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ASSASSINPEST CONTROL

PESTe-TIPS

PROFESSIONAL PEST CONTROL TIPSFOR HOME OWNERS

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Our Pest e-Tips newsletter is a quick read to give you some tips on how to create a pest-free home. As well as details on the pest of the month, there are regular tips to help protect your home from termites and don’t forget to look out for our special offers!

Professional Pest Control Tips for homeowners

Cockroach Facts: Cockroaches are great scavengers and will eat almost anything. This is great for re-cycling in the natural world, but not so good when they find their way into our homes! Of the 3,500 or more cockroach spe-cies in the world, only around 10 species are considered pests. Broadly speaking the can be split into “large” cock-roaches and “small” cockroaches.

Large cockroaches

• Key species: American cockroach, Australian cockroach, Oriental Cockroaches, Smoky brown cockroach

• Where do they live? Mainly outside in mulch, sewers and drains, but also in sub-floor areas and roof voids

• How big are they? Adults of some species can be over 5cm long.• Interesting fact: Many species don’t fly. For those that do fly, it is only the male

cockroach and then only in warm weather. Small cockroaches:

• Key species: German cockroach, Brown-banded cockroach• Where do they live? Inside the home. German cockroaches tend to live in kitch-

en, bathroom and laundry, Brown-banded cockroaches tend to live in drier areas such as the living room and bedrooms.

• How big are they? Adults are only 1.5cm long. Large populations can exists in small cracks or even electrical devices (toasters, microwaves, TVs)

• Interesting fact: German cockroaches are also known as the “5 star” cockroach as they are a major pest in hotels and restaurants.

No-one likes cockroaches in the house, especially in the kitchen! The Summer months are the main cockroach sea-son, with the warmer temperatures come increased numbers and the chances of one of the large cockroaches flying in! Let’s learn a bit about these disgusting pests and how we can keep them out of our homes...

FOR IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE CALL 1800 674 115

Cockroaches

www.assassinpestcontrol.com.au Copyright 2015. Bug Doctor Media

American cockroach

Female German cockroachcarrying her egg case

Prevention Tips

• Maintain good hygiene:• Keep rubbish in sealed containers• Store bins away from the house• Don’t leave pet food out• Clear up dishes after meals• Clean up all spills• Fix any leaks / areas of high moisture• Fill any cracks and crevices• Keep mulch and garden beds away from the house• Ensure screens are in good order• Check any incoming boxes for cockroaches or egg

cases

What Can We Do To Help?

• Protection against cockroaches is included in our general pest treatment.

• Typically we carry out an external spray to guard against large cockroaches and an internal gel treat-ment to protect against small cockroach species.

• If you are suffering a heavy German cockroach infestation we may need to provide a more special-ised treatment program

Why are they pests?

• Cockroaches, especially the small cockroaches are prolific breeders and a large population can build up quickly. The young, which look similar to the adults (although smaller and without wings), moult their cuticle several times before coming an adult. If you see one or two adults there are likely to be many nymphs (young cockroaches) in hiding!

• Cockroaches are know to carry many diseases, often causing stomach upsets through bugs as Salmonella and E.coli.

• Many people are allergic to cockroaches and they are one of the major causes of asthma in children.


$80 off termite inspection+ pest treatment combination*

Signs of a termite infestation

Regular termites inspections are a must for all homeowners. Governments, Australian standards, building compa-nies and pest control companies all recommend annual termite inspections, even if you have termite protection measures in place. For higher risk areas more frequent inspections are recommended. Inspections are vital so early termite activity can be spotted and dealt with before they can cause damage. Obviously termites can still make their way into your home between one inspection and the next, so it’s important for the homeowner to keep an eye out for termite activity as well.

Here are the key things for homeowners to look out for;

1) Termites. Termites are pale soft bodied insects that superficially look like ants (thus “white ants”). If you actually see termites you know you have a problem and you should call us immediately.


Termite worker coveredin soil particles

2) Winged termites. Winged termites are the new kings and queens flying off to start a new nest. You will often see these flying termites on warm, humid evenings. They fly towards lights and their fragile wings fall of easily. It can be difficult for the homeowner to tell the difference between a flying and flying termite, so if you see any such insects, give us a call. Having these flying termites in your house does not necessarily mean you have a nest in your house, but it certainly means there is a nest nearby and you should get it check out.

3) Mudding. Mud tubes (which protect the termites from predators and drying out, are a sure sign of active termites. If you see mudding in your yard, give us a call. If you see mud-ding in the house (sometimes it may only be a small speck on the wall, where they have plugged a hole), call us immediately.

4) Damage to surfaces. Damage to surfaces is more difficult to spot. It may only be a rip-pling on walls or painted surfaces, but this could be the sign of termite activity underneath.

5) Small piles of sawdust or debris. Piles of sawdust / debris on the floor or window sill could indicate termite activity. It may not be termites (could be ants or other pests), but certainly worth getting it checked out.

6) Sounds of chewing. When termites are actively feeding, it is possible to hear a grinding sound when it is quite in the house, particularly at night.

If you see any of these signs of termite activity please give us a call. If in doubt, call us out - you don’t want to risk your biggest investment.


European WaspThese distinctive wasps can be found in the cooler areas for Australia from Sydney south to Tasmania. Although they cannot tolerate high temperatures year round, they can handle hot Summers as long as they get cooler Winters. A majority of nests will be in well drained ground (banks, rockeries), the remainder will be in tree hollows and roof voids. These wasps love sugary foods and also take meat for their young.

There are two reasons why these are a significantly more serious pest than our native paper wasps. Firstly, they are very aggressive and will protect their nests, each individual capable of multiple stings. Second-ly, Australia Winters are a lot milder than European Winters. As a result whilst nests tend to die back in Europe, in Australia the nests can con-tinue to grow year after year, sometimes reaching a massive size of over 100,000 wasps.

We strongly advise against a DIY approach to European Wasps. If you suspect you have European wasps, give us a call immediately.


Mudding on a fence post

“Rippling” on painted wood

Sleeping with the enemy?

When it comes to termites, you need to be awake and vigilant to protect your home!

On arriving at a house with suspected termite activity, we quickly spotted termite presence; uneven surface rippling and stains on the walls with areas of sawdust / debris on the floor. We even found an area of dismembered termite heads - a termite cemetery, indicating this was a very established infestation. When we carried out our complete inspection, we were amazed at our discovery in one of the bedrooms.

Behind the bed, the termites had built a bivouac - essentially a staging post away from the main nest, something they do at large, established feeding sites. They had even started eating through the mattress…and this bedroom was being used at the time!

This infestation has probably been underway for at least 2 years, but with no reg-ular inspections, significant damage has been done. The full scale of the damage has yet to be determined. The owner had spotted the strange stains on the wall but thought they were water stains. To protect your home it is important to have termite inspections at least once a year, but if you see something strange, especially uneven surfaces, stains, sawdust, debris or mud, call us immediately.

Another tip from this story, is that you should probably check all rooms and cupboards / wardrobes on a regular ba-sis for any obvious signs of termites or other pests. Termites love undisturbed areas such as the unvisited spare room or the locked teenage bedroom, where parents fear to tread!



Termites had eaten through the mattress!

* Get a termite inspection for only $170 (inc.GST) - an $80 discount on normal price, when carried out

at the same time as any other pest treatment.Valid until March 2015

Please don’t hesitate to call us, we’re here to help!

1800 [email protected]

Darryl Quinn, OwnerAssassin Pest Control

Call Us Now!1800 674115

© www.assassinpestcontrol.com.au





Our Pest e-Tips newsletter is a quick read to give you some tips on how to create a pest-free home.

As well as details on the pest of the month, there are regular tips to help protect your home from ter-

mites and don’t forget to look out for our special offers!

Helping keep your home Pest-Free!

It’s mozzie season…and you need to keep them under control, so you can enjoy entertaining outdoors.Here are some tips to keep the little vampires off your property!








Mosquito FactsLet’s face it, mozzies can be very annoying….and can carry serious diseases! Here are some inter-esting facts about mozzies and tips about how to keep your home mosquito free.

Mosquitoes are the No.1 insect pest globally. They

are responsible for transferring diseases, such as

malaria, which kill over 1 million people each year.

Only the female mosquito bites, as they need a

blood meal in order to lay eggs.

Although many mosquitoes bite at dusk and during the night, some species, such as the Dengue

mosquito, bite during the day….. so make sure you wear long sleeved clothing and / or use insect

repellents in mosquito-infested areas, even during the day.

“Wrigglers” are the mosquito larvae that you can see in still water such as plant pots and ponds….

they breath through the water surface with a siphon in their “tail” and wriggle to the bottom to get

away from predators.

Prevention TipsMosquitoes lay their eggs in or near water. Stop the population building up by removing sources of

standing water around your home, such as water in plant pots and blocked drains / gutters.

Make sure your insect screens are well fitting and in good order…… and don’t forget to close doors

as dusk approaches.

What can we do to help?

Our standard pest spray will treat typical mosquito hiding places around your home such as eaves and decking. If you have a severe mosquito problem, we offer a specialized mosquito treatment which includes spraying vegetation and other mosquito hiding places around the yard.

If you have a severe mosquito problem we offer a specialized mosquito treatment which includes spraying vegetation (mosquito hiding places) around the yard, using a specialised spray that produc-es an ultra-fine mist, to provide long lasting protection..








How to create a termite smart garden…

The garden beds next to your home are the source of many termite at-tacks - with moisture, mulch and plant roots they are a termite heaven and can provide termite with easy access to your home.

If you were starting from scratch, an ideal termite smart garden would probably involve using decorative pebbles adjacent to the house and any plants would be placed in pots.

However, if you want to make your current garden less attractive to termites, try these tips;Use plants with a low water requirement and small root system.

Keep the soil as dry as possible (watering systems are not a good idea)

Don’t use wood mulch. If you must, use cypress pine or mulch treated with insecticide.

Trim plants back so you can see the edge of the building

Don’t block vents and weep holes

Ensure the soil level stays below inside floor level.

Please contact us if you have any concerns about termites and protecting your home








Bed bugs are small, brown insects which hide in the corners of your bed mattress and around the edges of rooms, coming out at night for a blood meal. With the increasing amount of global travel, bed bugs are also on the move.

So to avoid any unwelcome hitch hikers from your next holiday, always check the corners of your hotel mattress when you move into a new room and keep your luggage and clothes off the floor.






TERMITES

Here are some of the most common causes of ter-mite attack to homes and some hints on how to mini-mise termites eating your valuable asset away from you:

• Thecloserthatthehouseistothegroundthe

highertheriskoftermiteattack.

• Thehighertheexteriorsoillevelsarethegreater

thetermiterisk.Thereforeiftheexteriorsoil,pavers,pathsorgardensareabovethe

slablevelthetermiteriskisexceptionallyhigh.

• Contrarytopopularbelief,concreteslabconstructionsarefarmoresusceptibleto

termiteattackthansuspendedtimberflooringhomesbuiltoftheground.

• Asteepsloppingblockaddsgreatlytotheriskoftermitesassoilmovementcan

providetermiteswitheasieraccessintothebuilding.

• Themorealternations/extensionsahousehasthegreatertheriskoftermitesdueto

jointsbetweenconcreteslabs,engagedpiers,foundationswallsabuttingtogether

etc.

• Themoremoisturethereisinoraroundthehousethegreatertheriskoftermites.

Improvingsubfloorventilationcanplayamajorpartinreducingtheriskoftermite

attack.

What you can do to reduce the risk of termites attacking your house:

1. Firstlyaninspectiontothepropertyeverysix(6)monthswillincreasethechanceof

PROFESSIONAL PEST CONTROL TIPS FOR HOME OWNERS




detectingtermiteactivitybeforetheycauseanymajordamage.Thisinspectionwill

alsoascertainwhetherornotthereareconditionsconducivetotermiteattack.

2. Removealluntreatedtimberfromaroundthepropertyincludingrailwaysleepers.

3. Rectifyalldrainageandplumbingleaksandareasofwaterbuild-up.

4. Ifyourhotwatersystemoverflowpipedripsagainsttheexteriorwall,placeahose

ontheendtodrainitawayfromthehouseorplaceabucketunderittocatchthe

drips.Thisisamajortermiteentrypoint.

5. Ifthehouseisonaconcreteslabensuretheslabedgeisvisibleallthewayaround

thehouse.Anyareasthatarenotarehighriskareas.

6. Ifthehouseisonbearersandjoists(suspendedtimberflooring),ensurethesubfloor

areaiswellventilatedandclearofanyscraptimberandformwork.

7. Allexternallevelsshouldbewellbelowthedampcourselevel.

8. Allexternalwoodenstructuresshouldbebuiltonsteelstirrups,NOplantsorvines

shouldbeallowedtogrowupthetimbersasitallowsforabridgefortermites.

9. Avoidhavingtimberfences,gates,gardensleepers,etc.contactingthehouseas

thisallowsdirectaccessfortermitestoyourhome.

10. Whentermitesarelocatedinahousebuiltonaconcreteslabthemajorityofthe

timetheentrypointisfoundtobeviatheouteredgeoftheslab,notthroughthe

slabasoftenbelieved.

11. Nothingshouldeverbeplacedagainsttheouterwallsofahouseasitmayhold

moistureandmayprovidetermiteswithanunseenentrypoint.

12. Allgardensshouldhaveagapbetweenthebackofthegardenandthehousealine

ofpaversisaneffectivewayofdividingthetwoandkeepingmoistureawayfromthe

slaborfoundations.

13. Wateringsystemsshouldbedirectedawayfromthehouseandwaterusagekeptto




aminimum.

Detection of Rats and Mice

1. Rodentdroppingsvaryinginsizeofmouseor

rodent.

2. ‘Rubmarks’aremarkingsonsurfacesdepos-

itedasgreasysmearsbycontinualcontactwith

dirty,greasyrodentfur.Mostapparentonvertical

surfaces.

3. Burrowsoftenpresentadjacenttowaterways&

buildings.

4. Gnawings

5. Nestsmaybefoundinhiddenpartsofconstruction.Nestsareusuallymadeupof

rags,paper,cardboardandstraw.

6. Runsinoutdoorvegetationmayindicateconstanttraffic.

7. Urinestains

8. Disappearanceoffood

9. Soundsduringeveningandnighteg.bumping,gnawing,clawing,scratching.

10. Odoursimilartoacetamide.

11. Excitementofpets,usuallydogsareterritorialandsensitivetoforeignodours,and




theintrusionoftherodent.

RoofratSanitationandRodent-Proofingisalsoanimportantaspecttoremember.Perhapsthemost

permanentmethodofrodentcontrolistomakeanynecessaryalternation’stothebuildingsoasto

preventtheirentry.

Controlling Fleas

Fleasarecontrolledbyfirstlyensuringthatthehostanimalisregularly

bathedinaresidualfleashampooorrinsesuchas“SaintBernard

FleaShampoo”or“Permoxin”.Theseshampooscontaintheinsec-

ticidePermethtrin,whichisasyntheticpyrethroid.Thereareother

Organophosphatebasedshampoosandrinsessuchas“Gemma-

wash”or“Mala-wash”(Diazinon&Maldisonasactiveingredients).

Theseareresidualinsecticides,thoughtheyaresmelly,alotmore

toxicandfleasarebecomingchemicalresistanttothem.Regularbathinginsummerareevery2

weeksto1monthandlessofteninwinter.

Whenbathingisnotaregularoccurrenceortheanimalisintroducedtoanenvironmentwherethere

isacurrentfleainfestation,fleabreedingcanresult.Whenfleasarelayingeggsinthehost,somefall

offontothegroundorwherethepetsusuallyreside,carpetandbeddingetc.Togaineffectivecontrol

offleas,thefollowingpreparationsshouldbemade:

1. Allchildrenandpetsshouldberemovedfromareastobesprayed.

2. Alllooseitemsshouldbetakenawayfromthefloorandgroundareas.

3. Thelawnsaretobemowed,grassclippingstobedisposedoffinthebinnotinthe




gardenareasanddryareas.Tobehosedifitisahotday(thisistofloattheflea

eggstothesurfaceandtohelpkeeptheinsecticidefromevaporatingtooquickly).

4. Athoroughvacuumingofthecarpetjustpriortreatment,payingattentiontoskirting

boardareasandunderneathfurniture&loungecushions.(Thisiswhererubbedoff

skinandlarvaelive).Vacuumbagstobesprayedwithflyspray,washedinhotwater

ordiscarded.

5. THESUBLOORAREAISTOBEBLOCKEDOFFFROMENTRYBYPETS.Petsand

peopletobekeptawayasmuchaspossiblefrominfestedareas.Thiswillhaveto

beforatleast1monthinsomecases(itisaconditionofwarrantythatthisiscarried

out).

6. Beddingofpetstobethoroughlywashedordiscarded.

7. InsevereinfestationsanInsectGrowthRegulatororIGRmaybeusedintabletform

whichisaddedtothepets’food.Thiscanbeobtainedonprescriptionformvets-

tradename“Programme”.Anothermethodofcontrolbyusingtabletsisasystemic

methodofcontrol-tradename“Pro-ban”

8. Finally,thepetshouldbewashedassoonaspossibleafterthetreatmentwitha

residualflearinseorshampooorinthecaseofcats,aresidualfleapowder.This

shouldcontinueonaregularbasis,preferablyeverytwoweeksinthewarmer

monthstoamonthlywashorpowderinthecoolerseasons.

Usingthesesimpleprecautionswillensurethatfreedomfromfleainfestationwillbecomeafact.Suc-

cessdefinitelywillnothappenovernight,althoughverypleasingresultswilloccurapproximatelyone




monthaftertreatmentifthesepractices,asoutlinedabove,arecarriedout.

COCKROACHES

Preventative Measures to Ensure Permanent Control

1. Onceyouhaveemployedaprofessionalpest

controlcompanysuchasASSASSINPEST

CONTROLtocontrolGermanCockroachesinyour

environment,therearecertainthingsthatyoucan

doinordertogetafaster,morepermanentresult.

Wehaveusedourprofessionalequipmentand

insecticidestogettotheplacesthatyouwouldnot

normallyeventhinkof,letalonecarryout.Oncewe

havegonetherearethreemeasuresthatyoucan

dotoachievethisresult.These3thingsare:

2. KEEPTHEAREASWHERECOCKROACHESHAVEBEENFOUND

SCRUPULOUSLYCLEAN.

3. Thisinvolveskeepingthefloorandotherareasfreeoffoodscrapsandgrease.

Washingupshouldnotbeleftovernightandfoodshouldneverbeconsumedinany

placeotherthanthemealarea.Cardboardandpaperarenotoriousforharbouring

GermanCockroaches.Donotstoretheseforanyperiodlongerthannecessary.Itis

muchwisertostorefoodinsidesealedcontainerssuchasTupperwear.

4. FILLORBLOCKOFFANYCRACKSANDCREVICESTHATPROVIDEHIDING

AREASFORCOCKROACHES.




5. Thismaybedonewithacaulkingagentsuchas“NoMoreGaps”.Drippingtaps

shouldhavewashersreplacedasthismayprovidewaterthattheycandrink.Wipe

dryallsinks,basins,bench-topsetc.

6. FOURTOSIXWEEKSAFTERTREATMENTUSESURFACESPRAYAROUND

THEHARBOURAGEAREAS.ALTERNATIVELYUSECOCKROACHBOMBS

ACCORDINGTOTHELABEL.

7. Stillgoaheadandcarrythisout,EVENIFNOCOCKROACHESARESIGHTEDAT

THISSTAGE.

8. Doingthiswillbreaktheirlifecycleandhastentheirdemise.Remembertoclose

offtheinfestedareasasmuchaspossiblewhenusingbombstokeepasmuchof

thesmokecontained.Sheetsmaybeusedwhenpinnedtodoorwayframeswhen

doorsareabsent.Alwaysreadandtakenoteoftheinstructionsonthelabel.In

badlyinfestedsituations,ie.whencockroachesaresightedinnumbersduringthe

day,repeatthistreatmentinafurthermonth.

9. Rememberthatcockroachcontrolreliesuponaconscientiouseffortfromboththe

pestcontroloperatorandtheclient.Success

10.definitelydoesnotoccurovernightbutfollowingthesefewinstructionswillgetyou

verygoodresultswithinonemonthofourtreatmentandguaranteesthatyouwillnot

belivingwiththeseunwantedguestsinthefuture.

Needmoreadvice?Don’thesitatetocallus.

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