Mosquito Breeding Grounds Around the Home

Old tires collecting water are a common mosquito breeding ground in Atlanta GA - Active Pest ControlIn the middle of the summer, no one wants mosquitoes ruining their outdoor activities. Mosquitoes can breed at a rapid rate. Even worse, they can easily do so right in your backyard if given the chance. Thankfully, there are a number of ways you can disrupt the mosquito breeding cycle and, in turn, keep mosquitoes out of your yard. If mosquitoes lack a suitable area to lay their eggs, they will be forced to look elsewhere.

The team at Active Pest Control is here to bring awareness to the most common mosquito breeding grounds around your home in the Atlanta GA area.

Common Mosquito Breeding Grounds

Female mosquitoes can produce anywhere from 100-300 eggs at a time, and their life cycle takes just two weeks for larvae to become adults. For this reason, it’s crucial to know how to stop mosquitoes from breeding in your yard. Here are the main areas they will target:

  • Birdbaths
  • Gutters
  • Mud pots
  • Tree stumps and wood piles
  • Children’s play sets
  • Trash cans
  • Old tires

How to prevent mosquitoes in Atlanta GA - Active Pest Control

How to Stop Mosquitoes From Breeding

In general, any body of stagnant water on your property will attract mosquitoes and provide females with a spot to lay their eggs. If any of the above items harbor standing water, make sure to routinely dump out the water or place covers on them. Female mosquitoes need just a half inch of water to breed, making it important to stay on top of inspecting areas in your yard for that. In addition, install screens on windows and interior doors of your home, reduce outdoor lighting at night, fix water leaks, keep your lawn trimmed, and use mosquito repellents following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Long-Term Mosquito Prevention

Mosquitoes are pesky and opportunists-they can breed and inhabit areas of your yard you likely wouldn’t expect. It can feel overwhelming to know how to keep mosquitoes out. If you need help eliminating mosquito breeding grounds around your home, contact your local mosquito exterminator. At Active Pest Control, we focus on long-term protection against mosquitoes. Contact us today to learn more!

How to Prevent Summertime Ants

How to prevent summertime ants in Atlanta GA - Active Pest ControlAnts can be a problem year-round, but they tend to show up in overwhelming numbers during the summertime here in the Atlanta area. Although ants aren’t considered as dangerous as other pests, they are the number one nuisance pest in the nation for a reason. They often will appear in your kitchen, bathrooms, and along your floorboards in search for food and shelter. To avoid the frustration of ants in your property, it’s important to learn how to prevent summertime ants.

What Type of Ant Do I Have?

With more than 700 species living in the U.S., it is crucial to know which one you’re dealing with in order to properly get rid of these common summer ants. An infestation from any of these can be a major pain to deal with, making it important to know what you’re coming up against. A few of the most common types of ants you’ll likely encounter include:

Prevent Summertime Ants in 5 Steps

To avoid dealing with ants, it’s important to learn how to stop them from making their ways indoors in the first place! Some of our top tips for preventing summertime ants include:

  1. Keep a clean home. Sweep your floors regularly to get rid of crumbs. Ants are attracted to sugary food sources and a few crumbs will keep them coming back for more.
  2. Store away food. Avoid leaving food out uncovered. Keep food in airtight containers or store them safely in cupboards and fridges.
  3. Seal entry points. Ants can crawl through the tiniest of cracks. Inspect your property and use caulk to seal any gaps, holes, or potential entry ways.
  4. Get rid of excess moisture. Areas with standing water or leaks will attract ants quickly. Attend to broken pipes and clean up spills quickly.
  5. Trim back trees and vegetation. Plants close to your home can encourage ants to come in. Make sure tree branches, shrubs, and bushes are trimmed away from the perimeter!

Long-Term Ant Prevention

Keeping ants out can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’ve done all you can to prevent them! To give yourself peace of mind, it’s best to contact your local ant exterminator. At Active Pest Control, we have the experience and resources needed to prevent ants in the summertime and all year long. To learn more about how, contact our team today!

10 Bed Bug Myths Debunked

Bed bug awareness week in Atlanta GA - Bed bug myths debunked by Active Pest ControlBed bugs are certainly one of the most feared pests. Not only does a bed bug infestation cause distress, they can be very difficult to get rid of! There are many theories about bed bugs and their behaviors that have been passed on throughout history. Because these bugs incite a lot of fear, it’s important to separate fact from fiction.

With Bed Bug Awareness Week upon us, the bed bug exterminators at Active Pest Control are here to debunk some common bed bug myths.

False Bed Bug Facts

The following “facts” about bed bugs are simply not true:

  1. Bed bugs are attracted to messy or dirty homes. Unfortunately, anyone can get a bed bug problem. Unsanitary conditions will not lead you to get bed bugs in your home!
  2. Bed bugs only feed at night. Bed bugs are active when their hosts are at rest. This usually means overnight, but they are able to adjust their schedule to fit yours!
  3. These bugs are only found in your bedroom. Bed bugs tend to congregate near areas where people rest. This includes sofas, chairs, cracks in the wall, and even power outlets!
  4. Bed bugs are too small to see with the naked eye. Adult bed bugs are perfectly capable of being seen. They are the size of an apple seed and often grouped together, making it easier to spot an infestation.
  5. They can jump and fly. Fortunately, bed bugs cannot jump or fly as other pests can. They have underdeveloped wings, and instead move from one spot to the other by crawling or latching onto a moving item.
  6. Bed bugs latch or travel on people. Although bed bugs are known to hitch a ride on your purse or suitcase, they do not attach to people as fleas or ticks do.
  7. You can get rid of bed bugs with DIY methods. At-home or DIY treatments for bed bugs are, in a word, ineffective. An aggressive approach from a pest control company is necessary to getting rid of the entire infestation.
  8. Bed bugs transmit dangerous diseases. These pests may cause you anxiety and even itchiness, but their bites do not transmit disease as other pests do.
  9. Bed bugs can live a year without feeding. While they definitely can survive months without a meal, they won’t make it through an entire year unless under optimal conditions.
  10. You should get rid of your mattress and clothing if you have bed bugs. If you are in the midst of an infestation, it’s actually dangerous to move your infested items. Doing so can spread bed bugs into other areas!

You Have Bed Bugs–What Now?

Bed bugs are certainly one of the more terrifying pest problems. It’s important to know the truth about bed bugs in order to better prepare yourself for the chances of an infestation. When you do have a problem, it’s always best to enlist the help of a professional pest control company to get rid of infestation for you, bringing you peace of mind. Contact the team at Active Pest Control to learn more.

Are Seasonal Allergies Triggered by Pests?

Cockroaches may trigger your seasonal allergies in Atlanta GA - Active Pest ControlSpringtime in Georgia is beloved, but seasonal allergies can be a serious pain. Millions of people suffer from stuffy noses and itchy eyes every year. However, what if it’s more than the trees and blooms causing your flare-ups? Believe it or not, pest allergens are a major trigger for allergies and asthma. Some types of pests, including roaches and dust mites, can be troublesome for people with allergies. May is National Allergy and Asthma Awareness Month! The team here at Active Pest Control is committed to keeping our customers safe from all dangers of pests–allergies included. Read on to learn our top tips for preventing pest allergens in your home.

Pests & Seasonal Allergies

Over the past few decades, research has shown that certain types of pests may trigger allergies in people. The main culprit? The cockroach! Roach droppings, saliva, shed skin, and other parts contain allergen proteins. When you have a cockroach problem in your home or business, those allergens can contribute to allergic reactions and trigger asthma symptoms, particularly in children!

Along with cockroaches, some species of stinging insects (yellow jackets, wasps, fire ants, and more) can cause reactions in people. Symptoms range from itching and hives to more serious conditions. In any case, it’s important to act immediately and seek medical attention if you experience severe symptoms of an allergic reaction: swelling, wheezing, dizziness, or trouble breathing.

6 Steps to Remove Pest Allergens

To prevent pest allergens, you need to prevent pests altogether! Simple pest prevention methods can work to reduce the number of pest allergens in your home. Our top tips include:

  1. Seal cracks and holes in your property, including entry points for utilities and pipes, screen doors, and windows.
  2. Store food in sealed containers and clean kitchens on a daily basis.
  3. Dispose of garbage regularly and use a tight-fitting lid on the can.
  4. Keep your basements and crawl spaces well-ventilated and free of moisture problems.
  5. Wash blankets, rugs, and bedding in hot water or get them dry-cleaned.
  6. Vacuum and dust your property as often as reasonably possible.

How to Prevent Pest-Related Allergies

Pest infestations can be hazardous for a number of reasons. If you want to avoid the many dangers of pests year-round, allergies included, it’s best to team up with your local exterminators. At Active Pest Control, we are dedicated to keeping our communities pest-free and families safe from the dangers pests bring all year long. Contact us today to learn how we can help.

Can Insects Transmit Coronavirus?

Coronavirus is not spread by mosquito bites. Learn more from Active Pest Control in Atlanta GA.Here at Active Pest Control, we are closely monitoring the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation and continue to focus on our commitment to protecting our communities. In the midst of this pandemic, there are endless questions surrounding the nature of the virus, including how it is spread. Data and information is changing daily, but to date, there is no evidence or proof to suggest that mosquitoes and ticks transmit COVID-19. These vector pests are infamous for transmitting diseases worldwide, but coronaviruses are not one of them.

With information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC), we’ll explore the differences between vector-borne diseases and COVID-19 to help dispel myths about transmission in these uncertain times.

What are Vector-Borne Diseases?

Ticks and mosquitoes are vector pests, AKA organisms that transmit diseases to humans. These two insects in particular are infamous for their roles in the transmission of many critical diseases around the globe. Mosquitoes are tied to some of the world’s most dangerous diseases including malaria, Zika virus, West Nile virus, chikungunya, yellow fever, and more. Ticks are responsible for the transmission of Lyme disease, which is the most common vector-borne disease in our nation.

Can Mosquitoes and Ticks Carry Coronavirus?

Coronavirus is not a disease spread by vector pests. It is important to keep the following facts in mind:

  • The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus that, to date, is spread through person-to-person contact. 
  • COVID-19 spreads through droplets from saliva or nasal discharge, often generated when an infected person sneezes or coughs. It can also be transmitted via contact with a contaminated surface.
  • SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and now COVID-19 are zoonotic coronaviruses – viruses that have jumped the species barrier from their normal animal hosts to humans.

What to Remember

With the weather warming up, it’s understandable that people are concerned about disease transmission from insects, mosquitoes especially. However, there is currently no scientific reason to believe these vector pests can transmit coronaviruses. As always, it’s important to take caution in the presence of pests and to always enlist the help of a professional exterminator to take care of the situation for you. The Active Pest Control team is here for you during these uncertain times.

With the safety of our communities in mind, we encourage our customers to seek more information and follow guidelines released by the WHO, CDC, as well as your state and local public health agencies.

Common Spring Pests to Prevent

Prevent spring pests by spring cleaning your Atlanta GA home! Tips from Active Pest ControlSpring is almost here, which means pests are on their way! While pest problems are a fact of life in Georgia year-round, springtime sees a big fluctuation in pest problems. This is because many pests that are less active throughout the winter are encouraged by warming temperatures to start invading homes again. To keep spring pests out of your property, it’s important to prepare your home now! Keep reading for tips from the experts at Active Pest Control.

5 Common Springtime Pests

It’s pest season, and there are many pests to be on the lookout for in the next couple of months. The most common pest problems this time of year are:

  • Ants. With warmer weather comes hoards of ants in your home.
  • Termites. Termite swarming season is here! Termite infestations often start in the spring.
  • Rodents. Although they’re active year-round, rats and mice are a problem in the spring.
  • Stinging insects. Wasps and hornets are gearing up to build nests this time of year.
  • Stink bugs. After overwintering, people report a resurgence in stink bugs.

How to Prevent Pests this Spring

Chances are, you’ll be doing some spring cleaning around your home. Why not throw in pest prevention measures while you’re at it? To prepare your home for spring pests, implement the following tips:

  1. Clean your windows and doors, and make sure there are no cracks or crevices. If there are, seal them properly.
  2. Deep-clean your carpets by vacuuming and shampooing, if possible.
  3. Clean your kitchen with a focus on your appliances. Crumbs and spilled liquids are easy bait for rodents, cockroaches, and more!
  4. Remove debris from your yard, and trim back tree branches away from your home. Also clean out gutters and downspouts.
  5. Ensure your plumbing is working properly and fix any leaks.
  6. In general, tidy up your home. Clean under furniture, wipe down surfaces, and inspect areas of your home that need some fixing up.

How to Get Rid of Spring Pests

You’ve thoroughly cleaned your kitchen and tidied your backyard, but there’s still ants crawling across your kitchen counters—now what? To prevent inevitable spring pests, it’s best to team up with a professional pest control company. The exterminators at Active Pest Control will work with you to ensure your home is safeguarded from pests this spring and all year long.

Termite Awareness Week

It’s officially Termite Awareness Week, and it’s more important than ever to know the facts. This week and all year long, the team at Active Pest Control aims to spread awareness about the extensive damage done by termites. In this article, we’ve provided you with a series of informational videos discussing the signs of termite activity, prevention tips, and how to protect your home from these wood-destroying insects. Keep reading to learn how to stay termite-free in Atlanta GA!

5 Signs of Termites

  1. Swarmers, which are winged termites that emerge in large groups and fly to their destination.
  2. Often the first visible sign of termites, wings are shed by swarmers and left in piles.
  3. Blistering wood damaged by termites can be rotten and hollow-sounding.
  4. Often confused with sawdust, termite droppings (frass) are wood-colored.
  5. Besides swarmers, mud tubes are the most common sign of subterranean termites.

How to Prevent Termites

There are several ways you can lessen the risk of getting a termite infestation. It’s important to keep firewood and any mulch at a distance from the foundation of your home. Similarly, always remove excess wood from your property, including construction lumber,  fallen trees, and stumps. In addition, be proactive about avoiding moisture-damaged wood by promptly repairing leaky faucets and poor drainage problems. Lastly, ensure you have a continuous termite monitoring, baiting, or protection plan in place from your termite exterminators!

Termite Protection & Treatment

Here at Active Pest Control, we provide our customers with the most effective, safest termite treatment options. Check out the video to see our preferred methods of preventing and controlling termites. If you’re unsure which termite control method will work best for you, we’d be happy to discuss your best options with you and customize a termite control plan!

Termites or Carpenter Ants: How to Tell the Difference

Carpenter ants are often confused for termites in Atlanta GA. Learn more from Active Pest ControlIf you think you’ve spotted a termite in or near your home, how can you be so sure it’s not a carpenter ant? These two wood-destroying insects are commonly mistaken for one another. Together, they are responsible for some of the worst residential pest infestations each year for homeowners. Swarmers (termites or carpenter ants with wings) are both active around the same time of year, but their similarities end there.

Keep reading for expert info from Active Pest Control on how to tell the difference between termites and carpenter ants.

What do Carpenter Ants and Termites Look Like?

To the untrained eye, it’s very easy to confuse carpenter ants for termites in the swarmer stage. Although they look very similar, the size of the swarmer differentiates the two. The main differences between how carpenter ants and termites look are:

  1. Carpenter ant swarmers: These are black in color, with some species having slightly red coloring. Carpenter ants measure 1/2″–5/8″ with antenna bent at a 45-degree angle. Their wings are translucent with a reddish brown hue, laying over the posterior of the ant. Carpenter ants are by far the biggest ant species in the nation.
  2. Termite swarmers: These termites are dark brown to black, and measure 3/8″ long including the wings. Their wings are a translucent to slightly milky or smoky color. Their wings may overlap, and are typically as long as or slightly longer than the body. This is an easy visual clue to differentiate them from carpenter ants.

Winged ant vs. Termite Swarmer in Atlanta GA & Knoxville TN - Active Pest Control

What’s Worse: Termite Damage or Carpenter Ant Damage?

Both the termite and the carpenter ant attack wood, but in very different ways. For the most part, carpenter ants establish their nests in decayed wood and then later expand into undamaged wood, insulation, or wall voids. Their damage is not always visible, but the galleries they excavate appear to have been sanded.

Termites, on the other hand, eat through wood. These wood-destroying insects find their way into a structure around basement windows, doorways, under siding, porches, or any structure in contact with the soil. Established colonies can range from 60,000 to over a million workers and can consume nearly 5 grams of wood per day. For this reason, termites are significantly more dangerous than the carpenter ant, as they can cause much more damage in a short period of time.

When to Call a Termites or Carpenter Ants Exterminator

If you’ve seen the signs of either of these insects or have noticed damage, it’s crucial to call the exterminators at Active Pest Control as soon as possible. Everyone knows termites are infamously difficult to control, but carpenter ant colonies are hard to exterminate as well! With our licensed and tenured termite control specialists, we can inspect your Atlanta GA property and protect your structure from wood-destroying insects like termites and carpenter ants.

Rodents: The Diseases and Damage They Cause

Rodents can chew on wires and spread disease in your Atlanta GA home. The rodent exterminators at Active Pest Control can help!A rodent infestation is any homeowner’s worst nightmare. Not only are they gross and messy—there are many dangers of rodents to be aware of! Rats and mice can contaminate any surface they walk across, spreading bacteria wherever they go. Some of the world’s most infamous diseases are spread by rats or mice feces, and the nesting habits of rodents can cause damage inside homes and businesses. Because rodent infestations can be dangerous, it’s important to always enlist the help of a rats and mice exterminator to get rid of them.

What Diseases are Spread by Rodents?

Rodent-borne diseases can be spread directly or indirectly. When they’re transmitted directly, it’s often when a human comes into contact with a rodent’s saliva or droppings, or a bite occurs. Indirectly, these diseases are spread by infected fleas, mites, and ticks. Some of the most dangerous diseases spread by rodents include the following:

  1. Hantavirus. Most often found in the urine and feces of deer mice, hantavirus can cause symptoms from fever and chills to aches in pains. In serious cases, it can lead to kidney failure or worse.
  2. Salmonella. The bacteria spread by rats and mice can track onto food. The most infamous bacteria is of course salmonella, known as food poisoning.
  3. Lyme Disease. This is of course transmitted by ticks, which are often carried by rats and mice. This disease is dangerous and can have long-term effects on health.
  4. Plague. Historically, the bubonic plague was caused by infected fleas that were carried by rats and mice. This disease can still be spread today.

Damage Caused by Rats & Mice

Rats have incisors that never stop growing … meaning they never stop chewing! Their chewing habits can lead to a lot of damage inside your home or business, especially when electrical wires are damaged. Exposed wires can short circuit and cause a fire hazard. Rats and mice will tear through materials to create nests, and rats have been known to cause structural damage in properties by cutting through tough materials in your home. If an infestation is ignored, the damage inflicted on your property can be more severe than you think.

Why Use a Rodent Exterminator?

To avoid the dangers of rodents, it’s important to work with a professional rats and mice exterminator such as Active Pest Control. Our rodent control team has the years of experience required to control infestations and keep rats out of Atlanta GA homes all year long. We can also help you learn more about preventing rodent infestations from ever starting in the first place!

10 Facts About the German Cockroach

German cockroaches are one of the most common infestations in Atlanta GA - Active Pest ControlGerman cockroaches are the most abundant type of roach in the nation. German roaches are the fastest reproducing roach species, which is why they’re the most common type to infest homes and businesses. These cockroach infestations are typical in restaurants, hotels, nursing homes, and more, making it important to know how to identify this pest.

The experts at Active Pest Control share German cockroach facts to know in order to prevent them in your Atlanta GA or Knoxville TN home.

10 German Cockroach Facts

If you get a roach infestation, there’s a likely chance German roaches are the culprit. Some of the main things to know about German cockroaches include:

  1. German cockroaches can carry salmonella and other diseases.
  2. The pronotum (protective plate behind the head) on the German cockroach has two longitudinal dark stripes. This helps to identify them.
  3. The ootheca (egg case) of the German cockroach contains between 35–40 eggs, which take one month to hatch.
  4. German cockroaches have an extraordinary rate of reproduction. One female cockroach and her offspring can theoretically produce hundreds of thousands of offspring a year!
  5. A German cockroach takes from six weeks to six months to reach maturity.
  6. These cockroaches prefer areas of high temperatures and high humidity.
  7. They are able to climb on smooth surfaces because they have a sticky pad on their feet; this sticky pad is called an arolium.
  8. German cockroaches prefer to spend their lives hidden and protected. One sighting of a roach can mean many more are hidden inside walls, behind cabinets, inside appliances, and more.
  9. They regularly spread to new areas in a serious infestation.
  10. Cockroach skins have been tied back to causing severe asthmatic reactions in some people.

German Cockroach Prevention Tips

German cockroaches are infamous for eating pretty much anything they can find. Preventing them from infesting your home requires you to be vigilant about preventative pest control. To keep German cockroaches out of your Atlanta GA home, make sure to keep all food in sealed containers, secure your garbage securely, and store pet food in sealed containers with tight-fitting lids. Most importantly, properly clean your space on a regular basis, eliminate clutter, and be wary of carrying in old items before inspecting them.

German Roach Control

If you’re dealing with a German cockroach infestation, it’s crucial to enlist the help of a professional cockroach exterminator as soon as possible. German cockroaches aren’t just difficult to control, they can be dangerous, too! At Active Pest Control, we know how to implement cockroach control and prevention to keep you safe from German cockroaches year-round.