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...
Corky’s Pest Control Blog
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...
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...
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...
Welcome to Mosquito Season!
Spring has come and gone, now welcome to mosquito season. As you pack your bags for the beach house or the mountain campground don’t forget to pack light colored clothing with long sleeves, long pants and a bucket load or two of insect repellent....
UPTICK IN TICK SIGHTINGS!
Now that the parks, hiking trails, and camping areas are open, more people are hitting the back country for much needed fresh air and exercise. What they are most likely not expecting are the denizens of the bush waiting in anticipation of...
IT’S NOT JUST PEOPLE CROSSING OUR BORDERS!
Border Crossings are happening every day, and it’s not just people looking for a better life. Humans, animals, fish, insects, plants and diseases (bacteria and viruses) cross our borders on a regular basis and have been since borders were...
The Covid-19 Pandemic and Rat Infestations. Now What!
A perfect storm of residential rat invasions has been created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now more than ever, it is imparative to get rid of rats. People are producing more food waste at home, now that restaurant trash generation has decreased....
HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2020 IS THE YEAR OF THE RAT!
According to the 2020 Chinese Zodiac calendar, the Lunar New Year starts on Saturday, January 25th and ends on February 11th, 2021. It is the 4717th Chinese New Year and the Rat is it’s representative. The Rat is the first sign from the 12 animal...
Is Your Personal Vehicle a Traveling Pest Hotel ?
Vehicles, cars, camper-vans, buses, and trucks, provide many pests with a warm dry environment that often contains food. Vehicles can also provide these pests with transport, spreading the pests to wherever the vehicle travels. Most Common Pests...
INSECTS: BE GRATEFUL FOR THE SMALL THINGS
We have a lot to be thankful for this year. But did you know that there are a lot of reasons to be thankful for insects, our co-inhabitants of this planet? Besides being a nutritious food source for millions of people, they provide their own form...
BEES WASPS or HORNETS. WHAT’S BUZZING YOU?
There are lots of flying insects out and about in our gardens, fields and other open areas and they are all busy at work fulfilling nature’s directives. So, since we humans are also frequenting these same places it’s important for us to steer...
California Has Fireflies! Who knew?
What better time to start planning a summer vacation than in the middle of a cold (sort of), wet California winter. If you are doing a little California dreaming right now, why not plan a summer adventure in the beautiful southern mountains. You...
“It’s not The Planet of the Apes—it’s The Planet of the Arthropods.”
Who are the most successful beings on Earth? It certainly isn’t Man, Ape or any other mammal. The most successful animals on the planet are the arthropods. They have conquered land, sea and air, and make up over three-fourths of all currently known...
Dog Lovers Beware! Mans Best Friend is Under Attack!
It has been estimated that there are 899 species of ticks in the world, of which over 90 make their home in the continental United States. According to the California Department of Health, around 47 species have been identified here but only 15 of...
They’re Out for Blood!
A new “Red Dawn” is here. New invaders from all over the globe are taking over our neighborhoods and these guys and gals “Bite” and “Suck Your Blood”. The newest invader is the Aedes notoscriptus, the Australian Backyard Mosquito. Joining the...
Why Do Mosquitoes Love You? They think you’re HOT!
The two most dominant factors of mosquito attraction have to do with sight and smell, so there’s no brushing these guys (oops! Girls) off when they’re out looking for a quickie in the moonlight. Here are four reasons a Mosquito may pick you for...
Giant Rats: From Nasty Vermin to Super Heros
Giant Rats: Giant rats are no longer just figments of the imagination. Now, it seems, these once mythical rodents are in fact real, and they’re absolutely, ginormous. That’s really, really big! A rat, which was called “Vika” by locals on...
Natural Diasters: Hurricanes, Fires, Earthquakes and Rats!
Members of the Muridae family are the dominant species in every region of the world, due to their ability to adapt to and exploit new situations. Commensal rats and mice, those that live at the expense of humans, invade their dwellings, eat their...
Ants, Nature’s Engineers: Creativity by Necessity.
Ants are one of the few groups of animals that change their environment to meet their needs. In their case, necessity is truly the mother of invention. A single ant is capable of carrying up to 50 times its own weight, so working together as a...
Beach Bugs, They’re a Real Summer Bummer!
It's Summer and the California beaches are the vacation destinations of millions of people. It's where we have fun in the sun, cool off in the water, and relax on the sand under colorful umbrellas with cool drinks and our favorite books. Reality...
T-Rex Ant: Not Living Up To It’s Fearsome Namesake, The Tyrannosaurus Rex
There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Shakespeare’s Hamlet got it right. Man has a limited knowledge of his own universe and there truly are, new and exciting things discovered every day. One of...
Asian Needle Ants vs Argentine Ants: GAME ON!
As an invasive species, Argentine ants have been extremely successful invaders. These aggressive, territorial ants, which can live in super-colonies comprised of thousands of queens and millions of workers, easily displaced native species as they...
Brown Recluse or Not Brown Recluse! Busting the Bite Myth.
Here in California, the brown recluse spider has been elevated to a major urban legend alongside UFOs, Bigfoot, the Jackalope, and Elvis. There is a great "fear" of brown recluse spiders in California, mostly because of misguided and...
South American Palm Weevil, The Darth Vader of Weevils Annihilating Palms As It Travels North
The South American palm weevil has ignored the border wall and is headed straight into California on its never-ending quest for plentiful food and abundant breeding grounds. Here in San Diego County, with our iconic landscape palm trees, like the...
No-See-Ums: A Plague of Invisible Blood Suckers
Producing extreme wet weather conditions, Mother Nature is gearing up for another bloodthirsty assault on mankind and this time we won’t see them coming. The same conditions that encourage mosquitoes, give rise to the infamous “No-See-Ums”, also...
Doctor Dolittle Talked to the Animals…….Plants Talk to Animals and Each Other.
From the “Ents”, tree-like creatures, created by J.R.R. Tolkien for his Middle Earth fantasy world, to the “Womping Tree” of Harry Potter fame, to “Groot” of the science fiction thriller/comedy “Guardians of the Galaxy”, and you can't forget...