3 ways to enjoy summer without bugs

Preparing for the summer season is more involved than simply unpacking your bathing suit and purchasing a pair of flip-flops. As temperatures begin to rise, so does the insect population. Warm temperatures coupled with abundant new plant life allow insects to fulfill their life cycle. Because insects are cold blooded, the environment regulates their body temperature. In hot weather, bugs are much more active. Larvae grow faster, insect’s speed increases and mating peaks. As the insects strengthen their numbers, keeping them off and out all summer long can be a challenge. Here are 3 tips to keep your summer bug free.

• Leave the perfume: A few sprays of your favorite perfume may be attractive, but with it you will attract more bugs than boys. Many types of fragrances mimic the odor of flowers, citrus and sweets. Bugs love these smells and they will flock to you.

• Use unscented bug spray: If you have ever been part of a camping experience, bug spray was most likely first on your grocery list. Insects such as mosquitos, black flies and deer flies are attracted to humans by their skin odor. Bug spray works to interfere with the insect’s senses and redirect the insect from the skin. Although bug spray keeps bugs from biting you, it does not keep the bugs from flying around you. Bug spray is only effective at close distances from the treated surface.

• Keep your yard clean: Often, bugs are invited near/in your home by the way the yard is maintained. Standing water, pooling and poor drainage channels can be quite inviting to mosquitos and other bugs. If you have a swimming pool, keep it chlorinated and filtered. Be sure to rotate fountain water every other week. Removing debris and leaves can help eliminate hiding spots for critters

If your pests are persistent and you find yourself swatting throughout the day, you might need some extra help. Contact your pest control expert to fully diagnose the bug infestation. It may require more potent measures

Pest control is absolutely necessary when you first notice the infestation. If left untreated, the damage can become increasingly worse, making it harder to control. To get rid of pests, you may consider these 3 bug control options.

1. Spot Control - One of the easiest ways for controlling pests on your own is to use spot control treatments. These chemical treatments come in foams, liquids and pesticides. This method is focused on one area and may not treat the entire infestation.

2. Fumigants - Fumigants can not be used around humans or animals, but are one of the quickest, most efficient ways of getting rid of pests. This treatment can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

3. High Heat - High heat treatment is ideal for small houses that are dealing with termite problems. Humans and pets must not be present, as heats within the home are drive up to 120 degrees to kill all signs of pests.

Exterminating pests is best left done by the professionals. By hiring an exterminator, you are sure to get the best results and be left with a termite-free home. Simply contact Lloyd Pest Control for your in-home consultation today!

Insects are always going to be in San Diego, California, but that doesn’t mean they need to establish a presence in YOUR office space. Whether you run a school, office or restaurant, keeping pests to a minimum is crucial to the continued success of your day to day business. In the old days, a customer who saw a rat in your hallway or a cockroach in your kitchen might tell a few friends about it. Today, hundreds of people could read their full report on Yelp or Google+. Don’t take that chance! Get rid of pests and keep your reputation standing.

Pest control issues affect some companies more than others, but every business has unique problems that deserve a targeted solution. Unfortunately, in the rush to get rid of unwanted pests, many owners make strategic mistakes in exterminating pests.

• Can’t find the pest nest
• Using the wrong products, wasting money and potentially endangering the health of clients.
• Failing to see the bigger problem, which may include a pest control prevention plan to keep the building pest free and ready to pass health inspections.

In San Diego, CA the roof rat prefers gutters, power lines and beams, but if it’s necessary, they will burrow. Cold weather will drive them inside, where they may live for several years. Another pest that can carry disease is the cockroach. Roaches can live in any home or business not protected by professional pest control for years. They carry streptococcus, salmonella, dysentery, E. coli, hepatitis B, cholera, and plague. The most common roach species in Southern California are the American and Oriental roaches, and the smaller Brown-banded and German roaches.  Powderpost beetles and carpenter ants can cause damage to structures, but termites are the biggest threat to property owners in warm climates like San Diego.

Get rid of these pests before they have a chance to establish themselves and eat their way through your building and furnishings as the weather warms up. If you are in San Diego, California and are needing a professional exterminator, call Lloyd Pest Control today.

It turns out that the cockroach’s ability to keep upright has nothing to do with the neural makeup of their brains, as it does in most other creatures, but rather relies on the physical architecture of their legs! That’s right; it’s the shape of the cockroach leg that allows it to keep the cockroach upright. Furthermore, a cockroach can navigate throughout its surroundings WITHOUT THINKING.

I don’t know about you, but this knowledge makes them even creepier.

As ABC Science points out, this knowledge goes beyond simply making our nightmares more nightmarish. The understanding of cockroach mobility might help robotics engineers develop more efficient robots: “one of the recurring challenges of designing a mobile robot is writing an algorithm that keeps it from falling over.” By bypassing the need for a robot “brain” and this complex balance algorithm, building a feasible self-reliant robot may become reality….wait, I’ve seen this movie. STOP THE ROBOT PROGRAM!

ABS Science also mentions the potential for this knowledge to help humans, too. Human mobility—how we walk upright—is still a bit of a mystery. Despite how easy our two-legged motion is, the neural processes that allow us that motion are quite complex. Understanding how the architecture of a leg on a cockroach may potentially help us to develop more reliable prosthetics and perhaps better therapies for people with brain injuries. So, I guess, CONTINUE THE ROBOT PROGRAM!

A new reality TV show on AMC, “Immortalized,” aims to showcase the creative side of taxidermy. One contestant in particular, Petaluma, California entomologist Kevin Clarke, takes taxidermy to level most of us have likely never considered: insects on motorcycles (hilariously titled “Weevil Knievel”).

While most people have heard of butterfly preservation, the preservation and articulation of other insects may come as a surprise. For Clarke however, the interest seems to have been with him since childhood:

I was very cruel to bugs when I was little. I had this dissecting table, and I would sit and poke at them with pine needles. Play doctor.

Who can blame him, though? We were all mean to insects when we were children. That seemingly inborn animosity for most of use carries throughout our lives, but some, like Clarke, adopt a different perspective.

Clarke’s work, which can be seen at BugUnderGlass.com, runs the gamut from whimsical to educational but remain consistently, dare we say, aesthetically beautiful.

But as beautiful as some insects can be, it’s important that insect and other bugs are controlled to prevent residential infestations. Once bugs—along with the diseases they carry and damage they cause—breech the perimeter of our homes, we must take serious action. That’s where Lloyd Pest Control comes into play. Call us for all of your Southern California pest control needs. Or, if you have some amazing Kevin Clarke specimens to show off, call us and invite us on a tour!

Call now! 1. (855) 533-8022

With the new school year upon us, college students are returning to campuses for the upcoming semester. Whether they are excited to see their roommates, or dread going back to such small living quarters, we understand that there is more to dorm life than simply sharing a room with a fellow peer.  College dorms and off campus housing provide the perfect storm for a bed bug infestation to develop, as the pest thrives in heavily populated places.

A recent study conducted by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) and the University of Kentucky found that bed bug infestations are on the rise in many types of dwellings, including college settings. In fact, 54 percent of pest professionals surveyed had treated bed bug infestations in college dorms in 2011.

“Bed bugs are known for their uncanny hitchhiking abilities, so students returning to school should inspect their belongings and living area thoroughly before they unpack,” said J.R. Feagles, a customer care representative at Lloyd Pest Control. “If anything suspicious is found, we recommend immediately contacting a university facility manager.”

Experts at the NPMA offer these additional tips to help prevent bed bugs from becoming an unwanted college roommate:

1. Fully inspect your suitcases prior to re-packing for a return to school, especially if you have traveled during the summer. Be sure that any clothes that may have been previously packed in the suitcases have been washed and dried in hot temperatures.

2. Before putting your sheets on your dormitory bed, inspect the mattress seams, particularly at the corners, for telltale stains or spots. Thoroughly inspect the entire room before unpacking, including behind the headboard and in sofas/chairs.

3. If you are considering bringing “secondhand” furniture to campus, properly inspect it to insure that a pest problem, such as bed bugs, is not the reason for its “secondhand” status. If you see anything suspect, do not bring it to campus.

A concerned individual
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Creatures were stirring, including a mouse
Neither of us had a clue how they got here
Our house is infested I told my dear
The children were awake stirring in their beds
While visions of spiders danced in their heads
When out in the room there was a pitter patter
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter
The tree was crawling with insects below
A Christmas tree can have pests but how could I know
More rapid than cheetahs the ants they came
And marched to the kitchen in search of sugar cane
To the top of the ceiling! To the top of the wall!
How on earth could I get rid of them all!
What could I possibly have done differently?

Lloyd Pest Control
When buying a tree you should check for bugs and shake gently
Bring a flashlight to the lot in order to see
That no insects have infested the greenery
These few simple things are easy to do
And will help to prevent pests from bugging you
The bugs on the tree are seldom harmful
But exposed food in your house will make it an armful
So be careful to check the tree before you buy
Because a tree full of bugs might make you cry
We hope you have a joyous Holiday Season
A house without pests is a wonderful reason
To Celebrate
The Holiday

Happy Holidays from Lloyd Pest Control

Click here for a humorous post titled “Should I worry about bugs in my Christmas tree?”

The post above is an adaptation of the original work “Twas the night before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore

Lloyd Pest Control has proudly supported the arts for numerous years. Whether it is music, painting, or film, we see beauty in all creativity. Recently we have had the great opportunity to preserve a tangible piece of art history. Unfortunately the Aztec Brewery in Barrio Logan fell victim to one of the most notorious fall pest infiltrations. As you may have read in our previous blog post, the fall season undoubtedly brings swarms of termites.

In the 1930’s the Aztec Brewing Co. was a popular spot for tasting. The extravagant décor filled the room, creating a sublime atmosphere. The physical bar at the Aztec Brewing Co. “is the centerpiece of a collection of furniture, murals and roof beams that the city has been storing for more than 20 years.” When one of the art handlers “pulled the wooden bar out of storage they found bore holes, remnants of mud, and weakened wood.” This posed a large problem considering the bar was to be moved to a conservation studio in L.A.. Because it was infested, we were asked this past weekend to fumigate the bar. The project was a success and we were able to save a piece of history before the termites were able to inflict more harm.

Here at Lloyd Pest Control, we are the only ones in San Diego County to have a special fumigation chamber that is used for certain items such as valuables, antiques, or even vintage bars like that of the Aztec Brewery. It is unique because the customer can bring anything from as small as a stamp collection to as large as a couch or armoire and have it treated professionally. It is a safe way to fumigate single or multiple items without tenting your entire home. We also provide this service in the Anaheim area as well.

Click here for the full article

Tips to avoid termite infestations:

1. As most termites are attracted to moisture, avoid water accumulation near your home’s foundation. Divert water away with properly functioning downspouts, gutters and splash blocks.
2. Quickly repair house damage from a leaky roof or window as termites can thrive in this moisture.
3. Never bury wood scraps or waste lumber in the years, especially near the building. Remove old tree stumps and roots around and beneath the building.
4. Most importantly, eliminate any wood contact with the soil. Maintaining a 1-inch gap between the soil and wood portions of the building is ideal.

Recognizing the destruction termites can cause, it is important to be aware of infestation warning signs:

1. Swarming happens in the fall (now!) and spring – termites can easily be confused with flying ants.
2. Evidence of mud tunneling in, over and under wood structures.
3. Wooden structures exhibit darkening or blistering.
4. Damaged wood becomes extremely thin and can easily be punctured by a knife or screwdriver.

“Virtually all experts recommend calling a pest professional to protect one of your most important investments, your home, from termiteinfestation,” says Missy Henriksen, NPMA vice president of public affairs.Lloyd Pest Control offers the specialized skills necessary to rid a home of termite infestation: knowledge of building construction, an ability to identify termite species and the knowledge of applicable methods of termite control.

For further information, visit ww.lloydpest.com or give us a call at 1-800-BAD-BUGS.

As the crisp weather arrives and the summer season comes to an end, don’t assume that stinging insects will soon disappear. Lloyd Pest Control, a pest management company servicing Southern California, warns that stinging insects tend to be more aggressive during the early fall as they gather food for the winter months ahead.

Most people associate stinging insects with the hot summer months, but as the cooler weather approaches, people still need to be aware of the dangers posed by yellow jackets, bees and wasps. If provoked, these pests can sting repeatedly, which increases the potential for skin irritation or a serious allergic reaction.”

Experts at the National Pest Management Association, a nonprofit organization committed to the protection of public health, food and property from household pests, recommend that homeowners inspect their properties frequently for signs of an infestation. Common stinging insect nesting sites include under eaves, on ceiling beams in attics, garages and sheds, and under porches. In addition, homeowners should follow these tips to avoid being stung:

1. Wear shoes, especially in grassy areas.

2. Keep windows and doors properly screened.

3. When dining outside, keep food covered until ready to eat.

4. Remove garbage frequently and keep trashcans covered.

5. Overseed grassy areas to get better coverage, as this will deter ground-nesting insects.

6. Do not swat at a stinging insect as it increases the likelihood of an aggressive reaction.

7. Seek immediate medical attention if stung, as reactions can be severe.

Attempting to remove a nest or hive without the help of a professional can be extremely dangerous. It’s important to contact someone with proper training to rid the property of these pests.“

For more information on stinging insects, visit www.lloydpest.com or give us a call at 1-800-BAD-BUGS