The Sentricon System Story

Magic Exterminating & Sentricon Always Active... by Andrew_DeLucai>

Myth Busting from Pest Mgmt Professional October issue

Myth Busting
by Peter J. Stieglmayr from Pest Management Professional Magazine October 2012 Issue



Protect your Family and Home from Invading Mice and Rats

Protect your Family and Home from Invading Mice and Rats

	Fall is upon us once again and with the cooler weather female mice and rats will be seeking warm places to rear their young. Your heated home or business is their most likely destination.    Mice and rats can transmit 35 diseases to humans including: Salmonella Food Poisoning Rickettsial pox Meningitis Lymphocytic choriomeningitis Leptospirosis (Weil’s Disease) Rat-Bite Fever, Ray Fungus, and Ringworm Dermatitis Rodents are three dimensional. They can climb trees, pipes, walls and wires and gnaw their way through wood easily. A mouse can fit through a hole the size of a dime and a rat can squeeze through a quarter size hole. Prevention is imperative, having a good Pest Control Program in place is one of the components but there are many things you can do to stop mice and from invading your home. Homes overrun by trees and shrubs are susceptible to all type of pests. They provide a home and easy access for invading pests. Tree limbs need to be cut back nine (9) feet from the home. Shrubs need to be pruned back six (6) inches. Properly installed Door Sweeps on all entrances including your garage stop pest and also will save you a few dollars on heating costs. Cracks and holes around dryer vents and water spigots need to be sealed with cement. Dryer vents should have a flue that closes when not in use. Windows should be caulked both inside and outside. Chimneys should be capped to prevent not only rodents but birds, squirrels and raccoons from entering the home. Magic Exterminating can assist with these problems. Please contact us for a free, no obligation inspection.

Which Moth is Eating my Stuff

Clothes Moths come in two verities the Casemaking & Webbing moth. The caterpillar (larval stage) of these insects does the actual damage. Adult moths are yellowish-tan to buff-colored with a wingspread of about 1/2 inch. The larvae are white with brown to black heads, and are also about 1/2 inch long. Female may lay 100 to 300 eggs. In the summer or in a heated room the eggs will hatch in one to two weeks. The tiny larvae begin feeding and it can take up to 200 days for them to mature. They the pupa stages lasts between 1 and 4 weeks at which time the adults hatch and begin the cycle again.

Clothes moths feed on animal products including wool, mohair, hair, bristles, fur, feathers and dead insects. Household items that may be attacked include clothing, blankets, comforters, rugs, carpets, drapes, pillows, hair mattresses, brushes, upholstery, furs, piano felts or other natural or synthetic fabrics mixed with wool.

Clothes moths dislike sunshine and are not attracted to artificial light. They are often found in dark places but can be seen fluttering in dark corners. Infestations often start when wool items are improperly stored in dark places and left undisturbed for long periods of time. Silken feeding tubes or hard protective cases are often found on infested fabrics.

There are several steps one can take to protect clothing and furnishings against damage by clothes moths.
a) Establish a regular inspection program of all susceptible items at least once a year.
b) Consider discarding infested item, especially if unimportant.
c) Vacuum regularly cleaning of rugs, carpets, drapes, upholstered furniture, pet bedding, closets, cracks and crevices in floors, and areas inside and behind heaters, furnace air ducts and vents is important.
d) Clean garments regularly.
e) Store articles in a clean air-tight storage container.
f) Place garments in cold storage where temperatures remain below 40° F.
g) If you have a widespread infestation, it is advisable to enlist the services of a pest management professional.

Indian Meal Moths infest stored grains and grain products. The larval stage feeds on flour and meal products, dried fruits, nuts, bird food, and dried pet foods. As the larva feeds it spins a web, leaving behind a silken thread wherever it crawls. Small particles of food often adhere loosely to the thread, making it conspicuous. Many times an infestation is noticed when moths are seen flying around the home in the evening. They are attracted to lights and often appear in front of the television screen.

The Indian meal moth has a wingspan of about 3/4 inch (18-20mm). The color of the outer two-thirds of the wings is bronze to reddish brown, while the part of the wings closer to the body is grayish white. The larvae (caterpillars) are about 1/2 inch (12-13mm) long when mature. They are a dirty white color, sometimes exhibiting pink or green hues. The pupa (resting stage) is in a loose silken cocoon spun by the larva, and is a light brown color.

A female Indian meal moth can lay from 100 to 300 eggs during her lifetime. Within a few days the tiny whitish caterpillars emerge. These larvae feed for a few weeks, and when they are mature they often crawl up the walls to where wall and ceiling meet, or crawl to the top of the cupboard, to spin the silken cocoon in which they pupate and from which the adult moth emerges. Mating occurs and the life cycle repeats itself. In warm weather the cycle may take only 6 to 8 weeks.

The following suggestions may be useful in bringing an infestation quickly under control.

1. Carefully examine all susceptible foods that may have been exposed to infested material.
a) Do not forget bird seed, dog, cat and fish foods.
b) Insects may even be found in paper wrapped products that have not yet been opened in the home.
c) All infested packages should be discarded. There is no satisfactory way of separating the insects from the food products, flour, or meal.

2. The contents from opened packages that appear to be uninfected should be transferred to glass jars with tight fitting tops. It is possible that eggs were laid in these products and they may hatch later and lead to a new infestation if not contained.

3. Remove all food containers and utensils from the infested area (shelf paper may also need to be removed) and clean thoroughly, first with a vacuum cleaner and then with soap and water. Special attention should be paid to cracks and corners where bits of flour, meal or other products may have accumulated. Remove and destroy cocoons that may be found on ceiling of cupboards, or where room walls and ceiling meet.

4. In many cases thorough clean-up will control these insects.

5. If moths reappear, it may be advisable to enlist the services of a pest management professional.

http://www.entomology.cornell.edu/cals/entomology/extension/idl/idlfactsheetlist.cfm

Fed up with rodent infestation, New York man hangs 'Rat Crossing' signs original story nbcnews.com

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Residents on Manhattan's Upper West Side are fighting a rat problem and posting signs to warn pedestrians. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

By Andrew Mach, NBC News

It’s a common sight in New York: rats scurrying across subway tracks, onto dimly-lit streets, and into sewers. And while New Yorkers aren't happy about sharing their city with rodents, it's something that, with experience, they learn to shrug off.

One Manhattan resident, however, is fed up with it.


Joseph Bolanos, president of the West 76th Street Block Association, decided to call attention to the problem by installing eye-catching signs on Wednesday: fake traffic-crossing signs just for the rats.

The diamond-shaped plastic signs prominently feature the words “RAT XING” with a big black rat at the center. Bolanos hung the signs with double-sided tape around his Upper West Side neighborhood.

The move may be a bit flippant, but Bolanos said he thinks the signs could bring attention to the issue plaguing his streets.

“A woman in the building next door said she could hear the rats outside screaming and screeching,” Bolanos told NBC News on Thursday. “I’ve heard neighbors thinking someone got attacked outside because they would hear shrieks, but it was just people who were passing by running with the fear of God in them from all of the rats frolicking like it’s Cirque du Soleil.”

The rat problem, residents said, stems from a construction site where workers have reportedly been leaving trash from their lunch out, underneath a tarp overnight, NBCNewYork.com reported.

“You’re putting a buffet out for them for 12 hours,” Bolanos said, adding that the rats are “really destroying [residents’] quality of life.”

Bolanos said so far, he has put up three signs on posts along a 50-foot radius from the construction site. But he plans to post more.

“I designed them. I laminated them. And they’re going to be bigger next week,” Bolanos said. “Believe it or not, they’ve already started working because when people see them, they cross the ‘rat zone’ altogether.”

But ultimately, Bolanos said, the rat infestation remains the city’s responsibility.

“I’d like to see if the city is going to do anything. Let’s see in the next 10 days if the city has an answer.”

Bolanos suggested adjusting the city’s trash pick-up guidelines as a means of cutting down on the amount of time that rats have to feed on the trash laying around. He also said he wants residents to wait until two hours before pick-up to put garbage outside.

Bolanos even helped organize a mid-August training session for supers, building owners, tenants and others on the Upper West Side concerned with how to better fight the critters. The “Rat Academy” was instructed by a city health department official, Caroline Bragdon, who told attendees where to look for rats’ nests and how to plug holes that might let the vermin into buildings.

New York City Councilwoman Gale Brewer, who also helped organize the rat management training, had reportedly secured $50,000 to pay for trash cans with built-in compactors that would be placed around the 76th Street block.

It was during the Rat Academy that Bolanos first mentioned he would hang up the rat-crossing signs, which he said will serve as a warning to pedestrians that they may encounter dozens of rats scurrying by.

Rats aren't a new concern for residents of the West 76th Street area. A report from an association meeting in late May said a professional exterminator was coming to the neighborhood twice a month to help control the rodent population.

Subterranean Termites: Nature's Recyclers

Termites play a vital role in our ecosystem. They are nature’s recyclers. Termites have the ability to consume wood and plant material. In doing so, they remove the dead matter and release the stored nutrients back into the soil for use by plants and animals.

Termites only became a pest when people moved out of caves and began to make homes from wood and straw. Termites do not differentiate between a dead tree in the forest and wood harvested to make homes, schools, and churches.

Billions of dollars are spent annually on termite damage remediation and control. With proper treatment and inspection, much of the destruction can be avoided.

Please visit the Termites section of the LSU AgCenter website for additional information.

Parasitic Wasps Friend or Foe?

We sometimes run across Parasitic Wasp swarms in and around homes. These Wasps can be the size of a pin head to 1/2 inch depending on the species.

Of course in large numbers within a home they must be dealt with but in the garden and our larger Eco-system they are indeed our friends.

Their name is derived from the fact that they lay there eggs within a host. Many of these hosts are Aphids or Caterpillars that destroy our crops.

Below are some videos that show and explain this process.

THESE VIDEOS ARE GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF NATURE PLEASE TAKE THIS INTO CONSIDERATION BEFORE VIEWING THEM

Video: Dr. Stephen Kells Discusses Bed Bug Research and Outreach Efforts

Will Bed Bugs Bite at the London Olympics?

Author Cameron Webb Clinical Lecturer and Hospital Scientist at University of Sydney Disclosure Statement Cameron Webb does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations. The Conversation provides independent analysis and commentary from academics and researchers. We are funded by CSIRO, Melbourne, Monash, RMIT, UTS, UWA, Deakin, Flinders, La Trobe, Murdoch, QUT, Swinburne, UniSA, UTAS and VU. Articles by This Author 18 July 2012 Will bugs bite at the London Olympics?

Is your Lawn Holey?

Nope you have Digger Bees or Cicada Killers. These two winged pests dig burrows in the ground. Digger Bees appear in May or June while Cicada Killers appear from July to September. Digger Bees are often mistaken for Honey Bees or Yellow Jackets because of their yellow coloration. They prefer sandy or arid soil conditions. It is common to have large populations infest a specific area with their preferred soil type. When this happens they can be very destructive to lawns and intimidate humans. They usually are not aggressive unless provoked. People who are allergic to bee sting bites should take precautions. Digger Bees are beneficial to our environment because they are pollinators. Eradication should only be a last resort. The adult cicada killer is a very large, 1-1/8 to 1-5/8 inches long, wasp with a black body marked with yellow. The head and thorax are rusty red and the wings brownish. Legs are yellowish. They look like a large yellow Jacket. They are non-aggressive and rarely sting disturbed. The males aggressively defend nesting sites, but have no stinger. Adults feed on flower nectar and sap. Cicada killer females’ use their sting to paralyze their prey (cicadas) rather than to defend their nests. The captured Cicada is paralyzed by a sting and used for food to rear their young and then dragged to the burrow on the ground. Each female digs her own burrow six to ten inches deep and one-half inch wide. The dislodged soil forms a U-shaped mound at the entrance, causing unsightly mounds of earth on the turf. Nests are usually found in full sun light where vegetation is sparse and the soil is well drained. They have been known to nest in sandy soils to loose clay on bare or grass covered banks, berms, hills, as well as raised sidewalks, driveways and patio slabs. Some even nest in planters, window boxes, flowerbeds, under shrubs, ground cover, etc. Occasionally they establish in golf course sand traps.

PCT Magazine interviews Magic Exterminating's Jimmy Tallman on Rat Busters NYC

REALITY CHECK (abridge click here for full text) by Brad Harbison  Illustration by Britt Spencer
Why does the public find pest control-related reality TV programs so compelling?

It’s difficult to channel surf these days and not stumble upon a reality TV show where pest control is involved. Whether pest control is the topic of a TV series, as is the case with “Billy the Exterminator”; “Verminators”; and “Ratbusters” or an important component to a program (e.g., “Hoarding: Buried Alive” or “Infested”) there is no denying that the public enjoys watching pest control on television.

PCT wanted to find out just why this is the case, so we reached out to a cross-section of industry professionals — many of whom have appeared on these reality TV programs or were involved with programs that never aired. Their answers paint a clearer picture as to why pest control and reality television have become such a perfect pairing.

“I CAN TOP THAT.” The next time you’re around a group of people – any group of people – bring up a recent pest encounter and observe what happens. “After one person tells a story, the next thing you hear is someone else in that group say, ‘Oh yeah, I can top that,’” said Mike Masterson, president of Isotech Pest Management and star of the reality program “Verminators,” which aired in the U.S. from 2008 to 2009. “I don’t know of one person who has not had a memorable pest encounter.”

EXERCISING THE MIND. For many viewers, another appeal of pest control reality television is the opportunity to learn about another profession. Jimmy Tallman of

New York-based Magic Exterminating, and star of Animal Planet’s “Ratbusters NYC” said he’s been “taken aback” by the public’s interest in pest control. “When I would describe a day’s work to my friends they would say, ‘You’re full of s***,’ but now that it’s been on TV, they say, ‘Wow, you really do that.’”Tallman said friends, acquaintances and others  have a new-found respect for the profession. “In one episode, we went to clean up after a raccoon that was supposed to have already been removed. Lo and behold, there was the raccoon in the ceiling. We had to

use a snap pole to trap him, and he was screaming and urinating as we got him out. After that episode aired people came up to me and were just amazed that that stuff really happens.”

THEN YOU HAVE THE "ICK FACTOR" as Missy Henriksen, executive director of the Professional Pest Management Alliance, refers to it. “Roaches, spiders, rodents, bed bugs, bats and snakes are the types of things that invoke fear in many,” she said. “For much of the public, watching how skilled pest management professionals tackle extreme infestations of these scary, disease-carrying pests satisfies a morbid curiosity.”

EXTREME BEHAVIOR. Another reason cited for the public’s interest in pest control related reality programs, is the public’s curiosity with extreme behavior, including hoarding.

PERSONAL CONFLICTS. Another facet of a pest control operation that viewers can relate to is employee dynamics. As anyone who has worked in a pest control business can attest, the environment is a hodgepodge of people from different backgrounds with varying levels of education. The work can be tedious and, at times, physically demanding. On top of that, it is route-based work, where on-time service is a must. All of these factors can lead to stressful and, sometimes, drama-filled situations.

A PERFECT STORM. So just why has pest control-related television programming piqued the public’s interest in recent years? It’s really been “a perfect storm” of circumstances. Cable and satellite television now offer far more stations than they did as recently as 10 years ago, meaning they are thirsting for programming. Producers have found a winning formula with reality TV programs that both educate and entertain. And pest control is much more in the spotlight thanks to bed bugs. It really shouldn’t, then, come as a surprise that pest control and reality television have made for such a perfect match.

The author is Internet editor and managing editor of PCT and can be contacted at bharbison@giemedia.com.

90 days of Bed Bug Detection FMC Verifi

Verifi Bed Bug Detecor for the Hotel and Motel Industry, Property Managers and Homeowners

Contact Magic Exterminating now for a Free Estimate 718-961-9000 

HOW IT WORKS The Verifi™ bed bug detector has been designed to exploit bed bug biology and behavior in order to attract and capture bed bugs, even those that are not currently seeking a meal. An Inside Look

A. The replaceable Verifi™ CO2 booster pack mimics a living, breathing host for about 24 hours using an exclusive chemical reaction to generate carbon dioxide. This reaction starts upon activation and requires no batteries or other power source, allowing for discreet placement and operation.

B. The replaceable Verifi™ lure features two additional attractants: a liquid kairomone that attracts bed bugs seeking a meal and a pheromone that encourages bed bugs to gather together in the harborage area of the device(D). These attractants are continuously emitted for up to 90 days.

C. Bed bugs fall into the pitfall and are unable to climb out, ensuring the pests can’t escape detection. Tiny holes at the bottom of the pitfall allow attractants to be emitted but prevent any small bed bug nymphs from slipping into the device.

D. A harborage area on the back of the detector encourages bed bugs to gather where cast skins, eggs and other visual evidence can be observed, signifying an infestation. E. A self-adhesive sticker allows the detector to be installed without tools.

WHY VERIFI™?

The innovative design of the Verifi™ bed bug detector offers homeowners and property managers significant advantages over traditional bed bug detection methods.

Visual inspection: The traditional two-person inspection team is time-consuming, expensive and requires rooms with suspected infestations to be disassembled and reassembled. The Verifi bed bug detector can be quickly and easily installed by a single pest management professional without disturbing the rest of the room. Additionally, the occurrence of human error due to subjectivity is minimized.

Canine inspection: The use of canines for bed bug detection is expensive and creates a possibility for a false positive (indicating bed bugs are present when they are not). The Verifi bed bug detector eliminates the potential cost and environmental concerns of unnecessary chemical applications, bringing you increased value and peace of mind.

Other detection devices: Current active bed bug detection devices are only in service for, at most, a few days. This creates the potential to miss any bed bugs that did not make it to the device while it was in service or were introduced to the room after the inspection. Competitive devices can also be large and obtrusive and their operation can be noisy and unpleasant, necessitating rooms be kept unoccupied while the device is in use.

Not so with the Verifi bed bug detector. It can be hidden behind beds and furniture and operates silently, so that it can draw in and detect bed bugs around the clock without alerting occupants to its presence. The device is secured with zip ties to help prevent tampering with inner components.

Getting Rid of Termites

Great report from Fox 2 Now St. Louis

Magic Exterminating offers Sentricon Always Active & Conventional Termite Treatments.

Magic Exterminating Tops Angie's List with 3rd Super Service Award

For the past three (3) years Magic Exterminating has received the Angie's list Super Service Award. This award is only presented to a company that maintains an "A" rating in all categories for an entire year.

That means for the last 36 months Magic Exterminating has met and exceeded the expectations of all our Angie List clientele.

Magic wants to thank all of our Angie's List clients for their reviews.

Magic also wants to congratulate our employees for their continued efforts. Our employees strive to meet our core belief that of "Total Customer Satisfaction".

Magic Exterminating services Manhattan (NYC), Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Long Island. Magic is a full service Pest Control Company servicing Residential, Commercial, Restaurants, Hotels, Schools, Hospitals, Construction and Industrial clients for Bed Bugs, Termites, Rats, Mice, Roaches and a myriad of other pests.

Magic Joins the U.S. Green Building Council

Magic Pest Management has joined the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The USGBC developed the LEED Certification System to verify that a building is designed and built taking into account its environmental impact during its entire life cycle including construction, occupancy and decommissioning.

"We look forward to being involved in the design and planning stages of construction and renovation projects" stated Ralph Maestre BCE, "We often are called into a building that by design is enabling pests to flourish within the structure. As a Pest Control Professional and Board Certified Entomologist, I can provide advise to prevent such flaws in a buildings design and reduce the possibility of exposure to pest born diseases while limiting the use of pest control products. In addition, Magic's Green Shield Certified Services help both to limit exposure to non-target organisms around the exterior of a building, and reduce the impact to Indoor Air Quality."

Two employees will seek LEED Green Associate status and eventually LEED AP accreditation.

For more information visit our website at http://www.magicexterminating.com/ or the USGBC website at http://www.usgbc.org/

Mosquitoes shouldn't be the Life of the Party

Have you every invited friends over for a relaxing backyard BBQ or had an outdoor party that was crashed by a swarm of Mosquitoes? 

Spraying down your guest with bug spray is probably not what you had planned as entertainment.

What can you do?

Remove water born breeding areas - Man made containers come in a variety of shapes and sizes such as the lid of a garbage can, a flower pot or an old tire behind the garage. Elimination of any stagnant water will prevent an infestation directly on your property.

Magic's Outdoor Party Program can provide temporary relief from biting insects such as mosquitoes for up to 7 days. The program uses all natural botanically based products providing the relief a client expects without applying synthetic pesticides. Temporary control of mosquitoes and other insects such as aphids, ants, bees, boxelder bugs, centipedes, cockroaches, fleas, ground beetles, mites millipedes, silverfish, spiders,

ticks, and wasps is achieved.

These products may be applied as a treatment to the perimeter or recreational areas. It may also be applied as an outdoor yard treatment. This is not a service that is provided under our regular seasonal program.

Mechanical Traps work by producing carbon dioxide. This tricks Mosquitoes into believing that a human is present and as they attempt to feed, they are sucked into the trap. I have little
experience with these units so I will not comment on there efficiency.