Raspberry Ants and Fire Ants

Ants Everywhere!

            We talk about ants to our technicians all the time.  Big, small, fire, carpenter, pharroh, sugar and all of the other types of ants we have to deal with here in the Houston area.  Recently, we have seen two specific types of ants in the news.  Fire Ants (Nothing new there, we have had fire ants for years) and “Hairy Ants” also known as (Raspberry ants or Carribean Crazy ants).  Let’s begin with Fire ants.

            I mean really, is the emergence of fire ant mounds in the yards really 6 oclock news material?   Well, Channel 2 here in Houston thinks so.

Click here to see the video

I guess I had better explain.  The fire ants have not started hyper breeding because we suddenly had a good soaking rain.  They were always there living just below the surface of the soil.  If you think about it that is the best place for them to be.  They are protected and can strike unsuspecting homeowners or yard dwellers at a seconds notice.  However, once the rain comes, their little homes get flooded and they have no choice but to go VERTICAL!  That’s right MOUNDS!

Be careful of that one

Ants in the mail?  Not in it, but close!

            So what do you do when you see that mound?  Go to Home Depot and get some Fire ant killer?  Call Modern Pest Control?  Well, you can do either of those things.  However if you decide to go the Do-It-Yourself route here is some friendly advice.  First, follow the directions on the container that you buy.  Remember if it says 2 tablespoons per mound, that is how much you need.  Not two pounds!  Also, DO NOT DISTURB THE MOUND!  All this will do is cause an alarm throughout the colony, cause them to move the queen and result in less than ideal results!

            Remember, I did mention a second type of ant.  Raspberry ants.  These ants have been spreading throughout the Houston area since around 2002.  They have very large colonies and can completely infest a house with relative ease.  Now, you will recall I said with regard to fire ants that if you wanted to try Do-It-Yourself products go ahead and give it a try. 

Well let me save you some time.  If you want to go the Do-it-Yourself route with Raspberry ants, you are crazy.  There are very few products that actually work for these things and even with those you have to know what you are doing.

Here are a few pictures and videos that can better explain these ants.

Raspberry Ants in the grass

There is also much to be said about these ants doing damage to electrical circuity.  This picture shows us what happens.  They can get between the contacts of switches, relays and other components and short them out.  Imagine these getting into the pool pump motor, or even worse, the air conditioner!

In an effort to keep this short (I do hope you read all the way to the end of the post) These Raspberry ants do not really bite but they can cause you a world of hurt if they get in.  Remember, when dealign with them, bypass Ace Hardware and give us a call at Modern Pest Control.  Getmypests.com. 

Oh and by the way, we are running a contest on our facebook page, click the link below, and like our page.  We will be drawing a name from our likes file on Halloween.  That person will win a New Ipod.  See out facebook page for details.

 Facebook.com/ModernPest

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to pass this one on to your friends!

Spring is Here!

Spring is Here!

Ok folks what we have waited for is finally here.  No more broken water pipes, no more freeze burned plants, no more frosty windshields and frozen car seats.  Isn’t it AWESOME.  There are many signs of spring, but for us in the Pest Management business the first legit sign of spring is that first call where the customer reports “Mysterious flying bugs”.  Most of you have heard the horror stories from your friends, neighbors, family or maybe you have experienced it yourself.  Those mysterious flyers are TERMITES!  They are generally dark brown to black, have wings (Termites have two sets of wings that are the same length) and typically will be found near windows.  Another place that they can be seen quite often is inside the globe of ceiling lights. 

            So what did I find today you ask?  Well it was a very interesting problem.  A commercial building in Southwest Houston.  Brick building, asphalt in the back and concrete in the front.  When I arrived the receptionist told me that they found the bugs in the file room.  This room, for all intents and purposes is in the middle of this building.  So I took the time to get up in the ceiling, and sure enough, the termite had eaten their way up from the floor to the top of a 9’ 2x4.  After some investigation, we determined these suckers were coming in through a crack in the slab.  We will be able to take care of them easily and the owner will be happy with the results.  So you may be asking yourself, “Why is Del telling me what he did today?”  Well the short answer is, I am setting the table for this week’s list of quick tips.  Here it is,

What to do when you come home and your house is full of swarming termites

When you find that you have a swarm of termites in your home you should,

1.      Remain Calm.

2.      Try to find where the termites are coming from

3.      If you want to stop them from swarming, you can turn down the AC

4.      To knock these termites down you can spray them with any air freshener.  No need to use raid.  However, if you don’t have to spray them don’t.  Just leave them so the inspector can perform a detailed inspection.

5.      Remain Calm

6.      Call Modern Pest Control – 281-561-0100, www.modern-pest.com

Follow these simple rules and we can help you get through that major headache.  Thanks for reading the current edition of our blog.  I have included a bunch of pictures for your information.

Ant VS. Termite.

Where are termites found??

Termite Alate, or “Swarmer” Notice the Antannae are not elbowed! 

What to look for outside your house!

 

 

"Crazy" Caribbean Crazy Ants

Ok, how many of you have heard of the Caribbean Crazy Ant?  Raspberry Crazy Ant?  Well if you have not heard of it you likely will in the next few years.  For those of you that live south of Missouri City  you probably have seen them and not known it.  As always the Entomology Department at A&M has a great fact sheet.  http://urbanentomology.tamu.edu/pdf/RCA_control_fact_sheet.pdf

For our customers I have created a tip sheet that will help them when they are dealing with these unbelievably annoying ants. 

Pest Management Tip sheet: Caribbean Crazy Ants (Raspberry Ants)

At Modern we use a combination of approaches that are specifically tailored to the needs of each client.  Along with that approach we produce and provide a tip sheet that will help our client realize the full potential of the treatment

·         Caribbean Crazy Ants are relatively new to the area.  As such, Pest management professional are still learning about the best control method and protocols.  What we do know is if the instructions below are not followed, we will NOT achieve success.

Practices for reducing Caribbean Crazy Ants populations in a home or office:

·         A thorough cleaning of the area should be performed prior to treatment.

·         After treatment it is important not to apply over the counter insect sprays (Raid) on the treated surfaces, as this may negate the products effectiveness and therefore, prolong the problem.

·         Dead ants that are found in the future should be SWEPT (Not mopped) up on a regular basis.  This may be daily at first.

·         unnecessary moisture sources should be eliminated.  (Leaky windows)

·         Patience is the most important thing.  These types of problems can be very troublesome to get rid of.  Please be patient and follow the directions your technician gives you.

The products Modern uses are non-repellant in nature.  This means that the insects may be present for days after treatment.  When dealing with Caribbean Crazy Ants we will perform two scheduled follow-up treatments (Total of three visits) to ensure we have done as much as possible.

By following these steps quick and effective control is possible.  There are always exceptions and eliminating a Caribbean Crazy Ant population can be very difficult.  If anyone has any questions please feel free to contact our service department.  www.modern-pest.com

Does anyone else find this hilarious??

Why do we Blog?

Welcome to the new Modern pest Control blog.  I will take a moment to introduce myself and then our company....Not that many care but I just want to be upfront on who is doing the talking here.  My name is Del Lawson and our company is Modern Pest Control.  Many of the people who read our blog will be friends of mine (Thanks for taking the time) current customers, potential customers and some folks who just want something to fill the time with before they go to bed. (Although I'm not sure if this will make good bedtime reading)

Modern Pest Control was started in 1952 in Houston.  I have heard our owner say he isn't sure of the exact date, but let's face it.  If we have been around for more than 50 years we don't have to give the day of the year.  We started in the Bellaire / Sharpstown area of Houston and amazingly we still many customers from that area.  Some of them have been with us for nearly 40 years.  We offer all types of pest control in Houston, you name it, we likely do it. (Unless you name fumigation, we like to defer to the experts on that)

Throughout this blog I will update you on what we are doing at Modern, what you as homeowners should be concerned with as far as pests go, answer questions, talk sports, introduce you to our team and many other things.  All I ask from you is that you post my blog to your facebook, share it with your friends and family and ask me any question you can think of.  I won't have anywhere near all the answers (I'm a big enough man to admit that).  The first question I always get when people hear I'm in the pest management business is; "What is the weirdest thing you have seen?"  Well, that will come out in the form of pictures, some that I have taken and others that I find along the way.

 Have y'all seen the you tube video of the rat on the subway train in NYC.  http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_york&id=7897057  Crazy stuff.  Not sure we can match that but we will definitely try.

Thanks for reading and if you have an idea of a blog you want me to post just email it to me, dlawson@modern-pest.com