Antipest Blog

Cockroach infestation is a common and never-ending problem in our daily lives.  Roaches are everywhere, they are hard to catch and are prone to nocturnal activity.  How about making some cockroach traps on your own and let them work wonders at night while you can have a good night’s sleep?

(i) Duct tape trap

Use a paperboard, place strips of duct trap next to one another with the sticky side faced up onto the cardboard; tape down the duct tapes with adhesive or masking tapes at the ends of the strips of duct tapes so that they stay firmly in place on the cardboard.

Next, you need to put some roach attractant on the duct tapes to lure them, for example, flour, sugar, peanut butter, and the like. You can also add in a little boric acid as topping on the sweet stuff (because a sufficient amount of boric acid can mess up their innards and kill them subsequently).  Place the cardboard on the ground under or near the refrigerator, cabinet, washing machine, etc.  When you wake up next morning, check to see if there’s any cockroach stuck on it and dispose of the cardboard along with the roaches on it.

(ii) Jar trap

Any jar will do, be it pickle jar, mayo jar or peanut butter jar.  Apply some petroleum jelly inside the jar at the area where it curves in for the opening, this will make the roaches that climb in to the jar unable to get out due to the slippery nature of the petroleum jelly.  Put some sweet stuff as bait in the jar to attract them.  You can also pour some beer as alternative bait into the jar to drown them.

Besides using jar, you can use wine bottle as an alternative trap and, instead of using petroleum jelly, you can use cooking oil.  Put some cooking oil in the bottle, swish it until the inside of the bottle becomes oily, then pour out the excess oil and finally put in your desired bait.  Make a few of these traps and place the jars or bottles in areas where the roaches frequent or suspected hideouts of the cockroaches such as kitchen cabinets, stove area, etc.

The above-mentioned are just some fun traps to ensnare a few cockroaches.  If you plan to take out a huge number of them, such traps would simply not be so effective.  In fact, some roaches would be smart enough not to fall for these simple traps.  In this case, the only solution will be to engage a pest controller to help you solve your serious roach problem.

Having cockroach problem?  Contact AntiPest today at 03-8023 1888 for free consultation and non-obligatory inspection of your premises.

References:
http://pestsoff.com/how-to-get-rid-of-cockroaches/cockroach-traps/
https://localwiki.org/davis/Cockroaches 

Despite your basic knowledge of cockroaches as uncomely, disease-ridden and vexatious, there are a number of awe-inspiring facts to learn more about these six-legged freaks.

(i) Cockroaches are cold-blooded in nature and have been in existence for 359 million years, i.e. they have existed longer than dinosaurs.  They can live under cold temperature as low as 32-degree Fahrenheit.  How did they manage to survive for so long when so many other creatures have already become extinct?

(ii) There are over 4,000 species of cockroaches on Earth, with one kind capable of surviving in the desert by using its unique mouth structure to absorb water vapor when there’s no water around.  Another species known as Saltoblatella Montistabularis or Leaproach discovered in South Africa can even jump like grasshopper!  The longest cockroach named Megaloblatta Longipennis native to Central and South Africa measures up to 3.8 inches in length with 8-inch wingspan.

(iii) Cockroaches have the danger of triggering asthma.

(iv) Cockroaches feast on all sorts of things in addition to human food.  These include soap, wood, glue, carcasses of insects, cloth, paper, hair, and even feces.  Roaches can live without food for weeks due to their naturally low metabolism rate and can survive without water for up to 2 weeks.

(v) Cockroaches spend 75% of their time resting.

(vi) It is not easy to drown a cockroach for it can hold its breath for up to 40 minutes in water.  Roaches inhale air through spiracles in their bodies and they close their spiracles when immersed in liquid.

(vii) If you cut off a cockroach’s head, it can still survive for a week without its head.

(viii) Cockroaches can survive a nuclear holocaust, for they can withstand high radiation exposure.  Roaches were found alive in Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Chernobyl after the nuclear bombings.  Scientists believe their survival was related to their slower cell cycles which molted only once a week.

(ix) Cockroaches are edible.  You can find deep-fried roaches in Thailand and China.  Bon appetit.

Having pesky roach problem?  Call AntiPest today at 03-8023 1888 for our professional cockroach control and solution.

References:
http://ipfactly.com/15-creepy-amazing-cockroach-facts/
https://www.pestworld.org/news-hub/pest-articles/fascinating-cockroach-facts/

Fruit flies, our occasional companions that show up after your confectionary fruit gnawing and at the “aftermath” of your fruit meals, are not only the uninvited guests we should get rid of, the eggs that they lay in your house should also be eliminated as well.  Despite their short, 8-day-only life span, they reproduce at an accelerating rate and their eggs hatch within 8 to 10 days.  Fruit flies are attracted to rotting or overripe fruits, the remnants of which left in your garbage bin, dank sink and drain can also attract them.  To get rid of them, you can make a simple fruit fly trap.

Use a jar or any tall container, put in some sugary stuff such as slices of bruised banana, honey, pieces of rotting fruit, maple syrup, and the like.  Next, roll a piece of paper to create a funnel with a tiny opening at the tip and place it in the container with the narrow tip facing down without touching the bait within; remember to tape the paper funnel so that it is firmly in shape, and do not make the tip’s opening big (This is to prevent the fruit flies from getting out of the funnel after they are baited into the container).

Place the trap near fruit bowl, kitchen sink or garbage can.  Leave the trap there overnight.  Next day, you should see some fruit flies inside the container, they were smart enough to fly in to the container but dumb enough to fly out.  Once they are trapped, mix some warm water with dish soap and pour it into the container, the soap will reduce the surface tension of the water and consequently drown them.  Wait for a minute or two and then discard the contents (together with the carcasses of the dead flies) of the container outside your house.  After that, wash the container with hot water so that you can reuse it to build a new trap.  You can put as many of these traps at the fruit fly-infested areas in your house.  It is recommended to do the trapping every day for a week or two or until you see no more of these pesky bugs in your house.

To get rid of the eggs, you will need to do proper and regular kitchen cleaning:

(i) Kitchen sink drain should be cleaned because tiny bits of fruit scraps can get stuck in the drain and rot.  Simply pour some boiling water with soap dish into the drain to kill the eggs.

(ii) Trash can and compost bin (if you have one) should be cleared and washed.

(iii) Damp sponges and mops should be cleaned, for fruit flies like to breed in these moist stuff too.

(iv) Wash all dishes immediately after meal.

(v) Cover your windows with screens to prevent outside fruit flies from coming in to your kitchen.

Reference:
https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Fruit-Flies 

There are over 2000 species of termites in the world.  Besides us knowing that they cause millions and even billions of damages to buildings every year, they exhibit behaviors not many people know of.

(i) Some species of termites such as Macrotermes and Cubitermes native to Australia and Africa are talented architects, for they can build mounds as their habitats at towering heights between 15 and 17 feet or as tall as a two-story house.

(ii) These blind insects use vibrations to locate their food, and they bang their heads to communicate with one another.  Sometimes termites bang their heads against a hard surface as a warning signal of a threat to their nest.

(iii) Adult termites have wings and they mate during their flights.  Once they have found a suitable place to build their family home, they’ll break their own wings to settle down and live happily ever after.

(iv) Termites feed on each other’s poop in order to grow symbiotic protozoa and bacteria in their body to help them digest the hard wood material they have gulped.

(v) Termites are hygienic insects.  They groom with their buddy mates regularly to keep one another clean, as hygiene is vital to their survival.

Having termite problem?  Call AntiPest today at 03-8023 1888 for professional termite control solution.

References:
http://animals.mom.me/odd-habits-termites-8533.html 
https://www.thoughtco.com/fascinating-facts-about-termites-1968587

Our world is surrounded by countless of rats and their numbers are rapidly growing every day.  Their presence must not be ignored, for they pose a greater health risk to our community than you can ever imagine.

These odious little rodents can transmit over 35 types of disease such as leptospirosis, salmonellosis, tularemia, Haverhill fever, and black death.  Not only can these lethal diseases affect humans, they can infect animals as well.

The transmission channels of rat diseases:

• Through rat bites.
• Ingestion of food and water contaminated with rat saliva, hair, excrement, and urine.
• Direct contact with and handling of infected rats.
• Inhalation of dust contaminated with rat feces and urine.
• Indirect transmission by fleas, mites and ticks that live on infected rats.

Proper and professional rat control must be exercised in order to stop the outbreak of rat infestation and diseases before the situations get worse and threaten the precious lives of you and your loved ones.

Having rat problem?  Contact AntiPest today at 03-8023 1888 for our expertise and professional rat control solutions.

Reference:

http://healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/N_R/Protect-your-health-keep-rats-under-control

Fire ants are a major nuisance to both humans and animals.  Not only do they inflict one of the most painful stings in flesh, the pain is highly intolerable and seemingly everlasting; well, once bitten, some people will have to suffer the burning “sensation” for weeks.

There are some ways you can use to minimize your fire ant problem or hopefully eliminate them for good.

(i) Give these fire buggers a hot bath

Pour hot water directly onto the mound (their colony), this is the most straightforward method.  You will have to do this 3 to 4 times, with each application requiring 3 or 4 gallons of hot water.  Be careful when using this approach, for hot water can kill the grass and injure your skin.

(ii) Bucket them

First, you’ll have to identify their nest.  Once you’ve spotted it, dig up the mound swiftly and dump it into a bucket.  Cover the mound with some baby powder or cornstarch in the bucket to prevent the fire ants from climbing out.  Lastly, fill the bucket with water mixed with some dish soap to drown them; the purpose of the dish soap is to break the surface tension so that the ants can be drowned faster.  Anyway, you will have to leave your handiwork overnight to see the result.

(iii) Dry them up with diatomite

This miracle earth known as diatomaceous earth can dehydrate the fire ants and consequently bring about their demise.  This approach is not so practical because, if you simply pour the earth onto them, they can escape.  The only way is to bag them up and fill the bag with this earth.

(iv) Use steam injectors.  Like hot water, they can destroy grass and shrubbery.

(v) Enlist the help of a professional pest controller.

Having ant problem?  Contact AntiPest today at 03-8023 1888 for your pest control solution.

References:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/a20705655/how-to-get-rid-of-fire-ants/
http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/fireant/The%20Drip%20Line.html

Have you ever wondered why sometimes you are easily susceptible to mosquito bites?  The general consensus is that mosquitoes are attracted to individuals who are “sweeter”, but what causes you to emit the sweet scents that are perfume to these skeeters?  Let’s find out if you want to avoid the itchy bumps on your skin.

There are 5 types of human scent that will make mosquitoes come to you: Blood, lactic acid, carbon dioxide, secretions, and body odor.

(i) Mosquitoes have preferences for humans with different blood types.  People with Type O blood have 83% higher chance of getting visits from your unexpected guests.  However, mosquitoes have the least interest in Type A blood.  Accept your fate, you can’t change your blood type.

(ii) Your skin emits lactic acid when you exercise a lot and when you eat certain kinds of food such as fish, confectionery, salads, pickled vegetables, dairy products, etc.  The higher the lactic acid in your body, the higher the chance of you becoming mosquitoes’ target.  To reduce the lactic acid production, wash your body with soap and towel your body dry.

(iii) The carbon dioxide we exhale attracts these pesky insects.  Adults exhale more carbon dioxide compared to children, this is why the former are more likely to be bitten by mosquitoes compared to the latter.  Pregnant women, in particular, are the prime targets of these skeeters because they exhale a lot more carbon dioxide.

(iv) About 80% of humans secrete antigens and saccharides through their skin and these compounds are attractions for mosquitoes.  There’s nothing we can do about this.

(v) Your body sweat combined with bacteria produce a sweet odor that mosquitoes can’t resist; without bacteria, our sweat would be odorless.  Beware that some fragrances and perfumed products can also attract mosquitoes.

(vi) Alcohol consumption can raise the temperature of your body making you a likely target, because mosquitoes are easily drawn to body heat.

Having mosquito problem?  Contact AntiPest today at 03-8023 1888 for our expertise and professional pest control solution.

Rats are one of the “amazing” pests and you will agree to this when you find out the following little-known facts about them; some of these facts, however, can be pretty disturbing.

(i) Rats love to bite humans when they are asleep. They especially like to go after humans who have been bitten by rats before; this is as if you have been marked after first bite to “facilitate” future attacks. Their favorite human body parts to crave are the face and the hands. Suggestion to wear “real mask” & gloves when you go to bed?

(ii) Some rats have kangaroo pouch and can sense tuberculosis. The body of this particular subspecies measures 18 inches in length and has around 3 pounds in weight. Their distinguishing feature – a kangaroo-like pouch on the body! What is more amazing are their capability of detecting tuberculosis; such unique gift is faster and more accurate than the medical test of this disease. You can’t keep them as pets, however, as they are also the culprits of transmitting monkey pox!

(iii) Rats will die if they stop chewing. Why do rats never stop chewing? That’s because their teeth never cease growing during their 7-year life span. If they stop chewing, their teeth will overgrow into their brain and consequently kill them! This is why they have to constantly gnaw on things in order to exercise their teeth on a frequent, non-stop basis.

(iv) Rats have teeth of steel. Their open-rooted teeth and jaw muscles are structured in a manner that runs all the way up to their eye sockets. Such biological tooth structure enables them to gnaw through wiring and even concrete! Imagine what they can do to human flesh!

(v) Rats can climb up the toilet and bite your butt. Flushing them down the toilet into the sewage system won’t do any good as they are born Olympic swimmers. Be sure to look next time when you lift the toilet seat, you wouldn’t want any uninvited guest to accompany your sh**ty business.

(vi) Rats pee very often – about 80 times a day! Ergo, prepare to clean your house often too.

Having rat problem? Contact AntiPest today at 03-8023 1888 for our professional rat control advice and solution.

Reference:
https://www.ranker.com/list/horrifying-facts-about-rats/cynthia-griffith?page=1

Ever wondered what it feels like when you enjoy a good meal and a fly suddenly disrupts your feasting pleasure? Well, it certainly feels annoying not just by the sight of such pesky insect, hearing its buzzing sound around you is enough to turn off your good mood. A single fly is capable of laying 9,000 eggs, imagine what it does to your food before you ingest the food together with the eggs in it … Totally unimaginable!

There are some ways to help you ward these pests off or minimize their unwanted presence.

(i) Flies are attracted to strong scent of food. Keep the kitchen door and window closed when you cook; this, however, can be impractical, as doing so can be very stuffy in the kitchen. An alternative suggestion would be to place a fan in the kitchen and direct the running fan to the open door or window, this is because flies hate to be blown by wind. Clean up the food after meal and make sure there are no leftover remnants on the dining table or the cooking place/space (for example, the frying pan). Wash the dishes and do not let them stay uncleaned overnight.

(ii) Seal the uneaten cooked food and place it in the refrigerator or store the excess food in tight container. Waste food must be discarded in the trash can and the lid must be closed securely. Get rid of the trash the next day. Flies crave for compost too, ergo, keep the compost as far away from the house as possible.

(iii) Flies love to wander around animal feces. If you have a dog or cat, be sure to dispose of its excrement in a proper manner by flushing it in toilet, burying it or putting in a plastic bag, seal the bag & discard it.

(iv) Flies like to hide in bushy shrubs and tall grass. Hence, it is recommended to mow your grass often and manicure your lawn on a regular basis.

(v) Like mosquitoes, flies desire for standing water. Drain the unwanted or excess water around your house. Pour boiling water down the drains and cover them up.

(vi) If you still see flies around despite undertaking the above-mentioned preventive measures, check your house and garden thoroughly to see if there’s any carcass (example, dead rat, dead insects, etc.) or maggot, and dispose of them accordingly.

(vii) Engage a pest control professional.

Contact AntiPest (03-8023 1888) today. We provide fly traps known as Electronic Insect Trapping Devices that come with 2 models (Discreet & Hercules) to help solve your pesky fly problem.

Reference:
https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/14-tricks-get-rid-flies/

Which part of your house or a commercial building has the highest chance of getting infested with various kinds of pest?  Kitchen, no doubt, as it is the main area for storing food that can attract the critters; to them, kitchen is the place of their gathering and get-together because it is their food source.

A proper and disciplinary pest control in the kitchen is essential in ensuring that you are being fed with fresh and uncontaminated food and, in the case of commercial kitchen, pest-ridden and unclean food can turn off the customers resulting in loss of business to the restaurant owner, not to mention contaminated and disease-ridden food caused by rats that can endanger the health and lives of the diners.

To maintain the cleanliness and a pest-free environment in the kitchen, here are some tips to help you ward off pests from your kitchen.

First things first.  It is important to identify the “problem” areas that are easily accessible to pests in the kitchen.  Pay attention to the food storage area (e.g. cabinet), dining area (dining table), waste disposal area (garbage bin), and food preparation area (kitchen table or sink).

(i) Always cover your trash can to prevent the smell of food from spreading out.  Clean and empty your can regularly.  A dirty garbage can with rotten leftover food is a favorite hot spot for rats, in particular.

(ii) Seal all the cracks and caulk the fissures on the walls in your kitchen because cockroaches love to hide in these holes.

(iii) Store all your foodstuffs in airtight containers.  You wouldn’t want a massive ant invasion of your yummy foods.

(iv) Keep the doors and windows in the kitchen closed to avoid those uninvited guests.

(v) Let a licensed pest controller do the dirty work for you, help you ease your job and make the pest control treatment more effective.

Having pest problem in your kitchen?  Wait no further.  Contact AntiPest today at 03-8023 1888 for our expertise and professional pest control solution.

References:
https://medium.com/@bayswaterpestcn/how-can-i-prevent-pest-infestation-in-my-commercial-kitchen-area-ee97c585c0db
https://www.foodsafety.com.au/resources/guides/how-to-keep-your-commercial-kitchen-clear-of-pests
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/425379127291100252/?lp=true (Image source)