How to Get Rid of Snails
May 30, 2009 by admin
Filed under Pest Control
First thing I would like to make clear is snails are not slugs. They are often mistaken to be so. Snails have shell which covers them and slugs do not. It is not at all difficult to find snails especially during warm and rainy day. You may find them at the base of your house or in a shady region. Snails are also found around lettuce. Snails are found in almost all parts of the world.
Snails do not cause any harm to us. May be it’s the looks which irritates us and that is the reason why we want to get rid of hem. But yes it eats away the plants of your garden thus destroying your garden. They eat up all the nutrition of your plants. Therefore it is necessary to get rid of them. Here are some ways to get rid of them:
Employ the help of toads: pour water on the ground where there is shade. All the snails will collect themselves over there and then introduce a toad over there. He will eat up all the snails in a moment. Snails are toads’ delicious meal.
Use your favouriate drink: beer is the best way to get rid of snails. But not all types of beer. It’s only the stale beer which helps to kill snails. All you need to do is to a plan a commercial trap in soil near damaged crops and pour some stale beer in it. The next day you will find a group of dead snail floating on it. Do this every night and you will get rid of almost all snails in your area.
Coffee miracles: even coffee is useful in killing snails. Just sprinkle some coffee around the damaged plants. But use only used coffee grounds. This will definitely kill snails.
Poisoning not necessary: when snails consume iron they die. Iron proves to be dangerous for them. Sluggo and escar are two products which contain iron phosphate and are available in market. Scatter these iron pills around the damaged plants. This will kill the snails without poisoning them. Iron phosphate will not only kill pests but also enrich your soil.
Copper tops the chart: snails get shock when they touch copper and thus they die. Copper pants are available in the market. Just place the plant in your garden for protection. If you don’t want to purchase one then just apply copper to the frames of your plant. Even this will work out. You can even place pennies made up of copper around the damaged plants.
Old planks or boards: put some old planks or boards at the top of your garden beds. Snails will accumulate in the space kept for them as they are sensitive to sun. The next day you will find the snails dead.
Bugs kill them all: the lightning bugs in their harvesting stage are very hunger. That is why they feed on snails eggs. Let this bugs be in your garden till the period they kill all the snails.
Thus these are some of the ways to get rid of snails.
How to Get Rid of Slugs
May 29, 2009 by admin
Filed under Pest Control
Tiny and slim creatures are always problematic for us. They are always disgusting. They can irritate you to the core. Thus it is necessary to get rid of them. Below are some ways to get rid of them.
- Diatomaceous earth: people know this as DE. It looks like white flour but on close observation you come to know that it is sharp. It is one of the best solutions available for killing slugs. It dehydrates the slugs once it comes in touch with DE. Surround DE by your plants and wear a mask while doing so.
- Toads: slugs love to seat in shade. All you need to do is to water the ground and provide shade in that area. Slugs would come running to that area and now place a toad in front of them. Toads will enjoy the delicious meal od slugs by eating them.
Beer: even beer can help you get rid of slugs. It is effective and is a non personal way to get rid of them. But remember not to keep stale beer as slugs just love to feed on it. Purchase any cheap beer but fresh, pour it in the ground at night and you will see dead slugs in the morning. Keep on repeating this process every night to make sure that all slugs are dead.- Iron phosphate: iron leads to indigestion in slugs. Go to the market and purchase escar-go and Sluggo which are used for attracting slugs. Spread them around the damaged plants and you will get rid of these slugs. Iron phosphate is really very useful in killing slugs. Not only it kills slugs but it also enriches the soil.
- Coffee: spread coffee beans around the damaged plants and the next day you will find dead slugs. It has been proven that coffee is effective in getting rid of slugs.
- Copper: slugs get shock when they come in contact of copper. You can also make use of pennies. Just place your penny or some copper above the plant and you will see dead slugs on it the next day.
- Citrus: grape fruit, orange and lemon rinds helps you to get rid of slugs. Just place them near your affected plant and the next morning you will find dead slugs near it. Dispose of the slugs and fruits properly. You can also use leaves of lettuce for this purpose.
- Boards: cover your garden with old planks of boards. Slugs will be attracted to it as they want to avoid the heat of sun. The next day you will find a large number of slugs dead on it.
- Human hair: not only your hair helps to kill slugs but it also adds nitrogen to soil. Just cover the plant with your hair so that when slugs walk on it they strangle and get entangled to it.
- Vinegar: spray vinegar near affected areas and the next day you will find dead slugs near it.
Thus the above ways will help you get rid of slugs.
Measures to get Rid of Heart Worms
May 29, 2009 by admin
Filed under Pest Control
Heartworms are the worms which stick to the heart of animals or mammals specially cats and dogs. As humans have got heart attacks, similarly this worms cause heart strikes to animals. These parasites derived their names from their feature of sticking to hearts of mammals. They may survive there for years and years especially if the animal or mammal is lethargic and less active.
Evolution
If these parasites are not treated they may grow up to 10 inches in size and bring about various dreadful diseases to animals. These thread like worms pass various stages of life cycles before they kill your dear little pet. The following will describe better how these worms are dangerous:
- Transmission: these worms give birth to thousands of other little worms named microfilaria daily. These tiny worms wait up to two years inside a mosquito before being transferred to an uninfected victim.
Ecdysis: these small little worms enter the animal’s body through a mosquito bite before moving to the next stage.- Migration: after the bite these roundworms move to various parts of animal’s body and convert themselves into an immature adult 45 to 60 days after the infection. After this they enter the blood stream and stay in pulmonary artery after 30 to 60 more days.
- Reproduction: after 3 to 4 months this worms convert themselves into complete adults with 20 to 30 cms in length and ready to mate. These female worms again reproduce repeating the entire process once again.
- Prepatent period: this is the period when worms start spreading the disease.
When these heartworms are completely grown they start blocking blood circulation of the heart and large vessels near the lungs. Due to this the heart’s right ventricle and pulmonary artery directed towards the lungs become enlarged as these worms take up all the position inside. During this period your pet starts loosing its appetite and weight and becomes all the more restless.
Testing
It’s difficult to find this disease in animals. Yet some of the symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting, blindness, coughing, drowsiness, anorexia, rapid heartbeats, syncope and sudden death. You can even allow your pet to go through certain tests like
- Direct blood smear
- Knott’s test
- Difil test
- Antigen testing
- Antibody testing
- x-rays
- echocardiography
- angiocardiography
Cure
Getting rid of this disease in dogs is easier then to get rid of it in any other animal. The thing is not just to eliminate this disease but to eliminate it with very little side effects. It becomes very difficult to save the animal from this disease when it becomes dam serious. However the following measures are being followed by today’s veterinarians to eliminate this disease of round worms:
Microfilaria annihilation: get rid of microfilaria before they become adults.
Aduticide therapy: once you kill the kids the next step is to look for adults.
Surgery: when the above solutions don’t work go and consult a vet immediately. Your pet might have to undergo various tests but this is the only solution available.
Heartworms are a very common, but extremely serious disease that no pet owner should ignore. If you truly love your pet, the best way to show it is by never breaking its heart, literally and figuratively.
How to Get Rid of Sand Fleas
May 28, 2009 by admin
Filed under Pest Control
Also known as hop-along or no-see-um, the sand fleas are the most dangerous out of all the fleas. When these fleas bite you they cause you severe health hazards. As they are in large number, they sting you and make you suffer a lot by giving unbearable pain.
Not all sand fleas are dangerous but female fleas are dangerous. They give you various diseases. They inject saliva into your body through their mouth causing you various skin problems. Not only problems of skin but these fleas can also kill you and your pets. You start recognizing the problem through itchiness and red spots on your skin.
These sand fleas do not survive in a particular place for a long time. They keep on moving from one place to another.
You may not find these fleas at your home. They are normally found near marine side and they do not target cats or dogs. They may attack anyone within 10 inches of their range. You may meet them on beaches. If you don’t want yourself attacked by them then hear are certain ways to get rid of them:
Use a vacuum cleaner: Vacuum cleaners can easily suck this sandfleas in their containers. You just need to put your vacuum cleaner in the place where you find these fleas hiding themselves that is over the carpets and furniture. Also use it in the corners of your house and the couches as they also hide there. This helps to keep the population of these fleas at a minimal level.
If you want to get rid of all the sand fleas, they you need to know where these sand fleas hide. Here are some clues to help you:
Dealing with eggs: sand fleas lay their eggs on dogs and cats. Your pets are normally found on your carpets and this is the time and place where these fleas lay their eggs. Therefore vacuum your carpets properly.
Managing larvae: once these eggs are laid they convert themselves into larvae. This worm like structure larvae are not seen easily they are seen along skirting boards, floor board cracks, under furniture and in corners and crevices.
Getting rid of pupae: this has got a structure like those of caterpillar and it spins a cocoon. Thus if you vacuum more pupae you will eliminate most of the sand fleas.
Go for steam cleaning: if the infestation of sand fleas is much greater then we can imagine it is better to go for steam cleaning. Steam cleaning is when you expose these sand fleas to a temperature of 1030 degrees Fahrenheit for almost 1 hour these fleas die.
Use insecticide: spray the insecticide on anything organic outside your house. This cracks the skin of sand fleas due to which it absorbs the moisture and oil from the sand fleas skin. This kills the sand fleas.
Thus these are the above certain measures which you can use to get rid of sand fleas.
How to Get Rid of Cat Dander
May 28, 2009 by admin
Filed under Pest Control
Everyone loves to keep a pet at their home and the most common ones are either a dog or a cat. Cats are so pretty to look like. Also they are very intelligent and their maintenance cost is relatively less. They tend to keep your home surrounding peaceful and quiet. But it’s not that easy as most of the people say around 25 per cent of them have Cat Dander problem. But lots of us are just not aware of what Cat Dander is. It is basically a material that comes out of cats which is very similar to human beings dandruff. It generally comes out from the skin, saliva and fur of cats. The main allergen in cat dander is called Fel d1, which is found in cat’s urine and other secretion. The warning signs of the Cat Dander Allergy are skin rashes, throat infection, breathing problem, continuous sneezing, red and itchy eyes and so on.
Below are some measures but the best way to get rid of them is to get rid of that pet only, that’s what maximum doctors advise. But that’s not the case now as you can still keep them close to you without getting allergic. You just need to be meticulous in keeping them and your home clean.
1. Keep your pet out of your bedroom – All of us spend most of the time in bedroom, so keeping them out would help you to be less allergic to cat dander. They are the favorite place for cats to rest but once you keep them out they would be used to it.
2. Bathe and brush your cat regularly – Cats hate water but if you make them bathe regularly they would get used to it. Please ensure that you have their claws clipped so they do not harm you otherwise their scratches could be painful.
3. Get rid of your carpets – Cat dander mostly occurs when you don’t wash your carpet regularly. Since entire day they keep on jumping and walking on that carpet there are high chances of the cat dander compounds falling into them. So make a habit of cleaning them at least once in a week.
4. Use Vacuum Cleaner – You can easily get rid of them using a vacuum cleaner as it helps in absorbing dust and thus making your house clean. One should ensure that the vacuum has a HEPA filter. Vacuum those areas first where the cat hangs out most of the time.
5. Keep yourself clean – Always wash yourself thoroughly after playing with your cat specially your hands and legs. Never allow your pet to go near your face as that’s the most sensitive part of your body which is allergic to cat dander.
6. Take allergic injections – The best way to get rid of it is to consult a doctor and get just one monthly shot and after few years you will get completely rid of it.
Thus if the above steps are followed you can easily get rid of cat dander.
How to Get Rid of Water bugs
May 28, 2009 by admin
Filed under Pest Control
Water bugs belong to the family of hemiptera. They are very well known by the name toe biters or giant water bugs. They reside in ponds, lakes and freshwater streams. They are mostly found in north and South America and also in East Asia. They grow more than 12 cms in length, although their average height is just 2 cms.
Water bugs belong to the category of pests as they feed on amphibians and fishes. They are stuck to the bottom of the ponds or streams and waiting there unless any prey comes there. Water bugs have got a very bad and painful sting as compared to any animal on the earth. Water bugs have to come out of water every now and then to breathe as they cannot breathe under water. Water bugs are harmful as they have the minds of their own. They should not get better of
you, so follow the tips below and learn ways to say good bye to them.
Ways to control population of water bugs
Screens and BTI’s-they are helpful in getting rid of waterbugs that suck your blood or bite your skin. These drugs can also relive you from ticks, chiggers, gnats and mosquitoes. Water bugs can easily enter your house through your open windowns. Its no big deal to them. But window screens can prevent them from entering your home. BTI’s also help to do so. They are derived from bacillus thuringiensis and are better known as mosquito dunks. You just need to spray this in water source like ponds or river near to your house every 30 days as this is the place where water bugs are found. The BTI’s will kill the larve even before they mature.
Borax- use borax only if you don’t have pets or small children in your house as it may proove harmful to them. Use them in dark areas and sprinkle them in cracks and baseboards. As swimming pool, ponds or river are the areas from where this water bugs enter, you can sprinkle borax outside your home to avoid the water bugs from entering your beautiful house. The grains of the borax stick to the bugs leg and as they slowly consume it, borax eill kill them.
Pyrethrums- you can use pyrethrums like ecozone pyrethrum to get rid of this water bugs. If you don’t have one you can even use boric poeder. Just dust any of these stuff in the areas which is infected by waterbugs or the area which you think the waterbugs may hide in.
Soap detergents- if you have swimming pool at your place, then you must be deling with the water bugs. All you need to clear them off is to put certain drops of dish detergent in it. Most of them use lemon joy for this. This has really proven to be useful for many of them who have swimming pool at their place.
The next thing you can do is to eat this bugs. However f you cant do it then the above steps are there for your help.
How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles
May 28, 2009 by admin
Filed under Pest Control
Carpet beetles are the beetles which are found on your house carpets. They eat almost everything including your carpet fiber, hair, blankets, animal nests, furniture, garments, lint, dead insects, animal carcasses, leather and pollen from flower in your house. They eat what is organic. They destroy your carpets and furniture. They may even bring about allergies to you if you inhale the small strands of hair that their larvae shed. Therefore it is necessary to get rid of them. Here are some of the ways:
Know where they hide – Carpet beetles are difficult to see as they are very small. They can hide in almost every nook and corner of your home. Check out your furniture and couches. They are mostly seen in dark places and secluded areas like drawers, basements and closets. Also check the underside of your carpets. In short check your entire house.
Use a vacuum cleaner – Vacuum cleaners are the best and easiest way to get rid of these carpet beetles. Vacuum cleaners can easily suck them in their containers. You just need to put your vacuum cleaner in the place where you find these beetles hiding themselves that is over the carpets and furniture. Also use it in the corners of your house and the
couches as they also hide there.
Wash all your carpets – Although vacuum cleaner may suck most of the beetles, but still there are certain amount of them left on it. So it is better to get rid of them by washing out your carpets. All you need to do is wash your carpets in hot water made up of soap. You can also use the steam cleaner to wipe off all those carpet beetles that may be left while using the vacuum cleaner.
Try boric acid – Boric acid is very useful in killing many insects. Not only kills almost all kinds of insects but it is also safe to use as it causes no harm to your pet or you yourself. But remember not to pour too much of this acid on your coloured fabrics as it may lead to discolouration of your fabric.
Use a boric acid solution – Wash your carpets in a mixture made up of water and borax. This mixture kills the younger beetles also. So you may be able to get rid of all beetles within no time.
Get rid of old fabrics – Carpets beetles are bound to stick to fabrics that are old and rough. So it is better to get rid of this fabric and eventually get rid of these beetles. But do not give this fabric to anybody.
Call pest control agent – There are cases when these carpet beetles return to your home even when you get rid of them. At such times call up the pest control agent as they have the perfect equipments to get rid of them.
The other methods to get rid of these beetles is to remove birds and bees nest near your house, spray your house with insect spray and kill the eggs and larvae of these carpet beetles. The above ways will help you to get rid of these carpet beetles.
How to Get Rid of Boxelder Bugs
May 28, 2009 by admin
Filed under Pest Control
Boxelder bug basically derived its name from the boxelder tree. They love the juice that comes out of that tree. They get themselves feed on the sap of this tree only. Thus they are also known as Boxelder beetles. These bugs basically don’t harm anyone rather they can cause you headaches if they fall from the tree. They more often stay in the walls of your house. They also make your house by leaving behind their feces. Thus to save your house from getting dirty you need to get rid of them. These bugs more often come during autumn season.
Below are some useful tips to get rid of these Boxelder Bugs
1. Plant only male Boxelder trees – Normally these bugs have an affinity for female Boxelder trees. Thus if there are only male Boxelder trees in the surrounding there are no chances of getting these bugs around.
2. Collect them by hand – Wear gloves and collect these bugs one by one and put them in a big container. You can either squeeze them or throw away from your house at some far away place. Be careful that they do not touch your skin as that may cause you bit if irritation.
3.
Use a vacuum cleaner – Vacuum cleaners are the best and easiest way to get rid of these Boxelder bugs. Vacuum cleaners can easily suck them in their containers. You just need to put your vacuum cleaner in the place where you find these bugs hiding themselves that is over the carpets and furniture. Also use it in the corners of your house and the couches as they also hide there.
4. Use insect spray – Insect sprays are useful in killing most of the pests. Mixture of laundry soap and water can act as a substitute to these. Along with these bugs it may also be used to kill termites and cockroaches.
5. Try boric acid – Boric acid is very useful in killing many insects. Not only it kills almost all kinds of insects but it is also safe to use as it causes no harm to your pet or you yourself. But remember not to pour too much of this acid on your coloured fabrics as it may lead to discolouration of your fabric.
6. Call pest control agent – If you do not wish to do any of the above on your own you can always take help of a professional pest control agent to do it for you. They specialize in it so they are more capable of doing the job smoothly. And for that you need not invest into buying any equipment. They would just charge a nominal fee and you can easily get rid of them.
The other ways to get rid of these bugs are to keep your house clean, seal all holes and cracks of your house, wash your carpets thoroughly, and trap them in jar and so on. Thus by using the above techniques you can easily get rid of them.
How to Get Rid of Black Widow Spiders
May 27, 2009 by admin
Filed under Pest Control
The name Black Widow Spider was derived as they are black in color with red or orange hourglass shape on its back. They are not very famous and are also very shy in nature. Black Widow Spiders are nocturnal in nature so you will usually find them coming out in dark and that’s were they dwell. However, they have powerful venom, stronger than a rattlesnake’s, a cobra’s or even a coral snake’s venom. They are also called as hour glass or shoe button spider. There are two types of Black Widow Spiders. One male and the other one female. Normally the female ones are bigger than the male ones and they can grow as much as one and half inch with their legs and the males are almost half their size. Female Black Widows hardly eat male black widows after mating. The color of the female black widow is more bright then the male ones.
Since their venom is poisonous you need to get rid of them immediately once you find them, especially if you have a kid or elderly person at home. There are very few chances of a person getting killed due to its bite, but you would feel very uneasy and the level of discomfort would be high. It may also result into heart attack. The male black widow spider hardly bites but the female ones are very possessive about their eggs. So if they feel that someone is going to disturb their eggs they bite the person in front of them. Their venom is classified as a neurotoxin, meaning the venom would first attack the nervous system of the victim attacked.
Below are some measures to get rid of them:
1. Make sure your house is sealed – One should always keep a check on the holes and cracks at one’s place because they are the only places where the spiders can enter. Also one should ensure that there are always screens on your windows because they tend to enter through them most of the time. If you find any holes, try to seal them with cement.
2. Clean the inside and the nearby surroundings of your home – If you find any spider webs around your house try to clean that portion first and the surrounding area as that’s the first place to start with. Keep a check on those places because they might come again. Always ensure that you were boots and gloves while cleaning those remote places just to protect yourself from their poisonous bites.
3. Keep it away from insects – Insects are spider’s favorite food and if your home is full of them then there are bright chances of spiders entering your home. If there are no insects they won’t have any food. Instead use other insecticides and repellents to get rid ofBlack Widow Spider.
Hence if the above measures are taken care off you can easily get rid of the dangerous Black Widow Spider.
How to Get Rid of Beetles
May 27, 2009 by admin
Filed under Pest Control
Beetles have got the largest number of species. They are part of the order named coleoptera which means sheathed wing. Beetles can be both harmful and harmless. Some of them act as pests like red flour beetle or Colorado potato beetle while some others like effective pesticides like ladybugs. Most of the beetles are useful in one way or the other. But some of them are really dangerous to your plants. Therefore it is necessary too get rid of them.
Controlling beetles can be difficult although new techniques have been developed to get rid of them. Now a day’s pest control is the best option to get rid of the beetles as they have got the perfect knowledge and instruments to treat them. If these pests are not treated properly they may cause social disturbances, physical damage and even psychological impairment. Therefore get rid of them as soon as possible. Here are some of the ways to avoid them:
Insecticidal soap – This soap is able to kill the beetles that eat your plants in your garden. A proper insecticidal soap can be made when proper amount of castile soap is added to proper amount of water. You need to spray this soap on all plant species. This won’t harm them and would kill the beetles. But remember that killing of all beetles in your garden is not good as some of them will prove to be beneficial for your plants. Killing of all beetles will only lead to ruining your garden and not saving them from beetles.
A clean house leads to healthy living – Cleanliness is next to godliness. A clan house and body keeps our health good. A clean house avoids the infestation of pests indoors. There are certain pests who feed on your carpets, furniture, couches, etc. carpet beetles are one amongst them. Use of insecticide, washing of carpets, vacuuming your house, use of boric acid solution can help you to get rid of these house pests. But if your house is neat and clean this problem of pests will be solved much before.
Beetle traps – Beetle traps are of various form, size and shape. But most of them are not effective in getting rid of pests. Infact some of them attract more pests rather than killing them. This leads to greater infestation. If you still want to use it than take the advice of an expert and get a look of various traps and then you select one trap for your house beetles.
Milky spore – This is generally used to control Japanese beetles. This powdered form pest control attacks beetles and passes on deadly infection to them. This eventually leads to the death of the beetle. The use of this can be a good way to control Japanese beetles.
Confusion might arise on how to differentiate beneficial beetles from non beneficial ones. If this is the case then take the help of the experts and then use the above mentioned measures.

