Sunday, October 25, 2009

Scary Holloweenie Spiders and other nonsense

One more word about spiders while it's still October. Well, a couple of words... spiders come in all sizes and shapes of small, medium and large, humongous OMG it has a fur skin, and a bulbous butt, hand me my shotgun, size.

I have come to realize that many people mistakenly believe that there is a benefit in letting spiders 'live and let live' in their domiciles. While it may be true that spiders do serve a purpose as a pest control agent for flies, cockroaches and other nasty creepy crawlies, it may not be the answer you want played out in your home. Spider "spit" is a sticky messy goo, it attracts dust, crumbs and can stick onto your pets fur or whiskers. Also some people are even allergic to the non-poisonous spider bites and to their spit or web silk as well.

Here is an old English nursery rhyme that exaggerates my point and also give you an idea of what life was like before you could simply pick up the phone and scream "HALP!" to a licensed qualified exterminator. It also demonstrates that many home remedies are complicated and don't always work out the way we think. :)

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
I guess she'll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a spider,
that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly.
I guess she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a bird.
How absurd to swallow a bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly.
I guess she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a cat.
Imagine that, she swallowed a cat.
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly.
I guess she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a dog.
My what a hog, to swallow a dog.
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat.
She swallowed the cat, to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly.
I guess she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a cow.
I don't know how she swallowed a cow.
She swallowed the cow to catch the dog.
She swallowed the dog, to catch the cat.
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly

I guess she'll die.
I know an old lady who swallowed a horse...
She's dead of course!

So if you are seeing an abundance of spiderwebs around your home this fall, give us a call. Connex Environmental can get rid of the hunters and the hunted. You don't need to settle for this gruesome wild kingdom playing out in your home. Let spiders serve their purpose outside your home and scaring the trick or treat kids as they ring your door bell.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Mothra vs Godzilla

October is that scary time of year when many of you may be noticing more outdoor pests trying to gain entrance to your nice warm home. Knowing their time is short as the evenings become chillier earlier there are some clever last minute maneuvers made to make sure their lineage continues next spring.

Your home is the battle ground between two of these giants in the pest world that I will give special attention to today. Moths and Spiders. Now technically spiders are not insects even though many people do refer to them as that. They are arachnids. Many people consider them to be a beneficial bug in that they do their own messy but efficient pest control. Spiders are lonely, shy hunters. They look for a quiet corner or pick a spot near a light source or water source. Most arachnids are harmless to humans and mind their own business. Only two you need to beware of: the black widow and the brown recluse. (the lonely and the shy)

So for this drama -the clothing moth will play the part of Mothra and the grinning wolf spider, will play Godzilla. As scary and ugly as Godzilla is, he's usually considered the good guy monster. Mothra is the bad guy monster, clothing moth, looking for your expensive Armani wool suit to devour--- only the best for her eggs.
But not if Godzilla can lay down it's trap to save the day but in the meantime scaring the candy corn out of you as it swings down from it's ceiling lamp web just to see if you are letting in any more delicious Mothras. (hmmm, taste like mushrooms)

Just like there are small and large spiders, there are small and large moths. The tiny moths, called Indian meal moths, don't care where you hang your winter coat. In fact, they came into your house with you in that bag of peanuts (especially with the peanut shells) bird seed and any dried food, cereal or pet food. If you have tiny gray moths all over the house, driving you batty check your kitchen cupboards, garage or basement. Where ever it is that you store food. You'll know it when you find it.... the closer you get to Mothra ground zero, the more tiny grey moths you'll see. They somehow manage to always escape the container. If it's peanuts in a clear bag, the bag will no doubt be crawling on the inside. After you scream, carefully remove the source and vacuum the area thoroughly. Any strong liquid disinfectant spray cleaner will do. No need to set off bug bombs. You don't want to poison your own food supply.

If you've been having dreams that you are naked in public, you may have a clothing moth problem. Put any suspected garments into the dryer -- the heat will kill any moths and eggs. Dry clean will also work where delicate clothing label instructs.

And if sugar grinning spider-boy is making too many websites around your home looking for Moth-ra traffic, CONNEX Environmental can make that bad movie disappear from your October nightmares. So whether it's a dark cloud of tiny meal moths or extra large clothing moths we have the answer to your pest problem. Our pest pros are among the best you'll find in New York City. Quick, capable and knowledgeable. Give us a call today.