There has been a steady increase in the demand for flea extermination service in Guelph. The spike in the demand for this kind of service is in line with the number of households that decided to acquire a pet in recent years. Social media actually played a major role in triggering the resurgence of the interest of people in having a pet of their own. And now, the issue that has beset most households of today is the fact that pets are prone to acquiring fleas.
Flea infestation has got nothing to do with how squeaky clean your house is but in most cases, it would definitely make a big difference especially if you can vacuum out the flea egg deposits that is most likely scattered around your indoor and outdoor living space. So, what are fleas? Fleas are small insects. They’re ruthless parasites that live their lives by sucking out the lifeblood out of their warm-blooded animal prey. They have a specially designed skin-piercing mouth that enable them to draw out blood from your dog, cat, or even you. The life cycle of a flea normally begins when the female flea begins to suck live blood off its prey. It is normal for them to start laying their eggs afterward, normally from 4-8 eggs. Once laid, they will, later on, fall off to where, say, your dog wanders off. These eggs will, later on, develop into larvae, and then will enter into the pupal stage. During the pupal stage, anti-flea treatments of any kind will not work on them because they would have developed a cocoon around them and this will shield them off from the outside world as their bodies metamorphose and onto the next stage of their physical development. Normally, this stage of development, would last for about 20 weeks. Then, from the cocoon, the adult/mature flea will start to emerge. They do so on their own, or sometimes they emerge triggered by sudden jolts or, vibrations or movements by humans or animals that surround them. The moment that a flea matures, it will need to find a way to latch itself to a host and after which it will commence feeding on its blood which it does by using its mouth to pierce through its skin. For a female flea, it is a habit for them to always lay their eggs after every meal, that is after sucking off blood from its prey. They can lay eggs to a maximum of 400-500 eggs in its entire lifespan. How Can Your Domesticated Pet Acquire Fleas? Once they become adult fleas, they can jump to a height of 7 inches. This amazing ability of fleas enable them to easily latch themselves to your pet’s coat, and later on, to its skin. And when the female flea lay an egg on your dog’s or cat’s coat, they will easily fall when the animal scratches its skin. Consequently, these egg deposits fall off to where the animal frequently stays in. An outdoor living space that is warm and humid too is a perfect environment conducive for fleas to develop and multiply. But if by chance, you are letting your dog or cat go out and spend a good amount of time in these areas there is a high chance that these fleas will latch themselves to them and then back to your home, bedding, or carpeting. This is the main reason why it is crucial that for any kind of flea treatment to work, it should be able to cover and exterminate both the adult fleas and their laid live eggs. Eliminating both of them simultaneously is essential for the treatment to be considered as effective and high-impacting. In most cases, a reputable pest management company offering a high impacting flea extermination service in Guelph will be of substantial help in putting a stop to your flea infestation problem. It will definitely keep the infestation from even spreading to other parts of your home because these professionals know exactly what to do with the straggle of unseen flea eggs in your outdoor and indoor living space.
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Identifying Presence of Fire Ants
In those places where several ant species are abounding, including fire ants eve, what they make use of to distinguish and identify them from the rest is the appearance and form of their mounds. While it is a given fact that fire ant’s sting often feels like hell, some people use it to determine if the infestation is that of fire ants. However, this is not reliable at all because there are several thousand ant species all over the world and hundreds of those have painful stings, too. Therefore, the painful sting can’t be used as a convenient method of identification for fire ants. Fire ants are known to build their mounds on just about any type of soil, but most of the time they prefer to build in an open sunny area. Hence, it is not unusual to see their mounds dominant in pastures, lawns, parks, and fields. However, this ant species somehow veer away from shaded or cooler areas and thus you will no chance of finding their mounds near or in the woods. They can build a mound as high as 18 to 24 inches, provided of course that the soil conditions are perfectly okay. Another interesting feature that you will usually find near the mound of fire ants, although they may not be always around, are rotting logs, trees and stumps. There are also instances that their colonies are situated in or under a structure like buildings or houses. As for the fire ant itself, they usually come in dark to reddish brown color and their length is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch. Are They All the Same? Fire ants come in several species. But of all these, the most dreaded if not feared of them all is the Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta). Why? It is believed to be the most aggressive and the most vicious of them all. In the recent past, this fire ant species has become one of the major pests in Canada and parts of the United States, too. And why would this fire ant species not become so widespread and so feared by many, it has all the qualities of what a pest should be like.
As far as I am concerned, there are 2 strategies that have been known to work really well because they have been tried and tested by many. The first one from my list is the use of a fire ant bait. When making use of a fire ant bait, you can expect the best results if you will conduct it in early spring. This the time of the year when they are about to form and begin new colonies. However, the same procedure should be repeated when fall season comes. Why fire ant bait works? The moment that a worker ant brought the food bait into the nest and presented it to the queen, she will eat it like everything else being brought to her unsuspecting that it is lethal to her. The second method on my list is the use of high potency granular insecticide. This procedure works much the same way as fire ant baits, too. You must broadcast your choice of granular insecticide before the outset of spring and fall season. One thing that makes them different from fire ant bait is that in order for the granular insecticide to work its magic against fire ants you will need to water them. It is important to sprinkle some water on them so that they will release each time small parts of the insecticide formulation that is within each of those granules. In case that there are surviving mounds after treatment has been made and done with, you can make a follow-up treatment with them by using baits. In the event that your front or back yard has an active mound already, my practical suggestion would be to make use of ant baits on each of the individual mounds that you may have on your property. Choose a fire ant bait that contains acephate, because I tried it before and found out that it is indeed effective, quick acting and long lasting, too. No need for multiple applications, except for those mounds that you think might have been there for some time already. Such mounds might be a well-established nest for the ants and if that is the case, several treatments may be necessary to completely annihilate them for good. Tried Out Fire Ant Baits Before, Didn’t Work? If you have tried out fire ant baits before and nothing substantial, it is likely that somehow along the way you did something wrong. Fire ant baits are made to look and smell like food to ants so that when you have them near their mounds they would pick and gather them up. However, timing plays a significant role in the success of this strategy. If you will place them near their mounds at the time of the day when they are not out to gather food items, chances are high those pesky ants will not be able to collect them. Be aware that fire ant baits are most effective for a few days only, after which ants tend to neglect them already. It is also of prime importance that you make use of the right and suggested amounts only when using ant baits. Too much or too little of them will make the difference between success and failed attempt. It is safe to assume that per acre of land, at least make use of 1 to 1.5 lbs of fire ant bait and that amount should be potent enough. May I remind you though that when applying baits on individual fire ant mounds, as much as you can try not to place them on the mound itself but let it surround the mound instead. At least 3 to 4 feet around it would work just fine. But when it comes to safety concerns, just make sure that you follow directions on use which are usually indicated on the packet itself, so that you are not going to put your child or a family pet or anyone for that matter in harm’s way by not following instructions on proper use and application. If Fire Ant Stings Are Painful, Are They Lethal? While many people who had previously fallen prey to fire ants would vouch that their sting can be painful as hell, it may be a relief to know that only a few people would have allergic reactions to it. Similar to the sting of a bee, fire ant’s sting can be fatal to some people. Hence, people have developed some kind of paranoia even if you just mentioned fire ant. These pesky critters evoke a feeling of danger where they are present. In an unfortunate event that you got stung by a fire ant, the best remedy you can do is to treat it as you would an ordinary insect bite or sting. You can make use of an over-the-counter product as a first aid. If wounds develop or red welts appear accompanied by excruciating pain, you might need to seek medical help so you can immediately receive proper medication for it. If you are experiencing thickening of your tongue, shortness of breath or you are profusely sweating, all these are signs of allergic reaction to the fire ant’s sting. Sometimes, they are accompanied by excessive itching, swelling or severe redness on the insect bite itself. If you happen to have any of those symptoms, make no haste in seeking medical attention right away. You can keep fire ants at bay and you can also enlist the services and help of a reputable pest control company who offers fire ant extermination in Guelph. These professionals know exactly what to do for your situation and they know how to handle such kinds of pesky critters that are infesting your home, backyard or farm, therefore you don’t have to take chances on it yourself. |
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January 2024
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