8 Tips for Spring Cleanup

Did you start your lawn cleanup this weekend?  Here are 8 Tips on how Long Islanders can keep Insects and other Wildlife Outside.

Suburban Exterminating can help you with all of these “cleanup” chores!

Spring Starts on March 20th

The official 1st Day of Spring is March 20th. Spring begins at Suburban Exterminating when customers begin to call for carpenter ants. Carpenter ants cause a great amount of home damage on Long Island.

How Carpenter Ants Look

The most common carpenter ant on Long Island is the Pennsylvania carpenter ant. They are medium to large size ants that range from jet black in color to black and red. Rarely, they can be all red. 

 

Carpenter ants develop in stages from egg, larvae, pupa and adult.

 

Where Carpenter Ants Live and Work
Carpenter ants are social and live in a colony with labor divisions. This caste system has workers, a king and a queen. The workers gather food supplies, make nests, and care for the young eggs and larvae. Large workers act as soldiers for the colony. Some workers develop wings which help these workers form new colonies. When carpenter ants fly to form new colonies, the swarm usually occurs in the spring on Long Island.

 

Carpenter ants get their name from their habit of hollowing wood to build a nest. They like moist environments especially where water leaks have occurred in our homes. Leaks around kitchen and bathroom plumbing, as well as roof leaks, are places that carpenter ants like to make their home. Ant colonies are also found in firewood, tree stumps, fencing, hollow doors, and decks.

 

Carpenter ants create satellite colonies in addition to the main colony. The parent colony may have 6 satellite colonies within 300 feet.

 

When carpenter ants create a colony in wood, they chew off tiny bits of wood. This wood is deposited outside the nest.

 

Carpenter ants eat many things including dead insects and honeydew produced by aphids. The worker ants can travel from one homeowner’s yard to another.

 

How a Homeowner can help Suburban Exterminating eliminate their carpenter ants
Be prepared to answer a few key questions about the ants at your home:

•  Have you ever had a problem with carpenter ants before? Where was the problem? 
• Have you ever had a problem with leaks from the roof or a pipe? 
• Where do you see most of the ants? 

• How often do you see the ants? Every day? Several ants per week?

 

Be Safe

Suburban Exterminating technicians carry a name badge and wear a uniform with our logo.  All technicians are registered with NY state and carry identification.  They will be happy to show you their ID.

Isn't Bradley Cute?

 

Suburban Exterminating technicians always arrive to your home in a truck clearly marked as “Suburban Exterminating”.

If we knock on your door, you have called our office for service OR you have a scheduled service call where you were notified by email, mail or phone OR your apartment building has notified you in writing.   Suburban Exterminating technicians DO NOT knock on doors to solicit business.

If you are unsure of your scheduled visit, please call our office to verify that our technician has been sent to your home or apartment at 631-864-6900 or 516-864-6900. If you suspect foul play, call 911.

Don't Get Robbed by a Fake Exterminator

William Somerville earns ACE Certification

Smithtown, NY. — William Somerville,

Assistant General Manager of  Suburban Exterminating, successfully earned the Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) certification from the Entomological Society of America (ESA). Entomology is the study of insects’ identification, life cycles, habits and pest management programs.

The ESA is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and technical needs of entomologists and people in the Pest Control industry. The ACE certification was launched in 2004 and is designed to benefit the practicing Pest Management Professionals. To be eligible to take the ACE exam, candidates must have a current pesticide applicators license, a minimum of seven years of verifiable pest management experience, and a willingness to adhere to the ACE code of ethics.

Somerville has over 11 years experience in pest control – Starting as a technician in the Termite department and moving up through the ranks of technicians and Supervisors. In 2009 he was named Field Manager, supervising all field personnel and in 2010 he assumed the duties of Assistant General Manager.

Somerville joins fellow ACE, Robert Wiemer, General Manager on Suburban’s staff and Technical Director Lynn Frank, BCE who holds the highest entomologist certification given by the Entomological Society, Board Certified Entomologist.

Bed Bugs: A Growing Epidemic

Bedbugs continue to amaze us. Infestations are occurring in homes, apartments, hotels, dormitories, health care facilities, schools, retail stores, movie theaters, and public transportation. Where are bed bugs exactly? Bed bugs can hide almost anywhere. In the early stages of infestation, they are hard to spot. Here are a few highlights from the bed bug infographic:

1. Since DDT was banned, bed bug treatments have increased 10-fold.

2. New York is among the most infested US cities.

3. Bed bugs are the hardest pests to control.

4. Using professional exterminators is the preferred method to kill bedbugs.

We would love to hear your comments.

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Bed Bug Toolbox

Read this recent Pest Management Professional article and learn what leaders in the pest control industry say about bed bugs.

Highlights from the article include:

•  How to Build an Effective Bed Bug Trap for less than $10. (Look here
  

  for upcoming video)
• When, where and how these tenacious pests are occurring
• Practical Bed Bug Tips for pest control technicians

This article has been written for professionals in the pest control industry. One of the co-contributors is Suburban Exterminating’s technical director, Lynn Frank. Great job, Lynn!

Suburban Exterminating can provide Long Island homeowners with a free inspection for your pest control problems. We can help you to get rid of bed bugs!

Sweet Treats for Valentine’s Day

Sweet is defined as having the taste of sugar. Sweet is also one of four basic taste sensations that include sweet, bitter, sour, or salt. Everyone’s definition of sweet is different. My favorite sweet is chocolate. Emily, another Suburban Exterminating employee, loves any sweet Starbucks drink. What do you like?

Wildlife animals like their sweets, too. See if you can match the animal with their favorite sweet treat.