Making Resolutions: Keep pests Out

It’s that time of year again! 2010 begins a new chapter, a fresh start, and the opportunity to make this year better than ever. Making New Year’s resolutions is a pretty standard practice of many Americans—some casually taking stock in the year before and determining in their mind what they plan to improve upon, and others making formal lists and plans. Maybe you want to get in shape or take extra initiative in your career to get that promotion. Maybe you want to improve the quality of the relationships in your life or get organized in your home.

A Nassau County exterminator can’t do much about the big resolutions for 2010—we can’t help you too much at work and we certainly can’t help with your workout routine. But we can play an instrumental role in getting your home organized and keeping it pest-free all year.

Here are some suggestions for keeping pests away this year:

• Be particularly cognizant of your kitchen habits. Keep food properly sealed and stored in cabinets and do not keep dirty dishes out or crumbs on the counter any longer than necessary.
• Do cursory checks of your floorboards from time to time. Pests, bugs, and small rodents like to hide out in nooks and crannies
• Take some time to weatherproof in the spring and fall. Look around the attic, foundation, and windows for any portals to the interior of your home.
• Consider quarterly pest control services from a trusted company.

Knowing that you have reliable pest services in place, those you perform yourself, and those scheduled with a quality pest services technician is a small but important step in improving your home maintenance tactics this year.

While the big resolutions take time to realize, taking small steps to improve your home can make you feel a whole lot better this year.

Mouse in your Long Island House ? Not This Holiday Season

It's the night before Christmas when all through the house, 

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The famous poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” also called “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” was written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1822 and has been a holiday tradition ever since.

Hopefully, there are no mice in your Long Island home now, stirring or otherwise, and hopefully, the festivities are underway, with family traditions in full swing. As a family-owned and operated business, we know the importance of taking time to celebrate this time of year.

An important side note to remember, however, is that rodents can sometimes infiltrate the home this time of year, as temperatures drop and our furry friends seek shelter. Your home may be particularly critter-friendly with all of the lighting wires for chewing and perhaps a tree to climb. And let’s not even mention all of the cookies and treats.

As you tidy the house, wrap your gifts, and make all the other holiday preparations, just take a brief moment to take special note of anything amiss that may indicate an unwelcome guest and the need for some  Long Island rodent control measures:

• Chewed wires
• Bedding, perhaps with wrapping paper or other soft materials
• Scurrying sounds from walls and other small spaces
• Droppings

Take care of your mouse in the house before he causes any problems that may impede your holiday traditions, which can be as minor as stealing a cookie or gnawing on wrapped gifts, to as major as damaging electrical wires, which poses a real fire hazard.

But for now, Barney the termite dog is enjoying a nice holiday retreat nestled in front of the fire and the whole family is gearing up for the festivities. From our family to yours, we hope you are doing the same.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Why You Need A Professional Bed Bug Exterminating Service

Bed bugs have been a problem for landlords, hotel and motel operators, and other business owners for years.  But in recent years, because of widespread knowledge, media, and other conditions, this little pest has been brought to the attention of the public. You can have bed bugs in your home and you may not realize it until there is a bigger problem. There are bed bug remediation products available on the market, but you should be reaching for the phone to call a professional bed bug detection or pest control company when you consider the following points:

• Bed bugs are very small and hard to detect with the naked eye. They naturally head for cracks and crevices, making them hard to find from an untrained peek or even a professional inspection.
• Bed bugs can and will bite humans and pets. This can cause a pretty severe reaction, so it is important to have an inspection performed regularly or if there is any suspicion that an infestation may be occurring.
• Like many pests, bed bugs carry disease.

“Over-the-counter” remediation products include powders and fogs to kill these little menaces. There are several problems with these DIY home remedies. Primarily, there is no guarantee (and not even a reasonable likelihood) that you can entirely absolve the problem. Bed bugs have had centuries of practice at evasion and can hide out until the coast is clear. Another problem is that pesticides are poison—you want to kill the bugs without harming pets, children, or other human inhabitants. A pest control professional will know the proper steps to get rid of the problem without any issues. Finally, not only can these pesticides be dangerous for people, they can have adverse effects on your belongings, such as mattresses and other bedding that need remediation.

Trust the experts to effectively get rid of your bed bugs and keep your family safe. Here, Barney, the bed bug detection dog, helps us find bed bugs wherever they are on your property. This means of detection is nearly foolproof and 100% safe. He’s part of our family—so we know keeping your family safe and free from bed bugs is important to you.

Honesty and Efficiency in the Long Island Home Buying Process: Trust the Termite Dog

The process of purchasing a home can be a bit intimidating. It is one of the biggest investments of your life and you want to be sure that you are getting truly the home you want. Once you’ve got an accepted contract, you begin the inspection process to give yourself some peace of mind that the home is safe and sound. One of the inspections you will likely obtain is a termite inspection. Using a company that utilizes the services of a termite detection dog is the best way to ensure that there are no termite infestations or that any issues can be effectively resolved.

Why is a termite dog better than a routine inspection? In a word—honesty. The termite detection dog has no concerns with contracts, timelines, ulterior motives, or human error.  They simply sniff out the problem or confirm that none exists. Their noses, designed by Mother Nature, never fail and are believed to be more precise than advanced instrumentation or other human detection methods.

Find a New York exterminator that uses this service to have this additional layer of security in your investment. Here, Barney, the Detection Dog helps homeowners find termite problems early so that they may take care of the problem more quickly and more cost-effectively.

Think about this:

• A termite detection dog can find termites in areas that are inaccessible to their human inspector counterparts, such as inside walls.
• The dog is trained to find termites, period. There is no room for error or subjectivity.
• Finding termites before they have caused damage that would be evident to the human eye will save all parties money and headache.

The results found by a detection dog are instant, a critical piece of the puzzle when working in the real estate escrow cycle.

Dogs have been used for many years for their natural abilities and superior sense of smell. Police and law enforcement officials have been using dogs for decades to sniff out evidence, cadavers, drugs, and more. Organizations around the world have been instituted to offer the training these dogs need to become masters of their skills. Now, you have this expertise that no human technology can match to help you make wise decisions for the biggest investment of your life: your home

Cockroaches: The Ugly Truth

As the old adage goes, at least for those of us in the pest control industry, “There’s never just one cockroach.” And it is true. Cockroaches have been roaming the earth for millions of years and over that time they have adapted and changed to the conditions – no one really likes to have them around and they have responded by expediting their reproduction and battening their defenses. Cockroaches are known for carrying disease and for virtually taking over places where there is a benevolent environment. They like places that have a solid food source and can offer cracks and spaces to hide. Unfortunately, this may mean your kitchen. As we said before, you should take fast, proactive steps if you see one cockroach—because there is never just one, at least not for long. There are a number of home remedies that can be attempted with a cockroach infestation but to varying degrees of success. There are bait stations that you can put out, but this may not be a good solution if you have pets or children. There are spray poisons on the market that may work to some degree, but remember that cockroaches have something of an evolutionary advantage.

A Long Island cockroach exterminator will have more potent poisons than you can get at your local store, and they are knowledgeable about how to use them in order to keep a safe home for you and your family.

Once you get the problem resolved, you may want to investigate a little further to see why your home or business was selected by this pest. If you have sitting water somewhere or keep garbage nearby, that may hold the attraction. You’ll also want to be a little more cognizant of keeping food out on countertops and not letting dirty dishes sit for any length of time. As a final measure, you may want to take a peek around to see if there are any little cracks that may have presented as the proverbial front door for the cockroaches. But, a cockroach can slither in through the tiniest of spaces, so don’t get discouraged if you can’t find any openings.

The one thing to remember is that you should take action upon the first sight of this nasty pest. To learn more, visit The American Lung Association.

About DQ Pest Control:

DQ Pest Control is a family-owned and operated New York animal control and wildlife removal company serving the New York metropolitan area and Long Island. Specialist David Quinn is a New York exterminator with many years of experience in the family business.

Do You Have a Mouse in the House ?

Perhaps you turned on the kitchen light in the middle of the night and actually saw the little critter bounding for a retreat in a wall crevice. Then you know you have a mouse and can implement mouse control steps. But often, the signs can be much more subtle. If you notice any of these occurrences, you’ll have to take action quickly.

-Have you noticed any droppings? Mouse droppings are tiny brown balls and can be easily mistaken for seeds, dirt, or other common debris.

-Have you heard any scurrying-type sounds after you’ve turned in for the night? Mice are nocturnal and may become more active after hours.

-Have you noticed your pet clawing at the walls or floorboards? Pets can be much more sensitive to smells and sounds that the mouse may be making.

-Do you notice any “nesting?” It could be stuffing seeping out of a pillow or some shredded newspaper. This means that a mouse has likely found some material to make its bed.

There are some ways to remediate the problem yourself, such as setting traps. But this can be a little messy, a bit inaccurate, and clearly has a distinct “ick” factor. Mouse exterminating with a professional can mean that you never have to deal with the extermination aftermath and you can be more assured that the problem has been completely eradicated. DQ Pest Control employs Long Island rodent control experts.

A mouse exterminating professional can also tell you how to keep this from happening again. They can point out tiny crevices and openings that may have provided the portal and can show you how to get rid of mice and other pests this winter.

About DQ Pest Control:

DQ Pest Control is a family-owned and operated New York animal control and wildlife removal service, serving the New York metropolitan area and Long Island. Specialist David Quinn is a Nassau County exterminator with many years of experience in the family business.

Animals in the Attic Nassau County, Long Island, NY

Halloween is fast approaching and everyone is gearing up for a fun and fearless night.  The kids are getting their costumes prepared, families are carving pumpkins, and the night owls are gearing up for some scary festivities. Unfortunately, it’s also the time of year when some real scary sounds may be coming from your attic or crawlspace.

Every urban critter around will be looking for a good place to hole up for the winter. Squirrels, bats, opossums, raccoons, and others may find that your home suits them just perfectly. But these little trick-or-treaters can present big problems.

First and foremost, it’s just plain creepy to have a furry wild animal in your home.

Secondly, it can be quite dangerous. Not only can they damage your property, burrowing in the insulation or chewing on wood beams, but their droppings can harbor dangerous bacteria. Also, certain rodents and other critters may chew on wires, which is a fire hazard.

If you notice signs that you may have a house guest of the furry variety, you’ll need professional wildlife removal services to make sure you get rid of the problem and prevent it from happening again.

You will also want to contact a New York or Long Island exterminator that utilizes the most humane animal trapping techniques available—best for your family and for the animal. Bats are particularly found in attics and fireplace stacks and must be remediated by a professional bat control expert.

So have fun on Halloween, but if you hear more rattling in the attic, be sure to have a professional critter control technician take care of it.

About DQ Pest Control:

DQ Pest Control is a family-owned and operated Long Island animal control and wildlife removal company serving the New York metropolitan area and Long Island. Specialist David Quinn is a Nassau County exterminator with many years of experience in the family business.