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Chiggers- Pest Control OKC

Pest Control OKC Answers Questions About Chiggers

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Pest Control OKC: Informative Responses To Customer Questions

Over the last weekend many people celebrated Labor Day festivities in various ways. Some enjoyed their time out at the lake near woodsy areas. Others had their usually backyard BBQ. Of course, being outdoors near grass and trees can invite a lot of insects or other unpleasant things to take advantage of you. One such problem in areas like that are chiggers and our pest control OKC team is answering a few questions regarding these “red bugs”.

Are chiggers insects? 

As our pest control OKC expert, The Bug Guy, will tell you chiggers are not actually insects although many have referred to them as bugs. Instead, they are the larva of mites which belong to the family called Trombiculidae. 

What do chiggers look like?

Chiggers are very small in size. In fact, they are less than 1/50 of an inch in length. These tiny critters appear to be a reddish-orange color and they have six legs.

Do chiggers like to feed on people? 

Primarily, chiggers prefer to feast on reptiles, amphibians, birds, and other small mammals. Chiggers usually don’t seek out a human host, but will when coming into contact with them. Since chiggers normally live in patches, this is the reason people often notice several bites rather than just one or two. 

How can something so small bite people?

Many people make the mistake of thinking that chiggers burrow into the skin like scabies, but our pest control OKC team is here to tell you that chiggers do not behave this way. Instead, they attach themselves to the skin inject digestive enzymes into the bite location. This causes a hardened tube of dead cells called Stylostome. Then, they proceed to suck up the digested tissue with their tiny, little mouth parts called Chelicerae.

What happens to chiggers after they bite?

When they do attach to humans, chiggers usually die off within 72 hours, because they cannot obtain adequate nourishment from a human due to the human immune system reacting to the bite.  

If you discover a chigger problem on your home property the best prevention would be the following:

  • Keep grass short
  • Keep small animals out of your yard which could be possible hosts for chiggers
  • Remove wood debris which could be home to mites
  • Continue with pest control treatments 

Our pest control OKC team hopes this information answered a few questions you may not have previously known the answers to and we’d love nothing more than to help you keep your yard safe from pests like these. If you require our pest control OKC services, please feel free to contact The Bug Guy at 405-973-5522.

Butterflies- Pest Control OKC- Ants

Pest Control OKC Eliminating Butterfly Eating Ants!

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Pest Control OKC Protecting Beautiful Butterflies

Since the earliest days of spring beautiful butterflies have fluttered back to Oklahoma. Flower garden owners and lovers from all over the state can admire these lovely creatures as they interact with nature. Our pest control OKC team would love nothing more than to make sure the butterfly population lives on, but it can be a struggle without proper pest control treatments as many predators like ants feast on butterflies!

It’s just sad and disturbing (even to our pest control OKC team members) to think that something so pretty could have any enemies at all, but the truth is that there are quite a few predators of butterflies. Many ant species find butterflies to be quite tasty whether the butterfly is still in the egg, as a caterpillar, in chrysalis, or an adult. Quite often ants that are found eating a butterfly will consume the body of the butterfly and leave the wings intact.

In case you need convincing to utilize pest control OKC services to eliminate butterfly eating ants, here are just 3 good reasons why preserving butterflies is important:

  • Butterflies represent a healthy environment and ecosystem.
  • Butterflies help pollinate plants.
  • Butterflies have an interesting life cycle worth studying and have provided many educational benefits for people all over the world.

While spraying to eliminate ants that eat butterflies may seem like such a small step to take (and it may in turn keep butterflies out of your actual yard) it will still be one that helps the butterflies live just a little longer. One may argue that many butterflies will become food for larger animals, like birds, later on. This may be true, but our pest control OKC team believes it’s worth a shot to give butterflies a chance to live a full life before they complete their “circle of life”.

To make use of our pest control OKC services, you may give The Bug Guy a call at 405-973-5522.

Stink Bugs- OKC Pest Control

OKC Pest Control Warning Of Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs

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OKC Pest Control Shares A Story About A Stink Bug

Stink bugs get their name from the obvious pungent odor that they erect when they are threatened. It has been determined that this stinky smell helps stink bugs protect themselves from predators. Not only do they actually stink, but some may say they metaphorically stink, as well. At least, that would be the response from one blogger, by the name of Lydia Whitney, as she reported to having quite an unpleasant experience with a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. Today, our OKC pest control team is sharing her short story with you!

Lydia Whitney wrote about her experience with a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug on her blog.

In this article she talked about how she sat at her computer working when she felt a “sharp pain” on her bare foot. Whitney looked down and discovered a stink bug biting her, but was highly confused as many experts have stated that stink bugs aren’t harmful to humans and do not bite. She went on to explain that normally a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug feeds by piercing a plant and sucking on the plant juices with its beak, which is made with straw-like mouthparts. The damage done to the plant is generally defined as mild to severe.

With this explanation and the evidence of pain felt by Whitney after the stink bug was found on her foot, it would be difficult to argue that they do not bite. In most cases, they probably wouldn’t prefer to bite people, but they are a nuisance to people with vegetable gardens, precious plants, and even inside homes.

Our OKC pest control team is inclined to share a few warnings with you as many homeowners have thought it was a good idea to attempt sweeping away or vacuuming up stink bugs. Our OKC pest control professionals would like you to know that the smell emitted from these bugs can last for hours. Yes, even inside the vacuum!

To prevent stink bugs from getting inside of your home consider checking to make sure your windows and doors are properly sealed. Additionally, consider having ongoing OKC pest control treatments for all insect control.

If you need help keeping your yard and home safe from pests, give our OKC pest control professionals a call. The Bug Guy can be reached at 405-973-5522.   

Honey Bee- Pest Control OKC

How Hornet Control Via Pest Control OKC Helps Save Honey Bees!

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Pest Control OKC: Get Rid Of Hornets And Save The Bees

Did you know that the most common honey bee we know in Oklahoma once originated from Europe? Most amazingly, European honey bees are now one of the most familiar insects and are becoming well-known for all the good that they can do in our lives. In addition to honey production, it is estimated that honey bees also provide nearly $20 billion annually from pollination of over 100 cultivated crops. Doesn’t that sound like a good enough reason alone to save these little bees? Our pest control OKC team sure thinks so!

Luckily, many of you are already aware and care about the conservation of the European honey bee population. For those of you who don’t know, there are a few ways to prevent the killing off of these important insects. The most common sense ways would include not trying to kill them or spray them with any sort of pesticide materials. In addition, getting rid of hornets in your yard, by using such methods as our pest control OKC team would utilize, could actually help save the bees, too!

You may be wondering how that makes sense. Let our pest control OKC expert explain.

The fact is that an individual hornet can actually kill up to 40 European honey bees in just ONE minute! Think about how much damage an entire group of hornets can accomplish. In case you need a visual, estimations suggest that a group of 30 hornets can take out an entire hive containing 30,000 bees in less than four hours.  The hornets are brutal when they attack the nearly defenseless honey bees as they swoop in and dismember their bodies. The hornets then fly back to their own nests with the bees’ thoraxes in tow to utilize as food for their larvae.

The only sure-fire way to ensure that your yard stays hornet-free is to have ongoing pest control completed. Our pest control OKC team would love to help you keep your yard safe and in turn allow European honey bees to continue living. If you need help with pest control services, please feel free to give The Bug Guy a call at 405-973-5522.

*Important Note: If you should have a bee problem, do not try to kill them yourself. There are plenty of reputable companies in Oklahoma that will offer save removal and relocation of the bees for you. For the love of bees, please do your research and give one of those companies a call if you notice bee activity on your property!

American Dog Tick- OKC Pest Control

OKC Pest Control Talks About The American Dog Tick

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OKC Pest Control Shares Information About This Common Tick

As we mentioned in our blog article, last week, the threats of ticks are all too real. Of course, that story was just about Lyme disease and the one type of tick known for transmitting that disease. It’s important to know that many other types of ticks exist as well as the various types of diseases that can be transmitted. Today, our OKC pest control professionals felt it would be wise to share a little bit about one of the most commonly seen ticks known as the American dog tick.

Imagine that you were lying in bed fast asleep and suddenly you felt a little tickle moving up your arm. That awkward feeling alone might startle you enough, but seeing a tick crawling on you can certainly hinder your sleep thereafter. Our OKC pest control team understands the struggle as this is the experience many pet owners have had while sleeping next to their beloved dog campions.

Catching the American dog tick before it bites is, perhaps, one of the luckiest situations as this type of tick is known to carry Tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Most people exposed to Tularemia who show signs of the illness will do so within 3-5 days, but some have reported that it takes up to 14 days. While there are several types of tularemia, depending on how it was contracted, the most common type and its symptoms include:

Type Of Tularemia: Ulceroglandular tularemia

Symptoms: 

  • A skin ulcer that forms at the site of infection
  • Swollen and painful lymph glands
  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Headache
  • Exhaustion

Our OKC pest control team recommends that you see your doctor immediately if you feel you have this disease as most cases can be cured with prompt care.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever also usually shows up within 14 days. It is a bacterial infection that can cause serious damage to internal organs, such as your kidneys and heart if it is not promptly treated.

The common symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever are: 

  • Severe headache
  • High fever
  • Chills
  • Muscle aches
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Restlessness and insomnia
  • A rash on the wrists and ankles (usually after a few days)

Again, it is important to visit the doctor as soon as possible if you experience any of these signs after a tick bite.

The best thing to do to protect yourself, your pets, and others from the American dog tick is utilize prevention. OKC pest control is one of the best prevention methods to keeping your yard pest free. To get started with your OKC pest control treatment plan please contact The Bug Guy at 405-973-5522.