Rodent Control Methods

While it may be spooky season, we're willing to bet you'd prefer spiders to stay out of your house. But as the weather gets colder and the days shorten, your abode is exactly where they want to be. This time of year is when you're most likely to see an eight-legged intruder in your home.  So how do you keep the outdoors out?  "Spiders are much like us," explains HGTV star and gardening expert Chris Lambton. "They enter our homes in search of food, water, and shelter. Your house also provides safety and a safe place to reproduce."  While that may sound unnerving, Lambton says a little prevention can go a long way in keeping your home sealed from spiders and other bugs. We asked him and entomologist Josh Matta about what that looks like and how we can do it ourselves. Read on for what they had to say.   Eliminate entry points. One way to keep creepy crawlies out of your house is making sure they can't get in...

Night falls. A thick, black curtain of darkness envelops the sky. The air is still and silent. Suddenly, a creature with long, disproportionate claws with flaps of veiny skin between its fingers appears in the air, flapping its dark-colored skin-wings swiftly. A shimmer of light gleams off the glistening, prominent, curved fangs in its agape maw. Blood. Blood is what it's after, right? No, human blood is not what bats feed on, said John Abbott, chief curator and director of the Department of Museum Research and Collections at the University of Alabama. The Mexican free-tailed bat. Bats get an undeserved bad reputation and are overwhelmingly beneficial animals, says the University of Alabama's John Abbott. (J.C. Abbott) " data-medium-file="https://i2.wp.com/alabamanewscenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/rsz_mexican_free-tailed_bat_20090319_0383-1.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i2.wp.com/alabaman...

My houseplants were pest free, due to the dry summer. However, there is one obnoxious hitchhiker I did not detect until the plants came inside—the fungus gnat. These gnats thrive in moist soil and love potted houseplants. You will know you have them when you see very tiny delicate, grayish or black, mosquito-like flies (1/8 inch-long) flying around your plants, especially when you are watering them. Fungus gnat larvae usually are located in the top 2 to 3 inches of the soil, depending on moisture level, and primarily feed on plant roots, fungi, and decaying plant matter. Gnats are not strong fliers and emerge from soil when disturbed. Adult fungus gnats actually do not damage plants nor do they bite people. But the adult gnat's presence is considered a real nuisance and its larvae can actually damage a plant. In addition to seeing adult gnats flying around, you may see symptoms of this infestation in your plants, including sudden wilting, loss of vigor, ...

"Plymouth Rock," the new song being released just in time for Thanksgiving by the rock band The Shang Hi Los, is not an ode to the First Thanksgiving (real or mythologized), but rather, it's about exactly what the title says: Being young and learning to rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts. You don't need to really know that to enjoy the song, though. Even if you can't be bothered to look up that vocalist-guitarist Jen D'Angora is from Plymouth, this is still an electrifying jolt of rock 'n' roll, a blissfully affectionate reminiscence of teenage rebellion and disaffection. "I remember kick the can," sings D'Angora, "And every year more cement/On top of Plymouth Rock so it looked real/40 miles in beat up cars/Broken, sweaty rodent bars/To get to what our parents couldn't steal." There's a lot reflected in this verse: A sense of adolescent boredom, a youthful view of a dead-end town and a manufactured history, a sense of stifl...

An Arizona resident recently encountered two problems that are likely to ruin anyone's day: the rattlesnake hiding in her home and the hugely inflated price she was charged to get rid of them. Margaret Bullimore got up early one morning and was met with a rude awakening upon stepping out onto her patio. A rattlesnake, both common to Arizona but still a danger to humans, was slithering in her space. "I got to say I panicked," Bullimore told ABC15. "I didn't know what to do." She called the chain pest control company Orkin, which she had used in the past, but was told they do not handle snakes and instead was directed to reach out to a company called Critter Control. Within less than an hour, a man from Critter Control reached her house, located the snake, took some photographs, and gave her an estimate of $895 to remove the reptile. Bullimore was shocked at the price, which she later found out was just as exorbitant as she first thought. She told ABC15: ...

LOGO: CONSERV Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Conserv Wildlife Removal has acquired Wildman Wildlife Removal and Exclusion, based in Durham, N.C. Terms were not disclosed. Wildman was founded by Frank Cisa in 2017, and provides the Durham and Raleigh markets with nuisance wildlife control, exclusion, and attic restoration services. In a news release, Cisa explained that when it came time to sell his business, he chose Conserv because of the relationship and mentorship he received over the years from its team. He will remain as an advisor while also pursuing other endeavors. "Conserv came to me two years ago, and I was not ready to sell," Cisa said in the news release. "They were very helpful in giving me advice to grow and prepare for a potential exit in the future." In the news release, Conserv CEO Kyle Waltz noted that "Frank has built a very reputable and impressive company. We look forward to continuing to provide positive experiences for his customers an...

About a month ago, I wrote a blog on getting your lawn ready for spring and summer. The time for crabgrass pre-emergent is over now. If you didn't put one down, you may have to deal with it in the summer when it shows, which is usually in July and August. Now is the time for the next treatment, which is a weed and feed. What You Need To Know Mid-spring and late summer/early autumn are the best times to control weeds  Two types of weed control include granular and liquid spray If your lawn is loaded with weeds, it may take more than one application You've probably noticed all the dandelions popping up all over the place now. If you've treated your lawn over the past few years, most likely, you'll have fewer of them. Spring and early fall are the two best times to treat weeds. Grass is obviously dormant in winter, but it can also go through another dormant period in summer during an extended peri...