It’s true, we can’t live without pollinators, and they can’t live without our help. The most common pollinators are insects, including bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, flies and beetles. But these are not the only ones. There are about 1500...
Corky’s Pest Control Blog
Hantavirus Infected Rodents in San Diego County
Chula Vista, located in the southern part of San Diego County, has the onerous distinction of having the 1st detection of hantavirus this year. In mid-January, a mouse-like rodent called a vole (field or meadow mouse) was captured in a...
Beware! Bed Bugs Too Are Traveling For The Holidays.
Bedbugs were nearly eliminated in the 1940's with the help of the extremely-powerful, but now banned, chemical DDT. However, they have made a comeback in recent years, showing up in hotels, hospitals, buses, trains, movie theaters and other public...
Fall Line-Up of Pests. The Best Defense is a Timely Offence.
Fall Line-Up of Pests. Best Defense is a Timely Offence. It's time to go on the offensive so fall pests will be kept out of your home. For many outdoor pests the change in seasons starts their hunt for cold weather refuge. Heading up the list of...
Sick of Mice Invading Your Home?
Mice are explorers and scavengers extraordinaire. They are always on the lookout for shelter, water, and food. If they have chosen your home and taken up residence it doesn’t mean it’s dirty or messy. It’s just a target of opportunity for a mouse.
Is A Termite Inspection Really Necessary?
Termites cost property owners billions of dollars each year. Why? Termites, don't sleep and will always eat. They feed twenty-four hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Obviously, the answer to the questions, "Do I need a termite inspection?...
Your Household Budget Should Include – A Termite Protection Plan.
Your home is probably the single largest investment you will make in your lifetime. Protecting it against termites before they become a problem or adding that protection after you have invested money and time into a termite treatment, is sound...
Spot Treatments for Termites, A Real Solution?
SPOT TREATMENTS are defined as any treatments which concern a limited, defined area less than ten (10) linear or square feet that is intended to protect a specific location or “spot.” There are often adjacent areas, to the infested spot, that are...
Insects Blaze Trails From Wildlands To Gardens and into Homes
Insects are everywhere. They are the most common animals on the planet. More than 1.5 million species of insects have been named, and many more have yet to be discovered. Without insects, our lives would be vastly different. Insects are responsible...
Above All Else, Spiders Are Predators.
Spiders are consummate hunters and killers and in the world of bugs, they are the equivalent of wolves, lions and sharks. Hunting strategies differ among spider species. Some build fantastic webs to capture passing insects, like the Orb Weavers,...
Ants: Farmers, Engineers, Warriors, Workers and Royalty
Ants are a fascinating group of insects capable of achieving so many great things. Today ants are the most numerous living creatures on the planet with the largest biomass of any other animal. For comparison, the combined weight of all ants on...
Termites vs The Human Habitat …………………..Know The Opposition!
Every spring as the weather begins to warm, termites surface in search of new structures to infest. The first termite explorers to show up are the swarmers. These winged invaders look for the most appetizing structures in which to set up new...
Look out for Ticks!
Ticks may look like tiny spiders, but they are not. They belong to the arachnid family, which includes spiders, scorpions and mites. Ticks are among the most efficient carriers of disease because they will attach firmly when sucking blood, feed...
Tiny Tick-ing Time Bombs.
Unlike many other biting pests, ticks are adapted to feed for long periods of time. They bury their curved fishhook-like teeth deeply into the skin of a host, so they can remain securely attached for days on end eating. It’s important to understand...
Roaches, Here Today! – Here Tomorrow? Not If We Can Help It!
Some scientists and researchers believe, the Cockroach, a bug designed by nature to adapt so successfully to its environment that it has survived -- virtually unchanged -- for hundreds of millions of years, is truly worthy of some respect and it’s...
Subterranean Termites: Denizens of the Underworld
Subterranean termites can be found throughout the United States. In California, the Western Subterranean termite, feasts on dead wood, tree stumps and fallen trees that are in direct contact with soil, in forested areas, landscapes or the...
SLUGS AND SNAILS AND SLIMEY TRAILS
Snails and slugs are members of the phylum Mollusca, along with, clams and oysters as well as squid, cuttlefish and octopus. Slugs evolved from snails and many species still retain a vestigial shell hidden under their mantle. The remnant shell is...
Snails and Slugs: Slow, But Sure to Ruin Your Garden!
Snails and Slugs, may be slow but the damage they do to ornamental plants, vegetable gardens and citrus orchards is devastating and costly. These gastropods, have eaten and slimed their way into the top 5 most unwanted pests in the...
THEY CAN’T RUN AND THEY CAN’T HIDE. A SPOTLIGHT ON TERMITES!
It might sound like something out of a science fiction movie but the fact is, Corky’s No Tent Heat and Radar Termite Treatment process, for getting rid of drywood termites, is fact not fiction, and it Works! Using radar detection equipment, to find...
TAKE A DEEP BREATH! THE AIR IS CLEAN!
Air Duct Cleaning stops indoor air polution and goes hand in hand with Rat (rodent) Cleaning and Sanitation and Exclusion services. It’s the important part of the job that minimizes the prospect of circulating contaminants from rat, mice and other...
Who’s Been Digging in My Yard? – Signs of Gophers
When you find holes, mounds of dirt or torn up turf, in your beautiful landscape, you've been visited by “wildlife” on the hunt for food and/or a place to live. You can identify your trespasser, most often, by the damage they leave behind. So the...
Fumigation Isn’t a Circus, but a “Tent” Is Involved!
Fumigation is a treatment used to exterminate Drywood Termites. ...
Beware! Rats are Dirty and Leave Toxic Chaos Behind.
Rats and even mice can create a ton of damage and a dangerous amount of contamination in a very short time. Cleaning up after them can be a “big” job and a hazardous one to boot. The messes they make are “TOXIC”! Rats and mice are constantly...
A Tale of Two Rats and a Mouse.
A rat is a rat but not a mouse or a mole or a shrew! But they are all rodents. The two most prolific rats that we, in Southern California, deal with, in our urban settings, are the Roof/Tree or Black rat , which inhabits mostly suburban...
Where Did These Rats Come From and Why My House?
Rats are everywhere! That is, everywhere humans are.Rats can be traced first, from Asia where they then spread throughout Europe along trade routes. Then they were brought to the Americas by ships transporting people and supplies, to the new...
It’s, “Party On” for Termites!
A Termites New Year’s Celebration never stops! This is why, they cause so much fear and anxiety in so many California property owners. Termites have one, lifelong imperative; survive and increase the colony. California’s exceptional climate means...
Where Did These Gophers Come From and Why My Yard?
The most asked questions about gophers are; (1.) Why my yard and (2. )where did they suddenly come from? Who Gophers Chose Your Property Gophers migrate from neighboring properties where populations have gotten out of control, or where food...
Have Holly, Jolly Pest Free Holidays!
Christmas trees, natural garlands, wreaths and firewood make for a festive and fragrant atmosphere but can also bring pests (ants, spiders, ticks, termites, mice etc.) inside your home. Here is how to “deck the halls” without bringing pests inside....
A Frankenstein Bug – Just in time for Halloween!
Scientists have recently discovered a mysterious, 100-million-year-old insect trapped in amber — and as far as anyone knows, it is unlike any other insect that has ever lived on Earth. This strangely pieced together bug, looks like a composite of...
Spiders – Very Hungry Hunters!
Spiders are a very successful group of arthropods that are found everywhere from deserts to grasslands to forests to Arctic tundra. There are more than 45,000 species identified worldwide and that number is growing with new discoveries. It has...