In past years, termites have been a big factor in the real estate industry.  Depending on a home’s past history, the pests could make or break a deal.  But now there is another pest new homeowners have to worry about; bed bugs.  An outbreak of bed bug cases have been seen recently throughout the country in major cities, hitting New York City hard.  Not only have apartments and homes been infested, but the pests have made their way to public structures.  Clothing stores, movies theaters, office buildings, and even hospitals have been shut down due to bed bug infestations.  Although bed bugs are not a health threat, they are a hard pest to get rid of and the emotional strain of having them is unbearable.  People want to sleep well at night but if they suspect bed bugs, they can easily be traumatized or lose sleep over it.   Nobody wants these pests to hitch a ride into their home, so people are becoming more aware of how to prevent getting bed bugs.  New York City has already passed a law requiring landlords to provide the bed bug activity within the last year to tenants who want this information.  It is only a matter of time until more cities adopt this law and it is enforced in all homes throughout the US.   A potential buyer could love a house but turn down the deal because of prior bed bug infestations.

Luckily, JP McHale Pest Management can help.  We offer a human and canine inspection that can detect exactly where the bud bugs are located.  We will treat accordingly and leave your home bed bug free. We offer a canine and human inspection to detect exactly where the bed bugs are located. We are  the leading Westchester pest control company and serve the tri-state area. Contact us by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, twitter, or facebook for a canine or human inspection!

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Al Hoffer Pest Management posted a great article on tips to keep your house termite free.  Check them out!

How Can I Keep My Home From Being Infested by Termites?

JP McHale is a Westchester pest control company that can conduct an inspection for your home or building to check for termites. Simply contact us by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, facebook, or twitter.

A local South Carolina paper published an article last week about the growing issue of termite infestations in homes. Many homeowners are not aware when termites are eating their house from bottom up.  It’s not until they see one small hole that they discover a colony of thousands of termites feasting in their house. The article describes how termites slowly became a big problem in the Daniel Island area in South Carolina from the destruction of Formosan termites.  Here in the Northeast we experience Eastern Subterranean termites that are just as destructive.  If you notice your wood floors sinking or your walls getting hollow, that might be an indication you have termite issues.  People do not realize the extensive harm termites can do to a home.  Most insurance companies do not cover termite damage, so it’s worth your money to have a yearly service.  Your house is most likely to get damaged by termites than hurricanes, fires, or storms, but people do not realize that. JP McHale is a Westchester pest control company that can conduct an inspection for your home or building to check for termites. Simply contact us by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, facebook, or twitter.

Aol.com published a great article about how to tell if termites are infesting in your home.  To start off, termites are small insects that eat materials containing cellulose such as wood, wallpaper, books, and sometimes cardboard boxes.  Termites look like small, white ants that sometimes have wings.  Termites and ants sometimes get confused with one another but termites will shed their wings once they find a colony, unlike ants.  Here are some key indicators to know if you have a termite infestation:

• Mud tunnels.  Termites like to travel through tunnels to get back and forth from their food source.  These mud tunnels will appear as a line of sawdust or sand on the wall.  Usually termites eat wood close to the ground.
• Mud build-up.  Usually found on the outside of homes, mud build up is another indicator.
• Softened wood.  If you see cracks or crevasses in the wood that might me an indicator.  Also, in you have wood floors and begin to see they are sinking or getting hollow, there is a chance termites might be living under the floor.  You can check if the wood is hollowing by knocking on it.

Termites are a very big issue and you should take care of the issue right when you discover it.  Termites cause billions of damage to home each year, so make sure you contact a pest control company at the first sight.  JP McHale is a Westchester Pest Control company.  We would love to help you with your pest or lawn problem! Contact us by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, twitter, or facebook.

Yesterday, WINK News published an article about flying ants and termites and how they are starting to emerge.  When the rainy season comes around and colonies are getting big, male ants and termites will develop wings and fly away to find a mate and a new colony.  Since the pests are nocturnal, you will see smarms of them in the night time. A tip for home owners is to keep all lights off at night time so the ants and termites are not attracted to your home.  Once the males find their mate, they will shed their wings and start a new colony.  Both carpenter ants and termites can do a sufficient amount of damage to your home, so feel free to call JP McHale for an estimate. JP McHale is a pest management company in Westchester, New York.  We would love to help you with your pest problem! Contact us by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, twitter, or facebook.

Today’s story from the field involved a coliseum-like battle! Well, almost.  One of our techs was checking a sentricon station, and inside of it he found termites and carpenter ants fighting!  Though it is rare for humans to see, carpenter ants and termites constantly fight over food.  They are both wood-destroying organisms that usually shelter in the same environments.  Learn more about carpenter ants and termites here.  Termites and Carpenter Antds are an on-going issue in Westchester and New York, so make sure you control them before they eat your house!

This Youtube video shows a colony of termites eating through a wall.  The guy talking is a pest management professional and gives good information on the termites.  Take a look:

Notes to pick up on:

• A big colony can tunnel through a foot a day
• Termites are aggressive, they rival with carpenter ants
• Termites are most active at night
• Termites are blind
• The subterranean termites are what we have in the Northeast
• Termites cause over 2 Billion dollars of damage a year

To learn more about termites or to schedule an inspection, contact s by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, twitter, or facebook. JPMcHale is one of the leading pest control companies in Westchester, New York.

Many people are always confused if they see flying ants or termites, they look so much alike! Here are some few distinctive traits to tell them apart:

Flying Ants (carpenter ants):

• Body has 3 parts
• Antennas are sharply bent
• The front and back wings are different sizes

Termites:

• Body has two parts, one being larger than the other
• Antennas are straight
• The front and back wings are the same size

Both pests cause harm to wood and if you see either, contact a pest control company asap.  We hope to have a guest post within the next few days to go into more detail about the differences between the two pests, so stay tuned!  If you have a carpenter ant or termite problem, JP McHale PM can help.  Contact us by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, facebook, or twitter

The Dallas Morning News published an article over the weekend about how all kinds of insects are reported to increase in numbers throughout the state.  This year, in particularly, there is expected, and has already been, a rise in ants, termites, snakes, mosquitoes, and bed bugs due to the warm and wet seasons.  Pest control companies have received almost double the amount of calls in the last few months. Instead of seeing a couple of insects flying around residents are seeing swarms of them. These insects are more than just as nuisance to humans.  Termites are known to cause 2.5 billion dollars of damage to homes, and add that to the amount of money carpenter ants and bees tally, that’s a lot of money!  Luckily in this season there has not been a West Nile case yet, but there are many more mosquitoes than past seasons.  The health department in Dallas recently set up a mosquito trap that they hoped would capture a few hundred mosquitoes, which ended up catching a thousand.  Texas is not the only state that has a bad bug problem so if you have any problems with pests feel free to contact us by phone 800-479-2284, email, facebook, live chat, or twitter.

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