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Pest Identification - Eco Pest Control

Ants | Bed Bugs | Bees | Carpenter Ants | Carpenter Bees | Centipedes | Cockroaches | Crickets | Earwigs | Fleas | Fruit Flies | Mites | Pillbugs | Powder Post Beetle | Rodents | Silverfish | Spiders | Brown Stink Bugs | Termites | Ticks




Ants

There are basically two types of Ants in the area — the SUGAR ANT and the CARPENTER ANT. Here we will be referring to the Sugar Ant, (also known as a Pavement Ant, or Kitchen Ant) that eat sugary and greasy foods. Sugar Ants are typically light to dark brown, and some have a reddish tint and are about a tenth of an inch long. Outdoors, Sugar Ants are in their element, preferring sandy dry soils, but in their quest for a food source Sugar Ants can quickly invade a home/building. Sugar Ant colonies are usually around 500,000 so the effects of an infestation can immediately become apparent. Sugar Ants can be a tremendous nuisance through all seasons. Since Sugar Ants live underground their entry to a structure can come from the tiniest of cracks in foundations or basements.

Many people try to use readily available store bought pesticide and baiting products to attempt to address a Sugar Ant problem, however the effectiveness of these products are at best temporary. An experienced Pest Control Technician, like our Eco Pest Control Techs, are knowledgeable in the life process or the Sugar Ant and are trained in the Green and most effective methods in eradicating a Sugar Ant infestation problem. Using a series of Green baiting systems and pesticides, Eco Pest Control interrupts the Sugar Ants pheromone trails to food sources and eliminates colonies with properly applied and environmentally Green baiting systems and natural pesticides. A Eco Pest Control Technician will also go over all the ways to eliminate a Sugar Ants food source and how best to stop & deter Sugar Ants entry into a building. Sugar Ants are pesky insects and they can come from more than one colony, so if YOU think you may have a Sugar Ant problem, call Eco Pest Control today, before they establish foraging trails into your home or place of business.

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Bed Bugs

Bed Bugs are becoming a serious infestation problem in the Lake Elsinore, CA area, as well as the rest of the United States. After almost being totally exterminated from North America, Bed Bugs have had a tremendous resurgence with reported infestations in the Lake Elsinore, CA area alone rising over 70% in 2009. Bed Bug were almost eliminated by broad spectrum pesticide use; then due to the concerns about the chemicals from less discriminating pesticides being released in the environment, more specialized pesticides were developed. So, a Roach pesticide that once killed Cockroaches and also tangentially killed Bed Bugs, now only kills Roaches. Then, since the Bed Bug was almost entirely eliminated there is a lack of awareness in the general population. Now, these opportunistic parasitic Bed Bugs that feed on the blood of people while they sleep, spreading through society and are in hundreds of thousands of homes, apartments, offices, hotel rooms, nursing homes, andschoolsin the Lake Elsinore, CA area. And that's how they travel and spread…with you and your family. Vacation and stay at a hotel with Bed Bugs and you're not careful…you can bring them into your home. Children bring them to and from college dorms. Or you may unsuspectingly bring Bed Bugs into your home when purchasing clothes from an infested retail store, which happened in an upscale store in Lake Elsinore, CA in 2010. Many people who have Bed Bugs don't even know it; until the infestation problem explodes into a major problem, infesting every nook and cranny of a space.

Bed Bugs are tiny oval, flat, brownish, wingless insects approximately ¼ to 3/8 inches long and resemble a wood tick. [Check the Eco Pest Control “Identify Your Pest” for an image.] Bed Bugs and Bat Bugs are very similar, both are parasitic and feed on blood, but their habitats differ tremendously, so an experienced and knowledgeable Eco Pest Control Tech can make the proper pest identification and locate and treat them accordingly.

Why are treating Bed Bugs important? Besides the thought of having blood sucking bugs feeding off you and your family in what you thought was in the safety of your bed or an arm chair or sofa, many people develop rashes from Bed Bug bites. Bed Bugs are invasively infestative and are very difficult to eradicate. The most serious is that Bed Bugs, although there is CURRENTLY no evidence of Bed Bugs passing on any diseases to people, is that Bed Bugs carry more than 28, (some entomologists say as many as 40) different human pathogens/diseases. Some of the diseases Bed Bugs have been identified in carrying range the gamut from Hepatitis to the Plague. If YOU think you have Bed Bugs call Eco Pest Control IMEDIATELY! Eco Pest Control suggests that at most YOU do a cursory inspection to identify a Bed Bug problem. Then STOP. An aggressive inspection can disturb the Bed Bugs which will move to more&other hiding places. A Eco Pest Control Tech will conduct an inspection along with control methods, so the problem doesn't spread while evaluating the problem. Untrained people who attempt to treat Bed Bugs themselves usually just drive Bed Bugs deeper into hiding and exasperate the problem. Eco Pest Control will admit that the treatment/elimination of Bed Bugs is probably the most intense, detailed, and invasive process than any other pest. Our Eco Pest Control Techs literally have an arsenal of proven techniques and products that successfully eradicate Bed Bug infestations within a space.

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Bees

Bees, there are a wide variety of Bees in the Lake Elsinore, CA area. Many people confuse Bees with Wasps and Hornets. Bees are generally less aggressive than Wasps and Hornets. Some of the species of Bees are: Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Carpenter Bees. Please see the Eco Pest Control portion of this website to help you identify the Pest you may have. [If you have a Wasp/Hornet problem, please see below.] Bee species can be very different from one another; for instance Honey Bees are perennial with colonies that survive for more than one year, while Bumble Bees have annual colonies where the colony dies in the fall with only the newly born Queens surviving the winter. Nests and hives differ as well as possessing unique behaviors. Bees are generally a beneficial insect unless they invade into the living space of people where they can become aroused and protective. Bee stings can be harmful to people if an individual is allergic or if someone is bitten numerous times. It is rare but there are recorded cases of people dying from a serious allergic reaction, (anaphylactic shock), to Bee stings. Besides stinging, Bees can cause damage when nesting in structures developing honey stains that can seep through walls, and large internal nests can also deform walls. Carpenter Bees bore into wood to create nests called “galleries” where they can winter over, creating a huge colony in a few short years. But the fear of being stung is probably the biggest problem with Bee hives and nests. A large hive under an eve of a roof can fall enraging an entire colony into a stinging frenzy; a very dangerous situation for anyone in the area.

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Carpenter Ants

Carpenter Ants are one of the wood destroying insects that is prevalent in the Lake Elsinore, CA area. Depending on which “station” Carpenter Ants have in their colony and in what stage of development, Carpenter Ants can range in size from ¼ inch to ¾ inch long. Unless it is swarming, the Carpenter Ants most people see are wingless. They are usually blackish in color and may have grayish bands. Some Carpenter Ants also have a red or purple color in their mid section, called the thorax. The largest portion of a Carpenter Ant colony is the wingless worker Carpenter Ant. They are medium in size, about ½ inch long. Unlike Termites, Carpenter Ants DO NOT EAT WOOD, they are just as destructive as termites to wooden structures, but Carpenter Ants actually rip apart and harvest wood in their sharp mandibles for their nests, called Galleries. The results of Carpenter Ants and Termites are similar but the damage they create is very distinguishable from one another. A Eco Pest Control Technician can quickly identify a problem merely by examining the damaged area.

The signs of a Carpenter Ant problem can be finding sawdust or wood shavings around the outside or inside the home/structure, however months can go by without any tell tale sign of a Carpenter Ant problem. Then there are the swarms of Carpenter Ants that can fly or bust from there nests in the hundreds and come pouring into a dwelling. And by then Carpenter Ants can cause damage to a building's structure from the basement to the roof's peak. That is why Carpenter Ant inspections are so important in the Lake Elsinore, CA area. Many Lake Elsinore, CAers use the Eco Pest Control to have routine inspections and on-demand protective service ALL YEAR ROUND, usually having an annual early Spring treatment — [preferably before May 15th] - especially if the dwelling/structure is within 300 feet from an outside Carpenter Ants source. These outside colonies will continually send out “scouts”. Proper treatment and barriers can help kill these scouts keeping the structure protected from Carpenter Ant damage.

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Carpenter Bees

Although Carpenter Bees are prevalent in the Lake Elsinore, CA area and although they a wood destroying insect they are not as prevalent and as devastatingly and generally destructive to a structure in scope as the Termite and Carpenter Ant. Like Carpenter Ants, Carpenter Bees do not eat wood, but bore small almost perfectly round ¼ inch holes creating tunnels to lay eggs. Carpenter Bees prefer soft wood, almost exclusively new unpainted exposed wood, and are usually seen in areas of new wooden construction, or unpainted outdoor furniture and/or outdoor decking. Carpenter Bees closely resemble Bumble Bees, so without seeing where either of these two Bee types are nesting, only a trained expert, like a Eco Pest Control Tech can properly identify the Pest in order to properly treat/control the pest problem. Carpenter Bees unchecked can cause serious problems if not addressed over a period of time. Carpenter Bees especially the male can be very aggressive, but since the male lacks a stinger, the most the male can be is extremely annoying when directly interacting with people. However, if someone cannot identify if the Carpenter Bee is male or female when the Bee is agitated, (which is almost everybody), can result in a Bee sting.

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Centipedes

These bugs aren't bugs at all. Centipedes and Millipedes aren't insects but are “arthropods” a relative to insects. Bugs have 6 legs, while Centipedes have 30 long legs and Millipedes have 400 short legs. Overall Centipedes and Millipedes do not cause any damage to homes, furniture, food, or clothes. Their preferred habitat is not the indoors but the moist decaying leaf matter of the outdoors. It is heavy rains or cold weather that can drive these arthropods indoors, usually into basements, entering from ground level windows and under doors. People usually see Centipedes and Millipedes indoors in the spring when they are seeking the outdoors, and may have…gotten misdirected to the exit. It should also be pointed out that Millipedes normally eat decaying organic matter, while Centipedes eat small living creatures like tiny insects, small spiders, and…Millipedes. So it shouldn't be a total surprise to learn that Centipedes have been known to bite people when handled. In the event of a Centipede bite, some swelling should be expected due to the reaction from the small amount of toxin in the jaws of the Centipede. Bites have been known to be painful.

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Cockroaches (Brown/German/Oriental)

There are four kinds of Roaches that can infest homes and businesses in the Lake Elsinore, CA area. They are the German Cockroach, the Brownbanded Cockroach, the American Cockroach, and the Oriental Cockroach. There is a fifth roach called the Pennsylvania Cockroach, but these are an outdoor species of roach that do not reproduce indoors. If a Pennsylvania roach is indoors there is probably only that one who flew…yes flew in, by accident. However, if you have any of the other four types of roaches, odds are that at a minimum you have dozens if not hundreds.

Besides the obvious repulsion from simply seeing roaches, however a roach problem/infestation presents a very serious public health issue. Roaches carry a host of human pathogens/diseases like E. Coli and Salmonella which can be deadly diseases resulting in food poisoning, vomiting, diarrhea, and serious dehydration, and there are records of these diseases resulting in death to small children or infirmed elderly people. The feces, urine, and casings of roaches have also been known to cause allergies, asthma, and skin irritations. Roaches can stain surfaces and produce a disagreeable odor.

Properly identifying the pest as a Roach is important, because there are many insects that look similar to the Cockroach. In general, a Cockroach has a flattened body, oval in shape, with antennae about as long as it's body, and has a head that is turned downward and hidden when looking at one from above. Although most Cockroaches have wings, only a few species fly. Depending on the type of Roach their “favorite” dwelling places differ. Some like it warm and moist and others seek cool dry spaces. Roaches are nocturnal, so if you see one in the daytime/lighted room…you probably have hundreds…if not more. Roaches are scavenger eaters, and can survive on just about anything — from garbage, to paper and the glue in book bindings to electronic wire casings and even soap. A general rule about most Roaches regardless of the differing climatic conditions they may prefer, Cockroaches tend to group together and spend most of their time in cracks and narrow tight spaces where surfaces touch them on both sides of the Cockroaches body. This is why Cockroaches usually travel along corner and surface edges.

Most Cockroaches are introduced to a home or business through packages that have Roaches within them. Roaches love paper and corrugated cardboard boxes. Even if you inspect packages and luggage for Cockroaches you may miss their egg capsules, so before you know it…YOU have a Cockroach pest problem, if not a full blown infestation.

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Crickets

Crickets are a common outdoor insect in the Lake Elsinore, CA area. Related to the grasshopper, there are a variety of Crickets. There is common Field Cricket, known for its famous chirping sound, the Camel Cricket with its huge hump backed shape, and the yellowish brown House Cricket. These three insects, although all Crickets, require different living environments and food sources. Some Crickets find their way into a home or other buildings where they can quickly turn into a pest. Field Crickets can multiply and feed on fabrics, like silk, cotton, wool, and linens. Camel Crickets prefer cool damp places like basements and dark areas, like inner wall spaces and feed on paper products. Camel Crickets are hearty multipliers and although most die by winter their numbers can become formidable for short durations during late summer and early fall. Similar to the field Cricket in preferences the House Cricket is attracted to light and feeds on fabric, but is much more reproductive than the Field Cricket. House Crickets can cause a great deal of damage, especially if they become numerous.

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Earwigs

These long beetle like bugs are common in the Lake Elsinore, CA Area. Not common in residential or commercial structures, most people may mistake an Earwig for a Cockroach. One of the scary features of an Earwig is the long set of forcep like pincers, called cerci, in the distal end of the Earwig. These are used to capture prey and defense. Earwigs eat mostly plants and other insects but seem to eat more plants than bugs. Earwigs are nocturnal and generally live and travel in groups. During times when food is in short supply Earwigs may enter a building through a crack or fissure. It is an “old wives tale” that gave this insect its name; it being said that: Earwigs crawled into the ears of sleeping people and using its pincers chomped its way into the unsuspecting sleeping person brain. Not true! Although Earwigs have those scary rear pincers, they are harmless to both people and property. Earwigs are simply generally just a disgusting and scary looking bug. And since they travel in groups it is likely if you have one you have more. There have been cases of seriously large Earwig colony infestations in building with ground basement windows and excess exterior plant debris around a structures foundation. Some people, with a lesser Earwig problem have also complained of the insect causing damage to house plants.

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Fleas

Fleas are especially prevalent in the Lake Elsinore, CA area in the months of June through October, but they can persist indoors especially if there is a host for fleas to feed upon. Adult Fleas are insects that are a dark shinny brownish color, about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch long, that are sort of flattened laterally, wingless, and with hard bodies that make them very difficult to crush. Fleas have only rear legs that are very large for its size. It allows the Flea to jump great distances for its tiny size. A Flea can travel anywhere from a distance from seven to thirteen inches in one jump. Fleas primarily feed by sucking the blood of animals with its specialized piercing mouthparts, which makes them parasitic insects and therefore harmful and disease carriers. Outdoors Fleas host on rats, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, foxes and other warm blooded animals. A flea lays about 20 eggs per day, in the out of doors in sandy soil. When the larvae mature they remain in a cocoon until they detect vibration or pressure and jump onto their new host.

It is when Fleas invade the environment of people and pets are when the issue becomes more serious. Fleas are not only a nuisance to people and pets causing allergic dermatitis, resulting in secondary infections, and in some cases anemia. Fleas also carry Tapeworms that can infest dogs and cats and in some cases have appeared in young children. It is known that Fleas transmit diseases from rodents/rats. It was the Flea that was responsible for transmitting the Plague from rodent to rodent and then rodent to people that killed 10 million people in Europe in the Middle Ages and another 10 million in India in the 1890s. Although Fleas are considered by most as just a pest to Dogs and Cats, Fleas bite people as well and often. They are much more than an annoyance but can pose a serious health risk to people and pets.

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Fruit Flies

Fruit Flies are a very common pest in the New York area. These tiny insects are only 1/8 of an inch fully grown. The Fruit Fly has red eyes and its front portion is tan colored and the back body section is black. Although most noticeable in the summer and fall months, where their food supply of rotting fruit and vegetables are most common, Fruit Flies are an all year insect, present wherever foods and fruit are allowed to rot and ferment. Fruit Flies have a very short life cycle — around a week. However, they are prolific reproducers. In the brief couple of days in its adult stage, a single Fruit Fly can lay over 500 eggs. Fruit Flies have such short life spans and reproduce so quickly many research faculties use them to study genetics.

However, when Fruit Files enter the confines of a home, restaurant, grocery, supermarket, food processing plant, food distribution warehouse or wherever food may be overly ripening or decaying, Fruit Flies can quickly become an enormous infestation problem. Fruit Flies lay their eggs on the decaying food and within its extremely short life cycle hundreds of additional Fruit Flies will emerge. Fruit Flies can also lay their eggs in sink or floor drains, mops, garbage disposals, empty bottles, and trash containers. Although mostly a nuisance pest, Fruit Flies have the potential to contaminate fresh foods with bacteria and other disease producing organisms. To some it is a frightening ordeal where in only two weeks time, under their ideal environmental conditions, a few Fruit Flies can quickly evolve into a serious infestation problem of one million…and growing. With Fruit Flies, time is definitely NOT on your side.

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Mites

There are many types of Mites in the Lake Elsinore, CA area, but here we are only referring to Mites that bite, (not Dust or Plant Mites). These Mites are the Bird Mites, the Rodent Mites, and Raccoon Mites to name a few. Mites are not insects, but are actually Arachnids (Spiders/Ticks. Mites are parasites, feeding off of the blood, (or skin), from a warm blooded host animal. Mites are extremely tiny. Some larger species of fully grown adult Mites are about the size of the period at the end of this sentence; the smaller types can only be seen with a magnifying glass. About a full third of a Mite is its front gripping legs and it biting jaws, (mouthpiece). Mites are fast reproducers and their offspring are 95% female. With a good food source a few can multiply into thousands very quickly. Mites can be very hearty survivors, withstanding great extremes in environment. Mites can adapt to temperatures from — 4° below zero F, and as high as 125° F. Mites can also go without feedings for extended periods of time, almost completely shutting down their metabolism until conditions become more favorable are a host becomes available.

Mites are more than annoying, because as with most parasites, Mites carry and transmit disease throughout the bird and animal communities, both wild and domestic. Mites have been known to create serious problem to chicken farmers and people who keep fowl, pigeons, or parakeets as pets.

However, when Mites invade human spaces where people live, sleep, and work the problem can be more than an annoyance, but can exacerbate left unchecked and can impact the health and wellbeing of people. Mites can spread from one host to another and in short order every member of your family, (including pets — dogs, cats, etc.), and the people you work with or come in contact with can become hosts to Mites.

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Pill Bugs

Pill Bugs, also known as Sowbugs are very common in the Lake Elsinore, CA area. They aren't really bugs/insects at all, actually they are more a crustacean, like a crayfish or a shrimp. But unlike crayfish & shrimp they live totally on land, however they do like moist environments. Pill Bus are about ¼ to ½ inch long and are dark slate grey in color. Pill Bugs are oval in shape. One of the most recognizable feature of a Pill Bug is that they roll up into a tight ball when disturbed. Many people refer to Pill Bugs as “Roly Polies” because of this trait. Pill Bugs feed on decaying wood. The do not bite. They do not sting. They do not eat fabric. They are not known carries of any pathogen that is harmful to people or pets. When Pill Bugs enter a structure, they usually do so and remain in basement areas. A Pill Bug problem can be because of the numbers that can invade an area. They are more of a nuisance than a significant problem.

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Powder Post Beetles

Powder Post Beetles are one of two primary wood boring beetles in the Lake Elsinore, CA Area, the other being the Twig/Branch Borer (sometimes referred to as “false powder post beetles”). Although both are different in appearance and size, ¾ inch and the other ¼ inch, they are both are typically similar in biology and behavior. Powder Post Beetles lay their eggs in cracks and crevices of wood, or in small holes made by female Powder Post Beetles. The larvae that hatch burrow deeper into the wood. As the Powder Post Beetle tunnels through feeding on the wood, it eventually tunnels it way out emerging as an adult Powder Post Beetle. As the adults leave the holes they mate and the cycle repeats. When Powder Post Beetles are within a structure, the damage is slow, but it may require the examination of an expert, like a Eco Pest Control Tech to fully evaluate the activity, extent, and severity of the problem AND to confirm the identity of the insect making sure it isn't another more ferocious wood destroying pest like Termites or Carpenter Ants.

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Rodents

Mice and Rats are referred to as RODENTS. The word “rodent” is from Latin meaning the need to gnaw/chew. Rodents need to chew constantly to control the size of their front teeth. Because of this gnawing nature their chewing can result in destructive results to pipe work, wooden structural supports, and electrical cables, sometimes causing structural fires. Besides the damage they cause, both Mice and rats cause major health issues to people. Especially because of the serious health issues Rodents create it is extremely important that they are eradicated from a residence and/or commercial space. A Eco Pest Control Technician is highly trained and well experienced in the elimination, control, and prevention maintenance of Rodents. As with all of Eco Pest Control s services, we use the most effective and the latest in Intergraded Pest Solutions.

The House Mouse or Field Mouse is very common in the Lake Elsinore, CA area. Mice are rodents and therefore instinctively chew/gnaw almost nonstop. Mice can eat through anything that is softer than their teeth. There are two major problems associated with having a mouse problem, one economic the second is health related. The greatest economic loss is not due to how much mice eat, but what has to be discarded due to damage and/or contamination due to the gnawing, feces/droppings, and urine. Food, clothing, books, furniture, washing machines, refrigerators, and other appliances all destroyed by mice. And most importantly mice are a vector of diseases. Mice are carriers of a host of serious diseases that can contaminate surfaces and are known to spread Salmonellosi, Rickettisialpox, Lymphocitic Choriomenigitis, and can cause Asthma. Mice are also known host to parasitic insects like: mites, lice, and Bed Bugs that can also infest a home or business.

Many people who have a mouse problem/infestation may never actually see a mouse. Mice are nocturnal and most often come out at night when people are sleeping or businesses are closed. If you see a mouse in the daytime, odds are that the infestation is very serious. The most common signs of a mouse/mice problem are the presence of droppings around baseboards, kitchen cabinets, and storage areas. Some people can hear mice gnawing in walls, scampering, or squeaking. Cat and dogs may scratch at a wall hearing or smelling mice within.

The proper way to treat a mouse infestation problem is using an Integrated Pest Control system of traps, rodenticides, baits, and on-going maintenance and prevention. Using the right baits for the correct environment is critical to mice control. Baits have to be able to effectively compete with the EXISTING sources of food for mice. Mice also horde foods like grains in their nests within walls, and may not come out to forage until the bait has spoiled and gone bad and are not appealing as a food source. These food stores also attract meal moths and grain beetles, adding to the mouse problem. It takes an expert understanding of mice and overall rodent infestation problems in order to deal with a mice infestation problem effectively.

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Silverfish

Silverfish are glossy silver colored wingless insects with long antennae and three long tail bristles. They are called Silverfish because of the silvery scales. Silverfish are very active at night. They prefer a dark, cool, damp environment. Silverfish are general feeders and can go months without feeding.

Silverfish are often introduced into a building within boxes of materials that have been stored in an infested area or have been known to work their way into a building's squeezing under an unsheathed wooden shingle exterior wall. Once indoors they move extremely quickly in search of food. Once a food source is found they usually stay close to it. Silverfish eat flour, cereals, wallpaper, wallpaper paste, and book bindings. They also chew holes in natural fibers even though they cannot digest them. A trained professional can recognize the damage done by Silverfish by the irregular feeding marks they make and by the yellowish feces stain they leave behind. Many people see a Silverfish in a bathtub or sink, because the Silverfish entered there seeking the moisture but was unable to climb back up the slick tub or sink surface trapping it there. Despite the common rumors, Silverfish do not come up plumbing drains. Silverfish can be found hiding in basements, kitchens, cupboards, bookcases, behind baseboards, and in floor and wall voids. A favorite hiding place is in walls and ceiling spaces with old blown in paper insulation.

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Spiders

Spiders are not insects, they're Arachnids, and they are very common in the Lake Elsinore, CA area. Most Spiders are small, inconspicuous eight legged creatures that play an important role in keeping insect populations in check. There are literally hundreds of types of Spiders and only a small few in the Lake Elsinore, CA area pose any threat to people and pets. However some can bite and the bite of some species of Spider can cause health problems. The most common Spider complaints have to do with issues of their WEBS and cleanliness, and more commonly a fear of Spiders — a PHOBIA to Spiders called Arachnophobia is the most severe of fears of Spiders.

Signs of Spiders in a residence or place of business is more of a bulletin that the home or commercial space has other insect issues. If Spiders can live within a structure, then there has to be a food source, therefore you probably have more than just a Spider problem, but another pest that the Spiders are feeding upon. Like many of the inspections a Eco Pest Control Tech makes, there are often secondary problems that are tied into a “food chain” of pests and/or conditions that allow and/or exasperate a pest problem.

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Brown Stink Bugs

The “Stink Bug”, the brown variety, is a relatively new pest insect to the Lake Elsinore, CA area. As many pests, it was “accidentally” introduced to the American continent back in the late 1990’s, in Eastern Pennsylvania. The Stink Bug, (Halyomorphia Halys), is a pest from Asia. It is a serious pest to fruit trees, vegetables, and farm crops. Stink bugs are approximately ½ inch to one inch long and have a brown shield shape, fly, and deep red eyes. The name “Stink Bug” refers to the scent glands located on the dorsal side of the insect’s abdomen and underside of the thorax. When crushed, Stick Bugs, emit an unpleasant odor. Stink bugs are rapidly becoming a nuisance insect in the Lake Elsinore, CA area, especially in the outlying areas of Lake Elsinore, CA, and are more prevalent on Long Island, in Westchester, and Rockland counties. Stink bugs enter a home, apartment, building via exhaust vents, chimneys, and around door and window trim.

Many people are attempting to address the Stink Bug infestation themselves with DIY measures, but are finding them a difficult pest to rid themselves of and that over the counter insecticides relatively ineffective. Manual removal is most effective for small infestation problems within a structure, as well as a careful evaluation of the areas that Stink Bugs are entering a structure. A Eco Pest Control tech is familiar with the areas that Stink Bugs enter a building and assist with the sealing off of these entry points and remove areas of congregation via manual means, including vacuuming. A Eco Pest Control tech also has the license and expert knowledge of what, when, and where to use “controlled” pesticides to assure optimum effectiveness. Although Stink bugs themselves do not cause structural damage to a building, and are not known to cause any threat to human health.

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Termites

Termites are a major pest problem in the Lake Elsinore, CA area, as well as in most of the United States. These wood destroying pests typically nest underground and seek sources of wood for food, which in many cases is the structural framework of a home of building. Once termites make their way into a structure they move, (tunnel), their way through wood or build pencil sized mud tubes in which to travel, eventually eating foundation sills, floor joists, supporting beams, dry wall, and eventually all the wood in an entire building, if left unchecked. Termites can also establish satellite colonies within wall spaces. A mature subterranean Termite colony can contain more than 2 million. As colonies grow they can split up into secondary colonies with new Queens. Termites are responsible for more damage to wooden building structures in the US than all the hurricanes, tornadoes, and house fires put together. Eco Pest Control gets more service calls for Residential & Commercial Termite Inspection and Control than for any other pest.

Termites are a social insect that live in colonies with an hierarchy, categorized as: King & Queen Termites, Solider Termites, and Workers . Each category of Termite looks different, from brown in color, to those with large heads and powerful mandibles, or small whitish and almost translucent. It is the Queen Termite which lays thousands of eggs that the colony requires to remain established and the small white Worker Termites to feed the colony and the Queen. Pest control methods and techniques have been developed to capitalize on Worker Termites feeding the colony and the Queen a pesticide thereby eliminating the entire Termite Colony. The most effective is the SENTRICON Termite Colony Elimination System. Besides eliminating individual subterranean Termite colonies, a Sentricon System is a proven method of ongoing Termite control and monitoring. Eco Pest Control was the very first pest control service in the region to authorized use the Sentricon System. There are other Termite Baiting Systems on the market, but none are as effective as Sentricon.

Because, all homes purchased require a Termite Inspection, many homeowners have their homes infested after they purchase their home. These home owners usually become aware of the Termite problem usually when a SWARMING occurs. Swarming happens in the spring when Winged Adult Termites leave their colony to establish a new one; or the homeowner finds a Termite Travel Mud Tube on an interior or exterior wall; but in most cases when a homeowner opens a wall or floor in the process of doing some home renovation.

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Ticks

Ticks can be found throughout the Lake Elsinore, CA area. Ticks are not insects but are actually, in the Spider family — like Spiders and Mites. There are over 800 different species of Ticks that fall into two main groups: Hard Shell Ticks and Soft Shell Ticks. Generally, all Ticks are eight legged, with no antennae. Ticks cannot fly nor can they jump. They come in contact to animals and people who brush against them in wooded and grassy areas. A Tick can lay 4,000 eggs in its life time. Ticks are tiny and hard to see, however Ticks are blood feeding Parasites that can consume 100 times their body weight so their engorged body, filled with a blood meal, is easier to see on the host animal. Some Ticks fed quickly on a host while others may take days to feed. As with most parasites that feed on blood, Ticks are vectors/transferors of many infectious diseases that affect animals and people. Ticks are known carries of Lyme Disease, Tick Fever, Tularemia (Rabbit Fever), Babesious (a Malaria like illness), Hemolytic Anemia, Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Anaplasmosis, and Encephalitis. Ticks are the biggest carriers of diseases transmitted to people and pets — second only to the Mosquito.

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