The Facts You Need To Know About Termites

By Scott Davis

When people think about Termites they often think they are ants - but the two species comes from different families in the insect world. Termites have been around millions of years and can eat their way through wooden houses but they are actually quite delicate insects.

Nests are either above ground or below ground. Those nests above ground are usually mounds or built in trees or on poles. Those below ground consist of a series of tunnels and can also be located under tree stumps.

The nests themselves need to have very high levels of humidity as the worker termites are very thin skinned and will easily dry out and die. They also need to maintain a high temperature and it is usually between 25 or 30 degrees inside the nest.

People thinking about termites often think their only diet is wood but there a many species out there that eat other organic matters. The termite digestive system is advanced as it can easily break down woody cellulose into more useful sugar.

A colony is made up of termites fitting into a strict social structure. The one Queen who can live for more than twenty years producing new eggs. The single king has a role to fertilize the eggs and to help bring up the children. The thin skinned worker termites gather food and do nest maintenance but seldom leave the nest. This is due to their thin skin and the need for a humid environment. The colony is protected by a class of Soldier termites equipped with fighting equipment. And there are also Reproducers. This class matures through to having wings. In spring or fall when temperatures are warm and humid they can fly away to start a new nest.

Colonizing Flights are done by the reproducer class and usually occur before and after winter when there is warm humid weather. When a new site is found the new King and Queen lose their wings and the Queen begins laying eggs. Initially they both look after the offspring in the new colony but as it grows the social structure comes into being and the Queen concentrates on laying eggs. A colony can have from several hundred to several million termites.

A tough thing about termites is that an infestation in a wooden home may show no signs until even five years after the termites have moved in. - 30195

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How To Get Rid of Fleas From Your Home Naturally

By Deegan Love

Introduction: Don't blame Fido for the fleas! Sure, he may have brought it inside the house, but it isn't all his fault. The best thing for you to do right now is just to start disinfecting your home in order to get rid of those pesky fleas. Here are some ways for you to eliminate them of them naturally.

Difficulty: 4

Things You'll Need: small dishes or bowls, tea candles, dishwashing liquid, common house cleaning materials

Step 1. The first thing that you should do is to treat Fido for fleas. This is the most important part. Your pet is the main vehicle for the fleas to get inside your home, so your eradicating attempts have to start there.

Step 2 . After getting rid of all the fleas on your pet, you can continue with the de - infestation efforts at home. It is very important to do the two procedures simultaneously or right after you finish the first. This is so as to avoid the re infestation from your house to your already flea - free pet.

Step 3. In cleaning your house, start with the surfaces as to where your pet usually hangs out on. This can be the basement floor, his little basket or the foyer rugs. Clean, wash, scrub and dry all of those.

Step 4. After scrubbing and cleaning the parts of the house where your dog or cat usually stays in, vacuum the other parts of the house. Pay attention to places with a lot of fabric like living room carpets, sofas, rugs, curtains and the like. Include nooks, crevices and crannies as well.

Step 5. To eliminate fleas that haven't been eradicated by your extrerminating efforts, take out your small bowls or dishes, and pour some liquid dishwashing soap that's been diluted with water. Place the candles right in the middle of the bowl, and place the bowls all over your house. Light the candles and leave them for awhile. The fleas will be mesmerized by the light, and will fall straight into the water.

Step 6. Use some borax for the fleas. Dust some borax on the surfaces where your pet usually stays, and let it sit for 24 hours. Clean up afterwards.

Step 7. Repeat from steps four to six for three to five consecutive days to completely eliminate fleas.

Tips:

- Treat your home and pet simultaneously to avoid recurring flea infestations.

- Be consistent and diligent in your efforts to eliminate fleas.

Warnings:

- Keep your children and pets away from the borax and don't allow them to play in areas where you have dusted it with.

- Wear a face mask when using borax or any other form of flea powders. These powders can be irritating to the lungs, and should never be used in the presence of infants and people who have history of lung or respiratory illnesses.

- If all things fail, that's when you can resort to insecticides. - 30195

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Bedbugs: Treatment Methods

By Renee Garcia

The most convenient method in treating bedbugs is to hire a professional exterminator. But still, there are many different methods to choose from.

Bedbugs can be treated in many ways. You can do any of the following effective methods: mattress cover, diatomaceous soil, insecticides, extreme heat, and steam cleaning.

One effective method in bedbug treatment is steam cleaning. The only disadvantage with this method is that it cannot be applied to all materials. Certain furnitures are finished with a material that cannot withstand steam cleaning. You have to check first before using this.

Another method is by exposing the infested furniture, linens, or mattress under the heat of the sun for a couple of hours. Before you do this, you must scrub and vacuum the infested stuff.

When discarding the vacuum bag, put this inside a plastic bag to stop transfer of the bedbugs. Before bringing the exposed material inside your house, check for bedbugs again.

Bedbug insecticides come in sprays or in dust forms. Choose which one is suited for you. It is important for you to carefully read and understand the product label and the instructions. Observe utmost care in applying the insecticide.

Diatomaceous soil is also used for bedbug treatment. This soil is composed of single-celled algae. The soil particles have jagged edges which cut through a bedbug's body. You simply have to scatter the soil around the infested area and leave it there for a couple of days. You need not worry about the soil harming you or a pet because the particles are too small. After leaving the soil for a few days, you can remove it by vacuuming. Do not forget to seal the used vacuum bag in a plastic bag.

If the bedbugs can only be found in the mattress, you can treat it by using a fabric or vinyl mattress cover. You can put the mattress inside and seal all the zippers around it. Once the mattress is sealed inside the cover, bedbugs will be confined inside the mattress. The bedbugs cannot even eat and in 6 months or more, the insects will die of hunger. - 30195

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What You Need To Know About Termites

By Scott Davis

Termites are an insect that have been around for 50 million years, and allow they look like ants they come from an entirely different family. With a number of species and habitats there is a lot to learn about Termites.

Termite nests will either be mounds built above ground or in tree or they will be tunnels underground and hidden. As termites are sensitive to light and humidity nests are located by tracking the mud tunnels they create for themselves to protect them form outside influences.

The nests themselves need to have very high levels of humidity as the worker termites are very thin skinned and will easily dry out and die. They also need to maintain a high temperature and it is usually between 25 or 30 degrees inside the nest.

Diet: When most people think about termites they think of them eating wood but many species eat other organic materials. The termites have a digestion system that allows them to break down wood cellulose and convert it into sugar

Social Structure: Within a colony all the termites have a role to play which allows the colony to survive and prosper. There is usually only one Queen who can live for over twenty years, producing eggs. The King looks after the initial young offspring and fertilizes the Queen. The workers gather the food and maintain the nest. They actually seldom leave the nest as they are very thin skinned and need almost 100% humidity not to dry out. Soldiers exist to defend the colony. The reproducers which develop shedding skins until mature with wings. They can leave the nest to start a new colony or take over the duties of a dying King or Queen.

The flights by the reproducers are called colonization flights. The new King and Queen fly away from the birth nest and find a new site. The Queen then begins to lay eggs to establish the new colony. The King and Queen both drop their wings once a safe site has been picked. While the colony is small both the male and female contribute to raising the young but as the colony grows and the other roles start to be filled the Queen and King focus solely on reproduction. A colony could have anywhere from a hundred to a million inhabitants.

A tough thing about termites is that an infestation in a wooden home may show no signs until even five years after the termites have moved in. - 30195

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Bed Bug Detection For Your Home

By Jack Hanley

Bed bugs were not a problem for the sixty years following World War II. The introduction of DDT practically eradicated bed bugs in the United States. However with the banning of DDT, the problem started to grow again, and now you need to be careful that you do not develop a bed bug problem. There increase in population has made it imperative that you know about bed bug detection.

Bed bugs are approximately the same size and shape of an apple seed. The make their home in furniture, especially mattresses, but will live anywhere that humans are likely to sleep or nap. That is because you are their favorite midnight snack. When it gets dark at night, they like to come out to eat. Once they are full, they scurry back to their favorite hiding place so that you are unaware of their presence.

Bed bugs may migrate into you home by hitch hiking on used furniture, luggage or clothing from hotel rooms, or even your clothing as you visit a movie theater. One female bed bug lays hundreds of eggs during her lifetime. This can lead to infestation of your own home. It does not matter if you keep your home clean or dirty. Cleanliness has nothing to do with bed bug infestation. They only need blood to survive. If they cannot get your blood, the will settle for the blood of your pets.

Once a home is fully infested with bugs, you may note a foul musty odor. There are dogs that have been trained to detect bed bugs by their smell that are often used in hotels. There are also other signs that you can look for that will get the problem under control before it becomes a full fledged infestation.

Since bed bugs like to hide during the daytime, it is important that you check out cracks and creases on the bed. Look along rails and behind the headboard. Look for rusty or brown colored stains on mattresses and bedding to be sure that you do not have a problem with bed bugs.

Keep an eye out for egg shells or discarded skins from molting bugs. Remember that your box springs offer a multitude of places for bed bugs to hide as do ripped or torn mattresses.

If you find bed bugs in the house, take immediate action to get rid of them. It will be a difficult task and you may need to call an exterminator, although many are inexperienced in dealing with bed bugs. Your mattress and box springs may need to be encased in a plastic zipper bag to prevent the bugs from eating. They will die without blood.

If you choose instead to discard your mattress and replace it, remove all clutter from the room and be sure that there are no bugs present before bringing in new bedding. Otherwise, you will just be starting the problem all over again. - 30195

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