According to entomologist Mark DuBois, the unseasonably warm weather to begin this winter has resulted in an increased number of ticks and fleas pestering animals.

“Fleas and ticks become an issue as temperatures stay relatively warm, because lots of organisms are dormant when it gets really cold,” DuBois, a professor at Illinois Central College, said Thursday. “If it’s not that cold, there’s a greater likelihood they’ll be out.”

DuBois said that a hard winter sends ticks and fleas into a state of hibernation, but with the recent mild conditions, they’ve remained somewhat active.

Dr. Scott Demanes, a veterinarian at Demanes Animal Hospital, said after 20 years of practice he can’t recall seeing tick and flea cases in January like he has this year.

“It may have happened a few other times, but there’s been many more cases than expected this year,” said Demanes, who reiterated that temperatures never dropped low enough for a sustained period this fall and early winter to kill off the fleas and ticks.

Kim Scott, a curator of animals at the Peoria Zoo at Glen Oak Park, suggested that the warm weather doesn’t only allow insects to survive, but brings the fleas’ and ticks’ breeding grounds right to them.

“With warmer conditions, fleas and ticks survive in the brush and by burrowing down through leaf litter,” said Scott, “and then animals running through the brush pick them up.”

Scott said that longer winters obviously help eliminate problems with insects, but there are other preventative methods to control fleas and ticks.

“The most important thing we can do for the animals here at the zoo is keep the area clean,” said Scott, who suggested not leaving animals in areas where insects thrive and keeping animals on heartworm and flea prevention medication year-round.

“There are products to keep ticks away, but with fleas, it’s not just the animal but the environment that needs to be treated,” said Demanes, who suggested that professional spraying prevents flea egg development and continues working for months.

Demanes said the weather has finally been consistently cold enough this month to extinguish the insect problem outdoors, and although insect activity indoors still mandates attention, at least there’s a clear area of focus.

“Now is a good time to try and kill the insects, because you know you don’t have to go outside, so you can concentrate on the animal and the environment in the home,” said Demanes.

Flea and tick prevention

- Keep animals on heartworm and flea prevention medication year-round.

- Provide animals with skin treatment medication if dermatology issues arise.

- Professionally spray the area where the animals are, as fleas can easily embed their eggs in the carpet of a home.

- Keep animals’ environment clean, washing any materials in personal quarters, like beds or blankets, often.

Eric Engel can be reached at 686-3194 or eengel@pjstar.com.

Mild winter means more trouble with fleas, ticks is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

Article source: http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1368166493/Mild-winter-means-more-trouble-with-fleas-ticks

HOW DOES MY DOG GET TICKS AND FLEAS?

In his interview for WebMD, flea and tick expert Professor Michael Dryden says that it can happen when a flea-infested animal roams around your neighborhood carrying flea eggs or female fleas. The latter may leave eggs scattered around your area. “And then those eggs developed into adults and those fleas jumped onto your pet,” he explains. Fleas are known to jump over six feet and latch themselves onto any furry pet they can find.

Dryen says a female flea can lay as many as 40 to 50 eggs per day–that’s 2,000 eggs in her lifetime. And these eggs can hatch in 1 to 10 days. “Over 4,000 eggs are deposited in cracks and crevices along floors, behind dog cages, or even ceilings,” Dryden says in his research entitled “Biology and Control of Ticks Infesting Dogs and Cats in North America.” And once they hatch, they can survive for weeks without feeding while waiting for a suitable host.

HOW CAN I GET RID OF THESE PESKY PARASITES?

If your fur baby only has a few (thank God!), you can remove them manually. Professor Dryden recommends grasping the flea or tick as close to the skin as possible with a tweezer and then extracting the parasite using slow, steady pressure. “The tick should not be crushed, twisted, or jerked out of the skin,” he warns. Doing any of these could detach the tick’s body, leaving the head still latched onto your pet’s skin, which could in turn cause infections.

According to Jenna Stregowski, RVT, on the other hand, there are three effective ways to eliminate fleas. In her article “All About Fleas on Dogs” she includes:

1. Spot-on topical treatments like Advantage and Frontline

“Typically, the spot-on treatments need to be applied monthly,” she says. It can kill adult fleas, and some even have ingredients that can sterilize fleas. They are usually water-resistant, which means you can bathe your dog a few days after the application.

2. Oral flea prevention or treatment

This releases chemicals into your dog’s blood and can kill the parasites once they bite your dog. It should also be given once a month, and a dog should not be given more than one type of oral treatment at a time.

3. Shampoos, dips, and topical sprays

These might not last as long as the previous treatments mentioned, but they can instantly remove fleas. “Flea shampoos, dips, and sprays should not be used in conjunction with topical spot-on treatments, as they may cancel each other out or even cause chemical toxicity,” she warns.

HOW CAN I ELIMINATE TICKS AND FLEAS FROM THE ENVIRONMENT?

This can be done by destroying tick and flea habitats. Dryden suggests “cutting or removing grass, weeds, and brush piles between fences and along property lines.” Acaricides (or pesticides used to kill ticks and fleas) can also be sprayed into cracks and crevices around your dog’s cage or sleeping area, along the boards of the ceiling, and other areas your pet frequents. “If ticks continue to be a problem, restricting a pet’s access to tick-infested environments, such as tall grass, weeds, and forested areas, may be necessary.”

For more on pet care, check out these articles:

• 10 Things You Should Do for Your Dog This Year
• How to Toilet-Train Your Puppy: A Guide for First-Time Dog Owners
• Mommy, Can I Keep Him? 12 Things to Remember When Giving Your Kids Their First Pet
• Canine Companions: 5 Reasons to Get Your Kids a Dog
• What Every Pet Owner Should Know about Vaccines: 5 FAQs and Their Answers
• 10 Questions to Ask Yourself When Picking a Vet
• 16 Basic Items Every New Pet Owner Must Have
• Doggy-Dangerous Munchies: 20 Food Items Not to Feed Your Pooch
• Canine Cribs: 6 Tips for Creating a Dog-Friendly Home
• Fur Files: 10 Things to Consider before Adopting a Pet
• Wipe It! 5 Ways to Deal with Your Pet’s Messes
• Food for Your Fur Baby: 5 Things You Should Consider When Picking Dog Chow

 
(Photos by LOLren, CMDrGravy, and breakmake respectively via Flickr Creative Commons)   

Ticks, Fleas, and Your Dog: 3 Questions You've Been Itching to Ask–Answered! is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

Article source: http://www.femalenetwork.com/pets/ticks-fleas-and-your-dog-3-questions-youve-been-itching-to-ask-answered/

HOW DOES MY DOG GET TICKS AND FLEAS?

In his interview for WebMD, flea and tick expert Professor Michael Dryden says that it can happen when a flea-infested animal roams around your neighborhood carrying flea eggs or female fleas. The latter may leave eggs scattered around your area. “And then those eggs developed into adults and those fleas jumped onto your pet,” he explains. Fleas are known to jump over six feet and latch themselves onto any furry pet they can find.

Dryen says a female flea can lay as many as 40 to 50 eggs per day–that’s 2,000 eggs in her lifetime. And these eggs can hatch in 1 to 10 days. “Over 4,000 eggs are deposited in cracks and crevices along floors, behind dog cages, or even ceilings,” Dryden says in his research entitled “Biology and Control of Ticks Infesting Dogs and Cats in North America.” And once they hatch, they can survive for weeks without feeding while waiting for a suitable host.

HOW CAN I GET RID OF THESE PESKY PARASITES?

If your fur baby only has a few (thank God!), you can remove them manually. Professor Dryden recommends grasping the flea or tick as close to the skin as possible with a tweezer and then extracting the parasite using slow, steady pressure. “The tick should not be crushed, twisted, or jerked out of the skin,” he warns. Doing any of these could detach the tick’s body, leaving the head still latched onto your pet’s skin, which could in turn cause infections.

According to Jenna Stregowski, RVT, on the other hand, there are three effective ways to eliminate fleas. In her article “All About Fleas on Dogs” she includes:

1. Spot-on topical treatments like Advantage and Frontline

“Typically, the spot-on treatments need to be applied monthly,” she says. It can kill adult fleas, and some even have ingredients that can sterilize fleas. They are usually water-resistant, which means you can bathe your dog a few days after the application.

2. Oral flea prevention or treatment

This releases chemicals into your dog’s blood and can kill the parasites once they bite your dog. It should also be given once a month, and a dog should not be given more than one type of oral treatment at a time.

3. Shampoos, dips, and topical sprays

These might not last as long as the previous treatments mentioned, but they can instantly remove fleas. “Flea shampoos, dips, and sprays should not be used in conjunction with topical spot-on treatments, as they may cancel each other out or even cause chemical toxicity,” she warns.

HOW CAN I ELIMINATE TICKS AND FLEAS FROM THE ENVIRONMENT?

This can be done by destroying tick and flea habitats. Dryden suggests “cutting or removing grass, weeds, and brush piles between fences and along property lines.” Acaricides (or pesticides used to kill ticks and fleas) can also be sprayed into cracks and crevices around your dog’s cage or sleeping area, along the boards of the ceiling, and other areas your pet frequents. “If ticks continue to be a problem, restricting a pet’s access to tick-infested environments, such as tall grass, weeds, and forested areas, may be necessary.”

For more on pet care, check out these articles:

• 10 Things You Should Do for Your Dog This Year
• How to Toilet-Train Your Puppy: A Guide for First-Time Dog Owners
• Mommy, Can I Keep Him? 12 Things to Remember When Giving Your Kids Their First Pet
• Canine Companions: 5 Reasons to Get Your Kids a Dog
• What Every Pet Owner Should Know about Vaccines: 5 FAQs and Their Answers
• 10 Questions to Ask Yourself When Picking a Vet
• 16 Basic Items Every New Pet Owner Must Have
• Doggy-Dangerous Munchies: 20 Food Items Not to Feed Your Pooch
• Canine Cribs: 6 Tips for Creating a Dog-Friendly Home
• Fur Files: 10 Things to Consider before Adopting a Pet
• Wipe It! 5 Ways to Deal with Your Pet’s Messes
• Food for Your Fur Baby: 5 Things You Should Consider When Picking Dog Chow

 
(Photos by LOLren, CMDrGravy, and breakmake respectively via Flickr Creative Commons)   

Ticks, Fleas, and Your Dog: 3 Questions You've Been Itching to Ask–Answered! is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

Article source: http://www.femalenetwork.com/pets/ticks-fleas-and-your-dog-3-questions-youve-been-itching-to-ask-answered/

San Francisco Chronicle
January 27, 2012 04:00 AM
Copyright San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Friday, January 27, 2012

State court confirms fleas are pests, upholds fine is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

Article source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/27/BA631MV11I.DTL

Merseyside and Liverpool Pest Control – Harrier pest prevention who have earned a reputation as the premier pest control company in the North West are proud to announce that from today’s date their services will be available throughout Liverpool and Merseyside.

Applying the same principals of quality affordable service the company will be trading in Liverpool and Merseyside as Liverpool Pest Control.

Liverpool Pest Control are offering a fixed price service for destroying wasps’ nests at just £44.50 and they are available 7 days per week with no extra charge for weekend callouts. Liverpool Pest Control will also be offering a three year guarantee on their revolutionary new ant treatment. Yes, a three year guarantee.

Liverpool Pest Control specialise in the treatment of bed bugs and are amongst the foremost experts in the country on bed bug eradication.

If you even suspect you may have bed bugs call Liverpool Pest Control without further delay.

Hear the owner of Liverpool Pest Control on one of his regular radio appearances as the pest control expert for Radio Lancashire

Merseyside and Liverpool Pest Control

Dorset Pest Control

Merseyside and Liverpool Pest Control is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

0800 019 8382 or 01257 230637.

Harrier Lancashire & Manchester Pest Control New Areas & Websites – Harrier pest control who have traditionally covered Manchester, South Lancashire and North Cheshire have extended their area of operation for 2010 and announce a series of new partner websites.

Harrier pest control have a fixed price for wasps nest destruction during 2010 0f just £32.00 except for customers on postal codes L, CH & CW where unfortunately we have to charge £44.50 to cover increased travel but as we do not charge extra for evening or weekend callouts this still makes us very competitive with other local companies and local authority pest control operatives, some of whom charge over £50.00.

We work seven days per week and will do our best to fit in with your busy schedule and not keep you waiting in all day. If the nest is accessible without going through the house you can even pre-pay by credit or debit card and we will destroy the nest whilst you are out. If it is urgent please let us know you have paid by telephone as we only pick up our email at the end of the working day. Use the buttons below to prepay.

Areas of Operation

Prepay your wasps nest then ring us to let us know.

Wasp Nest £32.00 all areas except Post Codes L, CH & CW – Pay Now

Wasp Nest £44.50 Post Codes L, CH & CW – Pay Now

Harrier Lancashire & Manchester Pest Control New Areas & Websites is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

Pest Control in Blackpool & Other Seaside Holiday Resorts

Seaside pest control brings its own set of special circumstances which sometimes require a different approach to more inland towns.

Firstly the very logistics of working in a busy seaside holiday resort can be problematic, even the basics of parking your van near the customers’ premises can be difficult especially when equipment needs to be carried. This can lead to increased charges which have to be passed onto the customer.

In summer premises are often open seven days a week and even twenty-four hours a day thus leaving little opportunity for the pest controller to go about his work.

This may not cause too much difficulty in routine preventative inspection visits but can cause extreme problems when infestation is detected in that often pesticides require premises to be vacated for a period of time.

In winter the opposite situation may occur where premises are closed for several months leaving a pest infestation to develop undetected.

Seaside holiday resorts usually have a large number of takeaways providing food to eat on the go and often will be littered overnight with uneaten food scraps providing food for rats and seagulls.

Often daily waste collections mean that bagged food waste is put outside overnight thus encouraging rodents.

Seagulls are obviously a nuisance with their noise and fouling but often will take food stuffs up onto roofs and ledges causing a build up of rotten materials which produce flies and maggots.

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of seaside pest control is the resurgence of the bed bug which in recent years has seen numbers rise exponentially.

A high transient population of holiday makers often staying in inexpensive, high turnover accommodation means that the bugs can spread quickly throughout a resort and even expensive upmarket establishments are not exempt.

The very nature of a bed bug infestation means that it is difficult and expensive to cure and news of infestation is often of interest to local press who will often carry a story about a guest being bitten, thus ruining the reputation of the establishment.

Bed bug infestations require that the infested bedroom and those adjacent be treated thus losing revenue for the establishment.

A hotel or guest house could also find themselves liable for the cost of dealing with an infestation at the homes of their guests as the bugs are easily transported in luggage.

Pest Prevention carry out annual preventative inspections and treatment where necessary and can be contacted on 0800 019 8382 or

info@harrierpestprevention.co.uk

Pest Control in Blackpool & Other Seaside Holiday Resorts is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

 Pest Control In Manchester & Other Large Cities by Ken Chadwick 

Big city pest control brings its own set of special circumstances which sometimes require a different approach to smaller and quieter towns.

Firstly the very logistics of working in a busy big city can be problematic, even the basics of parking your van near the customers’ premises can be difficult especially when equipment needs to be carried. This can lead to increased charges which have to be passed onto the customer and sometimes these can be substantial. 

Premises are often open seven days a week and even twenty-four hours a day thus leaving little opportunity for the pest controller to go about his work. 

This may not cause too much difficulty in routine preventative inspection visits but can cause extreme problems when infestation is detected in that often pesticides require premises to be vacated for a period of time.

 Big towns & cities usually have a large number of takeaways providing food to eat on the go and often will be littered overnight with uneaten food scraps providing food for rats, pigeons and seagulls which have now moved inland. 

Often daily waste collections mean that bagged food waste is put outside overnight thus encouraging rodents. 

Pigeons & Seagulls are obviously a nuisance with their noise and fouling but often will take food stuffs up onto roofs and ledges causing a build up of rotten materials which produce flies and maggots. 

Pigeons will often roost and nest in roof spaces for many years leading to a large build up of pigeon guano and often their droppings can make the walkways below slippery and dangerous.  

Most big cities have a varied ethnic mix with a variety of shops and restaurants supplying foods from all over the world. Often these foods are imported in bulk from countries where pests such as cockroaches are endemic and these pests are then brought into the U.K. hidden away in the goods and packaging. 

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of big city pest control is the resurgence of the bed bug which in recent years has seen numbers rise exponentially. 

A high transient population of visitors often staying in inexpensive, high turnover accommodation means that the bugs can spread quickly throughout a city and even expensive upmarket establishments are not exempt. 

The very nature of a bed bug infestation means that it is difficult and expensive to cure and news of infestation is often of interest to local press who will often carry a story about a guest being bitten, thus ruining the reputation of the establishment. 

Bed bug infestations require that the infested bedroom and those adjacent be treated thus losing revenue for the establishment.

Pest Control In Manchester & Other Large Cities is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

How Much Does a Pest Control Company Cost?

Welcome to Harrier Pest Prevention dealing with all types of pest control in Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire. We are available to help seven days per week on 0800 019 8382 or 01257 230637.

How Much Does a Pest Control Company Cost? – That’s a very difficult question to consider. It’s a little bit like ringing a mechanic and asking him how much to fix your car without being able to see it and diagnose the problem, virtually impossible to do.

Some jobs are pretty straightforward and here at Harrier Pest Prevention we are happy to give a fixed price on wasps’ nests but virtually every other pest problem will require a no obligation, free of charge site visit.

I would indeed be wary of any pest control company that are prepared to give prices without a site survey as this may indicate that they are not carrying out correct risk-assessments and are not mindful of the safety of you, your children and your pets.

For your no obligation site visit in Lancashire, Cheshire or Greater Manchester contact Harrier Pest Prevention or phone 0800 019 8382.

How Much Does a Pest Control Company Cost is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control