Springtime Pests

Every early spring we have been dealing with these pests. It's onlyearly spring and thendisappear in a month and a half or so.They appear first on the sunny window sill inside our family room andno other windowsseem to be affected. there does not appear to be any decaying wood onthe inside of thehouse but the outside is covered with vinyl siding. I have triedcaulking on the insideand insecticides on the inside and out. These very tiny critters areso small like the head ofa pin, they seem to be coming from the seams of the picture window onthe inside evenafter I caulked them. They are blackish brown in color and seem tojump rather than fly but it does look like they have wings.as we notice them on the wool carpet after they appear on the windowsill. They're manyof them when the weather gets even warmer on this sunny window sill. Ican never actuallywitness exactly where they are getting in they just seem to appear oneafter the otherand the closest entry point would be the edges of the window in whichare caulked, couldthey be living in there year round? As i mentioned they love toeventually jump onto ourwool carpet after they appear on the window sill.Answer:From your description it seems that these pests are probably mites or possibly baby spiders. I think it's more likely they are mites.Caulking entry points is an excellent first step. If they are still 'coming in' it maybe because they are already in your home. They often come from plant soil, birds and bird food or there may be an existing nest somewhere.The main treatment is to apply a very safe insecticide dust into cracks and crevices where they are likely to hang out. Borate based products are best for this. They don’t have to eat it they just need to come in contact and then they will die. Try not to use shop bought sprays they are often quite toxic.It is important to ensure they are not chewing away at your woollen carpet. They can do a whole lot of damage. You may think about getting rugs organically cleaned and treated, this is a new service we offer.I would like to see a sample if possible, take a piece of sticky tape and gently apply it to them and mail it to me.

Traps not going off

I have a question:
I have mice in the house, everytime I set the traps the mouse sets the trap off takes the food. Please let me know what I can do I have to get rid of them.
I do have a cat in the house but he is retired. I do not want to put poison down in case my cat eats it.
Answer:
What is probably happening is that the traps are being set too fast, they go off before the mice find them and the mice eat the peanut butter without fear of being snapped. Some traps have a fast and slow setting, look closely for "s" or slow setting. The trick is not to set the trap too fast. Let the mice have a chance of sniffing out the peanut butter. Never use poisons inside the risk is too great especially with your retired cat. Mice can drop little bits of poison onto your cat's food and suddenly you have a very sick cat.

Creamy White Bug

I received a letter last week containing a little creamy white bug with wings that needed to be identified. This particular bug wa a little squashed but it appears to be a clothes moth, they will feed on almost anything containing protein.

I would be more concerned with their larvae though which are much more difficult to detect and cause lots of damage to clothing, are some of the things home owners can do themselves. This is really a job for professionals to examine the extent of the population and perhaps use pheromone traps to bring the population under control.

There are also some Safer to use, modern equivalents of moth balls available at many D.I.Y. stores.

Moths Inside My House

I have a question:
I have moths inside my house, I have some very expensive sweaters and I am worried that they will get damaged.
Answer:
Don't panic yet. They may not be the moths that eat clothing such as Webbing Clothing Moth, Casemaking Clothes Moth, Tapestry or Carpet Moth.
Whichever one you've got needs to be controlled. If you have several of them (adults) flying around you may need to get professional help to ensure the caterpillars are eliminated and the life cycle is broken.
If the moths are Indian meal moths the life cycle still needs to be broken. Remember, once you see the adults the eggs have already been laid. Indian meal moths need similar treatment but cna often be contained by keeping dry goods in sealed containers especially dried pet food. Look for worms and eggs and clean them up use your vacuum to suck up eggs,

Invasion of Lady Bugs

I have a question:
I had an invasion of lady bugs last year and I do not want to get them again in the house, I know that they do the plants alot of good, but when you get several hundred of them I find this too muchg to cope with. Can I do something now to avoid a reoccurrence?
Answer:
It's a little late in the year to stop them coming in. Once the days lengthen in the new year they will start o migrate into the warmer rooms of your home. They are currently over-wintering in the attic and siding.
Control is your best option; seal up any cracks and crevices that may allow them access. You can also save heating costs by doing just that. If you can't do the work yourself or if you just need advice email us.