Are YOUR College Kids Bringing Home Bed Bugs from the Dorm?

If there’s one stage of a family’s life that offers up the most changes, it has to be when your children head off to college.

For many families, the summers between school years bring a whole new dynamic – as well as something that you may not have experienced before: bed bugs.

While you may think of bed bugs as a uniquely urban concern, bugs don’t know any difference between a mattress in New York and a mattress in Louisiana.

Anywhere your child goes to school, they may be exposed to bed bugs!

Studies show that bringing home bed bugs from dorms isn’t as uncommon as you may think. Here’s why:

Reasons Bed Bugs Come Home from Dorms

If you’ve ever been in a dorm building, you’ll likely notice that it’s not quite like an apartment building. These are often more like summer camp rooms, with very thin walls.

That means that if one room gets bed bugs – say, if one student brings them from home in their luggage or linens – it’s very easy for those bed bugs to spread to other rooms.

Another common concern is that kids can be messy.

Young college students just coming from home and high school may leave their clothes on the floor, may not wash their sheets as often, and may not pay close attention to the cleanliness of their space. This makes a room a prime breeding spot for bed bugs.

Most dorm rooms have wooden beds, which are porous and offer bed bugs a place to hide in between school years. When your child arrives at the school, it’s important to check the furniture for signs of bugs. Buying a plastic mattress encasement can also help stop bugs from attacking your child in their sleep.

Stored luggage is another concern. If a student had bed bugs at home, those bed bugs are almost certainly in their luggage. And because they keep their luggage stored in their room, right where all their other things are, it’s easy for those bugs to travel to their other things.

Finally, college kids tend to be very social, visiting each other’s dorm rooms, heading to frat and sorority houses, going out to theaters, and generally traveling around to multiple areas where they can both pick up and spread bed bugs. This means that it only takes one student to bring bed bugs from home to spread those bugs to nearly the entire campus.

How to Stop Bed Bugs from Coming Home with Your Student

Here are some suggestions for keeping your child from bringing bed bugs home from college:

First, be sure that your child understands that room cleanliness and personal hygiene are very important for keeping bed bugs away. They should have a schedule for washing their sheets and laundry regularly, and they should also understand why it’s important to never share laundry or linens with anyone else in their dorm. This is one of the best ways to ensure that your child is safe from bed bugs, as much as they can be.

If you suspect that your child does have bed bugs in their college luggage, the best thing you can do is to call a professional right away before the infestation spreads to the rest of your home.

If you can catch them early, before they leave your child’s room or luggage, the cost will be lower, and it will take just one quick application to get rid of the problem.

You can get an estimate on the cost of bed bug removal by calling us at (800) 391-2565 or contacting us online.

Keeping Roaches at Bay This Fall

As fall rolls around, it means many things for the residents of Louisiana.

Cooler weather, shorter days, holidays coming up, and guests of all kinds.

While you welcome your friends and family, there are some guests you don’t want...One of those is roaches.

Autumn Brings Roaches Indoors

As the weather cools downs, roaches start to head indoors to escape the weather.

Just like all insects, they don’t have the means to regulate their body temperature, so they must seek out warmth to stay alive. In addition to coming inside, they also like to hide in piles of fallen leaves and other debris.

Since these are often raked up near houses, roaches can start to multiply near your home. In these ways, the cooler weather is responsible for the increase in roaches you may see around this time of year.

Tips for Keeping Roaches at Bay

If you want to keep the roaches at bay when the cooler weather hits, we have some tips for you.

• Be sure that you aren’t piling up raked leaves near your home. If you have to rake leaves, keep the piles well away from any structure, or collect the leaves in yard waste bags to be discarded immediately.
  
• Be sure that your garden mulch isn’t too high. This can give roaches a place to burrow and multiply, around your home. Many people put extra mulch on their gardens in the autumn to protect plants and prepare the soil for winter.
  
• Be sure that your gutters aren’t filled with leaves and debris. Filled gutters can allow roaches to come into your home under the eaves.
  
• Be sure to follow regular pest control measures as you would year-round. Keep sugar, fruit, and other foods put away or zipped up tight. Roaches need a food source to survive. Be sure to keep pet food tightly sealed as well, especially if you keep it in the garage or other areas that aren’t as tightly secured as your home.
  
• Get great tips from experts. You can check out the Pest Gazette from the past to find some great general tips for keeping your home free of pests or check out our website at Fischer Environmental to learn more about cockroaches and how they can get into your home. Our blog is also full of great tips for keeping pests away from your space.

Regular Pest Service Keeps Your Home Cockroach Free

One of the best ways that you can avoid roaches in the fall is to schedule a regular pest control service every year. This is because cockroaches have a unique method of finding their way back into homes that they have already been in. They emit a chemical trail in every place they’ve ever been, and other cockroaches can follow these trails. To them, it’s like a map that leads them right to a source of food and warmth.

By having a regular pest service every year, you can prevent this chemical trail from being left to attract new roaches.

That’s a very important part of keeping roaches out of your house in the fall, but you have to be proactive before the roaches get near your home for this to work.

At Fischer Environmental, we can eliminate your cockroach problem with our years of expertise.

Not only will we use the right chemical pesticides to eradicate roaches, but we also inspect your home for common ways that roaches can get into your home, such as holes near the baseboards, leaky pipes, and more.

Contact us today for a no-obligation estimate and more information.

You’re About to Start Seeing Rodents in Your Metro NOLA Homes…What Can You Do?

It’s that time of year again. The temperatures are finally starting to drop, and soon will be consistently in the 70’s.

And while everyone in metro New Orleans loves when the weather cools down, there are city critters that don’t: rodents.

Rats and mice that live on the streets like to be warm, which means when fall and winter roll around, they’ll be looking at your home as a potential place for an extended vacation!

Rats and mice make their way into your home by a variety of ways, including:

• Weepholes in Brick Buildings

Weepholes are the small openings that sometimes occur in between bricks. They often don’t look big enough for anything to get in, but trust us, mice and rats can squeeze right through them!

• Holes in Eaves

Rodents aren’t afraid of heights, and can actually climb quite high for the size of their little bodies. This means that if you have holes in the eaves of your house, it’s the perfect way for a rat or mouse to climb in and make itself at home.

• Roof Access from Palm Trees

Tall and beautiful palm trees are commonplace in metro NOLA. But did you know that inside these beauties, roof rats love to nest? And, if you have a palm tree near your home, you can bet these rodents are going to find a way inside for warmer temperatures during the fall and winter.

• Garage Access

One of the easiest ways that rodents make their way inside your home is by squeezing inside your garage. Attracted either by open food containers for pets, or just the warmer temperatures inside, once a rodent is in your garage, it makes it that much easier for it to invade your living spaces.

• Entering in Through Damaged Walls and Siding

Just like weepholes in brick buildings provide a passageway for rodents, damages in your walls or exterior siding can create a pathway for mice and rats. If you have any interior or exterior damage to your walls or siding, be on high alert for rodents in your home.

When it comes to your home, preventing rodents from entering your home, wildelife exclusion techniques are your friends. We’ve got some helpful tips on our website that you can check out. But, if it’s already too late and you’ve seen the telltale signs of rodents in your home or around the exterior of your property, it’s time to get expert help, now!

You may think you can rid yourself of your pest problem by buying traps from your local hardware store. But, pesky pests are often trap resistant. To prevent rodents from entering – and multiplying – in your home, you need the assistance of a pest control expert, like those at Fischer Environmental. To protect your metro New Orleans home from these unwanted visitors this fall and winter, call us today at (800) 391-2565.

How Much Will It Cost to Get Rid of Bed Bugs?

People often try to do things themselves or put up with a bad situation when they think they can’t afford a service.

On the other hand, if you’ve got a bed bug infestation, you might be willing to pay just about anything to eliminate the problem.

That’s why one of the first things that people want to know is how much a bed bug removal might cost. Unfortunately, the answer is: it depends.

Bed Bug

Bed bugs are tiny insects, often invisible to the eye, which survive on blood. They aren’t only found in beds – in fact, anywhere they can gain access to blood, from furniture to clothes and even to hair, they’ll take up residence.

They only need to eat every few months to stay alive, so you may not even know you have an infestation at first. Once they do take up residence, however, they can be difficult to get rid of.

Big Factors in Bed Bug Removal Costs

There’s really no good way to give you an accurate estimate before we take a look at your situation and do an assessment. A bed bug removal service can range from just a few hundred bucks to a hefty $4,500, depending on many factors.

Here are the big reasons the price can vary so greatly:

• How bad is the infestation? If you’ve caught it early and there are just a few bed bugs, it will be much more affordable to get rid of the infestation.
  
• How widespread is the infestation? Is the infestation in just one room? If so, the removal process will be easier and faster, which will make it more affordable.
  
• What in the space must be treated? In some cases, we must treat everything from the carpet and furniture to the walls and ceiling. This will raise the price of the removal services.
  

Depending on the severity of these three factors, the price could change wildly. It isn’t until we’re able to inspect and determine the level of infestation that we could offer a useful estimate.

Other Factors that Impact the Cost of Bed Bug Removal

There are other factors that can change the price of a bed bug removal service, although these factors won’t make it fluctuate as much as the three listed above.

First, it’s important to realize that the cost of bed bug removal services will typically be higher than your standard mosquito suppression or termite control, because the technicians must be much more careful with the application of pesticides. We have to spray chemical pesticides where you sleep to get rid of bed bugs, and that means we have to keep your safety in mind as well. This requires more training and expertise.

Another important factor to consider is the fact that bed bug removals may take more than one treatment. While we can treat furniture very thoroughly with one treatment, you can never be 100% certain that you’ve gotten every single bedbug, as they burrow deep into furniture cushions where our applicators cannot reach.

Other Costs for You to Consider

Additionally, there are some incidental costs that come with bed bug infestations that you need to keep in mind when budgeting for this type of service. Some of those include:

• You may need to replace certain pieces of furniture if we determine that they cannot be treated. Sofas and mattresses are often the big-ticket items that get infested beyond control.
  
• The size of your home will impact the cost of the bed bug removal service.
  
• If multiple applications are required to salvage certain types of furniture, this can change the cost of the removal service.

Contact Fischer Today for the Best Case Scenario

If you suspect you have bed bugs, the best thing you can do is get an expert to inspect your home right away and recommend a treatment. Like we said at the start – some bed bug removals only cost a few hundred bucks at the most.

Don’t let the potential costs stop you from getting a no-obligation estimate. You may be surprised! Contact us today to learn more.

Do Roaches Like Coffee?

If there’s one universal moment that everyone can agree is scary, or at least gross, it’s the second you turn on a light in your kitchen and see roaches scurrying away. Nothing can make your skin crawl more than the thought of these insects crawling over your food and dishes. Putting down some traps is usually the first step, but that doesn’t stop you from eyeing your morning coffee with some trepidation. Did any of those roaches help themselves to a few of your grounds?

Roaches Are Repelled by Coffee

In fact, your coffee is likely safe. Roaches are repelled by ground coffee. Putting some ground coffee down in the corners or windowsills of your kitchen can actually help keep these insects away. One problem for roaches is the acidity in coffee grounds, which can kill them if ingested. If you choose to try this method, be sure to focus on places where the roaches come in and out of the kitchen. This is the most likely place to expose them to the toxin that will kill them, and also keeps your whole house from smelling like old coffee.

How do we know that? The first reason we know this is due to our experience. We handle all the pest control needs for some of the largest coffee production facilities in the United States, and over the years we have noticed that there is a suspicious lack of roaches. Where most warehouses would attract at least a few, these locations are always clear of this bug. And if they don’t like more than 80 million pounds of coffee available to them every night, they aren’t going to want the bag on your counter.

The second reason that we know this is because of the chemical makeup of caffeine. Studies have shown that part of caffeine’s makeup is actually toxic to roaches, killing them nearly immediately. Combined with the harmful acidity, this is clear evidence for the idea that roaches are not after your coffee.

So Why Do You See Roaches by the Coffee?

You are probably wondering, if we know that roaches hate coffee so much, why do I always see roaches by the coffee pot when I flip on the light? Most of the time, the reason you see roaches by your coffee is because they are attracted to things that you store right by the coffee. Look at your coffee pot, or picture it in your mind. Next to it, you likely have creamer, sugar, or other food items that have been left out. These things can attract roaches, rather than the coffee itself.

In fact, creamer and sugar are the two biggest culprits that we have seen in our experience. Roaches are attracted to these two things and will make a beeline for them. Putting these ingredients away, and being sure to clean up any spills immediately, will help get rid of roaches naturally. Roaches are not in need of warm shelter or other materials – their entire purpose in life is to eat. So if you take away their food, they’ll soon head elsewhere.

Not Working Fast Enough?

If you’ve ditched the creamer and sugar, and you still see roaches invading your coffee space, the next thing to do is give us a call. We have decades of experience getting rid of pests and are more than happy to help you assess the problem, and tackle the right solution. You can send us a message or chat with us live right here, or call us at 800-391-2565, for pest control, termite and flea control, fire ant control, and more.

Sources:

https://www.fischerenv.com/how-to-get-rid-of-roaches-in-your-home/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/06/how-to-get-rid-of-roaches_n_965145.html

Brown Patch is Especially Bad This Summer in Louisiana

Did you know that your lawn still needs maintenance long past the summer? This is a surprising fact for many homeowners, who only think of the hot weather and summer barbeques when they think lawn care. But when the weather begins to change towards the end of summer, lawns need even more looking after.

One particular blight called brown patch is hitting us hard this year in Louisiana, and it can make your lawn look discolored and patchy next year as well. Brown patch is caused by a fungus called Rhizoctonia solani and is usually seen the most in spring and late summer to early fall. While this is an issue that can arise any year, this year we’ve seen some of the worst cases we’ve dealt with. Here’s why this is affecting yards so much this year:

Heat and Moisture

There was an abundant amount of rain fall this summer, which can have an adverse effect on grass. Grass needs to be able to dry out completely, regularly, in order to stay healthy. With so much water combined with so much heat, the grass is dying rapidly. One reason that the moisture makes grass dye is that it washes away nutrients like nitrogen, which is a key part of healthy lawns.

Which Grass Types Are Impacted?

Most warm-season grass that you would find in the average yard in Louisiana is affected by brown patch. That includes St. Augustine, centipede, Bermuda, and Zoysia. These grasses are already at the stage of naturally dying off as they prepare for winter, and combined with the poor growing conditions, they are doing so at a much faster rate than normal. This is what creates those unsightly brown and bald spots on your late summer lawn.

What to Look For

Brown patch is easy to spot when you know what you’re looking for. Your grass will turn brown or gray, in irregular patches that are often circular, but not always. These patches range in size, from just a few inches in diameter, to several feet. The brown patch areas will spread quickly to the rest of your lawn, and the dying spots will also start to attack leaves of any plants that grow in your lawn. You’ll see the leaves starting to turn yellow, red, orange, or purple depending on the type of grass you have.

DIY Treatments for Brown Patch

One thing that many people try for treating brown patch is adding a nitrogen-heavy fertilizer to their lawn. This can work in some cases, especially when combined with a fungicide to attack the fungus that causes brown patch. If you use a fungicide, you’ll need to time it so that the product isn’t washed away by the rain. Any type of systemic fungicide for grass at a local garden center can work for mild cases of brown patch.

Call Fischer for Professional Lawn Maintenance

If you aren’t having luck with the fungicide, we have more than six decades of experience in lawn care. Let us help you get your beautiful lawn back! You can save your time and get your weekends back for relaxing while we do the work. You can also save your beautiful lawn, and save potentially thousands of dollars thanks to preventative measures that stop brown patch and other harmful fungi before they start. We’ll take care of all the maintenance so that you can simply enjoy your lawn all year long.

Contact us online, or chat with us live, to get started. You can also give us a call at 800-391-2565.

Sources:

http://www.lsuagcenter.com/profiles/rbogren/articles/page1475241948863

http://louisianablooms.com/blog/04/20/2013/try-these- tips-to- battle-brown-

patch

http://www.nola.com/homegarden/index.ssf/2015/05/how_to_treat_lawn_fungus_causi.html

3 Easy Ways to Keep Pests Out this Fall!

Cooler weather leaves wild animals looking for somewhere warm where they can get food. Unfortunately, our homes are often a good looking option to them. Because of this, it is important to take measures to prevent these critters from getting in your home.

Why It’s Risky to Have Wildlife in Your Home

Besides being a nuisance, having wildlife in your home can also be dangerous. Some wildlife animals are aggressive and others carry diseases. Let’s take a look at the wildlife that we have in our area that you should really pay attention to.

Rats

Rats are determined little critters that find their way into any space that they can. They are dangerous to have around because they often carry diseases or are infested with their own parasites. They are especially difficult to get rid of because, if you see one, you can pretty much guarantee that there are at least a dozen more hiding quietly nearby.

Armadillos

Armadillos aren’t quite as dangerous as rats but they are still bad to have around. This is because they like to dig and their digging habits can cause structural damage or, worse, plumbing damage. Once this damage happens, then you have an even bigger nightmare to deal with!

Opossums

Opossums are a little bit like skunks, though not many people know that. When they feel threatened—as they likely will when you try to scare them away—they can use their sharp claws to attack and emit a musty odor when trapped or threatened. Best to keep them as far away as possible!

Raccoons

Raccoons are creative critters that are also incredibly stubborn. This makes it pretty difficult to kick them out of your home once they have entered. You can also bet that once they find a way in they will invite more to join them.

Snakes

Living in our area means that snakes are abundant. Once they enter your home, though, it can be pretty dangerous to try to get them out by yourself. This is because you don’t necessarily know which are venomous and which are aggressive.

When Will They Enter Your Home

You can expect to find these critters creeping into your home during the cold and rainy season. This is because, understandably, it is harder to survive outdoors during this time. Once they realize that your home is a reliable source of shelter and food, it will be tough to try to keep them out.

Stop Wildlife From Coming In

The best way to keep them out is by prevention! So forget those dusty (and dangerous) traps and, instead, try these three tricks to prevent wildlife from entering your home.

1.Block Any Entry Points

Do a quick walk-through of your home and look for any potential entry points. Check windows and doors along with the space underneath your home. Seal these spaces off and block any openings.

2.Seal Your Vents

Vents are basically a crude covering to a large hole in your home, right? So, oftentimes, there can be gaps that were left during installation or even a broken rung in the vent itself. Check your vents both in your attic and in your basement to make sure that they aren’t accidentally providing easy access to your home.

3.Close Off Cracks

Cracks are a normal flaw to have in a home but can sort of sneak up on you over the years. Check your house and see if you can find any that may provide a way in for wildlife. Seal them off with expanding foam or hardware cloth so that no critter can sneak through.

Living in this area means that we are quite used to the presence of wildlife. In fact, many of us support their health and wellbeing! That doesn’t mean that we want them in our homes. With a few quick steps you can prevent this from happening. Need more help? Contact us today for a free inspection!