Some of our staff and family members went Christmas Caroling as the “JP McHale Care-olers” this holiday season.  They were so excited and along with delivering smiles and holiday songs they were able to drop off food, gifts and clothing including a like new leather coat!

The Chicago O’Hare International Airport has created a movement that not only benefits the bee population, but local criminals that some believe deserve another chance.

The O’Hare International Airport has had ample space without purpose until the community recently teamed up with the Department of Aviation.

The decision? On-site bee hives!

The new project allows bees to produce and thrive in a protected environment. In addition, local criminals are given the opportunity to learn to work with the extraordinary creatures and help in creating various wax-based items such as lotions, candles and honey. These products may eventually be sold in the airport shops. There are currently 23 beehives at the airport, which are expected to produce 575 pounds of honey this year…what a creative way to connect the community with nature!

Click here to read the full story.

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Do you have children that will be entering or returning to college in the next several weeks?

Be sure to educate them on the ways of bed bugs!

JP McHale Pest Management wants you and your children to be aware that several colleges and universities have had or are currently battling with bed bug infestations in their dorms and on-campus apartments. It is important to follow certain procedures when moving into a college living space to ensure that you do not acquire these pesky hitch-hiking bugs!

If you choose to rent a moving truck rather than using your personal vehicle to help move your child’s belongings, be sure to inspect the interior of the truck before you fill it up! You will never know if the last person to rent that truck was moving out due to a bed bug infestation, so just inspect to be safe.

Upon arrival, be sure to leave all belongings outside the room until you carry out a thorough inspection. If you place belongings on a bed or dresser which is infested with bed bugs, they may have already made their way through your bags before you get the chance to unpack!

Most dorm rooms will be vacant aside from the bed, but some may come equipped with other furniture. Inspection of the bed frame, mattress, closets, dresser drawers and electrical outlets are most important.  Bed bugs travel from room to room through wall voids, making thorough inspection of electrical covers and outlets pertinent. Rummaging through the closets and dressers may show evidence of infestation that the previous student left behind.

The mattress will be the most likely place to show any evidence if bed bugs are present in the room. Look out for live or dead bugs, skins, or blood residue specks suggesting feeding has taken place on that mattress in the past.

Mattress encasements, especially for dorm rooms, are highly recommended to prevent bed bugs from having a chance to breed in the crevices and piping around the edges of your child’s mattress. JP McHale Pest Management knows how difficult it can be to shop for your child’s dorm room sheets if they need extra long bedding. Fortunately for you, we stock extra long twin and full mattress encasement sizes to protect your child from bed bugs while they are away from home!

Be sure to contact us today if you are interested in purchasing mattress encasements, or have any other concerns regarding bed bugs and your college student!

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Our president, Jim McHale was asked by the July 2011 NPMA Academy to speak on marketing factors relating to expansion of individual pest control companies as well as the industry as a whole.

Mr. McHale was one of several presenters requested to speak on behalf of his or her pest control company.  Jim McHale had the opportunity to express marketing techniques used by JP McHale Pest Management in hopes of helping other companies with theirs. He gained insight for his own pest control company as well, and was then interviewed upon the closure of the event.

Be sure to watch the video interview of Mr. McHale regarding his experience at this year’s 2011 NPMA Academy!

JP McHale Pest Management is hosting another Insect Identification Day!

Sometimes we encounter insects and other pests which we have never seen before in or around our homes. This Saturday, August 20^th from 10am-12pm is the perfect opportunity for you to bring in your samples to have our very own entomologist help you decipher which type(s) of pests you have. We are also opening our office to you for any questions you may have about other pest related issues arising in your home.

Stop by on Saturday with any questions, concerns, or bugs! Feel free to bring your children.

We hope to see there!

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An area of French Guiana has been forced into obeying a curfew….by who? Yellowtail moths. These pests have proven bothersome to the region since early July, the time period in which the decision to turn off all lighting at dusk was enforced.

With dark streets and vacant stores, the people of the French Guiana region have been retreating to their homes at dusk, or remaining outside under mosquito netting if they so choose.

Why the drastic change in lifestyle? The Yellowtail moths, mainly located in mangrove swamps, are attracted to lit areas and can prove unpleasant for humans. The moths disperse microscopic hairs from their bodies which have harmful skin effects for humans. The hairs from these moths cause severe itching for humans, and the infestation level in this area is tremendous.

Various shops and restaurants have been closed nightly for over a month.

The residents of this area have formed a committee which hopes to see change soon, along with the return of a normal lifestyle.

Click here for the full story!

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Imagine purchasing a cockroach and entering it in a roach race. Well, people of Australia do just that! Yahoo Sports News reported on Australia Day Cockroach Races, which occur once a year at a Queensland hotel. It’s only $5 to purchase the roach, and $5 to enter it into the race. The roaches are all given a number (as seen in the photo), and dumped onto a circular race track. The first roach to reach the end is the winner! The event is so successful that there aren’t always enough roaches, and contestants are urged to bring their own.

The judges of the race mean business. There are a list of rules and regulations for the event, one being testing the roaches for performance enhancers such as caffeine and sugar! Who knew cockroach racing could be so competitive! JP McHale Pest Management found this article to be quite entertaining because we know roaches as pests, not participants in sporting events!
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Our very own entomologist here at JP McHale Pest Management just came across a Cicada Killer in the act! If you take a look at this picture, you will see a female Cicada Killer killing a cicada.

Pretty neat, huh!? Let us know if you’ve come across any of these critters in your lawn.

Photo Credit: Matt Frye

A rodent commonly known as the African crested rat has always been understood to be poisonous, but until recently, the reasoning was unknown. It turns out this rat is much more intelligent than it is credited for; it slathers poison from tree bark onto its specially designed hairs to protect itself from predators.

The African crested rat has hairs on certain areas of its body which predators are inclined to attack first, based on coloring. These areas are ones in which the rat lathers up with the poison from the bark!

These tactics are sure to work; if the predator is not killed, it is harmed enough that it will be sure to remember the incident an steer clear of future encounters!

Click here to read the entire story, and be sure to watch the video of the African crested rat in action!

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On Saturday, July 30^th, employees of JP McHale Pest Management ventured out to the Community Food Pantry at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Mohegan Lake for a morning of heartfelt community service. Our employees in attendance are also members of the Community Action Group at JP McHale, which chose to work with this specific food pantry several years ago. We have since formed a solid partnership between ourselves and the Community Food Pantry.

The Community Action Group sparked the interest of their fellow co-workers a month in advance to prepare for the event “Christmas in July”. Large boxes were placed in designated areas around the office for several weeks to accept clothing donations. On Saturday, our employees set up several tables with over 400 pounds of clothing that visitors of the food pantry could collect as they passed by. The turnout was phenomenal, and our employees had the opportunity to meet various members of our community and help in making their day a little brighter.

JP McHale Pest Management is very proud of their employees and their genuine dedication to the community around us. We look forward to future community service events that our Community Action Group has in the works!

Photo Credit: Matt Frye