Gnats – Get rid of them around your face

Gnat on clothing in the Mississippi gulf coast; Southern Pest Control

gnats

Gnats are small pesky flies that are found all over the nation both indoors and outdoors. They are attracted to odors, lights and moisture, and they make a high-pitched buzzing sound. There is a much larger population of gnats in warmer climates, and although they are a big annoyance, they only reach an average size of 1/8 inch. These insects are more annoying than dangerous; however, they can carry disease and illness. Changing your daily hygienic routines can stop the gnats from swarming your head.

it’s important to note that annoying gnats generally have a lifespan of about four months and if you happen to have a pregnant mama gnat in your house, she can give birth to as many as 300 more babies. So, if you’re the lucky winner of an indoor gnat infestation, you should try and get rid of them.

Gnats generally go where the fungus (and subsequent moisture) is. That’s why they’re attracted to the overripe bananas on your counter and the soft potatoes in your pantry. So, if you do see them hanging around those items, chuck the produce and eliminate the reason the gnats are congregating in the first place.

We at Southern Pest Control want to share the following tips with you on how to help keep gnats from swarming around your head and face

 

  • Wash your hair with a scent free shampoo
  • Avoid using scented skin care products on your face
  • Don’t spray any cologne, perfume or body spray anywhere around your neck
  • Wash clothing in scent free detergents
  • Use an insect repellant on the clothing you wear and on your skin and in your hair. Many lotions contain insect repellant that will keep gnats away. Use a nontoxic spray in and under your hair and around your neck. Use insect repellants only as directed for safety.

We hope this information and tips were helpful. Please contact us if you have any pest control issues that you are struggling with. Our trained professionals will gladly come to provide you with a Free Estimate on how we can help. We have been in the pest control business for over 38 years here in the Gulf Coast area.

Strangest Insects 3

Goliath Beetle in the Mississippi gulf coast; Southern Pest Control

strangest insects

 

Strangest Insects -Here is the final of our 3-part series on the Strangest Insects in the World. Today we will focus on the last 4 of these amazing creatures.

We at Southern Pest Control hoped that you enjoyed these series of articles on the Strangest Insects in the World.

Here are the last 4 of the strangest insects in the World.

Driver Ants

Driver-Ants

If you have watched movies where unsuspecting travelers are swarmed by aggressive ants and gruesomely killed, then you have seen stories inspired by driver ants. Attack just one, and the entire colony of up to 20 million ants will take it really personally. They can kill and devour small animals and larger invalid animals (including humans). Their bite is powerful and their jaws will remain locked even if you tear an ant apart and kill it. To this end, natives use them for emergency sutures for wounds.

Assassin Bugs

Assassin-Bugs

This broad category of insects has an unusual and rather alien attack method. Their mouth tubes allow them to stab their prey and inject them full of a liquefying toxin. This numbs the prey and turns their innards into fluid. The liquid dinner can then be sucked back up through the mouth tube.

 

Hummingbird Moth

Hummingbird-Moth

Even if you steer clear of insects, there is a good chance you’ll find the hummingbird moth adorable. This moth has evolved to resemble a hummingbird with a fat body and a convincing “tail” protruding at the back. Their wings can beat incredibly fast, which adds to the impression that they are in fact a bird. The moths are diurnal, which means they are active during the day, another reason they are regularly mistaken as hummingbirds. On a similar note, check out the snake caterpillar for another insect that bares a shocking resemblance to another organism.

 

Bees

bees

Bees? The strangest insects in the world? We see bees all the time, which has somewhat inoculated us to their oddness, but let’s face it—bees are really odd, and we do not understand how they function at all. They are able to coordinate with each other even across distances, and appear to psychically communicate. Nobody knows exactly how beehives work, but each hive behaves more like a single individual than a colony of individuals. Bees clearly have a very different way of life than anything we can imagine as human beings.

Remember if you have any unwanted pests or animals around your home or offices please call us at 800 527-9832. We have been helping folks like yourself in the Gulf Coast area for over 35 years. Please visit our website at www.southernpestcontrol.biz to meet or team and learn more about us and our services.

Strangest Insects 2

Hummingbird Moth in the Mississippi gulf coast; Southern Pest Control

strangest insects

 

We at Southern Pest Control hoped you enjoyed the article we had on 3 of the Strangest Insects in the World. Today we will continue with 3 additional of these interesting creatures.

There are more than 900,000 species of insects known, and likely there are millions more (scientists can only estimate). Insects account for about 80% of the species living on planet Earth. In a very real sense, this planet belongs to them.

Here are 3  more of the strangest insects in the World.

Goliath Beetle

 Goliath-Beetle

Yes, insects can get even bigger. This beetle can grow up to four inches in length, and weighs even more than the locust described above. They are native to Africa and are sometimes kept as pets. They love protein, and can be fed dog or cat food or even baby food. Keeping a Goliath Beetle may hold some of the same appeal as keeping a tarantula, without the need to feed it mice.

 

Hercules Beetle

Hercules-Beetle

This beetle may not be the largest on the planet, but it is the strongest. Not only is it the strongest insect on the planet, but it is also the strongest animal, period. It can carry up to 850 times its own weight on its back.

 

Twisted Wing Parasite

Twisted-Wing-Parasite

This little fly is quite a menace in the insect world. As a larva, it waits around for a bee or wasp to come along. Then it jumps on board and burrows into the host insect. Once there, it morphs into a male or female second-stage larva. The male will burst out and go look for a mate. The female will remain inside the host, and only poke out her genitals. Once she is impregnated and lays her eggs, the cycle begins again.

 

We at Southern Pest Control again hope that you found this to be interesting. Remember if you have any unwanted pests or animals around your home or offices please call us at 800 527-9832. We have been helping folks like yourself in the Gulf Coast area for over 35 years. Please visit our website at www.southernpestcontrol.biz to meet or team and learn more about us and our services.

Strangest Insects

Strange looking Insect in the Mississippi gulf coast; Southern Pest Control

 

Brazilian-Treehopper

Strange Insects -If you want to encounter a life-form on Earth which will challenge your views of what it means to thrive in the universe, look no further than the insect class of the animal kingdom. There is a reason that many of the aliens featured in our science fiction literature and films resemble insects. We find them very unusual, because their lives, appearances, and habits are so far removed from our own.

And yet, there are more than 900,000 species of insects known, and likely there are millions more (scientists can only estimate). Insects account for about 80% of the species living on planet Earth. In a very real sense, this planet belongs to them.

Here are 3 of the strangest insects in the World, we at Southern Pest Control hope you find this interesting.

 

Brazilian Treehopper

Brazilian-Treehopper

What’s going on with this critter? Scientists do not honestly even know. It has a number of peculiar appendages on its back which turn out to be hollow chitin balls. Their purpose? Completely unknown at this point. It is one odd looking insect, and we still have no idea why it looks the way it does.

 

Flower Mantis

Flower-Mantis

Reach to pick one of these colorful little flowers and you will probably shriek with surprise when you realize that what you really have in your hand is a creepy crawly known as the Flower Mantis. This mantis can come in many different colors and shapes. Some species have what looks like two huge eyes sticking up on top—just more coloration (like you would find on a moth’s wings). You might still find it as a as a flower, if you aren’t a xenophobe—and even more delicate. Orchid mantises are widely considered quite beautiful.

 

Little Barrier Island Giant Weta

Little-Barrier-Island-Giant-Weta

If you are squeamish and not a fan of locusts and the like, you will probably want to steer clear of the Little Barrier Island of New Zealand. Here you can find one of the biggest insects in the world, measuring 3 and a half inches in length and weighing 2.5 ounces. Yes, that is about the size of your hand.

We at Southern Pest Control hope that you found this to be interesting. Remember if you have any unwanted pests or animals please call us at 800 527-9832. We have been helping folks like you in the Gulf Coast area for over 35 years. Please visit our website at www.southernpestcontrol.biz to meet or team and learn more about us and our services.

Mosquitoes

Mosquito illustration in the Mississippi gulf coast; Southern Pest Control

mosquitoes

 

Summer Time is approaching and that means mosquitoes are ready to increase our frustration with these unwanted pests.

We at Southern Pest Control thought you would be interested to know several facts about mosquitoes just as interesting information. So here are the facts, we hope you enjoy this information.

  • Only Females bite
  • West Virginia has the fewest species of mosquitoes
  • There are over 3500 species
  • Mosquito is Spanish for “little fly”
  • Females can lay over 300 eggs at a time
  • One can drink up to 3 times its body weigh in blood
  • They spend their first ten days in water.
  • They can’t fly very far or very fast
  • They generally fly below 25 feet
  • Sweat helps them choice their victims
  • They have 6 legs
  • Mosquitoes feed day and night
  • They have been around since the Jurassic period
  • The bumps from mosquito bites are caused by saliva
  • West Nile virus came to the US in 1999
  • Mosquitoes do not transmit HIV
  • They can smell human breath
  • Their 2 main predators are fish and dragonflies
  • Mosquito traps can kill thousands in a single night
  • Bug zappers don’t work on mosquitoes

We at Southern Pest Control hope that you found some interesting facts here. Please remember we can help you protect yourself and your family from these unwanted pests. We have an experienced team of trained professionals that can help you rid your home of unwanted pests from mosquitoes to termites to cockroaches and many more. We also can remove unwelcome guests like snakes, squirrels, or raccoons.

We have been serving the Gulf Coat for over 35 years. Please call us at 800 527-9852 and visit our website at www.southernpestcontrol.biz to meet our team and learn about all the services we offer.

Zika Virus

Zika Virus in the Mississippi gulf coast; Southern Pest Control

 

 

zika virus

Zika Virus

The Virus is mosquito-borne flavivirus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys through a network that monitored yellow fever. It was alter identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. Outbreak of the virus disease have been recorded in Africa, The Americas, Asia and the Pacific.

The incubation period (the time from exposure to symptoms) of Zika virus disease is not clear, but is likely to be a few days. The symptoms are similar to other arbovirus infections such as dengue, and include fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, and headache. These symptoms are usually mild and last for 2-7 days.

Based on a systematic review of the literature up to 30 May 2016, WHO has concluded that virus infection during pregnancy is a cause of congenital brain abnormalities, including microcephaly; and that Zika virus is a trigger of Guillain-Barré syndrome. Intense efforts are continuing to investigate the link between Zika virus and a range of neurological disorders, within a rigorous research framework.

Zika virus is primarily transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito from the Aedes genus, mainly Aedes aegypti in tropical regions. Aedes mosquitoes usually bite during the day, peaking during early morning and late afternoon/evening. This is the same mosquito that transmits dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. Sexual transmission of Zika virus is also possible. Other modes of transmission such as blood transfusion are being investigated.

We at Southern Pest Control can help control the mosquitos around your home Please call us at 800 527-9832 to have one of our trained experts come out and give you a free quote on protection your home from not only mosquitos but also all unwanted pests. Please visit our website at www.southernpestcontrol.biz to meet our team.

Crawlspace

Moldy Crawlspace in the Mississippi gulf coast; Southern Pest Control

crawlspace

 

Many customers want to know, very basically, what the purpose of a crawlspace is. In essence, as its name implies, is a variation of basement in which one crawls around. It may be as small as a foot tall, and the surface is often bare earth. Traditionally, crawlspaces are built on homes lacking either a basement or that are not built on a slab. Many buildings, especially commercial buildings, have a crawlspace between some walls. The primary purpose of a crawl space is to promote air circulation through the home and allow easy access to plumbing, electrical and other such maintenance, repair and installation needs. Crawlspaces offer an expedient and efficient way to access pipes, substructures and a variety of other areas that may be difficult or expensive to reach otherwise. Older homes in areas where basements are rare have high foundations with crawl spaces that allow cooling air to circulate throughout the home.

Though a crawlspace cannot be utilized as a living space, it can be used for storage of infrequently used items. One should be cautious in doing so, however, as moisture from the damp soil, along with humidity from crawl space vents and water seeping through permeable concrete, can and will create a breeding ground for mold and mildew to form on any organic surface, including cardboard boxes, wood floors and even some types of insulation. Overall, a crawlspace can serve a variety of purposes, not the least of which is the actual foundation of a home. And, as such, it should be treated like the rest of the home.

Mold issues are not uncommon in a crawlspace. We at Southern Pest Control have the expertise to ensure that your crawlspace is mold free. With our CrawlSpace Care, natural ground moisture vapors and hot humid air entering through the foundation vents will be a thing of the past.

CrawlSpace Care is a system that was developed for closing and protecting your home’s crawl space. Using innovative technology, the CrawlSpace Care system reduces moisture underneath your home, which can lead to low energy bills and improved indoor air quality.

Please call us at 800 527-9832 to set up a free inspection and an explanation of how our service works.