home. They eat the wood from the inside out, leaving a hard shell on the outside of your house. Termites will eat through wooden materials to bring them back to their nest, where others will carry on the work. If you see termites in your home, you need to call Lighthouse 516-800-1272 immediately! Conclusion The bottom line is the difference between carpenter ants and termites can be tough to spot if you don’t know what you’re looking for. The good news is that it’s easy to tell the difference once you understand what to look for. With the correct information, you can quickly determine whether it’s a termite or a carpenter ant and take action to get rid of them. Colony Elimination Activation
Termite Damage VS Homeowners Insurance
Let’s talk termite damage and insurance coverages. What is homeowners insurance and how does it work? Homeowners insurance provides coverage to repair or rebuild your home after events like fire, smoke, theft, vandalism, a falling tree, or damage caused by weather such as lightning, wind, or hail. Most standard homeowners insurance policies also cover furniture, clothing, and other possessions. Do your homeowners insurance policies cover termite damage? Let’s take a look… Allstate Insurance American Family Insurance Coastal Insurance Erie Insurance Farmers Insurance The Hartford Insurance Nationwide Insurance Progressive Insurance It’s surprising to find out that many homeowners are unaware of the termite damage coverage gap in their homeowners policies. That’s why Lighthouse Exterminating offers you a written one-year termite transferable guarantee, along with monitoring and treatment year round. CALL NOW Did you know that most homeowners are not actually covered for termite damage? The best way to be 100% sure whether your insurance will cover your termite damage or not is to call your insurance agent or look at your declarations page on your homeowners policy. Lighthouse Exterminating is here to help you cover the termite damage insurance gap on your policy. It’s important to have an exterminator you can trust, so let us take care of the problem for you. We at Lighthouse Exterminating understand that termites can be a huge nuisance. Termite protection is our business, and we’re here to help you get the peace of mind you deserve. Our team of termite specialists are here to protect your home from these pesky insects. One call is all it takes. CALL NOW What makes our termite colony elimination system work?👉 The Termite with the darker heads are Solider Termites. The Solider Termites come to search for the eliminated workers Termite Bait Station (TBS) The extremely low-disruption design means less abandonment of the station due to termite. Dual-stage interior design provides two unique, food sources Termite Inspection Cartridge (TIC) Used during the surveillance stage. Contains 93 grams of Puri-Cell check matrix without active ingredient. Rapid transfer from the Wood Termite Monitoring Database Encourages ‘harder hits’ Termite Monitoring Framework Favorite essences with horizontal grooves allow easy access to termites. Designed to ensure maximum wood contact on the ground. Built with 63 grams of wood. Used as a point of aggregation, where termites come into the station. The Advance Termite Bait System is a treatment recognized by regulatory authorities and government lenders to meet the requirements of the Termite Closing Letter. In addition, owners like bait because it provides visible long-term protection without large amounts of termiticide. Fueled with Novaluron, Trelona ATBS offers continuous structural protection that is perfect for your needs. Fueled by the active ingredient Novaluron, Trelona ATBS offers continuous structural protection by eliminating colonies. The new annual inspection label gives you the flexibility to check stations only once a year. Our family-owned and operated termite and pest control company provides residential and commercial termite protection. We’re on your side to make sure that, should there be any pests, we’ll take care of it. CALL NOW
When DIY becomes deadly
The Bathroom Boogey DO IT YOURSELF is something that has been around since the beginning of time. New homeowners are now able to take control of their finances and satisfaction of service. There has also been an increase in videos of foolish tasks captured on video. There ought to be a line where we depend on the research performed by EPA scientists rather than YouTube or trusted employees at hardware stores. https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/understanding-science-behind-epas-pesticide-decisions I have a close friend who is well versed in the world of event security planning, trusted by major sport arenas for his knowledge on how to make sure your experience at places like Madison Square Garden are safe and enjoyable. He called me about an ant problem, but something caught my eye so I asked him “why did he seal that hole under the window?” I thought I knew the answer to his question, but I did not know the complications that would follow his answer. Yellow Jackets were entering a hole, so he waited until night and he and his wife took on the task of spraying a store bought long distance aeraerosol, then covered the hole for good measure . My friend told me that his son, who was highly allergic to bees, had come back home for summer break and he did not call me because he wanted to take care of it quickly. When I asked if he had been in the bathroom since he sealed it, he said ‘No.’ I asked this questions because the seal also sealed the bees in walls of the bathroom. This raised alarm bells in my head and he started to see where my questioning was leading. “Do you think the bees got into the bathroom?” This had gone from a quick ant treatment to a concerning issue. His mind was working, he called his wife over, and asked her about the odd noise she had complained about. The reply she gave told me how serious this situation was. “I knew the noise came from the bathroom, so I called our son over and we found a wet spot so we were going to poke it and see if we had a leak.” My main concern was the stings from yellow jackets can be life-threatening for some people. This is called anaphylaxis, which causes the closing of the airway, causing breathing problems, dizziness, stomach cramps, nausea and diarrhea. https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/insect-stings Once I entered the bathroom, I knew my worst fear was true. As if the sound of buzzing bees heard me coming, one bee poked through the hole. Bees aren’t preprogrammed automatons, but they learn from experience. They can communicate with each other, conveying their intentions, work assignments and the location of a new threat. Exactly how they communicate is not understood, but it seems that it might be through chemical signals or touch. One or two of these little buggers are not the end of the world, many times they lose communication and act lethargic. On the other hand, an angry Hive will attack to protect their Queen. This can happen within a few feet from the colony. The Yellow Jacket is known for its smooth stingers, so they can sting multiple times. The hive in my friends’ bathroom was moments of falling through the ceiling, in fact the rising damp spot was the moisture as the hive developed. The fact that they no longer had an exit point, the artificial light, led them to the bathroom. I moved quickly and told them they should wait outside and then I went into action. I took the steps two at a time and got outside to the back of my truck and quickly opened it. I looked for my bee pole and remembered that I had been repairing it in the barn. I didn’t think to bring it for a simple ant job. At this point, I looked at the green bulb duster, sighed, and grabbed my ½ gallon spray bottle filled with only water and soap 50/50. I got back up the stairs and saw that the door was ajar, several bees were escaping, so I hit them with the soap and water. Then I finished them off with my boot. I got into the bathroom and closed the door; it was just me and them! I had to act quickly. The original hole had gotten slightly bigger, but I still had a plan. I put my pre-pumped ½ gallon sprayer of soap and water on the counter and set it to auto-spray. The bees around the hole moved in response to my spray, So I jumped in and grabbed my bulb duster into the hole and pumped the dust into the void as my soap and water shield kept the bees at bay. I got my last pump of dust into the hole delicately removed the tip of the duster, grabbed my sprayer and opened and closed the door. I jumped up looking around swinging at the air, but There were no bees in the hallway, only my thoughts. The next day I followed up and the hive was completely expired; I had to cut the ceiling above the bathtub open to remove it. There were two lessons learned on the day of the bee incident: If bees are flying into your structure, call your professional such as Lighthouse Exterminating 516-800-1272 and I should always have a backup bee pole. https://www.lighthouseexterminating.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG-1394.mov Call Lighthouse
Termites versus your life savings?
Termites in Long Island? Unfortunately, in Long Island (Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, & Suffolk Counties), we do have termites and the most common termite is the eastern subterranean termite, information found at Cornell University. “Termites are the subject of more inquiries than any other insect in Nassau County. The eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) is a native species that lived in woodlands long before frame buildings were constructed in this country.” ~ Cornell University Just the word “termite” can scare any homeowner, but before we go further into to this pesky subject know that this is where we specialize. Years after years, decade after decade, our experts on our team are certified and experienced from dealing from early detection to dealing with major damage prevention. Our experts have solved many, many problems, saving Long Islanders, the stress or financial responsibility from unexpected termite damage, and who knows the thousands of out pocket money. According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), many homeowners insurance policies don’t cover termite damage or removal. Termite infestations may be prevented with routine home maintenance and is the responsibility of the homeowner. We have many advanced methods, to detect and protect your home, we have the options that work for you. Termites are sneaky pest that do damage without anyone knowing it. I was recently asked a question from a homeowner in NY about termite damage. I thought this was a great question because it is a scenario that doesn’t happen too often, but when it does, it can be a nightmare. Termites are destroying your home, but did you know that your homeowners insurance doesn’t cover it? Termite bait stations are a smart way to protect your home from termite infestations. Bait stations come in two parts, the station itself and the bait. The station is installed in the ground around your home, and the bait is placed inside. Bait stations are a great way to monitor and eliminate termite colonies. Knowing is really half the battle Termites can do major damage your home, but did you know that most home insurance policies don’t cover it? You may not know it, but you could be suffering from termites damage. Here are some signs to watch out for: I know! The mud shelter tubes are traveling up the outside foundation wall, inner foundation wall, up support piers or plumbing under the house, or similar situations. That’s right! Termites have built a shelter tube to… enter the house beneath the lower edge of siding. You might have been wondering: what do swarmers even look like? Well, here they are. They can be found without or with wings, so you can figure out what’s up with those creepy crawlers Notice any narrow, sunken winding lines? Or maybe some sunken areas? These might be due to termites feeding on the cardboard in the sheetrock. Termites are attracted to damp wood, so if you notice a sagging floor or roof, or a broken door frame, you should inspect for termite damage. It could be due to something as simple as wood rot, but it could also be because of the dirty little bugs themselves. You might need to call Lighthouse. Simple and Green Solution Termite bait stations are your best bet for preventing termites from eating away at your foundation. They’re inserted into the ground with a 2-4 foot radius around your home and placed no more than 20 feet apart. Termites find the stations during their normal foraging (food “hunting”) activities, just as they might find any other underground food source, such as the roots of tree stump. Termite return depending on the acceptability of this “food” in the stations. There is no way to predict how soon termites will find and feed in a bait station so an important part of the baiting strategy is to install the stations completely around the structure and to target known or suspected sites of termite activity (e.g., tree stumps near the house).