PROFESSIONALS PROTECTING PEOPLE & PROPERTY SINCE 1956 SPRING CLEANING AHEAD! Christopher Cavanagh, Editor Associate Certified Entomologist As many of us are enjoying South Florida spring weather with open doors and windows, keep in mind we may also be inviting some unwanted critters in. Termites, spiders and ants are all hunting for food and springtime makes it extra important to do some pest prevention. Prior to the start of the rainy season, spring is an excellent time to walk your property and the perimeter of your home to take note of any corrections or repairs that should be made. As the illustration to the right demonstrates a variety of items and areas around the home can become breeding spots for mosquitoes, especially during the summer months when rainfall is high. Removing these potential breeding spots will go a long way to reducing the mosquito population around your home this summer. Cleaning gutters, maintaining a clean trimmed landscape, caulking and sealing cracks and openings and correcting moisture or plumbing leaks around your property will also greatly help in reducing other pests such as ants, cockroaches, termites, and millipedes to name just a few. Since having a strong, healthy lawn and landscape is also a good defense against harmful pests Petri has recently become one of the very few companies to become Bio Green authorized. In this issue of our newsletter we will tell you more about this exciting, natural alternative to traditional fertilizers. We are confident that once our customers see the results their lawn achieves with Bio Green they too will become believers in this excellent product. What makes Bio Green different? Simply, Bio Green not only feeds the lawn but over time it rebuilds the soil under your lawn back to its natural state. Soil returns to a rich, balanced state as Bio Green creates and manages organic matter in the soil. The cycle that is created when bacteria and other living organisms consume this organic matter helps maintain this healthy soil. These soil organisms depend on the replenishment of this organic matter (carbon) and oxygen to continue to have a balanced healthy soil. The bottom line is that the science behind Bio Green results in a healthy, lush green lawn and landscape for you. Please also be aware that subterranean termites, including traditional eastern sub species, as well as the more damaging Formosan and Asian sub species, all begin swarming at various times during the spring and early summer months normally. Drywood termites are also known to swarm in late spring and throughout the summer in South Florida. Although the swarming termites themselves do not cause any damage they are a clear indicator of a problem. Lastly, wildlife continues to play a role for pest management professionals as more and more homeowners deal directly with various issues. To learn more about opossums, and the potential dangers they could pose, read more in this spring edition of Bugged. As always, from our entire staff, thank you for the continued trust and confidence you have shown in Petri! We appreciate you and your business. Anything that can hold a half an inch of standing water for more than five days can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Insects and other pests need the same things we do: food, shelter, and water. Unfortunately, we often provide them with one or all of those things! Eliminating or reducing moisture in and around your home will go a long way in decreasing insect populations. In addition to being a necessary component of life, water also makes wood more attractive to termites and carpenter ants, encourages fungal growth, and serves as a breeding material for mosquitoes and some other types of flies. Even if you don t suspect that you might have moisture problems, it s probably worth investigating. Check out some of the common possible causes of accumulated moisture around your home. Mulch and vegetation abutting your house attract pests like earwigs, termites, springtails, and centipedes by holding moisture against your foundation. If reasonable, inspect your gutters and downspouts to see if they Common causes for accumulated moisture around your home include sprinklers, mulch, leaky gutters, faulty air conditioning units and dripping hoses. are properly installed, clear of debris and that water is draining away from the structure. If you use a sprinkler system, check to see if sprinkler heads are aimed away from the structure so you aren t unnecessarily soaking your house and drawing in pests! Two other possibilities include beneath air conditioning units and leaking hoses. If you aren t confident in diagnosing or fixing moisture issues, give us a call and we will assess the situation and make sure you re property isn t unwittingly attracting and keeping pests around. Pestimonials WANTED! Let us know how we re doing and we ll feature your pestimonial on our website! info@petrispestcontrol.com Office: (954) 781-4100 // Fax: (954) 942-1246 // www.petrispestcontrol.com
Opossums As the only marsupial native to North America, the opossum is quite an interesting creature, though not one you want to get close to! Like their more beloved kangaroo relatives, opossums carry their developing offspring (they don t have a unique name like joeys ) in a pouch. The North American opossum, Didephis virginiana, averages 15 to 20 inches in length and weighs up to 15 pounds. A good size comparison would be a large housecat. Opossums spend most of the year alone but do get together during mating season. Opossums are excellent climbers and are aided by their long, hairless, prehensile tail that they can wrap around tree branches. While young possums occasionally hang upside-down by their tails, adults are too heavy to partake in what appears to be a fun and playful behavior. Opossums have a varied diet; including insects, fruits, vegetables, garbage, and pet food, but prefer feeding on carrion when available. While foraging, opossums may also frighten any outdoor pets. When threatened, opossums respond in two distinctly different ways: either by hissing and baring their teeth or playing dead (complete with lying on their back with their tongue hanging out) until the threat is gone. Opossums are strictly nocturnal, so you are very unlikely to see one out during daylight. They live in a variety of habitats and although they prefer living in forested areas, they are found in urban, rural, and suburban environments. Opossums can make and build dens under houses, beneath porches and decks, and even in attics! Even aspiring zoologists don t want opossums to spend their free time around their home because in addition to carrying their babies in a pouch, opossums are known to carry ectoparasites like ticks and fleas with them, too. As if you needed any more reasons to keep your distance, opossums have been implicated in transmitting tularemia to humans and can harbor a variety of nasty pathogens like murine typhus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, leptospirosis, and relapsing fever. Rabies are actually rarely reported in opossums, but remain a possibility. Due to potential health risks, threats to pets, and possible property damage, control of opossums on your property is a serious matter and should only be handled by a professional. Due to their dietary preferences, the sudden appearance of an opossum may indicate that another animal recently died nearly your house. Please call us today if you have reason to believe opossums are nesting near your home, or would like your property possumproofed! Due to potential health risks, threats to pets, and possible property damage, control of opossums on your property is a serious matter and should only be handled by a professional. Call us today if you believe opossums are nesting near your home. Office: (954) 781-4100 // Fax: (954) 942-1246 // www.petrispestcontrol.com
The Eastern subterranean termite is the most common and most widely distributed termite in North America. An average Eastern subterranean termite colony can consume 5 grams of wood per day, the equivalent of 2⅓ linear feet of a 2' x 4' pine board annually. Colony growth is slow, and it may take years before swarmers are produced. Eastern subterranean termites can enter buildings through cracks less than 1/16 of an inch wide. The termite colony is made up of different types (castes) of termites each with separate work responsibilities. Although Eastern subterranean termite colonies are largely located in the ground below the frost line, secondary colonies can exist above ground, and examples of true above ground colonies existing without any ground contact have been seen. However, such above ground colonies have access to moisture and often the source is a roof or plumbing leak. Eastern subterranean termites will often build mud tubes for travel between their colonies and their food sources. The king and queen in a colony can live for 10 to 30 years, while workers live for about two years. Petri is fully equipped and ready to take care of any termite problems that may arise at your home or business. Termites cause well over a billion dollars in damage each year nationwide, which is more than fires, earthquakes, and storms combined. In addition to conventional treatment methods, we also use The Sentricon Colony Elimination System, which was the pioneer in termite baiting systems. In recent years this system has been greatly enhanced with the introduction of the Always Active system for more immediate colony elimination. Termite vs. Ant Swarmer Comparison
Kids Activity Corner When your kids complain of boredom and can t think of anything to do, send them outside to explore the eye-opening world of insects! Get your kids interested in nature by exploring your own backyard or local park. On a bright and sunny day you are sure to find all kinds of creatures within feet of your front door. You may see ants carrying leaves, honeybees visiting flowers, and dragonflies zooming after flies. You just have to adjust your point of view to notice the small things in life. By focusing on individual insects, you can start to wonder what and why they are doing the things they are doing. Why might a beetle be climbing up a tree? Why do ants seem to be following each other? Where are they going? To make your observations more scientific, try to keep a record of which kinds of insects you find in different parts of your yard on different days and at different times. What kinds of patterns do you see and what reasons can you think of to explain them? There are limitless questions that arise when you start observing the world around you, so get out there and explore What type of insect did you observe? How many legs does it have? Does it have wings? If yes, how many? What color(s) is it? Is it big or small? Does it make a noise? What else do you notice? Office: (954) 781-4100 // Fax: (954) 942-1246 // www.petrispestcontrol.com