Complete Flea Protection?

Here in Macon Georgia, fleas are just as much of a problem–if not more of a problem–than they are in the rest of the country. The beautiful southern climate is perfect for these blood-eating insects. They get into our yards; they get onto our pets, and they get into our homes. There isn’t a whole lot we can do about it, right? Well, actually there is something we can do. If we take appropriate steps, we can almost completely protect our pets and our families from fleas and the repercussions of being bitten by them.

Step 1

Fleas come into yards on wildlife. The more your yard is protected from unwanted wildlife, the fewer fleas you’ll have. You can do this by keeping your lawn mowed–to make your yard feel less like the woods or a meadow, but more than this, you can put up fencing for added deterrence. There is no way to entirely stop animals from getting into your yard but this is a good place to start with flea protection.

Step 2

As you are probably aware, your veterinarian can prescribe many products that will help to protect your pets. While these products don’t ensure complete protection, they are a valuable part of complete protection. These products include powders, collars, topicals, and medication. Consult your veterinarian to zero in on what will work best for your pet.

Step 3

Your pet isn’t the only animal that can bring fleas into your home. Many people don’t realize that mice, rats, squirrels, raccoons and other furry pests can introduce fleas into a home. If you’ve been noticing mouse droppings in the back of your silverware drawer, you should call a pest control company and have that mouse problem dealt with before it turns into more than just a mouse problem.

Step 4

While dealing with wildlife issues when you see them can keep fleas from infesting, complete protection requires ongoing pest service. When you have routine visits from a knowledgeable professional and appropriate treatments done on a regular basis, your home will be more resistant to all pests–fleas included. And, if fleas do find a way to take root in your home, it is good to have a pest control company you can call for immediate, and targeted service.

It isn’t possible to have complete protection from fleas, or any bug, but when you have ongoing pest control from an industry-leading pest control company like Active Pest Control, you’ll have the best protection possible.

There is an eco-system around, and inside, your home. Fleas are only one part of that eco-system. Let the professionals here at Active Pest Control help you manage that eco-system and keep bugs and wildlife from having an adverse effect on your pets and your family. Life is better when pests are under control.

Fruit Flies In Georgia

Fruit flies are tiny pests that are taking over homes all across Georgia and the country. They can be found swarming in kitchens and pantries, around sink drains, and garbage cans year-round; and once they get into your home it can seem impossible to get them out. However, there is good news- you don’t have to take this attack lying down! There are many easy, inexpensive and natural ways to get rid of and control these tiny terrors in your home.

Here are 5 easy ways to control and eliminate fruit flies from your home.

  1. Store all fruits, vegetables, and other food items in containers with tight fitting lids or in the refrigerator. Do not store food out in the open on counters or tables.
  2. Make sure to wash your dishes regularly; don’t leave them in your sink overnight. After washing the dishes make sure to rinse out the sink and routinely clean the sink drains to ensure that food particles aren’t accumulating in them.
  3. Get creative and make a fruit fly trap; one of the most effective fruit fly trap uses apple cider vinegar (its sweet smell attracts the fruit flies) and dish soap. Pour ½- 1 cup of apple cider vinegar into a jar along with 1-2 drops of dish soap (this breaks the surface tension of the vinegar and causes the fruit flies to drown). Place a paper funnel that is secured with tape in the mouth of the jar to help the flies enter into the jar, but prevent them from being able to exit.
  4. Invest in an insect eating plant. Sundews (Drosera) have leaves that naturally produce sweet juices; these secretions will attract fruit flies who will then become trapped in the leaves. Once they are trapped the plant will quickly digest the fruit flies, not only effective against fruit flies and other insects, but very cool to watch as well!
  5. When all else fails get out your trusty vacuum cleaner. After removing all possible food sources (see number 1 on the list) use the hose attachment to suck up all the pesky fruit flies that you can find.

Here at Active Pest Control we understand just how frustrating having problems with fruit flies in your home can be and want you to know that we would be happy to help. If controlling fruit fly populations on your own just isn’t doing the trick that’s okay and why we are here! Our professionals will be able to inspect your home, find the areas that are attracting the fruit flies and offer effective treatment solutions quickly!

For more information on how our professionals can help to control fruit flies and other household pest through our residential pest control services contact us today!

West Nile Virus In GA

Often when we talk about things that we read or hear in the media we say ‘they say’, I wonder many times who ‘they’ is. Well, here in Georgia our health departments have been placing mosquito traps in different parts of our wonderful state to monitor these insects and to get an accurate idea of how many of them are actually carrying the West Nile Virus. In one county, DeKalb County, 81 have tested positive for the West Nile Virus. That’s a lot. Juanette Willis, program director for DeKalb County Board of Health agrees with me. She says, “This is a lot more than the past few years.” When we hear that ‘they’ say that we need to take precautions when dealing with mosquitoes, and when ‘they’ say that there is an increase in the cases of mosquito borne illnesses in our state, we can know that ‘they’ are usually our health departments, doing what they do best, looking out for our health and well-being.

So, here in Macon we should be listening to what ‘they’ say. Mosquitoes should be a concern for everyone. We all need to understand them better and know their habits and weaknesses to aptly prepare ourselves for battle with them. Our yards, school playgrounds, hiking trails, ball fields and parks are just a few of the more common battlegrounds where we will encounter these disease-carrying insects. Here some key prevention tips to help you to arm yourself for battle:

  • Try to avoid being outside during the most active time for mosquitoes; early morning and late afternoon to dusk.
  • Wear light colored, loose fitting clothes that cover as much of your skin as possible. The less exposed skin equals less tempting places for mosquitoes to bite.
  • Wear insect repellent that contains DEET.
  • Consider the benefits of wearing insect repellent clothing and insect netting clothing made to wear over you clothes.
  • Avoid high exposure areas like swamps, muddy ponds, woods, etc.

To keep these biters out of your home here are some easy to do fixes and places to check:

  • Replace or repair all widow and doors screens.
  • Repair or replace all door sweeps.
  • Keep lights turned down at night so as not to draw them in.

To help deter mosquitoes from living and breeding on your property, here are a few things that you can do:

  • Do not allow any standing water of any kind. Mosquitoes can lay eggs in a water filled cap of a 2 liter soda bottle, resulting in hundreds more of these biting insects, so just think how many are in that old tire or bucket.
  • Keep grass trimmed short because mosquitoes use the cool grass as a hiding spot during the hottest times of the day.
  • Keep trees and shrubs properly trimmed because mosquitoes use these cool and shadowy places for refuge from the hot temperatures of the day too.

While all of these prevention tips are great for yourself, your loved ones, your property and your home, the best and most comprehensive way to lessen the amount of mosquitoes that you have to deal with at your home or business is with the help of the professionals here at Active Pest Control. With a mosquito control program from us, you will be pleasantly surprised at the massively decreased amount of mosquitoes that you are dealing with. This treatment will also help to prevent ticks on your property too! It’s a win-win situation. Start to enjoy your outdoors again, contact us today because your greatest defense against mosquitoes is Active Pest Control.