Pest Control in the New Year!

Happy 2012!  Suburban wishes all of our customers a very happy and healthy New Year and hope that your holiday season was blessed and stress free!  Did anyone make a New Year’s resolution?  If so, did you include pest control in your resolution?  There are major health issues associated with pests in your home, so consider adding a visit from Suburban Exterminating to your list of resolutions.


Winterization
With such a mild early winter, many people may have not yet winterized their homes.  There is still plenty of time to schedule this exclusive package.  Long Island has seen its first wintery blast and could be hit with colder temps and possible snow soon, and Suburban knows the steps to prevent pest infestations: 

• Fill holes around pipes, vents and windows
• Check window and vent screens and garage door weather stripping
• Install chimney caps

Spring Clean Up
If you already are prepared for the cold, are you ready for spring?  It is never too early to schedule a spring clean up.  Similar to the winterization package, the spring clean up prevents pests entering your home. Give yourself something to look forward to during the bleak winter months!  


Call Suburban Exterminating at (516) or (631) 864-6900 to schedule your home protection today.  To see what other services Suburban offers, visit our website.  This New Year we all pledge to a healthy start.  Pest control services should be remembered in that resolution!

Award for Excellent Customer Service

Suburban Exterminating receives another amazing honor: The Super Service Award from Angie’s List!  Angie’s List is a website that provides user reviews and discounts for goods and services on Long Island and nationwide.  The Super Service Award is given to those businesses that maintain a superior service rating.  Only 5% of the businesses on Angie’s List qualify for this distinction.  Suburban is very proud to receive such an honor!

Congratulations to our hardworking staff, technicians and managers!  And a very grateful “Thank You” to our loyal customers for your continued support!  Here’s to another amazing year in 2012!

Do you Remember These PESTY Games?

Most children asked for some type of electronic toy this holiday season.  A lot games are played through a video console.   The majority of children may not remember these old timers, but who out there received these toys and games for Christmas in the past?  Are there any other classics that Suburban forgot?  If you think of any, visit us on facebook or twitter to let us know! http://www.facebook.com/SuburbanExterminating or @SuburbanExterm at www.twitter.com.


Perhaps next year we can start a revival for these landmarks:
Mouse Trap

• Came to the market in 1963.
• Object: First build an elaborate mouse trap, and then try of capture your opponents’ mice in the trap.
• Winner is first to capture all the mice in the trap.

Ants in the Pants 

Games found at a local Target: They are still out there!

• Came to the market in 1969.
• Object: Fling plastic, color-coded ants into a giant pair of pants.  
• First player to get all their ants in the pants wins.

Cootie 

• Came to the market in 1949.
• Object: Build bugs named “cooties” one body part at a time.  
• Winner is the first to build a complete Cootie.  
• Herb Schaper was a Minnesotan postman who created, developed, and manufactured children's games, most with a bug theme.   He formed the H. W. Schaper Mfg. Co., Inc. to manufacture and publish the game Cootie. Schaper sold 5,000 Cootie games by 1950, and over 1.2 million games by 1952.

Bed Bugs

• Came to the market in 1958.
• A motorized game where a “bed” game board bounces colored bed bugs around.
• Object: Collect colored bed bugs with plastic tongs.
• Winner is the first player to collect all their bed bugs first.

Suburban hopes all our customers and neighbors had a very happy holiday season and continue on to a safe a healthy New Year!

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

Holiday Travelers can Avoid Bed Bugs

During the holidays, people traveling can bring bed bugs back home.  Online shopping also creates the possibility of the spread of bed bugs.  Bed bugs have become a national epidemic.  Suburban Exterminating is expertly trained to remove bed bugs from your home, but here are a few tips to avoid a bed bug infestation during the holidays.

When traveling, here are some tips to avoid bringing bed bugs home:

• Before you book a hotel, check any bed bug hotel registries to see if your hotel has been infested at any point within that last couple of weeks.  While many hotels do not get removed from these lists, you can see if there was a recent outbreak.
• Once in your hotel conduct a thorough inspection of area around the headboard.
• Keep all luggage and carry-on bags off the floors, beds and out of closets. The safest spots are a table or desk or the bathroom floor. If you have a garment bag, place it over the door and keep it zipped.  
• Don’t bring luggage inside your home.  Empty them outside.
• Wash all your clothes as soon as possible in hot water.

Online shopping has changed the way we shop for holiday gifts.  The convenience of not having to wait on long lines at malls while getting exactly what you need outweighs any shipping fees.  However, be careful when purchasing items from websites like eBay or Craigslist.  Non-retail sites or used goods could spread bed bugs.

• Pick an area in your home to inspect all delivered packages. Discard boxes and wrapping in a garbage bag.
• Avoid buying used clothes, bedding or furniture.  Wash these purchases as soon as possible if you do buy them online.
• Make sure you’re buying from a reputable source.

Because bed bugs are not a public health issue, most government agencies issue a “Buyer Beware” warning.  Be proactive in your bed bug protection, but be informed, as well.  There are many pesticides you can buy to get rid of bed bugs, but there are many dangers in self-application.  There is also no standardization in these pesticides, and the claims of the product do not have to be proven.

If your suspect that you have bed bugs, the best solution is to call Suburban Exterminating at (516) or (631) 864-6900.  The holidays can be stressful. Following these tips so hopefully you can avoid a bed bug infestation.  Happy Holidays from Suburban Exterminating!

Is Long Island Ready for the Cold?

Our first newsletter!

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!