Opossums on Long Island

Recently, a Suburban Exterminating customer called in reporting an opossum in her Brentwood home.  Most wildlife foundations do not recommend trying to get rid of a trapped opossum in your home by yourself.  Call a professional!  Read for further information on Suburban Exterminating’s nuisance wildlife removal solutions, or call (516) 864-6900 or (631) 864-6900 for a free estimate.

Opossum Facts

The Virginia opossum, most commonly seen in North America, is a “cousin” to the Australian possum.  It is a marsupial, but the similarities to kangaroos and koalas end there.  They are, generally, harmless, but can cause minor property damage looking for food.

• Opossums are nocturnal.  Unlike raccoons, they try and avoid humans and very rarely carry rabies because of a low body temperature.
• They may bite when approached by a predator, but prefer to “play possum”: appearing dead and emitting a decaying odor to keep intruders away.
• They eat cockroaches, crickets and beetles, snakes, slugs, mice, rats, rotting fruit, human garbage, dead animals and small reptiles. Because opossums eat so many pests, they have been called Nature’s Exterminators.
• Opossums have very poor eyesight and can only see about six inches in front of their noses.  They “see” with their keen sense of smell. 

Keeping Opossums Away

There are some very simple steps to keeping opossums away from your home:

• Keep pet food and water indoors, in a tightly sealed container.
• Clean your yard of rotting fruit.
• Keep a tight seal on garbage containers.
• Cover your pool in the winter and monitor that no opossum has fallen in looking for a drink.

Pantry Pests at the Holidays

Uncovered cookies may lead to bugs or rodents!

Suburban Exterminating has some advice to avoid any major pest problems when baking and cooking for your holidays this year.  Of course, should you find yourself facing any pest control problems, Suburban is open every day this holiday season, except Christmas Day and December 26th, New Year’s Day and January 2nd, to help you make the most of the 2011 holiday season.

Holiday Baking and Cooking
Abundant food supplies in pantries, sweet cookies left out for Santa, and food-based decorations are a rodent’s or insect’s Christmas wishes come true.  “Pantry pests”, like ants, weevils and beetles, love to eat rich, carbohydrate-heavy holiday foods. Rodents are attracted to these foods, as well. 
The best defense against these nuisances is cleanliness, as well as:

• Store loose food items (flour, rice, cereals) in tightly-sealed plastic or glass containers.

• Do not mix old and new food items and clean containers regularly.

• Keep cabinets and pantries dry. 

• Keep counter tops clean and free of crumbs and spills.

• Throw out expired food, or ones showing signs of mold.

• Cover cookies in plastic wrap or store in plastic containers.

Decorations
Many people use food as decorations for their homes at the holidays.  Gingerbread houses, popcorn garland, candy canes and other sweets will only attract pests.  If you do notice any insects or rodents after putting out these decorations, throw them out right away!  Suburban Exterminating recommends using plastic decorations and saving the sweets for eating.

Suburban wishes your family a happy, healthy holiday season, free of pest control concerns, but reminds its customers that we are on call!  Let us take care of your exterminations, just leave us a few cookies

Employee Spotlight: Phil D

Phil D: Here to protect you from pests!

Phil is a Pest Control technician for Suburban Exterminating who truly enjoys his job.   He knows Suburban as group of “team players who work together.”  Phil is not only thankful to be a Suburban employee, but he is thankful to have met his “his better half”, Barbara, a customer service representative at Suburban!  Phil says “Barbara knows her pest control stuff, too!”

Q: What is your earliest pest memory?

A: My dad was the hero at my house in Huntington Station. He captured a rat!

Q: What is your most surprising pest encounter?

A: At a Glen Head home, a squirrel was running around in an attic. The squirrel kept popping his head up to see me!

Q: What is the pest you secretly love?

A: The rat, because it is very curious

Q: What do you find most fascinating about insects?

A: They are biologically interesting and, this may seem crazy, but I think they are cute.

Q: How do you reassure someone who is frightened of a rodent or insect?

A: I remind them that Suburban is here to take care of the problem, which means no more worrying.  Not only do we offer great services, but Suburban is a great company to work for!

Q: What are your interests outside of work?

A: I like to go surf fishing and spending time with my family.

Phil, your customers are lucky to have such a dedicated employee at their homes!

Suburban Technicians, Trained to be the Best in the Business

On October 31, 2011, a technician training was held for Suburban Technicians, managers and supervisors. This training is held to keep the techs “in the know” of all innovations, safety requirements and to give credits towards their certifications. This month, the focus was pest control issues that arise in the fall and early winter. The techs, managers and supervisors gathered for a day full of informative speakers and material.

The training began with a review of safety instructions and truck inspections. Each technician is the face of Suburban Exterminating and must present himself as a knowledgeable professional. Following this, there were three speakers, addressing various issues and topics. Mike C. spoke for an hour in further detail on safety requirements and truck inspections. Ben N. covered Rodent Control and Servicing Issues. Rodents searching for warm places to nest for the winter are a major issue for customers this time of year. Finally, Billy S. led an important session on CO2, mold sampling, FMC Traps and Plant Bugs. Each technician is required a certain number of credits beyond their initial certification, and these training classes fulfill those requirements.

All training sessions cover customer service, pest identification, and home inspections, making for the most expertly trained pest control technicians on Long Island. Customer satisfaction is the top priority for all Suburban employees. Training sessions are a helpful tool in creating the best possible team. All attendees learned something new in science of pest control.

UPDATE: Pictures of training

Commack Patch: Expert Tips for Dealing with Bedbugs

Expert Tips for Dealing with Bed Bugs

Bed Bugs have, according to these exterminators, become a problem in the last five years. These tips will help you learn your options when dealing with these pesky critters.
By Victoria Reitano Email the author July 28, 2010


Many associate bed bugs with cramped, urban apartments or cheap motels, but as these exterminators explain, they could be lurking in your mattress.

Bob Wiemer, entomologist and general manager of Suburban Exterminating in Smithtown, Kevin O'Connor, entomologist and owner of Eliminex Pest Control in Smithtown and Arthur Katz, president of Knockout Pest Control, provide expert tips for how to deal with bed bugs in Commack.

Wiemer has had many calls from Commack residents in the past five years. "You get a few calls every day about bed bugs now," Wiemer said.

O'Connor agreed and said that bed bugs reintroduced into the United States are also resistant to many of the pesticides previously used. This means that treatments have also changed.

O'Connor and Wiemer said many people will notice raised, red marks on their skin and possibly, blood on their sheets as the first indicators of a possible bed bug infestation. The critters are not, however, limited to the mattress. Both have seen cases where bed bugs have crawled into clock radios, bedside picture frames and crown molding in the room. The bugs will also, Wiemer said, go into other rooms of the home should the bedroom become too crowded for their needs.

Wiemer said these creatures are quite hardy – they can live without feeding for up to two years. He said he has seen instances where the bed bugs are actually visible and jumping around the room during a treatment.

Bed bugs look like, Wiemer said, flattened ticks – before they have fed – and are light brown in color. O'Connor said he has personally noticed an uptick in cases in the summer – with the rise in heat and also with the amount of children and families vacationing. Wiemer also said that college students moving in and out of dorms sometimes bring the bugs into the family home.

The exterminations agree that ridding your home of the pests is not a do-it-yourself project – there are many things that can be done and most times a professional is required to do it.

Katz and Wiemer use carbon monoxide technology – dry ice or Cryonite – to freeze the bed bugs and their eggs. This allows humans to remain in the home and it does not leave any watermarks.

All three companies also use bed bug trained dogs to determine if the area is infected and also to verify that the area is not infected after treatments.

Treatments vary in price and length of time, but all three agree it can take between 1 and 3 visits to clear a residence of a normal bed bug problem.