How to Make an Ant Cake

September 26th, 2011 | Leave a Comment (4) »

After receiving e-mails about our Labor Day ant cake, we decided to post the details of the arduous process.  Maybe you’re a mom with a toddler who loves ants and you need a special birthday cake.  Maybe you’re just weird like us.

1)       Bake three round 9” cakes.  Chocolate is best.  But you probably already know that.  Maybe you prefer lemon, but that would be wrong here.  Cherry?  You are twisted.  Please send us a photograph of your finished product.
2)      Assemble the three cakes end-to-end in a straight line.  Regardless of your cake flavor, chocolate frosting is required.  We used dark chocolate frosting because we are very  health-minded and have heard that dark chocolate has antioxidants.  Seriously.  It’s true.  We read it on the internet.  As we were eating dark chocolate.  Trying to find out what ‘antioxidant’ means.

3)      Line up six sticks of thick black licorice.  We use Red Vines black licorice.  I know… we just blew your mind.  Red Vines are red.  But they also make black ones.  Use the black ones.  Do not use Twizzlers, because Twizzlers are terrible.
4)      Using a really tiny band saw (or a butter knife), cut half-way through the middle of each licorice stick.  This is so that you can bend the legs away from the cut, so that they appear segmented.  What?  Did you really think we would make a morphologically errant ant cake?  We are professionals here.

5)      Frost the licorice sticks.  It’s a little tough, but the darkness of the licorice is forgiving.
6)      Take your chocolate-frosted Red Vine black licorice sticks and stab them into the middle round cake as indicated in the illustration.

7)      Use thin black licorice whips as antennae (Don’t frost them.  It ruins the reception.)
8)      MOST IMPORTANT:  Serve the ant cake on a red and white checkered vinyl tablecloth.  This is for authenticity, and to make the cake taste better.  Children find it delightful.  Grandmothers find it disconcerting.

That’s it.  The whole ant-chilada.  You are now an ant cake queen.  Please send us pics of your cake being enjoyed.  And send us ideas for other bug-related food stuffs.

Bon ant-etit!

Tags: ant cake, birthday ant cake, insect cake, picnic cakef
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Frequently Asked Questions: Bed Bugs

September 19th, 2011 | Leave a Comment (1) »

How do you get bed bugs?

* It is uncommon to experience bed bugs in a single-family residence, so don’t be frightened by the recent hysteria.

* Bed bugs are more common in a high transient population, dorms and apartments.

* They are passed around from one infested home to the other.

* Although they are called “bed bugs,” the bugs can live anywhere that you are sedentary so that they can feed from your blood.

How to know if you have bed bugs?

* You find rust colored blood stains on your sheets.

* Small bites on arms and legs result in red swollen and itchy skin.

How to prevent bed bugs?

Sadly, the best prevention is to avoid contact with bed bugs altogether.  If you have been in contact with bed bugs, it doesn’t mean that a new colony will sprout at your home.  In order for bed bugs to proliferate at your property, you would have needed to import a pregnant female or a mated pair.

How to treat bed bugs?

* There is no at-home or over the counter remedy for bed bugs. Don’t even waste time trying different solutions — get them treated QUICKLY.  If just a single pregnant bed bug is left in your untreated home, four months later you’ll have 9,600 of them.  At the five-month mark you’ll have 31,500.

* If you spot any of the signs, a detailed and thorough inspection must take place by a professional. Bed bugs can hide where you would least expect.

* There is sometimes a physical removal of live bugs with a vacuum-chambered device.  The mattress and box spring are sealed with bug-proof encasements to ensure any bed bugs that might have remained hidden inside are never able to escape.  Targeted residual and contact insecticides are also applied.  In the past year,  heat treatments have been used with great success.

* Follow-up visits are also crucial and should be scheduled at intervals that match the hatching patterns of newly hatching bed bugs.

For more information about bed bugs: http://www.lloydpest.com/bed-bugs/

Tags: bed bug inspection, bed bugs, bed bugs treatment, get rid of bed bugs, how to find bed bugs, how you get bed bugs, prevent bed bugs, signs of bed bugs
Posted in Bed Bugs, Pest Control Tips | Leave a Comment (1) »

Termite Swarming Season

September 14th, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Here are Lloyd Pest Control, our phones have been ringing off the hook with homeowners experiencing termites in their home. Last week, we posted a blog about how to detect and prevent termites. This week, our very own Dr. Eric Paysen made several appearances on news programs to discuss the issue of swarming termites.

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Termite Season: Termite Warning Signs and Termite Prevention.

September 6th, 2011 | Leave a Comment (2) »

 By Eric Paysen, Ph. D.

The end of summer brings with it melancholy.  But here in Southern California, it also brings Santa Ana winds.  And wildfires.  And a much less publicized disaster waiting to happen:  termites.  Each September and October, millions of mating termites swarm through our skies in search of new homes to colonize.  The annual cost of termite damage in the U.S.?  Five billion dollars.

Wood is critical to the survival of termites, which is why swarms will fly around in the hope of landing on a wood-framed home, garage, fence or gazebo.  Poor eyesight leaves the fate of the termites up to the winds.  For this reason, 99 percent of the termites in a mating swarm will die trying.  Only one percent will successfully find a wooden structure to call home. The lucky male termites that do happen to latch onto a chunk of raw or exposed wood will look for a female partner.  Water-damaged eaves, paint-chipped fascia boards, – these are the ideal conditions for termite romance.   To termites, the exposed two-by-fours of a garage are like merlot and a Barry White album.  Termite babies are born.  The new family feeds itself on the structure.  In time, the family becomes a colony, eating tunnels through the wood frame of the entire structure, often hollowing out beams and studs until they crumble.

San Diego, Riverside, and Orange County are ideal termite breeding grounds because of the combination of heat and humidity that pervades the region during the months of August, September, and October.   Swarming typically takes place on sunny afternoons, when temperatures are between 80 and 90 degrees F.

While termites are somewhat unpredictable and can infest any type of property, there are some measures that you can take to protect your home and prevent termite infestation.

1. Stay up to date on house repairs: Termites will try to find unpainted  crevices or exposed raw wood fissures to bury themselves. Make sure that all wooden surfaces are sealed or painted.  Don’t ignore exposed surfaces in the attic or garage.
2. Use fine mesh screens over vent openings:  Attic and crawl space vents are a very common point of entry for termites. Installing a fine mesh screen on your vents is easy and inexpensive.
3. Get regular termite inspections: Most companies, such as Lloyd Pest Control, provide a free termite inspection.  A healthy interval between termite inspections is two years.  Eradicating termites before too much damage is done can mean the difference between spending a couple of hundred dollars versus thousands of dollars in termite treatment. Termite damage occurs slowly over time, so catching an infestation early is critical.

Termite damage is commonly identified in door frames, garages, and attics.  Just about any wooden expanse, big or small, can be susceptible – even furniture and items of decor. Because termites work beneath the surface, it can take up to five-to-seven years before a termite colony produces any real detectable damage. Don’t panic if you see a couple of termites here or there; this is natural and should not be cause for alarm.

Warning signs that you may have a mature termite colony and infestation include:

1. A swarm of termites emanating from your house, or termites flying around inside
2. Piles of sawdust-like pellets or translucent wings abandoned near window sills and sliding glass doors.
3. Surface blisters on wood.  Often these blisters are caused by tunnels, or ‘galleys,’ dug by termites.

Following these simple termite preventative measures – and being able to identify termite warning signs – can help you avoid the costs and headaches caused by drywood termite swarms.

Dr. Eric Paysen is the lead Entomologist and Technical Director at Lloyd Pest Control, a Southern California-based company that specializes in ant and termite solutions. Dr. Paysen holds a Ph.D. in Entomology from Clemson University. See more from Dr. Paysen here.

Tags: termite control, termite prevention, termite season, termite treatment, termite warning signs, Termites
Posted in Pest Control Tips, Termites | Leave a Comment (2) »

How to Set a Mousetrap

August 8th, 2011 | Leave a Comment (6) »

Trap:

Use a Victor Mousetrap. Note: mice are neophobic, which means they are afraid of new things, so it will take them some time to get to know the trap.  Don’t be discouraged if the trap isn’t sprung the first day.

Bait:

Contrary to popular cartoons, mice prefer peanut butter to cheese. It works best when you sprinkle a small amount of oatmeal on top of the peanut butter. Mice are attracted to the smell of the oils in the peanut butter and the grains of the oatmeal.

Placement:

Perpendicular to the wall – so that the mouse will be caught no matter which direction it is coming from. Mice have poor eyesight and use whiskers to feel their way around, staying close to the wall – using their whiskers like little curb feelers. You may see droppings or oily brown streaks (from the oil on the fur) along the base of the wall.

Don’t:

Never use poisonous rodent bait for interior rodent infestations. If ingested, baits can be dangerous to children and pets. Additionally, after mice eat the bait, they’ll go somewhere else to die (like between your walls) and will eventually rot and smell.

Tags: get rid of a mouse, How to catch a mouse, how to catch a rodent, how to set a mousetrap, mouse bait, mouse prevention, mouse trap, rat, rat bait, rat poison, rat trap, rodent, rodent traps
Posted in Pest Control Tips, Rodents | Leave a Comment (6) »

Find Your Voice Supports Visual and Performing Arts

July 28th, 2011 | Leave a Comment (1) »

When school budget cuts were sweeping through San Diego, the first cuts were to the visual and performing arts departments. That’s when we stepped in to inspire student creativity. We teamed with Cathryn Beeks, the host of the Homegrown Hour on 102.1 KPRi, and local artists to create “Find Your Voice” to raise critical funds for the San Diego Unified School Districts visual and performing arts department.

Most recently, a Find Your Voice event at Farb Middle School featured local artist David Ryan Norgen and The Socialists, along with a student ensemble from the school, playing in front of family, friends, neighbors and supporters to encourage students to forge their own path and find their own voice.

How can you help AND enjoy the music of local, award-winning artists? Purchase a Find Your Voice CD for just $5, available online. 100% of the proceeds go to the San Diego Unified School District’s Visual and Performing Arts Department.

Posted in Company News | Leave a Comment (1) »

How can I keep bugs out of my house?

July 13th, 2011 | Leave a Comment (1) »

Fox 5 invited us to their studio for a segment called “What’s Buggin’ You?” Our entomologist, Dr. Eric Paysen and Fox 5 Morning News Anchor, Shally Zomorodi, review some steps you can take to avoid pests in your home this summer.

Easy Do-It-Yourself tips from Lloyd Pest Control’s Dr. Paysen to defend your home against common pest invaders:

1. Screens.  Fix those hole-y screens to keep out flying and crawling insects.
2. Door sweeps and weather-stripping.  The bigger the gap between your doors and the outside world, the greater the invitation to bugs and rodents.
3. Pruning shears.  Plants growing against the side of the house invite bugs and rodents to share a wall with you and your delicious food.  Trim bushes and plants back at least a foot from your structure.
4. Steel wool and a can of foam. Plug gaps in the wall where plumbing pipes and conduit enter the home.  Use steel wool or hardware cloth (rodents can’t chew through it) and seal with expanding foam to keep out all pests and moisture.
5. A caulking gun.  Seal window joints to keep moisture from settling and softening wood.  Moisture-damaged wood invites termites.
6. Move woodpiles  far away from your home and wooden fences.  Woodpiles invite both subterranean and drywood termites that would be happy to expand their colony into your home’s framing.
7. Use Ziploc bags and Tupperware to isolate food items in pantries contaminated with Stored Food Pests (those little, fuzzy, moth-like pantry bugs).  After a few days, throw away the products that are inside the sealed containers where bugs appear – generally rice and grains (This trick could save you hundreds of grocery dollars).
8. Potted plants.   Don’t over-water potted plants inside your home.  They’ll invite ants during the summer.  If ants set up shop in a potted plant, put it outside for a few days in the sun.  The ants will abandon the dry soil.
9. Rubber gaskets and a faucet repair kits are super cheap, easy ways to stop faucets from dripping.  Dripping faucets are like a waterpark for ants.
10. Windex.  Windex – or any similar product WITH ammonia – can be used to erase ants’ pheromone or scent trails.  Soap won’t work.  Neither will bleach.  Ammonia obliterates the pheromone, and keeps ants away.  Otherwise the trail remains, ready to attract the next set of ants to the same path.

For more information on protecting your home, visit our website www.LloydPest.com, or call 1-800-223-2847.

Tags: Ammonia, Ants, Pantry Moths, Pheromone, Potted Plants, Termites, Trails, Windex, Woodpiles
Posted in Pest Control Tips | Leave a Comment (1) »