A home in Etobicoke, Toronto was home for 28 cats and kittens. Neighbors have been complaining for over a year about the smells that were coming out of the house to their neighbors. It wasn’t until recently that the Humane Society went into the household and found the 28 cats and kittens. What they also found was a house that resembled a litter box. Feces, urine, and garbage were all over the place. There was something else in the house. A cockroach infestation that one member of the Humane Society said was the largest amount of roaches he has ever seen in one place at a time. When they went into the house to get the cats, they would pick one cat up and more roaches came out. They were coming out of everywhere. Two women are living there, and that resulted in the Health Department being called in.

Officials said that there were roaches all over the floors and walls. When entering the house, officials wore masks and protective clothing. They said it was unbearable to breath in the house. The cats were taken to the vet and examined. Most were ok, while some were treated for respiratory problems. Once they are taken care of, they will be put up for adoption. The rescue was the largest single rescue that the Etobicoke Humane Society has ever done. The amount of roaches and the conditions found were considered “horrifying” to the officials.

TheStar.com wrote first about this story.

photo credit: treasuresthouhast

Mice have been running wild in Southland, New Zealand, getting to the point where it has gotten almost plauge-like in Southland. Fiordland, Te Anau, Stoney Creek and Five Rivers are the main areas that are having a serious problem with the mice population. The problem it seems is that these mice are breeding at a high pace. Gestation period for mice is only about 20 days, with 10-12 being born during optimal breeding. The reason for the high abundance of mice is that there seems to be a huge excess supply of food for the mice. It has gotten to the point where homes were catching up to 9 mice a night in their houses. Farmers are seeing hundred of mice scatter when they are scared away.

Southland is trying to control the population, however, is having trouble figuring out how. Some households say that their cats and dogs have been eating the mice, which has helped a little. However, with such a large population, it would be extremely tough to get rid of all of them, so they are focusing on limiting the food supply of the mice. However, they are finding that now Southland has a few more unwanted visitors, in weasels and rats. When the mice die off in the winter, officials are worried that these other pests will more onto the bird population. As of now, they are just urging people to do whatever they can do to get rid of these pests.

Though this widespread mouse problem is happening in New Zealand, these creatures can be infesting your home. If you would like a free inspection or more information about our rodent control services, please contact us.

The Asian long-horned beetle, a species of beetles that originates from Asia, has made an appearance in Bedford, Massachusetts. The beetle was first sighted in the Massachusetts area back in 2008. However, despite this sighting, it is very rare for the beetle to be present in Massachusetts. It has been linked mostly to New York and the Chicago area. It is believed that the beetle made its way to America on a cargo shipment from China years ago. It was first spotted in New York in 1996. This isn’t the first time the beetle has been in Massachusetts before, it killed 18,000 trees in Worcester.

The beetle’s favorite type of tree is maple, however, it will go after hardwood trees including the birch and elm trees. The beetle is a huge threat to the nursery and development of these types of trees. Also, it can be a threat to ruin state forests, state parks and state trees. These beetles are usually seen from the late spring to the fall depending on what the weather is like. The problem with these beetles is that there is no chemical way to control these pests. They have very few natural predators in America, being indigenous to Asia. Officials are adamant that if you see this pest, to report it at once. Once they locate them, they will have to cut down all infected trees, chip them and burn them. This is a preventative way to stop the beetle. They are trying to prevent what happened in Worcester from happening in Bedford.

A&E’s hit show, “Billy The Exterminator“, is back for its second season of this reality show. A&E has a 20 episode season planned for this upcoming season, and it is sure to have fans very excited. The show follows Billy Bretherton, who along with his family owns and operates Vexcon, one of Louisiana’s top and busiest pest control and removal companies. The key to the show and why it has become a hit is how it mixes family life and drama with the ability of running one of the top pest control companies in Louisana. Billy, a 16 year veteran in the pest control business and former Air Force Sargent, is joined by his brother Rick, his dad Bill Sr. and his mom Donnie who holds down fort in the office.

Season two has plenty of challenges for Billy and his crew. One episode has to deal with getting a beaver out of a Summer Camp where it is causing a bunch of problems, get rid of a rattlesnake that is making its home in a funeral home, as well as trying to extract an alligator out of a family pond. The big challenge, however, seems to be when Billy and family take on the largest cockroach infestation of their careers. The hit show’s season two debut will be Wednesday, March 10th at 10:30 on A&E.

Waybright Elementary School in Mass. has recently reopened after a rat sighting caused the school to close for a day. During school, a student saw a rat running down a stairwell. This isn’t the first time the school has had a problem with rats. In December, a construction project disrupted where some rats where living, causing them to go into the school. The school called a pest management professional, sealed off entranceway and set traps. Until they were sure the problem went away, they asked students to not leave food in classrooms and stopped serving hot lunches. They thought the problem was gone until the lone rat was spotted.

There were no signs of more rats being in the school. They didn’t find any feces or rats in traps that would indicate more than the lone rat. During the incident in the winter, there was evidence of burrowing by the rats. However, the building was swept and no burrowing was located this time around. The school reassured everybody that every precaution was taking place to prevent further incidents. They also said this is not an event isolated to just the school. Homes around the area have been having similar problems. The school has spent upwards of $30,000 already clear the rats out of the school, and expects to spend more money in the future.

If you have seen a rat or mouse in your home please contact us for a free inspection. Winter is the most common time to see a rodent in your home.

Wicked Local reported about this story first.

A famous Los Angeles eatery, Philippes, has been shut down for a couple of days, due to a cockroach infestation. Philippes, which has been open for over 100 years and is famous for its French Dip, was inspected due to several complains. The restaurant has always done well during inspections, and when the county inspectors came and inspected it, it did receive a good score, in the low 90s. Even with the good score, the infestation forced a shut down. The restaurant was forced to fix the infestation, and when inspectors returned in a couple of days, they were to look and make sure the infestation was gone. Once they give the ok, Philippes would reopen.

Cockroaches are mainly nocturnal, and leave behind a chemical trail in their feces. Cockroaches are relatively large insects, and some carry about 40 eggs in each egg capsule they lay. Their life span is only about a year, however, in that time span, they lay up to 8 egg capsules. They feed on human and pet food, leave behind a poor odor and have a hissing sound. The fact that they feed on this food is one of the main reasons that they are such a problem for restaurants. Philippes isn’t the only place that has been hit by this pest, and certainly will not be the last.

Don’t let a cockroach infestation ruin your businesses reputation. Contact JP McHale for a free inspection and quote of your establishment. We are also able to service chain restaurants across the country with our partnership with Copesan.

We heard about this story from the LA Times.

A big dream is being threatened by a small creature. Businesswoman Cheryl McIntire and Nancy Magliocchetti have the dream of converting a 95 year old Victorian home in to a showcase, but there is just one problem; termites. They’ve tunneled through the wooden floorboards, headers, support joists and the wall studs. Even little piles of termite dung cover the floors, as these pests have created damages in excess of $15,000. This is definitely not good for Cheryl and Nancy, as it was obviously not part of their plan. “This is a huge impendent in their business plan,” said the women’s Tampa attorney, Pete Cardillo.

The house was built in 1915, and sold a year later. The Eubanks family owned it until 2006 when it was sold to McIntire and Magliocchetti for $178,500. The problem is, there was no termite inspection done. While there are no rules to prevent its demolition, losing the house would be a horrible loss for the two. “We don’t want to sink more money in to it if it’s being eaten alive from the inside…We want it treated so we can at least continue working, and then we’ll deal with the damage claim.”

If you would like a termite inspection for your home or other establishment please contact us!

Picture and story source: Daytona Beach Journal

Finding and controlling termites and carpenter ants is no easy task. While they may be crucial to nature, these insects are causing problem after problem in modern homes. Carptenter ants are basically inevitable, they will at one time invade your home, but termites are a different story. They cause over two billion dollars in damage to homes every year.

There are two types of termites common to our area, dampwood and subterranean. These dampwood pests live in wood rather than underground chambers and are more common. The subterranean type feed on wood coming in to contact with soil, and may even create tubes connecting their homes to a nearby wood source. If these tubes are broken and removed, ants could get in and attack them, which is good for the homeowner. Wood should always be kept dry and rot free, and should also never be touching any part of your home. According to the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, it takes years for termites to infest your home badly enough for serious damage. If you remove or replace rotted sections of infested wood, it may temporary eliminate the problem.

In the Pacific Northwest, carpenter ants are much more frequent and do not feed on wood. Although they can be dangerous because their nests are difficult to locate, but will hollow the wood out, leaving behind frass (sawdust). One way to see if you ave carpenter ants is if these is frass or sawdust located on the floor. The NCAP recommends repairing any leaks, keeping shrubbery clear of exterior walls and foundation vents, and maintaining at least 12 inches of clean concrete between wooden siding and surrounding soil. Also, no wood should be kept underneath the home and gutters should be kept clean and clear. Follow these to save yourself from the hassle of termites and carpenter ants.

If you think you have a termite infestation or carpenter ants, please contact us. Both of these pests are covered under our Guardian Program.

If you think you aren’t going to be affected by bed bugs at one time or another, you’re probably wrong. Bed bugs infestations are on the rise and they don’t care who they are disturbing. In Franklin County, Ohio especially, where bed bugs have affected not only those low-income renters who originally were thought to be the only ones affected by these pests.

“We’ve had reports from schools, churches, bowling alleys, dialysis centers, and vets offices,” said Paul Wenning, with the Central Ohio Bed Bug Task Force.

These bugs don’t care where they are and what kind of furniture their in, as they’ve been found in private residences, couches, and beds as of late. More incredibly, a map including every ZIP code has been created and filled in only two years since the bed bug task force was born. Apartment complexes have been cited in creating certain areas to throw out furniture that has been infected by bed bugs for their residences. The only way to get rid of these pests is to hire a licensed professional, attempting to get rid of these yourself can be frustrating and nearly impossible.

If you think you have bed bugs, or would like to have your home inspected by our K9 Bed Bug Inspection Dog, please contact us today!

10 News in Ohio brought this story to our attention.

On the northwest corner of 54th street and Fifth Avenue, pigeons are creating a pretty crappy situation. City pigeons have become such a problem the owners, managers, and members of the University Club, established in 1865, want to make a change. A pretty serious change in that, well, at least according to animal activists like New York Bird Club founder Anna Dove who says “It’s a shame they’re trying to get rid of all these pigeons…After the pigeons, they’ll want to get rid of the starlings, then the sparrows and the squirrels.”

The change that is desired is to install “full height bird netting to protect the architecture from the pigeon “poo”. This sort of change would have to be approved by the Landmarks Commission, because it deals with a “visual change to the exterior.” The net would be designed to keep the architecture safe and clean, along with the club members who have been heading to the dry cleaners for years due to the pigeons. It will be interesting to see who’s side the city Landmarks Commission decides on.

If you own a building and feel that pigeon “poo” is a problem, JP McHale offers a bird control service that will relocate the birds in an environmentally and discreet way. Please contact us if you are interested.

The New York Post wrote first about this issue.

Picture credit