Blog | Certified Termite and Pest Control

A Married Couple Survived Hundreds Killer Bee Stings That Swarmed Their Texas Property

April 22, 2019mktgAdmin Austin Bat Removal Bat Removal Dallas Bat Removal Houston Bat Removal San Antonio Bat Removal Austin Bee Removal Dallas Bee Removal Houston Bee Removal San Antonio Bee Removal

In an effort to increase honey production, a scientist crossbred Africanized honey bees with other honey bee species in the country of Brazil back in 1956. Unfortunately, this experimental quest to improve the world with more honey went terribly wrong, as the excessively aggressive Africanized honey bees escaped from their laboratory hives. For a period of 35 years, the fugitive Africanized honey bees gradually traveled north before arriving in south Texas as late as 1990. During their long journey up north, the Africanized bees attacked, hospitalized and killed scores of humans and animals, earning the fugitive bee species their infamous “killer bee” nickname.

As you can guess, the scientist who was ultimately at fault for the bee’s escape did not earn a Nobel Prize for his experiment in Brazil. However, due to his flub, he can claim indirect responsibility for the thousands of human deaths that the bees have caused over an area spanning two continents. In fact, Africanized honey bees are still attacking and killing residents of the southwest US and numerous other regions to this day, and due to their interbreeding with common honey bees in North America, the killer bees are here to stay. Unfortunately, a Texas couple, Vern and Mary Roberts, know this all to well, as they sustained a near fatal attack by killer bees last fall on their property just outside Houston.

While mowing his lawn, Vern sustained around 600 killer bee stings in just about every part of his body, including his throat, mouth and ear canals. Terrified, Mary ran to her husband’s aid, but she sustained 60 killer bee stings herself in the process. After a death-defying struggle, the couple made it into their home where they called 911. Once paramedics arrived, they too were not spared the bee’s wrath, as they sustained stings during the attempted rescue. In order to seek medical assistance, the couple bravely ventured outdoors where they made a “beeline” for the ambulance, sustaining several more stings in the process. Amazingly, despite the couple’s advanced ages, they survived and made a full recovery. But to be safe, every Texas resident should notify a pest control service upon discovering any wild beehive.

Do you fear falling victim to a killer bee attack?

A Texas Man Lived With A Bee Infestation Within His Home For Two Years Before Finally Having The Insects And Their Hive Removed

April 16, 2019mktgAdmin Austin Bee Removal Bee Removal Dallas Bee Removal Houston Bee Removal San Antonio Bee Removal Austin Bee Control Dallas Bee Control Houston Bee Control San Antonio Bee Control

Bees are not insects to be trifled with, especially if they decide to move in to your home and take the place over. This happened to one Houston resident, 93 year old Rafael Delgado, and after two years of putting up with them, they were threatening to take his house over for themselves. Delgado has lived in the same yellow house in southeast Houston’s Third Ward for over 50 years, but these bees have been making the last couple years less than pleasant. Every night Delgado could hear the buzzing of the bees in the hive inside the wall next to his bed. It was only a matter of time before the situation turned deadly for the man.

It was finally Delgado’s grandson, Rafael Cantu, that decided it was time to seek help. He had been keeping an eye on his grandfather and his bee situation since it started, making sure that he was alright, and trying to keep the bees from getting through the walls and inside the house where they could harm Delgado. Bees have managed to make their way inside the house on occasion, prompting Cantu to find a professional to rid Delgado of his bees. It seems he acted just in time, as the hive inside his walls turned out to contain thousands of bees. The pest control professional Cantu found to remove the massive hive claimed that the bees would have eventually come up from the bottom of Delgado’s bed and attacked him in his sleep, an event that would likely have been fatal, especially considering the man’s advanced age.

When parts of the walls were removed and the hive was exposed, they found thousands of bees swarming around their hive, which was packed to the gills with honey. The walls in Delgado’s house had served as the perfect bee box for the hive, with giant columns of honeycomb removed from inside them. Why had Delgado waited so long to have professionals come in a remove the bees? Well, it can be very expensive to remove a hive in your home, particularly one as big as the hive in Delgado’s home, costing thousands of dollars and taking anywhere from a few hours to a few days to complete the extraction of a single hive. Thankfully, Delgado’s bees were removed free of charge, and the process only took a few hours, with the bees and their hive captured safely and transported to a more appropriate location for them to continue serving their queen and make more of that delicious honey.

This story serves as a good warning to people dealing with a bee infestation. Always let an expert know as soon as you start seeing bees swarming. If you know that a hive is near, make sure to protect your pets that spend time outdoors, seal your house off properly to prevent any bees from entering your home, and alert your neighbors.

Have you ever had to deal with a bee infestation and the removal of a hive? How long did you wait before calling in the professionals?

Which Drywood Termites Infest Homes In Texas?

April 10, 2019mktgAdmin Austin Termite Control Dallas Termite Control Houston Termite Control San Antonio Termite Control Termite Control Austin Termite Control Dallas Termite Control Houston Termite Control San Antonio Termite Control

There exists several termite species that inhabit Texas, but only five species are considered significant structural pests within the state. All termite species are divided into three groups; subterranean, drywood and dampwood, and each one is well represented in most regions of the state. Like all other US states, subterranean termites inflict the greatest amount of property damage within Texas. Although the invasive Formosan subterranean termite is the most destructive insect pest species that dwells in Texas, this species is responsible for far less structural damage in the state than eastern subterranean termites, as Formosan termite populations are limited to the southeast corner of Texas near the Gulf Coast. However, the Formosan subterranean termite causes a significant degree of destruction within the Houston-Galveston area. The eastern subterranean termite, the arid land subterranean termite, R. virginicus and R. hageni are the four other subterranean termites of economic significance in Texas. In addition to subterranean termites, there exists three documented drywood termite species that are also known to be significant structural pests within Texas. Drywood termites can be found in all areas of Texas, but they are most abundant along the Gulf Coast. Drywood termites do not access homes in the same manner as subterranean termites, but like subterranean termites, drywood termites also leave behind several signs that indicate their current or past presence within a home.

Unlike subterranean termite species, drywood termites do not dwell in soil; instead, drywood termites usually wind up in homes after residents bring infested wood items into a home or yard. Drywood termites can also access a home’s structural wood or dead trees on a property by swarming to new locations. The light southeastern drywood termite (I. snyderi) is the most common drywood termite in Texas. The yellow-colored alates (winged termites) of this species swarm during the night and are attracted to artificial lights. The west Indian powderpost termite alate (C. brevis) is similar in appearance to the I. snyderi alate. The western drywood termite alate (I. minor) is brown in color and they swarm during the daytime. The indoor presence of dead termite alates or their discarded wings is usually the first sign that a home has become infested with drywood termites. If alates and their wings are spotted outdoors near a home, then a drywood termite colony must be nearby, most likely within a wooded area. The indoor presence of fecal pellets that are as large as BBs indicate that drywood termites are present within nearby structural wood. Subterranean termites do not leave behind pellets, as they discard their feces within the soil. These factors will help Texas residents to tell a drywood termite infestation from a subterranean termite infestation.

Have you ever found fecal pellets within your home?

Researchers Believe That Formosan Subterranean Termites Exist In Every Major Metropolitan Area Of Texas

April 8, 2019mktgAdmin Austin Termite Control Dallas Termite Control Houston Termite Control San Antonio Termite Control Termite Control Austin Termite Control Dallas Termite Control Houston Termite Control San Antonio Termite Control

While the state of Louisiana is notorious for its high Formosan subterranean termite population, a 1956 sighting of these termites around a Houston ship channel in Pasadena, Texas marked the first time these invasive termites were found within the continental US. Although nobody disagrees that Formosan termites were first spotted in Texas, there seems to be disagreement among experts concerning the true decade in which these termites were introduced into the continental US. According to the Texas Invasive Species Institute, a 1965 sighting of Formosan termites within a Houston shipyard marked the first time these insects were found within the continental US. In any case, it was not long before the termites invaded Louisiana, as colonies were found within the state in 1966. Amazingly, these early Formosan termites managed to spread all the way to Charleston, South Carolina, a mere one year later in 1967.

Today, the invasive and destructive termites have established invasive habitats within the states of: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, California and possibly other nearby states. With the exceptions of Texas, Louisiana and Florida, the presence of Formosan termites in the other states listed is largely limited to one or a few counties or cities. For example, in Georgia, it is believed that the termites have established a presence only within the city of Atlanta. In Texas, Formosan termites have invaded thirty counties, most of which are located in the southeast portion of the state. But there is plenty of evidence to suggest that Formosan termites have now spread to every major metropolitan area within the state.

As their name makes clear, Formosan subterranean termites are native to what used to be known as “Formosa,” but this island is now known as Taiwan. Most experts also consider the termites to be natives of mainland China, where they cause massive amounts of destruction today. It is likely that Formosan termites were transported to the Houston Ship Channel by infesting timber shipped from Asia.

Do you think that Formosan termites arrived in the state of Hawaii long before they reached the continental US?

Rodent Control Tips

April 1, 2019mktgAdmin Dallas Rodent Control Rodent Control Rodent Control

Rodents can contaminate food sources and serve as vectors of many diseases, such as salmonella and the potentially fatal Hantavirus. Moreover, mice and rats can cause serious structural damage by chewing through insulation, wallboards, wood and electrical wiring. Use these tips to stay rodent free:

Seal cracks and holes on the outside of the home, including areas where utilities and pipes enter, using caulk, steel wool or a combination of both.
Replace loose mortar and weather stripping around the basement foundation and windows.
Screen vents and openings to chimneys.
Store food in airtight containers and dispose of garbage regularly.
Inspect items such as boxes, grocery bags and other packages brought into the home.

Texas A&M University’s Bat Residents and the Chaos They Have Caused

March 25, 2019mktgAdmin Austin Animal Control Dallas Animal Control Houston Animal Control San Antonio Animal Control Austin Wildlife Control Dallas Wildlife Control Houston Wildlife Control San Antonio Wildlife Control

Texas A&M University has had a huge population of bats living on its campus for as long as it’s been open, with the football stadium, Kyle Field, having long doubled as one of the largest bat habitats in the region for much of that time. The school does an admirable job trying to coexist peacefully with the bats, but they have had major bat infestation problems on their hands in the past when the population of the bat city grew too large for the stadium to host them all or when renovations and efforts to eradicate these bats forced them to find shelter elsewhere on campus. This has caused numerous problems for the school and its students over the years, with some of the stories of crazy bat infestations sounding impossibly absurd.

Several thousand bats live in the university’s Kyle Field throughout the year. At other certain times of the year when the animals are migrating, passing through the Brazos Valley surrounding the school, those numbers skyrocket to the hundreds of thousands. Thankfully, the bats are mostly harmless and only come in contact with humans occasionally. In 2000, a student studying barefoot in the A&M library had a bat fly into her empty shoe and got bitten, but that’s about the worst of it. Even though bats aren’t causing much trouble in terms of direct contact with humans, they do also come with some health concerns and other unsanitary side effects that ultimately convinced the university that they needed to get rid of some of their bat residents. In the fall fans would have to sit through football games trying not to let the pungent smell of bat guano make them empty their stomach on the person sitting in front of them. The guano pretty much covered the entire stadium; the walls stained with it and the ground covered in it. Sometimes, when a bats aim was off, they might defecate on a concession stand, a serious health concern since the stadium tends to be packed with people that are eating from those concession stands. The university began its effort to remove the bats in 2013 when they had nets hung in some concourses that let the bats fly out of the stadium, but prevented them from flying back in. They demolished other sections of the stadium to replace them with brand new amenities.

This, unfortunately, left these several thousand to hundreds of thousand bats to find another home, and they didn’t stray far. The natatorium quickly became their new hotspot, forcing the school to completely shut down the pool to remove the hundreds of bats that had turned the usually busy hub of human activity into their new home. The swimming pool wasn’t the only place on campus invaded, however, as over a thousand moved to Cain Hall, which contains the university’s student counseling department. One employee reported finding several dead bats in her closet. Many were also spotted in the school’s gym. The university used the same method on the natatorium as it had used on Kyle Field, hanging up giant nets near where the bats were entering the building. To try and make up for the homes they lost, the university began building large bat houses around the campus for the bats to move to instead.

Have you ever seen a giant swarm of bats flying together in a public area where there were a lot of humans around?

A Texas Woman Sues A Real-Estate Company Over An Infestation Of Opossums That Gave Her Typhus

March 12, 2019mktgAdmin Austin Wildlife Control Dallas Wildlife Control Houston Wildlife Control San Antonio Wildlife Control Wildlife Control

It goes without saying that real-estate companies have a moral and legal duty to provide their clients with any and all information concerning current and past pest infestations within a property. Sadly, not all real-estate professionals follow the rules, as the desire to sell a house can make some shady real-estate agents less than honest concerning the existing or potential problems associated with a property. For example, one Texas tenant sued her real-estate brokerage firm for failing to disclose and address an opossum infestation within a property that she had been renting from the firm. Unfortunately, this alleged infestation led to the tenant contracting typhus.

Back in 2009, the woman moved into a home that was being rented out by an agent working for a Houston based real-estate brokerage firm. As it turned out, moving into this property was a bad move, as her home was infested with opossums. Although the brokerage firm was tasked with managing the property, the woman alleged that they failed to address an ongoing opossum infestation within her home. Eventually, the woman contracted typhus as a result of sustaining bites from fleas that had been transported into the home by the invading opossums. Despite the woman’s repeated complaints concerning the opossum infestation within the home, she claimed that the firm repeatedly ignored her pleas to have the property inspected for a pest infestation. After being given her tragic diagnosis, the woman sued the brokerage firm for negligence.

Typhus is a bacterial disease that is spread by fleas and lice. Being exposed to rat fleas, rat feces and several forms of wildlife, such as opossums, raccoons, rats and cats, can result in an individual contracting typhus. Symptoms of typhus include, extremely high fever (around 105 or 106 degrees), backache, red rash, hacking cough, abdominal pain, joint pain, headache, nausea and vomiting. During the fall of 2018, opossums caused several Los Angeles residents to fall ill from typhus infections.

Were you aware that opossums help to facilitate the spread of typhus?

Why Have So Many Non-Native Termite Species Been Introduced Into The State Of Texas?

March 11, 2019mktgAdmin Austin Termite Control Dallas Termite Control Houston Termite Control San Antonio Termite Control Termite Control Austin Termite Control Dallas Termite Control San Antonio Termite Control

The annual cost of termite control and termite damage repairs in the United States is estimated to be around five billion dollars, and invasive termite activity accounts for a large part of this cost. In this context, the term, “invasive”, refers to an organism that causes environmental and/or economic harm in a geographic region where they are not native. In most cases, invasive insects are accidentally introduced into a non-native region by means of international commerce. Invasive termites that have become established in the US include the Asian subterranean termite, and most infamously, the Formosan subterranean termite, but there are many others.

Many invasive termites in the US today were first discovered within the state of Texas. Texas is a hotspot for invasive termite activity due to the many high-traffic ports in the state that see the arrival of foreign goods into the country. Houston is home to the second busiest port in the country in terms of the total tonnage of goods unloaded. Unfortunately, non-native termites, and other exotic insects, sometimes infest these goods, especially when it comes to lumber shipments. Termites are also known for infesting the wooden shipping pallets that are used for unloading goods from a vessel. For example, the first infestations of Formosan termites in the continental US were found around the Houston shipping Channel, strongly indicating an accidental introduction via shipping vessel.

The warm, humid and rainy subtropical climate on the Texas coast allows for the survival of many non-native termite species that originated from similar environments elsewhere. This is why Formosan termites, while highly destructive, have not traveled beyond the Gulf Coast region, but they have become established in well over 30 counties in Texas. Of course, Formosan termites are not the only invasive termites in the US that first arrived in Texas. Back in 1956, termites of the Coptermes crassus species from Honduras and western Mexico were found beneath rocks near a port in Houston. It was assumed that this species arrived via shipping vessel, especially since these termites were later found within timber areas located near two other ports in Texas. Luckily, experts believe that this species has been eradicated, and no longer dwells in the US. Western drywood termites are California natives, but they often infest shipments of lumber, furniture and fruit boxes that arrive in Texas from the west coast. Several Texas residents have fallen victim to western drywood termite infestations as a result of these shipments.

Do you believe that it is inevitable that more invasive termites will become established within Texas?

Texas Officials Enact New Wildlife Feeding Rules and Educate Citizens on Urban Wildlife Management

March 7, 2019mktgAdmin Austin Wildlife Control Dallas Wildlife Control Houston Wildlife Control San Antonio Wildlife Control Wildlife Control Ausitn Wildlife Control Dallas Wildlife Control Houston Wildlife Control San Antonio Wildlife Control

Texas Officials Enact New Wildlife Feeding Rules and Educate Citizens on Urban Wildlife Management

Texas is full of land just waiting to be developed and claimed by humans. Texas has some of the fastest growing cities in the country. New Braunfels and Comal County in particular are the nation’s second fastest growing area. Of course, just as humans are growing and expanding their territory, the wild critters that live there are also increasing in number. One major problem is humans feeding the urban wildlife, which just leads to an increase in their population, as well as encouraging the wild animals to stay in the increasingly urbanized areas and further mix with humans. This inevitably leads to more negative interactions between humans and urban wildlife, as well as health and safety problems within these areas that most humans aren’t even aware of. In an effort to take control of the situation, officials from the city and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department hosted an urban wildlife workshop at City Hall, which went over the dangers of feeding urban wildlife and how to deal with the wild creatures people may come across. This workshop was planned as a crash course on urban wildlife for the public that is designed to go along with the new city ordinance prohibiting people from feeding these wild animals.

This ordinance is actually just the first step in the city’s 10-year Watershed Protection Plan, which is aimed at reducing the levels of bacteria Dry Comal Creek and Comal River watersheds. The watersheds were found to contain high levels of bacteria caused by fecal runoff. Sixty percent of this bacteria comes from the wildlife in the area, with only a small percentage coming from humans. This is directly related to the feeding of urban wildlife, and encouraging them to hang out around us humans instead of out in the wild. Their populations boom when these animals are getting fed constantly by humans, as they no longer have to worry about finding food to survive since the humans are taking care of them. When humans intervene in the dietary habits of urban wildlife, it can lead to numerous problems with their health, ability to fight off disease, the degradation of habitat, and disrupt other natural routines and habits of these animals, including the migratory patterns for ducks and geese. Officials are trying to educate the public more than anything, not punishing individuals with actual fines until their second offense. Repeat offenders can expect fines starting at $75 and going up to $500 dollars.

Do you have a large urban wildlife population in your area? How do you think these problems should be handled?

Why Have Rats, Raccoons And Other Wild Animals Been Infesting Municipal Buildings In Texas For Years?

March 6, 2019mktgAdmin Austin Wildlife Control Dallas Wildlife Control Houston Wildlife Control San Antonio Wildlife Control Wildlife Control Austin Wildlife Control Dallas Wildlife Control San Antonio Wildlife Control

Residents of Texas are no strangers to rats and other nuisance pests, especially residents living within one of the several large metropolitan areas within the state. Pest control professionals in the state receive calls about rat infestations in homes regularly. However, many Texans might be surprised to learn that rats and other wild animals are also a problem in many of the state’s municipal buildings, particularly within buildings containing the state’s health and human services employees. Last fall, the Austin headquarters for the state’s Health and Human Services Department was found to be infested with Norwegian rats. This did not come as a shock to many other government employees throughout the state who have reported rat, raccoon, opossum and squirrel infestations within their buildings.

The Austin municipal building’s rat infestation was particularly disturbing to employees, as the rats had been originating from the sewer below the large and heavily populated government complex. A spokesperson for the health commission estimated that the building had come to contain hundreds of Norwegian rats, and the cost of getting rid of the pests was estimated at costing a whopping 60,000 dollars. In fact, this was the estimated cost of pest control within the building after the Texas Facilities Commision, another government agency in the state, attempted, and ultimately failed to eradicate the rat presence in the building. This infestation became publicly known after government employees began noticing the rodents in their work areas. Unfortunately, by the time rats make their presence known to a building’s inhabitants, the infestation may be too substantial to control. This is because rats prefer to hide from humans, especially in buildings. When the rodents are frequently spotted indoors, all available hiding places are usually occupied by other rodents.

Back in 2014, living and dead rats were found within the Texas School for the Deaf, another municipal building. In addition to rats, officials also found squirrel, raccoon and opossum carcasses rotting within ventilation ducts and crawl spaces within the school. Not surprisingly, officials with the government facilities commision outsourced this pest infestation to private pest control professionals, which ended up costing the state 18,000 dollars. According to Seth Hutchinson, organizing coordinator for the Texas State Employees Union, the frequent wildlife infestations within Texas municipal buildings comes as a consequence of underfunding by state congress. This results in government agencies asking for “emergency funds” to deal with pest infestations that could have been avoided with regular and less costly pest inspections.

Do you believe that Texas lawmakers are aware of the wildlife infestation issues within many of the state’s municipal buildings?

Pest & Termite Control Blog