Cook's Pest Management Blog

Are Deer Harmless?

Thu, 21 Nov 2019 01:21:25 GMT

Deer Can Be Deadly

Deer have been portrayed as elegant, graceful, peaceful animals. And from a distance, in their natural habitat, far away from human development, they certainly are. But the facts are, when deer start popping up around your house, business, and farm, they are a considerable nuisance, and can pose tremendous safety risks. It would be great if deer could stay in their space and we could stay in ours, but unfortunately, the two worlds collide more often than not.

Deer can wreak havoc on your garden or crops. A study by the University of Massachusetts says adult deer can eat up to 10 pounds of food a day. Multiply that by a multitude of deer, and the devastation can occur quickly. Researchers at UM explain, when deer do come for your crops, they don't go through in a clean sweep. Instead, they stomp through your land, tearing apart your plants from the root up. Their teeth are not made for slicing, so instead, they have to rip the plants and gnaw on them, leaving no hope for that plant to grow back from the bottom. Deer will not sit still and eat their way through an entire pumpkin, squash, or melon. They are skittish by nature, and always on the move, so many fruits and vegetables may be damaged in the course of one meal.

But it isn't just crops that deer can damage. They pose a threat to human safety overall. State Farm says in 2018 that one in 167 drivers in the United States crashed into a deer or similar animal. The Insurance Information Institute says of those 1.33 million total crashes that year, 211 people died . In a study by the North Carolina Department of Transportation from 2014 to 2017, in North Carolina alone over that period, 14 people died, and 3,265 people were injured in car accidents with deer. And as of right now, there's no sign the number of collisions is trending downward – in fact, there were 629 more crashes caused by deer in 2017 than in 2016. Those stats earn deer the rank of being the leading cause of human death by animals in the United States.

If you're lucky enough to make it out of a crash like that without injury, that doesn't mean the incident comes without pain – State Farm says the national cost per claim for a collision with a deer can reach more than $4,000 on average some years. The Federal Highway Administration says the total monetary damage nationwide amounts to about 8.4 billion dollars annually, once you factor in hospital bills, how much it costs to get law enforcement out there to direct traffic around the accident, along with the value of the deer and dealing with it. The FHA also warns people can suffer severe emotional trauma from being put in a situation where they feared death. That's a price no one could put a number on.

Washington State University studied diseases that can be passed from deer to humans and found some scary stuff. They can pass on Tuberculosis, Q Fever, Weil's Disease, and more. They carry the bacteria for chlamydia and salmonella. A lot of the time, the animal might not even seem or look sick, and you don't have to come in contact with the actual deer; many of these diseases can spread by the animal's urine. Ticks that travel on deer can carry Lyme Disease, which you can contract if you are bitten. Some cases of Lyme Disease can last up to 6 months. If you're pregnant or if your immune system is compromised, you're at an even higher risk of contracting those diseases. The state of North Carolina says trapping deer and trying to relocate them is largely unsuccessful. Plus, there are complicated federal laws that affect where you can relocate deer.

We're here to tell you, there's a better way. Let Cooks Pest Management do a free inspection at your home or business. We only ever use methods of deer removal that are both humane and scientifically proven to work. We'll make sure not only to get any deer away that are hanging around your property at the moment; we'll also keep them from coming back in the future. We live in the area we service and have been around these deer for many years. We will use the same tried and true methods for you that we use on our property. Give us a call today.

Why Are We So Scared Of Spiders And Other Creepy Bugs?

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 01:29:34 GMT

Why Are We Afraid Of Bugs?

Many people have adverse reactions to spiders, centipedes, scorpions, and all sorts of other scary bugs. Reactions vary from disgust to anxiety to outright fear. These reactions are reasonable and should not be concerning. However, extreme fear responses can cause issues for some people in their normal activities and may become medical conditions requiring treatment.

Humans May Have Both Learned and Evolved to Be Wary of Spiders and Dangerous Bugs

It is well-known among psychologists and scientists that spiders, scorpions, centipedes, and other frightening-looking bugs cause common and regularly repeating fear responses in humans. There are several theories about why, including appearance, the danger of venom, cultural imprinting, and other reasons.

Many scientists think that the human species has a genetic and evolutionary predisposition to be afraid of spiders and multi-legged bugs that can be dangerous. The theory is that our ancestors had responses to venomous animals, bugs, and spiders that caused genetic changes over time to hard-wire us to be cautious or even fearful of potentially harmful creatures. Some genetic traits are more persistent than others, and the natural fear of spiders seems very persistent through human history.

Some researchers point to the idea of “spider trauma.” When young children have scary experiences with spiders or other bugs or witness others having such experiences, the impression on the mind can last throughout their lives. Exposure to similar situations later in life can trigger the previous fear and anxiety felt in the past.

Social conditioning is also a likely explanation for a cultural fear of spiders and other scary bugs. Spiders are not creatures that people typically consider cuddling up with or keeping as a pet, and the fear of spiders and other insects is usually considered a more typical response. The feelings that adults have and express to their children make distinct impacts on how they react to similar conditions. While children usually enjoy digging around in the garden and playing with everything they find, as they grow older, they are provided modeling behaviors regarding reactions to spiders and certain types of other bugs.

Clinical Diagnoses For Extreme and Irrational Fear Responses to Spiders and Other Bugs
We are all familiar with the concept of phobias. Ordinary caution and fear responses to spiders is not a phobia, however. Phobias are conditions that can be medically diagnosed and treated. A phobia is generally defined as an anxiety disorder that causes irrational behavior in response to a triggering stimulus. Those who have a phobia often modify their behavior to avoid the things they are afraid of, and the imagined threat is typically not relatable to real risks or dangers. Phobias can cause altered behaviors, intense anxiety, and panic attacks.

Entomophobia is a clinical fear of bugs in general. Arachnophobia relates to fear of spiders, scorpions, and other eight-legged arachnids. Disabling fear of centipedes is known as Scolopendrphobia. Persons suffering from these types of phobias have symptoms ranging from serious physical reactions when seeing a spider or centipede up to becoming unable to handle activities in basements, attics, or even outdoors where spiders or other bugs may be encountered.

Handling Fear of Spiders and Other Bugs
Real phobias can be severe medical conditions that require professional treatment. Specific phobias are usually treated with therapy. Therapists use cognitive-behavioral therapy to address the connections between negative and anxious thoughts and particular objects or creatures that are feared. Effective treatment can help in breaking down the connection between spiders and other bugs and adverse thoughts and physical reactions. Some techniques also are effective at breaking down the hypersensitivity to the fearful spider or insect. In some cases, medication is needed to facilitate the full treatment of specific phobias.

Otherwise, usual aversion to spiders and other traditionally scary bugs can be handled by avoiding the creatures when possible and exterminating them when they conflict with the use of our homes and other spaces. Spiders and most other frightening bugs are creatures that seek out suitable habitat, including food and water. When professional treatments address exclusion and habitat control, spiders and insects can typically be controlled.

In all circumstances, professional pest treatments are effective at keeping spiders, millipedes, centipedes, and other bugs that cause feelings of fear or disgust away from our living spaces indoors and outdoors.

Is DIY Pest Control Less Expensive Than Professional Treatment?

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 01:14:00 GMT

Is DIY Pest Control Cheaper?

Many people delay getting pest control services out of concern over the costs. They live with the frustration and health-risks of pests and vermin in their home because they don't want to, or fear that they can't afford, to have them removed. Other's balk at the idea of professional pest control treatment, believing that they can save a significant amount of money by picking up a few products at the local hardware store and dealing with the problem themselves.

The truth is, in almost all pest control situations, hiring a professional to assess and deal with your infestation saves you money in the long run.Over the counter pesticides are not nearly as lethal as those available to licensed pros, and even the best ones must be appropriately placed and properly executed to be effective. Homeowner's typically tried 2-3 products before they find one that works for them, and even then, it's likely to be a short-term solution. This means additional treatments at additional time and expense.Other factors that determine cost include the size of your home, price, the effectiveness of products, time invested, and safety.

Size Of Your Home

Much of the expense of pest control will depend on the square footage of the home being treated. You'll end up paying less if your home is smaller. Bigger houses mean more time spent locating and identifying the problem, and more product to dispatch it.

Cost of Products

The cost of over-the-counter extermination products varies wildly, based on brand, what type of pests you're dealing with, and how bad the infestation is. Labor, of course, is free (or, is it? How much is your time worth?) but you'll still be out-of-pocket for sprayers, insecticides, poisons, baits, traps, and protective gear for yourself and, in some cases, your furniture, and cleaning materials when the job is done. Don't rely on cheaper methods if your infestation is severe. You'll likely be wasting your hard-earned money on a short-term fix or worse…no fix at all.

One of the best reasons to hire a pest control service is that these are professionals who have the training and experience to not only determine the types of pests on your property but how best to eliminate them, as well. Certain pests can be eradicated using poisoned bait, and some are best dealt with using traps, while still others require specific chemicals.Knowing precisely what is needed for the problem at hand, as well as how (and where) to best deploy it, dramatically reduces time, effort, and expenses that can otherwise be wasted when "shooting in the dark" methods fail. Speaking of…

Time

If you choose to DIY, you'll need to research and compare both the costs and effectiveness of any brand or methods you're considering, which, of course, means more of your time spent.

After that, you'll need to find the location of the infestation, as well as where and how they are entering the home, and deal with that first.

Depending on what methods you use, you may also need to:

Relocate family and pets, especially small children and the elderly
Purchase and layout protective covers for your furniture, or move it out of the house
Set up and deploy baits, traps, or foggers…and wait for them to work.
Finally, you'll need to clean the whole mess up, all the while hoping that all of your time and effort wasn't in vain.

If not, you can, of course, try another method, meaning more time and more money, with no greater guarantee of success.Professionals typically offer some type of time and success guarantee. They can afford to do this because, due to their experience, they can get the job done more quickly, and are much likelier to have effective, reliable results than the non-professional.

Your Family's Health & Safety

By far, the most crucial factor when asking yourself if DIY pest control cost more than professional treatments is the safety and well-being of and yourself your family. The chemicals used to kill insects, rodents, and other pests can be dangerous, particularly to children or pets. Traps and baits can be equally dangerous .

Plus, they have professional-grade safety gear to protect themselves in the process. So, even though it's tempting to trying to remedy pest problems yourself, with some store-bought or home remedies, and even though, yes, it may cost less in the short-term, pest control – like dental work – is one of those jobs that's best left to the professionals.

Eradicating pests not only contributes our family's health, safety, and happiness; it protects the value of what is, for most of us, our single most valuable investment. Our home.

Bed Bug Prevention Tips

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 03:29:36 GMT

Tips To Avoid Bringing Home Unwanted Guests

The best solution for a Bed Bug infestation is prevention. Once Bed Bugs have established a presence in your home, professional extermination is usually required to get rid of them. Bed Bugs can quickly and easily travel inside your home, riding on items from other places. Here are some practical tips to help keep these pests from getting inside your home.

Do Not Give Bed Bugs Attractive Habitat Inside Your Home

No matter how clean your home is, Bed Bugs can hitchhike in on items from the outside world. There are some things that you can do to prevent them from finding suitable space inside your home to set up housekeeping.

Bed Bugs especially like to hide away in bedding, where it easy for them to stay close to their human food sources. You can use a protective cover to encase your mattress and box springs to prevent access by Bed Bugs. A quality cover that is resistant to tearing and treated by the manufacturer with safe pesticides designed to repel Bed Bugs can be very effective in keeping pests out of your bedding.

It is essential not to let clothes or linens pile up on the floor. Bed Bugs often initially land on carpeting, where they can jump up onto these items or other clutter. Regular vacuum cleaning of all flooring can remove bugs that have recently arrived before they can find a good hiding place.

Take Precautionary Measures When Traveling

Even the most elegant hotels can experience Bed Bug issues. There is no way of knowing if the person who occupied your room the previous day brought in luggage carrying Bed Bugs looking for a new living space.

The first thing to do when you get to your hotel room is to get your luggage up on the luggage rack and then check the room for any signs of infestation. The sheets, bedding, and mattress skirts should be clean and free of any rust-colored spots. Look over the furniture and mattresses. Lift cushions and also look around the bed frame and headboard.

Check out your luggage while it remains on the rack during your stay and before you leave. Keep the rack away from the walls and the bed. Bed Bugs often hide in headboards and in electrical outlets in addition to bedding.

When you get home, unpack and inspect your luggage away from your bedroom or any linens. Wash everything you took with you, even the things you did not wear or use. Be sure that everything gets at least 15 minutes in your dryer on the highest heat setting.

Also, consider using your own blankets for protecting furniture when moving rather than those provided by a moving or truck rental company. These commercial blankets may not be adequately cleaned and can be an ideal habitat for Bed Bugs.

Carefully Inspect Used Furniture, Antiques, And Other Items You Purchase

Examine any used items thoroughly before bringing them inside your home. Look for evidence of Bed Bugs on upholstery or any fabric surface. Red stains, small spots that look like ink stains, or tiny yellowish skin or egg remains are telltale signs. Examine drawers, shelves, and any covered wooden structures, as Bed Bugs also hide where clothing or fabric has been stored in the past.

Clothing or other fabrics purchased at garage sales should be examined and then cleaned when you get home, in the same way, your travel clothes are cleaned. Even electronics and appliances should be checked. Bed Bugs will hide inside tiny cracks and spaces in these types of items when things are getting moved around before a sale.

You should carefully examine any furniture, antiques, or other used items before you make a purchase, and then again at home before you bring the items inside.

Check Items Purchased Online and Shipped to Your Home

Items that are shipped directly from commercial warehouses are usually safe from Bed Bug infestation. However, many retailers and auction sites often ship from sellers’ homes or storage areas that are not maintained in the same way as large commercial facilities.

Handling packages at your home with a simple routine in mind can help prevent any risk of Bed Bugs coming inside your home in packaging or contents. When possible, open packages outdoors and leave the packaging and cardboard outside in your recycling or trash receptacles. After unpacking, check your items carefully and wipe them down. If you have any clothing or fabrics, clean them as you would your travel items when returning home.

We hope these tips help keep Bed Bugs out of your home. If you have any Bed Bug control questions, or are experiencing Bed Bug problems, contact Cook’s Pest Management today for a free inspection, and to get a quote for professional and effective Bed Bug treatment and control for your property.

Are House Flies Harmless?

Sat, 20 Jul 2019 13:49:59 GMT

Flies Are Just A Nuisance. Right? Wrong!

Diseases Flies Can Spread and Carry

One of the most annoying pests around your home is the common fly. It is such a nuisance, always buzzing in your face and hovering over your food. Not to mention, it’s even more challenging to swat and kill. While the fly’s behavior might be frustrating enough, what you should be more concerned with is its disease-carrying abilities.

There are more than 16,000 species of flies in North America. They all belong to the order Diptera, which means “two wings.” Because flies only have two wings, they need to land often. Every time they land, whether it’s on your kitchen counter, in your fruit bowl, or on you, flies deposit thousands of harmful bacteria that can spread disease.

How Do Flies Spread Disease?

Flies quickly spread diseases because they land on and feed off of undesirable things such as feces and rotting trash. From there, they pick up disease-causing bacteria. The bacteria adhere to the legs and wings of the fly and becomes a significant route of transmission for disease. According to the World Health Organization ( WHO ), transmission then takes place when flies land on people or their food.

Another reason that flies spread bacteria is they often vomit up and defecate where they land and feed. While inside a home, this occurs most often in the kitchen, where food is being prepared or is left out.

What Diseases Do Flies Spread?

It is believed that flies can transmit at least 65 illnesses that infect people. Some of the most common diseases they may spread include food poisoning, dysentery, and diarrhea. Other diseases that flies are known to spread include cholera and typhoid. They can also cause eye infections and skin infections such as yaws, cutaneous diphtheria, and leprosy.

A study from Penn State University’s Department of Entomology has discovered another germ that flies can transmit. They found that the bacteria Helicobacter Pylori can be spread by flies. When H. Pylori germs enter your body, they can live in your digestive tract for years, causing ulcers in your stomach or the upper part of your small intestine. For some, this can lead to stomach cancer.

How Do You Control Flies and the Spread of Disease?

Another interesting finding from Penn State University’s study is that flies in the city carry more pathogens than flies in rural areas. This makes it critical that your home in the city is free from flies and their spread of disease.

One way to stop the transmission of bacteria by flies is to deter their activity and keep things as clean as possible. Clean sink drains and empty and clean out all trash bins, for example. Make sure that all window and door screens are also intact.

If you have a fly infestation or are concerned about controlling their population, you should contact an expert in pest control. Call the professionals at Cook’s Pest Management for a free estimate. For thorough pest control, we are the ones to trust.

How You Can Protect Yourself From Mosquitoes & Ticks

Thu, 20 Jun 2019 15:26:52 GMT

Yard Treatments Can Protect Your Family & Guests

Yard Treatments for Mosquitoes and Ticks

Outdoor living in North Carolina and Virginia during warm weather typically includes ticks and mosquitoes invading your property looking for victims to feed upon. These pests carry diseases , and the painful bites from mosquitoes can ruin the enjoyment of your yard and outdoor living space. Effective control has traditionally been limited to using repellents and continuously inspecting yourself and your family for ticks. Now you have another option to keep these biting pests away before they become a problem -- professional yard treatments .

How Yard Treatments Work

Our yard treatment service includes a careful inspection of your property. We will advise you regarding the elimination of standing water to the extent possible, as still water is a primary mosquito breeding habitat .

During mosquito and tick season, our technicians will treat the appropriate areas of your property with proper insecticides selected for your specific conditions. Generally, we target vegetation, grassy areas, ground cover, and dark areas where mosquitoes and ticks prefer to stay during the hottest times of the day. The treatment is designed to kill adult mosquitoes and ticks and to create a residue barrier that repels future pests from entering your property.

During the breeding season, your property should be treated every three or four weeks, depending on your property layout and other conditions. We will consult with you to develop the proper treatment plan for your property.

Are Yard Treatments Effective?

With regular yard treatments throughout the breeding season for mosquitoes and ticks, you will find that the need for candles, sprays, and other repellents are greatly reduced. Our treatments kill both existing pests and interrupt the breeding cycle as well, especially for mosquitoes. Female mosquitoes usually mate once per breeding season and then can lay eggs five times or more throughout the hot weather months. Once adult females are killed, and other females are repelled from your property, the breeding cycle for individual pests on your property is significantly disrupted. Our professional treatments, in combination with removal of unnecessary standing water around your property, will destroy the breeding habitat for mosquitoes and ticks on your property throughout the entire season.

Our professional treatments are designed to effectively kill the targeted pests while not harming the beneficial insects and other animals that protect your yard, landscaping, and garden.

Yard Treatments Are Family and Pet Friendly

The pesticides that are permitted for use against mosquitoes and ticks are strictly regulated by the government, and the Environmental Protection Agency determines which pesticides are safe for use in yards and other living spaces for people.

Depending on your particular circumstances, professional yard treatments can include larvicides, adulticides, and synergists. A professionally calculated combination of these types of pesticides kill and repel adult pests, and also kill larvae and immature ticks and mosquitoes.

When your yard is professionally treated, you will only need to keep your family and pets out of the treated area for 30 minutes following the treatment. The treatment material that remains to repel pests between treatments is not harmful to your family or animals. Normal washing of your fruits and vegetables from your garden after picking is all that is needed before consumption.

Professional Treatments Are Safer and More Effective Than Do-It-Yourself Applications

Because we are licensed pest control professionals, we are able to apply our experience and knowledge in preparing and making yard treatments for your property. Property-wide yard treatments are not an area where “do-it-yourself” is a good plan, either for efficiency or for safety.

Professional treatments ensure that the proper products are used, in the right way, and in the right mixture and amount. Misapplied chemicals can result in health risks for your family and pets, and can harm your natural grasses, foliage, and garden plants. Misuse of chemical products also promotes insecticide resistance, which will result in making the tick and mosquito problem worse than it is now.

Improper application of pesticides across your property can also easily harm non-target insects and other animals, causing environmental and property damage. Because the entire yard is being treated, do-it-yourself applications can also easily drift into unintended areas of your property and off of your property where the chemicals might cause harm. Yard treatments are cost-effective, safe, and they work when left up to our professional technicians.

Call Cook’s Pest Management today to get a quote for professional yard treatments for ticks and mosquitoes for your property.

Why Do You Need Year Round Pest Control Anyway?

Tue, 21 May 2019 00:05:52 GMT

Pests don’t disappear in the winter, and neither do the health hazards they present.

Like many problems we deal with in our daily lives, “out of sight, out of mind” as a way of thinking can result in poor planning and results. Pest control and management is no exception.

It is no problem to think of getting rid of ants, rodents, other bugs, and hazards when we see them around. In fact, it can be hard to think of anything else. Whether it is during cold weather or after you have gone through the expense of getting rid of pests in the first place, not seeing an active infestation does not mean that your pest management plan should be put on hold. In fact, consistent and professional pest management is most important during the times you might not think about it. Prevention is the best cure and requires vigilance throughout the year. Thankfully, Cook’s Pest Management is available to handle that planning for you with treatments and inspections regularly throughout the year.

Many pests look for shelter inside your home or business in colder weather and can be an even greater threat when you would least expect them to be. Termites, ants, and roaches seek out the warmth of indoor conditions. Wasps, hornets, and spiders are well known to seek out dry attic spaces during winter months. Rodents and other mammal pests are especially attracted to warm insulation and other bedding material inside the structures of your home or business.

The health hazards that pests present to your family or your business’s guests and employees do not go away in the cold weather. Rodents and other disease-transmitting pests do not die in the winter, and they are looking for warm, safe places to wait out the cold months. Even in freezing weather, these pests still harbor pathogens, mites, fleas, and all sorts of other hazards that can easily be transmitted to your family or pets inside your home.

The cooler months provide an excellent opportunity for attic treatments and more extensive inspections for the best exclusionary and preventative techniques available for your property. Many flies, ants, and spiders love to spend the colder months in attics while waiting for warm weather. If left alone in your attic, they are able to begin extensive infestations from inside your home when the weather heats up. The colder months are the ideal time to exterminate these pests while they are less active and easier to permanently eliminate. Safe and effective pesticides are typically more effective in colder weather as there are less light and heat effects that can degrade their use.

The key to effective pest control and management is prevention, as opposed to dealing with new infestations when they occur. Cold weather inspections and exclusionary treatments are often much more effective than during warmer months. When vegetation is less active and animal activity is decreased, locating and sealing cracks and points of entry for pests is more effective. Vents and other openings are easier to inspect for leaks or weaknesses. Drainage and other water runoff issues are easier to detect in colder months as well. Observing winter drainage provides better information regarding water control in combating termites and general moisture concerns.

Regular pesticide treatment and inspections ensure that your pest management plan is working at its best to protect your home and family. Pests never take a day off regardless of the weather outside. They are constantly in search of food, water, and shelter, and will attack your property at every opportunity. Regular and professional maintenance will keep them moving on and away from your property. Preventing the next pest infestation is always preferable to waiting to get rid of it once it has occurred.

Modern professional integrated pest management practices involve regular inspection and record keeping of pest control techniques and methods. Professional treatment on a regular basis all through the year provides vital information regarding the effectiveness of treatment and prevention of future infestation. Consistent monitoring and inspecting your property helps to determine which pests are the most likely to invade unless they are prevented entry.

Contact Cook’s Pest Management today for a consultation and free estimate of your year-around pest control needs.