Antipest Blog

Introducing Water-Based Misting, one of the newly invented methods for mosquito treatment, is adopted and widely used by AntiPest Management Services Sdn. Bhd. There are a number of benefits obtainable from such treatment:
(i) Water-Based Misting targets at mosquito harborages and is carried out in mosquito-infested areas within premises. Hence, any bad weather such as rain will not deter the execution of such treatment. Note that mosquito harborages include humid areas, stagnant water as well as drainage.
(ii) Water-Based Misting can be done anytime of the day.
(iii) Water-Based Misting leaves residual effect which renders the treatment last longer after application.
(iv) Water-Based Misting provides direct contact kill solution.
(v) Due to the fact that such method is mainly based in water content (the name says it all), any drastic weather condition such as strong wind will not easily disperse the hazy content emitted from the misting machine.
(vi) Water-Based Misting is environmentally friendly because it is smoke free and the misting fluids contain glycol and some food and cosmetic ingredients.
(vii) Because of its long-lasting effect in extermination of mosquitoes, Water-Based Misting is unquestionably a value-for-money solution for your mosquito control.
Should you have serious mosquito problem in your home or workplace, call us today and find out more about the above-mentioned treatment method.

There are a variety of do-it-yourself options for killing cockroaches. Some of the more well regarded of these are listed below. Try one at a time, or try them all.

Use cockroach bait.

Cockroach bait is either housed in a childproof case or applied as a gel and contains a slow-working poison mixed in with an attractive (for cockroaches) food. The roaches eat the poison and bring it back to the nest, where it eventually kills all the roaches. Place the bait in an area where you know cockroaches will encounter it.

Use cockroach traps.

Cockroach traps lure cockroaches in and then trap them with an adhesive. Get several of these, and place them wherever cockroaches are known to frequent.

Use water jars.

A simple and effective homemade way to lure and trap roaches is with a jar placed next to a wall, allowing the roaches to get in, but not escape. Any bait can be placed in the jar, including coffee grounds and water, but it also works with just plain water in drier climates.

Apply a liquid concentrate.

Liquid concentrates, once the exclusive domain of professional exterminators, are now being made for use by the public. The concentrate is a poison or deterrent chemical that is diluted with water and then sprayed, wiped, or mopped onto just about any surface. Concentrates can be particularly effective providing protection against re-infestation, as they usually deter roaches for 1-2 weeks or more.

Use a simple solution of soap and water.

This, to some, is the easiest thing to do. Just make a light solution of soap (bath soap is fine) and water. You can splash this, spray this or just throw this on the roach. Just a little water will do , even 2 or 3 drops can kill, if used effectively. Ensure that it makes contact with the roaches head and lower abdomen (its belly if you can turn the roach over). The roach will run or try to run, but will suddenly stop and die or be almost dead in one minute. It is best to throw it out as soon as possible, as it may revive. This happens because the roach breathes through its skin. The soapy water forms a thin film on the breathing pores, and effectively blocks them (surface tension), causing the roach to suffocate to death or to near death, although it could recover if the water dries up or has not touched a large percentage of its body. Try this and you will have amazing results for free.

If the cockroach situation at home is overwhelming you, please give AntiPest a call at 03-8023 1888 or visit www.antipest.com.my for more information on how to deal with your pest problem.

Many rats stay close to the ground and live near the walls of your home’s foundation. Make sure to wear a protective mask and gloves when working near rats. Rodent urine is supposed to show up under blacklight if you have one of those handy.

Here are some handy tips on how to protect your house from rats.

Locate Entry Points

Once you have located the rat colony, it’s time to find out how they are getting into your home. Rats can squeeze through an opening ½ inch wide. Look around the outside of your home for potential entry points. Pay close attention in order to detect cracks in the foundation and excess gaps where wire or pipes enter your house. Some rats will be able to burrow under the foundation, so look for holes in the ground around your house. Work your way up from the ground to the roof. Rats are expert climbers, so they could be getting in under the eaves of your roof.

Seal-off Entry Points

Now that you have located the entry points, it is time to close them off. You will want to seal up those holes with something the rats won’t be able to chew through. Heavy gauge metal meshing, sheet metal, cement, or mortar are the best rat-proof barriers. Fill in the cracks in your foundation with cement. Some people put sharp things in the wet cement to deter the rats from digging it out before it dries; broken glass seems to be effective for this. Cover the other holes with the metal sheeting and fasten it tightly with external screws. You can use expanding foam or caulking to seal a hole, but without something metal to block them, they will just chew their way through.

Clean-Up the Mess

To clean up rat faeces, nests, and what not, you will want to wear goggles, a dust mask, and gloves. Once you have donned your apparel, survey the damage and determine what needs to be replaced. Frequently insulation will be soaked with urine; bag it up and throw it away. You can use a blacklight to check and see what has urine on it. To clean up faeces and other small particulate matter, use a vacuum. For things that can’t be removed, like wood and other parts of the house, use an weak solution of bleach (1 Tbsp bleach to 1 gallon water) or an enzymatic cleaner.

Maintain a Rat-Free Environment

It will be a good idea to continue setting rat traps and checking them on a daily basi. Because, even after going through all the work of sealing up your house and trapping the remaining rats inside, they might come back and find a new way in. Keeping rats out of your house will be easier if you remove things that attract them. Keep food containers covered and sealed inside and out. Move trash cans away from the house. Keep the ground free of debris, like piles of leaves and brush. Make it harder for the burrowing rats to dig in the ground around your house by adding rocks. And, if nothing else seems to work and you are at your wits’ end, just call a professional. It’s alright. You gave them a good fight. At least the exterminator will be impressed with your knowledge of rats.

For a free consultation on how to get rid of rats and other pests, please contact AntiPest at 03-8023 1888 or visit our website at www.antipest.com.my today!

Termite damage is a serious problem that causes billions of dollars worth of losses around the world each year. Termites are insects that resemble ants, and live in colonies, eating wood and decaying organic matter. Termites can cause considerable damage in a relatively short amount of time, which is why it is important to take the necessary steps to prevent their introduction in your home.

1 – Have Your Home Checked Regularly

The first step towards termite prevention is undertaking regular checkups to ensure that your home is free of an infestation. Only a professional can guarantee that your home is not infested, after a thorough check-up. Before buying a property or a home also, it is important to have it professionally assessed for termite activity.

2 – Remove All Sources of Moisture

Termites thrive in moist environments, and are highly dependent on sources of water for survival. Make sure there are no leaks or broken pipes anywhere in your home, as they will provide termites with a perfect growing environment.

3 – Repair Holes and Openings in Your Home

Just like most other insects, openings and cracks in the home foundation and other places will provide termites a convenient opening into the house. Ensure that such openings are promptly sealed.

4 – Minimize Contact between Wood and Soil

Termites construct elaborate tunnels within the soil and gain access to sources of food and moisture within your home. By minimizing direct contact between the soil and wood, you can block this direct path effectively.

5 – Avoid Storing Wood in the Garden

Wood stored outside the home acts as a very strong source of attraction to termites. These creatures devour wood at a very fast speed, and are attracted like magnets to wood stored outdoors. If you do store wood outdoors, keep it a safe distance from your home, in a safe enclosed location.

6 – Remove Heavy Shrubs and Plant Growth Around Your Home

Thick bushes and shrubs close to the boundary of your home increase the moisture levels and can contribute to termite infestation.

7 – Ensure Adequate Ventilation

Good ventilation and air circulation can go a long way in dissuading termite infestation, because it reduces the build-up of moisture and humidity required by termites.

8 – Remove Stagnant Water around Your Home

Stagnant standing water around a building can also act as a source of attraction to termites. Avoid letting water sit stagnant around your home. Ensure good drainage and check that gutters and pipes are running free, without obstructions or blocks.

If you are unsure whether or not you have termites, AntiPest would like to offer its professional pest control services to determine whether or not your home is being invaded by termites. For a free consultation, please call 03-8023 1888 or visit our website at www.antipest.com,my for more information.

Adapted from

www.doityourself.com

You can use alot of home remedies or over the counter pesticides to kill a cockroach. But how do you prevent the pest from coming back to bother you again? The answer is simple – A clean house is key to keeping cockroaches away.

Here are some tips on preventing re-infestation of cockroaches in your home.

1. Keep the kitchen clean. Clean up crumbs and spills promptly, and generally keep the area clean. Pay special attention to cooking stove tops, as cockroaches love grease.
2. Put food away. Keep food containers sealed, and don’t leave food out for extended periods — don’t even leave dirty dishes overnight.
3. Empty trash regularly, and keep trash away from the house.
4. Fix dripping faucets or leaks. Cockroaches are attracted to water.
5. Put naphthalene balls on corners. Roaches hate their smell.
6. Prevent bugs from coming up the drain. If you believe that the cockroaches are coming up your drains, pour regular, cheap bleach down the drains before leaving the house in the morning. For a stronger solution, mix 1 part borax with 3 parts bleach.
7. Seal cracks in exterior walls. Keep roaches out of the house by blocking their entrance.
8. Seal cracks everywhere you can inside your house. This takes time, but the payoff is great, because you eliminate most of their favorite hiding/breeding places. You’ll need a lot of caulking, so use the big tubes with a caulking gun. Fill every crack inside every cabinet; fill the cracks on both sides of floor, door, and window moldings; fill all openings around pipes in bathrooms and kitchens. This makes a big difference and makes the whole house feel cleaner.
9. If you buy an exterior bug spray, it will work inside much better. To spray it, put it in a spray bottle or a pump-up pressure bottle and spray the solution in the kitchen cabinets clockwise while holding your breath. Spray quickly and run out and leave the windows closed for a day.

If you need professional help in helping you keep these pests at bay, please call AntiPest at 03-8023 1888 or visit www.antipest.com.my for more information today!

It is important to consider a calling in a Pest Control Company to do an initial pest survey after buying a new house. This is to protect the value of your investment by preventing an infestation of termites.

Here are some helpful steps in selecting a good Pest Control Company.

Step 1
It is best to make sure your termite control professional is certified. You should also trust them enough to not only get rid of them, but help you to prevent a future infestation.

Step 2
Once you find a termite control expert you trust you should schedule an appointment with them. Even if you do not have a known termite infestation, which can be extremely difficult to discover on your own, it is still best to contact a professional to come take a look. It will protect your home and give you peace of mind.

Step 3
The termite experts you contact and schedule an appointment should be able to recognize obvious and not so obvious signs of infestation. They should have complete termite knowledge and be able to discuss it with you expertly. They should be up to date on all forms of advanced termite treatment and prevention. Their equipment should also be up to date with the latest technologies of termite treatment and prevention.

Step 4
When the termite professional arrives, the first task they should perform is a complete examination of your home. They should try and discover how the termites are getting in. They will look for things which are drawing the termites to your home. They should also check to see if there is an infestation anywhere else on your property in a stump or tree for example. Termites thrive in humid, moist, environments. The termite expert should report these and any other discoveries they make to you.

Step 5
If you are unfortunate enough to have an infestation, the termite specialist should then be able to speak knowledgeably about the best solution for your particular termite problem. They should have a plethora of solutions and suggestions for you to allow them to implement to get rid of your termites.

Step 6
If you had an infestation of termites, once they treat your home and get rid of them they should suggest prevention methods with you to keep you from having to have a re-infestation. Even if you did not have an infestation, while the termite professional is there, you should discuss with them a yearly check up and some suggested prevention advice.

If you haven’t found a suitable pest control company to service you, AntiPest would like to offer its professional services to you. Please call 03-8023 1888 to make an appointment today or visit www.antipest.com.my for more information!

About AntiPest Management Services

Established since 1986, AntiPest Management Services is a leading ISO-certified (ISO 9001 : 2000) pest control company specialising in integrated Pest Management, from general household pests to the most stringent commercial and industrial standards of ISO, Hazard Analysis And Critical Control Points (HACCP), as well as Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).As a Charter member of the Pest Control Association of Malaysia (PCAM), we are also fully committed to upholding the professional Codes of Ethics of the PCAM.

Here are some telling-signs that you have a termite problem.

1. Winged Termites
Most people, think that a winged termite is just a winged ant. This is completely understandable, given they both swarm at the same time of year. There are several distinguishing features between a flying termite and a flying ant. Termites have straight antennae, an equally proportioned waste and their wings are all roughly the same size. Flying ants on the other hand, have antennae which have a slight bend in them, tapered waists and their wings are not equally sized.

2. Flying Termites Around Lights
They can usually be spotted around doors and windows. If you see a winged termite taking flight from tree stumps, woodpiles, or other places in the garden, it doesn’t necessarily mean your house will get infested with termites. You should be concerned if you see a flying termite soar out from under your foundation wall, porches, or patios. If this is the scenario, then it is most probable you have a termite infestation and chances are good you will need termite treatment.

3. Dirt Tubes
If your house is infested with termites you will usually find these tubes on the foundation walls, support piers, sill plates, floor joists, slabs, etc . . . These mud tubes diameter is usually equal to that of a pen. Sometimes, they can be thicker.

These tubes act as transportation for the termites. They provide cover for the termites as they move back and forth from their underground nest to your house. If you find one of these tubes you should cut it open. Once the tube is open look for small, white, almost translucent worker termites. If you cut it open and don’t find any termites, it doesn’t mean you don’t have an infestation in your house. Termites build tubes use them, then move on for other sources of food and build new ones. They may just be in another tube somewhere in your house.

4. Damaged wood
Along the grain, you will find the wood has been hollowed out. If you are infested by termites, you will find pieces of dried mud or soil inside the hollowed wood. Other types of wood damaging insects, such as carpenter ants, or wood damage done by moisture will not exhibit this trait. Sometimes, termites will chew through plaster and drywall. Again, you will know it is termites if you find small pieces of soil around the edges. If your home has a termite infestation, you may also notice sunken or rippled wall coverings. This is a good sign they are burrowing underneath.

Please contact a Pest Control Professional immediately if you have more than 3 signs of termites mentioned about.  AntiPest would like to offer its professional pest control services to you. For a free consultation, please call 03-8023 1888 or visit www.antipest.com.my for more information today!

Many of you know that cockroaches are one of the common intruders who build up homes in almost every part of your house, whether they be furnitures, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, etc., as long as these areas contain moisture and food; the worst part is, not even your computer equipment can be exempted from their intrusion!

Spraying will not necessarily pose an effective solution against them.  Best way is to adopt a three-part approach: (i) Removal of their food resources; (ii) bait application; and (iii) monitoring and trapping.

(i) Food Source Elimination
Do thorough wet and dry cleaning of your house and leave no leftover food or traces of consumable fluids on the floors, tables and the like.  Sweep and mop your floors regularly to get rid of edible remnants and vacuum your sofas or blow-dry your cushions to rid of any spillages.  For added protection, use a dehumidifier or air conditioner to keep the area dry and moisture free if possible.  Since cockroaches live in high-temperature environment, it would be best to reduce the surrounding temperature to 72 degrees or lower. Last but not least, it would help a great deal to do your dining in only one part of your house (for example, dining room) and keep the unconsumed food in airtight containers and place them in proper storage away from roaches’ acute sensory detection of them.

(ii) Baiting
Use cockroach gel and apply small dosages (each dose about 1-inch strip) to areas of roaches’ suspected habitat, as fissures and electrical outlets. To achieve best result will require multiple applications. In addition to gel-type baiting, there are also other solid cockroach baits that can come in as an added advantage.

(iii) Monitoring and Trapping
Traps can be used to monitor cockroach activity and catch roaches in your house.  Place these traps along walls near furnishings as well as in areas of possible access to cockroaches. Change the ingredients on the traps if necessary, especially when the roaches become immune to them after sometime.

Source:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5859628_keep-roaches-getting-computer-electronics.html

Gecko, a kind of lizard from the family Gekkonidae, residing in tropical regions of the world. Most of the people treat geckos as a kind of pest whilst others consider them harmless and rear them as pets.

Human aversion to the sight of geckos is the result of a number of reasons. They reproduce fast and easy, have long life span (usually years), always lose their tail and thereby create a mess, defecate all over the place, produce annoying chirping sounds, and, in a detrimental context, they possess salmonella which can cause typhoid fever, food poisoning and other illnesses.  Geckos of the genus hemidactylus frentus in particular, often roam inside homes rather than wander about and dwell at the outside natural habitat; because of this, these geckos naturally become a nuisance to the householders.

On the contrary, some individuals find geckos visually appealing and take them in as house pets. Leopard geckos are among their favorites because, not only do they look strikingly beautiful, they are insectivorous as well; in a way, they keep your house clean and clear of other insects (they feed on mosquitoes, spiders and other small insects), which is a downside to ridding of geckos.

Since the cons of having geckos around outweigh the pros as mentioned above, it would be best to consider them pests.

There are no solid ways to getting rid of these pesky intruders.  If you spray insecticide on them, it will just hold them off for a while before they return.   In fact, they are fast enough to smell the chemical and flee before you can manage to spray on them.  However, you can attempt the following methods (shared and experienced by many folks) as means of prevention to a certain degree but not as absolute resolutions:

(i) The most humane way is to spray them with water like using a water pistol, for a jet of water will render them immobile and fall from the wall they stuck to.  Once they are motionless on the floor, sweep them out with a broom.
(ii) Glue board works too, same way that we use to constrain rats.
(iii) Mothball repels them.  Throw lots of mothballs inside the house and in the garden to ward them off.  Beware!  Your house can smell like a giant cupboard if you overload it with too many mothballs.
(iv) Use a tea bag dipped in and moistened with citronella oil which is used as a traditional insect repellent. Geckos hate its substance and odor like mosquitoes repugning sandalwood.
(v) Seal all the crevices on the walls with glue papers in order to cut off their ingression.
(vi) Mixing bleach or Dettol with water can kill geckos.
(vii) Using a Vaseline-coated tub with cardboards for trapping geckos.
(viii) Lower the temperature in your house via air-conditioning because geckos are only able to adapt themselves to warm temperature.
(ix) Another way is to eliminate their source of food, i.e. other insects.  By killing other insects with insecticides, the geckos will gradually leave your house once they run out of food supply.

References
http://www.e-bug.net/forum/messages/20222.shtml
http://www.e-bug.net/forum/messages/20354.shtml
http://www.e-bug.net/forum/messages/20396.shtml
http://www.e-bug.net/forum/messages/20525.shtml
http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/pest-control/how-to-get-rid-of-geckos/
http://www.oztion.com.au/Community/topic.aspx?t=guide&tid=98885

Termites sometimes known as ‘white ants’ live in colonies that, at maturity, number from several hundred to several million. Termites mostly feed on dead plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung.
Some indications you may have termites include:

• A temporary swarm of winged insects in your home or from the soil around your home.
• Any cracked or bubbling paint
• Frass (termite droppings).
• Wood that sounds hollow when tapped.
• Mud tubes on exterior walls, wooden beams, or in crawl spaces.
• Discarded wings from swarmers.

The Threat : The damage from termites is significant, causing serious structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests. Once they have invaded a building, they do not limit themselves just to wood, but also paper, cloth, carpet, and other cellulosic materials. The resulting damage from termites can cost millions of ringgit every year.