PODCAST

Hi. Thank you for joining us again for our podcast, and hey spring has sprung. And we are here to talk about those pesky stinging insects that we all love so much that come with spring and summer. Bees and wasps. Speaking of bees did I ever tell you the first time I got stung by a bee? I don't know remind me of the story. Well, I was about seven years old; I was at the beach and I was watching kids dig in the sand, and I put my hand down on a picnic table and crushed a bee. And I immediately felt pain in my hand. As I went crying to my mother, she put ice on it and pulled out the stinger. I distinctly remember a throbbing pain for what felt like the rest of the day. As someone who's never been stung, I can't really quite relate to that, however I do know that those things can be painful, and dangerous to some people. And all in all, they're kind of scary. Speaking of scary I do remember the time that you took me with you to treat a bald-faced hornet's nest. It was a pretty windy day, and the nest was up high, and I recall you extending the duster to put dust in the nest and between the wind and the bulb hitting it- the whole thing kind of collapsed. And before we knew it hornets were everywhere bouncing off of our glasses bouncing, off of our hats, chasing us around the yard. Now wait a minute you're making us sound like rookies. Let me make this clear it was windy and I had the dust stick up to put it in the hole the hornet's nest where you're supposed to treat, but the wind blew the branch that it was on and it touched the side of the nest so I immediately shoved dust into the hole because I knew they were going to start swarming. Because of it touching the edge of the nest I’m sure Natalie was freaked out when she saw me drop the dust stick and start the run. And then I saw her swatting hornets away from her hair as I was clear across the yard. So, we're talking about bald-faced hornets in that instance those aren't your everyday bees, and more often than not you're going to have your run-of-the-mill carpenter bees and German yellow jackets. Jason why don't you talk to us a little bit about carpenter bees? Well carpenter bees usually emerge in the month of May here in Michigan. At that time, they're out trying to forage for a place to lay their eggs. Which is usually untreated wood areas like under deck rails on fascia boards or under soffits or treated wood that's not been treated in a long time. Jason how long do carpenter bees live? Typically, on average they live about one year. And what is their expected life cycle? Well eggs are laid in the late spring to early summer, and the nests are drilled out as discussed before in untreated areas in dead wood. Usually laying about five to ten eggs, and soon after being laid they'll hatch and feed on pollen for a month or two before pupating into adults in late summer. They'll emerge as adults, and spend the remainder of the year hunting for pollen as fall turns to winter. Both males and females will hibernate to the following spring they'll use pre-existing nests to hibernate, and those nests will remain a house for several bees. Once it's warm enough the following spring, they'll emerge from the nests seeking fresh pollen and to mate. Soon after mating males will begin to die and females will both fill pre-existing nests with new eggs; as well as drill out new nests. Following their instinctive behavior to expand the local population. Females will live long enough to lay their eggs and maybe even most of the summer, but usually not two winters. They'll commonly use the same nest over and over which is why nests on structures need to be dusted and sealed failure to fend them off. When you first see, activity will usually lead to more and more coming around. thanks for that information Jason. I’m going to take a couple minutes now to talk about another common pest here in Michigan. The German yellow jacket. The German yellow jacket is more of an urban wasp and frequently nests under voids attached to homes. Typically going into a void in brick under siding or in void areas up under flashings. It only appeared in the U.S. in 1975, and has overtaken other bee species in parts of the country as their populations continue to rise. The dog days of summer: fresh watermelon, ice cream, picnics, barbecue, festivals, and yes, unfortunately this includes Yellow jackets. Yellow jackets are exceptionally troublesome wasps they can get highly aggressive especially when the food is getting low later in the season, and their colonies are getting larger. While it can be annoying when wasps hover around soda cans at picnics and barbecues, these insects can be downright dangerous. They are accountable for most of the singing deaths in the U.S. These wasps can keep stinging, unlike bees, that die after one sting. Plus, large numbers of them can gang up on people. Yellow jackets do have their uses however they prey on a large number of insects including many that are damaging to agriculture. However, their tendency to bite and sting generally makes them unwelcome residents of a yard or, perish the thought, a house. Natalie what approaches can people take to minimize the harm that the yellow jackets cause you? Well, be very careful when you're drinking from a soda can that could have a yellow jacket inside. Because stings inside the mouth can be life-threatening. Some people are avid about destroying the nest during the wasp’s active season; dousing them with gasoline or hose is not a good idea, and it's a good way to get stung multiple times. Avoidance is your best bet you should be very wary of small patches of ground with no vegetation; such areas can harbor underground nests. However, when foraging Yellow jackets are away from their nests, they are much less aggressive. And usually, won't sting unless you provoke them. Stay calm and collected and do not swat at the insect. I have also seen ground bees’ nests in heavy foliage in front of a house or gaps in the mortar on the side of a front porch even just randomly in the middle of a lawn there'll be a hole where they are going in and out of this is usually in August through September, when your German yellow jackets are going to be most active. A couple other type of bees such as mud daubers and bumblebees are not aggressive so they're really not something that we should worry about in Michigan; due to their lack of aggression. But one thing I do worry about is that queen yellow jacket that's been coming outside our office window and our awning the last couple days. Why don't you tell everybody about that Natalie? So sitting here diligently working on building our pest business I notice that there is a very large bee that keeps coming in and out of a spot right under our awning. Jason has told me “oh it's probably not the same bee” but I’m pretty sure I recognize her. She's a queen. Yes queen. Yeah, she's probably foraging, but no nest has started yet we'll keep an eye on it as the season progresses. So, in summary while some bees aren't aggressive like the mud dauber and the bumblebee, we want you to call a professional when you're dealing with German yellow jackets, bald-faced hornets and wasps; because these singing invaders can pose a threat to you, your family and your pets. I’d like to thank everyone for listening and remember have a blessed day.

Hello this is Jason from blessed pest solutions I’m here today to talk to you about three specialty pests that we need to prepare properly for before treating. And they are bed bugs roaches and fleas. So, first off, we're going to get started with bed bugs. One of the things that you want to do first off, is wash all linens bedding materials clothing stuffed animals etc. on the highest of allowable water temperature. And dry on the hottest allowable heat setting. All laundered items such as linens clothing stuffed animals should be placed in new plastic bags or plastic containers sealed tightly, and relocated to the living room. All clothing items that can’t be laundered, must be dry cleaned, and we recommend leaving these items at the cleaners between the initial treatment and follow-up visits. If necessary, remove all items from closets including any items on closet shelves. Follow the procedure above for laundering all clothing. No items should remain in the closet. Remove all miscellaneous items from dressers nightstands and chests. Place them in the plastic bags or sealed containers in the center of the living room floor. None of these items should remain in the bedroom. Vacuum floors, carpets, area rugs, and use the crack and crevice attachment from your vacuum around baseboards bed frames, sofas, and other furniture items. Discard vacuum bags or contents after use. All luggage that has been used recently during travel must remain empty so it may be inspected, and treated if necessary. Remove all shelves, picture frames, artwork wall clocks, decorative items from the walls. And place on the floor in the same room as they were hanging. These items must be inspected, and treated if necessary. All large pieces of furniture must be pulled at least two feet away from the baseboards in every room of your home. Birds, cats, dogs, and humans must remain out of the home during treatment for at least a minimum of four hours after treatment is complete. Fish, and reptile tanks must be covered or removed. Air filters and filtration systems, for aquatic fish, should be turned off during treatment. All mattresses and box spring covers must be removed from the mattress and box springs prior to our arrival. Unless you have previously installed an encasement that was specifically designed to control, prevent, and eliminate bed bugs. Cribs, crib mattresses, and other baby furniture will be inspected, and treated as needed. Shoes should be placed in new plastic bags, or plastic containers seal tightly, and relocated to the living room. If shoes can tolerate a dryer cycle; first place them in the dryer on high heat cycle for 30 minutes. No shoes should be left in the bedroom or closet. All these are important things prior to a bed bug treatment so we can treat properly and efficiently. The next thing I want to talk about is preparing for roach treatments. All residents and household pets should plan to be out of the house for a minimum of two hours. Any fish tanks unable to be removed must be covered and sealed in such a way, that no chemical can contaminate the water supply. Please remove drawers, and all items from your cabinets. Including under sink areas, in both kitchens and bathrooms. There's nothing that needs to be left on the counters floors, or on top of stoves, or on top of refrigerators. Place all items into a separate room, and cover them with a thick blanket or drop cloth. This is a standard precaution to prevent any overspray from coming in contact with your belongings. If this standard is not met then we will not be able to spray in those areas. Roaches usually live in cracks and crevices near moist areas. Particularly in the kitchens and bathrooms. A lot of times you're going to find them behind refrigerators because they're attracted to the heat of the motor, or in the bottoms of stoves. It's essential that we treat all these areas in your kitchens and bathrooms. So that we can help flush them out of their harborage areas. If you have observed roaches in other areas; such as bedrooms closets utility room basements or other areas. Please let us know, so that we can inspect and treat those locations as needed. If bedrooms, and living rooms and dining rooms need to be treated. Please remove all belongings from desks, nightstands, dressers, entertainment centers. Any areas you want sprayed must have all the items removed or they will not be sprayed. I can't stress that enough it is paramount that everything in your kitchen and areas you want treated, is sanitized, clean free from spills, grease, and any debris that roaches feed on. That is the most important thing that needs to be done prior to any roach treatment. The last pest I want to talk about preparing for is fleas. Fleas are unique in that sometimes you might not have an animal that lives in your house, but you could have a dead animal that died in a crawl space or attic that you were just completely unaware of. So, we developed a checklist of do's and don'ts on how to prepare for fleas prior to treatment. You will want to clear all carpeted floors including closets, of boxes, clothing, and any other items that will prevent a proper and efficient treatment. You will want to wash, and high heat dry all pet bedding; that is if you don't decide to dispose of it into the trash. If that's the case, you'll want to put it all in plastic bags, and throw it into the trash container outside of the home. You will want to mop all wood tile and vinyl floors, as well as vacuum all carpeting and rugs thoroughly throughout your home. Do carefully vacuum pet sleeping, and resting areas. Under furniture, cracks and crevices, and floors and draperies. And also, all closet floors need to be vacuumed as well. Window sills, and appliance tops also need to be cleaned if you have cats that rest on them. Also remember to vacuum between, and under cushions of your furniture. Then empty the contents of your vacuum cleaner into a plastic bag. Dispose of the bag immediately to an outside container. You will then want to remove pets from the home prior to application. If applicable, any pets you do have you would want to get them treated for fleas. I know there are different ways to treat your animals for fleas. Seeing your veterinarian is the best course of action. Also remember to store or cover all pet food containers and bowls. Cover fish bowls or fish tanks. Be prepared to leave the home for four hours. So, bring everything you need with you prior to treatment. After the flea treatment it's very important that you do not clean the carpets or floors with detergents or cleaners for at least two weeks after the treatment is complete. This will make the treatment not effective. You must continue to vacuum daily for two weeks. Be sure to dispose of the bag after each vacuuming in an exterior trash bin. If you have a high infestation level you may need another treatment. In which case, you would have to prepare as previously stated for the follow-up treatment. Rest assured in most cases we do eradicate your property in one visit. In conclusion, when you're preparing for bed bug treatments, roach treatments, or flea treatments there is a lot of preparation and aftercare involved. It's not only walk-in spray a pesticide and the problem magically resolve itself. It is a team effort both by the technician, and the customer to fulfill an effective eradication of these pests. Feel free to give us a call if you have any questions about these preparation procedures and aftercare have a blessed day.