Recently I visited friends that moved just outside of Charlotte, NC. It was a nice warm autumn day, we were outside in their backyard. I thought it was safe to wear sandals. My friends were showing me a landscaping problem they had and how they hope to solve it, when all of a sudden my bare toes started to feel somewhat hot and tingly, and not in a good way. And I look down and I see three small ants locked onto my big toe.
Yikes!
" what the heck was that!?"
"Oh, those are fire ants." my friends tell me.
"You gotta be careful where you walk down here".
They were not kiddin'!!!
These nasty brown red ants sneak up onto you, then one of them gives a signal and they all chomp down on your skin, and much like a pit bull they hold on but then proceed in a circular motion, ripping a hole into your flesh. Real nasty buggers. And a huge problem down south. I was told I was lucky that only three ants grouped together to attach me. This was probably due to the fact it was past their active season, but still, if you disturb their mound, they will wake up and will swarm looking for the invader no matter the time of year.
So far, no reports of these "pain in the big toe" ants in the Big Apple area. For this I am thankful, because two weeks later and I'm still scratching the bite area. Our cold winters no doubt are protecting us from one nasty biting ant. New York has enough pest problems without these ants making the scene. But you can be sure, Connex Environmental has already been educated on them and we know how to deal with any kind of ants. 3HGEXWNTSA3P
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Everybody was Feng Shui fighting
Two Important Pest Preventive Measures You Need to Know Right Now.
I won't tease you here with the answer. But I do want you to know I am speaking from my experience as a seasoned, battle harden, NYC exterminator. And my experiences has lead me to a wide range of various types of peoples and their living situations.
So without further fuss here are the two most important things you need to know to prevent future breakouts of New York City's major pests, which include mostly bedbugs and fleas and to some extent roaches and rodents such as mice and rats.
The answer is so simple it may make you feel somewhat disappointed with what you are about to read. But I can assure you, if you follow this simple advice you will cut the odds of getting infested, especially with bedbugs, by more than half in most cases.
1) it is to remove household clutter and
2) to be aware when you are out in public traveling with your possessions.
Now the first bit of advise is obvious. Remove the clutter. Bugs, pests, insects or any type of vermin LOVE clutter. It is their Love Boat. They can hide in it and raise many generations of themselves.
N'est-ce Pas? (Or if you prefer freedom fries interpretation: "Isn't it so?")
So get rid of stuff you are not using. Clear out those corners that even you can't get into any more. Consider buying plastic tubs or bins with lids for storage.
And next up, we'll talk about why everybody will soon be Feng Shui fighting in NYC, if they aren't already doing this.
I won't tease you here with the answer. But I do want you to know I am speaking from my experience as a seasoned, battle harden, NYC exterminator. And my experiences has lead me to a wide range of various types of peoples and their living situations.
So without further fuss here are the two most important things you need to know to prevent future breakouts of New York City's major pests, which include mostly bedbugs and fleas and to some extent roaches and rodents such as mice and rats.
The answer is so simple it may make you feel somewhat disappointed with what you are about to read. But I can assure you, if you follow this simple advice you will cut the odds of getting infested, especially with bedbugs, by more than half in most cases.
1) it is to remove household clutter and
2) to be aware when you are out in public traveling with your possessions.
Now the first bit of advise is obvious. Remove the clutter. Bugs, pests, insects or any type of vermin LOVE clutter. It is their Love Boat. They can hide in it and raise many generations of themselves.
N'est-ce Pas? (Or if you prefer freedom fries interpretation: "Isn't it so?")
So get rid of stuff you are not using. Clear out those corners that even you can't get into any more. Consider buying plastic tubs or bins with lids for storage.
And next up, we'll talk about why everybody will soon be Feng Shui fighting in NYC, if they aren't already doing this.
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
FLEAS
Do you know what the shortest poem in the world is?
"Fleas - Adam had em"
No doubt Eve did too. And so did the bear where they got their winter skins from after ditching the fig leaves.
Insects have plagued us since time began. Just thank the Creator, of all that is good, that you are living now and not back then. All those generations of people down through history had to figure out through trial and error what worked and what didn't to live pest free in their caves and castles.
You, however, can simply pick up the phone and call us, CONNEX Environmental, and we can be there in most cases the same day, to stop whatever bug is plaguing you, be it fleas, roaches, bedbugs or rodents.
Autumn time is when many insects aggressively seek to extend their short lives by moving inside with you where it's nice an warm. Your home or apartment is their Florida vacation. Fleas are naturally attracted to Fido and will jump to hitch a ride on his or her's warm fur. Same thing will happen with purring little fluffy cat, if you allow your cat to roam around the neighborhood.
If your pet's immune system is strong, the flea will not like the taste of the bite it gets and will jump off usually into your rug or carpet. It may then try to bite you to see if you taste any better. Fleas will infest a pet with a slow or weaken immune system and the overflow of the flea population, eggs etc, will soon find its way into your household furnishings. This is why as you sit there watching TV at night, your legs get bitten. Those are not always mosquito bites.
"But I use flea collars!" Yeah, and where does the flea collar go? Around your pet's neck, right? Do you put a collar on it's tail end? Guess what? That's where the fleas go. Get a fine tooth flea comb and check the back end of your pet. If you see movement or the comb reveals dirt.... that's most probably flea dirt or poop. By the time you figure out your cat or dog has fleas doing a flea dip bath or buying flea collars is too little, too late. Are you gonna put a flea collar on your sofa or your carpet? Besides many of the chemicals in those products are extremely harsh and can potentially harm your cat or dog's immune system making the situation worse. Some pets even have sensitive skin allergies to flea collars.
A flea infestation is difficult to remove and is best left to a professional exterminator like CONNEX Environmental. So do yourself and your pet a favor and call us now to get rid of your flea problem.
"Fleas - Adam had em"
No doubt Eve did too. And so did the bear where they got their winter skins from after ditching the fig leaves.
Insects have plagued us since time began. Just thank the Creator, of all that is good, that you are living now and not back then. All those generations of people down through history had to figure out through trial and error what worked and what didn't to live pest free in their caves and castles.
You, however, can simply pick up the phone and call us, CONNEX Environmental, and we can be there in most cases the same day, to stop whatever bug is plaguing you, be it fleas, roaches, bedbugs or rodents.
Autumn time is when many insects aggressively seek to extend their short lives by moving inside with you where it's nice an warm. Your home or apartment is their Florida vacation. Fleas are naturally attracted to Fido and will jump to hitch a ride on his or her's warm fur. Same thing will happen with purring little fluffy cat, if you allow your cat to roam around the neighborhood.
If your pet's immune system is strong, the flea will not like the taste of the bite it gets and will jump off usually into your rug or carpet. It may then try to bite you to see if you taste any better. Fleas will infest a pet with a slow or weaken immune system and the overflow of the flea population, eggs etc, will soon find its way into your household furnishings. This is why as you sit there watching TV at night, your legs get bitten. Those are not always mosquito bites.
"But I use flea collars!" Yeah, and where does the flea collar go? Around your pet's neck, right? Do you put a collar on it's tail end? Guess what? That's where the fleas go. Get a fine tooth flea comb and check the back end of your pet. If you see movement or the comb reveals dirt.... that's most probably flea dirt or poop. By the time you figure out your cat or dog has fleas doing a flea dip bath or buying flea collars is too little, too late. Are you gonna put a flea collar on your sofa or your carpet? Besides many of the chemicals in those products are extremely harsh and can potentially harm your cat or dog's immune system making the situation worse. Some pets even have sensitive skin allergies to flea collars.
A flea infestation is difficult to remove and is best left to a professional exterminator like CONNEX Environmental. So do yourself and your pet a favor and call us now to get rid of your flea problem.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Chronicles of Riddex
Or how to save yourself 29.95 plus 17.95 shipping and handling.
Recently I was checking my personal email and the first step I usually do is to select what can easily be deleted and then delete it. I was about to send this one email gem permanently into the ether net when I changed my mind to explore it further. It was a promotional email from Riddex, an electronic plug-in device sold on TV to help me eliminate any and all roaches, mice or rats from my home.
I was naturally hooked. Maybe I could put myself out of business, selling these simple devices instead? I hoped what I found out would help my readers to save time and money and in the end get the results they need for their pest problem. But what I found may shock you, no pun intended.
The first thing that struck me about the website sales video was their claim that this simple electric plug-in device was not only much simpler to use but it was more effective and way better than having some stranger exterminator come into your home. Two of these plug in devices could put a protective barrier around the average size home. Some video special effects proved it to me with a pulsating grid around a cartoon house. I read their glowing but very short testimonials and
I was about to rip open my velcro wallet when I decide to just do a little google surfing on the subject.
I did some various search words from just "Riddex" to "does Riddex work"? The first result got me about 52,000 results, many on the first page were selling the product. However, the first organic link I clicked on had 9 complaints out of 15..... hmmm. So I dug some more...."does Riddex work?"
got me 207,000 results with the first page showing some very pissed off and angry consumers warning others not to waste their money. Velcro makes no sound when you close your wallet. It was somewhere on this Google search that I found out the shipping on a plastic device that weighs only a few ounces was 17.95. Yikes. Some people said they like the blinking lights on the thing. My dad referred to those type of things as idiot boxes.... they do nothing but look good doing it.
Some other consumers said they probably had the only deaf roaches and mice on the planet and that the only way to kill the vermin was to throw the device at them. There were complaints about noise and that the plug in did in fact interfere with their computer especially when using Skype. It hummed.
A university in South Carolina and a pet store in Hawaii both did the same experiment with the device and either or roaches or mice crawled comfortable around the thing in an enclosed environment.
Now as far as letting a stranger into your home to get rid of your roaches, mice or rats goes, I will tell you that our polite, professional, licensed and experienced pest pros are the best in New York City that you can find. You can feel safe, we will protect you and we are not a blinking light gimmick. And we are green-safe exterminators. Go to our website's Green page to find out more.
Since I quoted my dad earlier, let me give my mom some equal time too. She always said a lazy man works twice as hard.... in this case here with the Riddex device, a cheap man will pay twice as much on quick fixes that don't work.
Until the next time....
Recently I was checking my personal email and the first step I usually do is to select what can easily be deleted and then delete it. I was about to send this one email gem permanently into the ether net when I changed my mind to explore it further. It was a promotional email from Riddex, an electronic plug-in device sold on TV to help me eliminate any and all roaches, mice or rats from my home.
I was naturally hooked. Maybe I could put myself out of business, selling these simple devices instead? I hoped what I found out would help my readers to save time and money and in the end get the results they need for their pest problem. But what I found may shock you, no pun intended.
The first thing that struck me about the website sales video was their claim that this simple electric plug-in device was not only much simpler to use but it was more effective and way better than having some stranger exterminator come into your home. Two of these plug in devices could put a protective barrier around the average size home. Some video special effects proved it to me with a pulsating grid around a cartoon house. I read their glowing but very short testimonials and
I was about to rip open my velcro wallet when I decide to just do a little google surfing on the subject.
I did some various search words from just "Riddex" to "does Riddex work"? The first result got me about 52,000 results, many on the first page were selling the product. However, the first organic link I clicked on had 9 complaints out of 15..... hmmm. So I dug some more...."does Riddex work?"
got me 207,000 results with the first page showing some very pissed off and angry consumers warning others not to waste their money. Velcro makes no sound when you close your wallet. It was somewhere on this Google search that I found out the shipping on a plastic device that weighs only a few ounces was 17.95. Yikes. Some people said they like the blinking lights on the thing. My dad referred to those type of things as idiot boxes.... they do nothing but look good doing it.
Some other consumers said they probably had the only deaf roaches and mice on the planet and that the only way to kill the vermin was to throw the device at them. There were complaints about noise and that the plug in did in fact interfere with their computer especially when using Skype. It hummed.
A university in South Carolina and a pet store in Hawaii both did the same experiment with the device and either or roaches or mice crawled comfortable around the thing in an enclosed environment.
Now as far as letting a stranger into your home to get rid of your roaches, mice or rats goes, I will tell you that our polite, professional, licensed and experienced pest pros are the best in New York City that you can find. You can feel safe, we will protect you and we are not a blinking light gimmick. And we are green-safe exterminators. Go to our website's Green page to find out more.
Since I quoted my dad earlier, let me give my mom some equal time too. She always said a lazy man works twice as hard.... in this case here with the Riddex device, a cheap man will pay twice as much on quick fixes that don't work.
Until the next time....
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