Get the Facts—5 Things You Need to Know About Zika Virus

By now, you’ve heard of Zika virus.

You know how dangerous it is, and that it’s spread by mosquitos.

So, because we live in the most mosquito-infested region on the planet, it's important that you know five things about the virus:

Pregnant Women Who Have Traveled to Countries Where Zika Virus Is Present Are Most at Risk
Luckily, the chances of getting the virus in Louisiana is slim to none. The virus has been widely transmitted in the following five commonly visited countries:

• Brazil
• Columbia
• Mexico
• Costa Rica
• Jamaica

If you’re pregnant and have recently traveled to these (or other Zika) countries, you're at risk. Also, make note that the virus has made its way to Florida, but the outbreak hasn’t been as widespread as that in South American countries.

Protecting Yourself from Mosquito Bites is the Number One Way to Prevent Transmission
Protecting yourself against mosquito bites is easier said than done—especially in hot, humid regions. We recommend:

• Anti-insect clothing that covers your arms and legs
• Strong repellent
• Using mosquito nets while sleeping
• Screened windows
• Turning the air conditioner on to prevent mosquitos from living where you’re staying

We also recommend that you take special precaution with children. If you’re pushing them around in a stroller or placing them in a crib to sleep, always make sure they’re covered with a mosquito net.

The United States Government is Taking Measures to Prevent Transmission
The U.S. Center for Disease Control has activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to a level 1—which means the country is on high alert. Scientists are monitoring and studying cases of the virus. They’re also working to improve diagnostic testing and possibly find an effective treatment.

The CDC has started to work with other governments to come up with effective mosquito control solutions. The goal is to find a mosquito control plan that reduces or eliminates the presence of mosquitos that carry the disease. In Louisiana, we already have a strong prevention plan in place.

Unless You’re Pregnant, Symptoms (Not Testing) Determine the Presence or Absence of Zika
Diagnostic tests can be done, but the results won’t come back for weeks. For this reason, the presence or absence of symptoms (in non-pregnant individuals) and a confirmed diagnoses from a physician determine infection.  The symptoms are:

• Fever
• Muscle and/or joint pain
• Rash
• Red eyes
• Headache

If you’re pregnant, your physician will test you. Blood work will be sent to state and/or federal labs. Antibody tests will also be conducted to determine immune system function. These tests aren't used for diagnostic measures, but to determine the health of the mother and child. If the immune system is overworked, further testing will be done.

There Are No Drugs or Vaccines for Zika
Scientists are currently trying to develop a vaccine for Zika, as they believe it will be the most effective preventative measure. Aside from Tylenol and other over-the-counter pain relievers, there are no drugs to treat or eliminate Zika. The good news is that the symptoms will not last long (usually a few days).

Why It’s Important to Know and Take Action Against the Zika Virus
Every year, 40 million Americans travel to countries where Zika is present. The last thing we want is to have the Zika virus make its way to the United States. If it does, Louisiana will be at a tremendous risk. It’s our responsibility to protect ourselves in foreign countries and at home. Doing so will ensure the virus doesn’t reach our wonderful region.  Contact us today to learn more!

Want a Beautiful Spring Lawn? Use These 10 Fall Tips

Starting to work on your lawn in the spring is too late.

If you want a beautiful spring lawn, you have to start right now.

Ten fall tips you can use to ensure your spring lawn looks as beautiful as ever are:

Feed Your Lawn to Rebuild Grass Roots That Were Destroyed in the Summer
Summer heat, excess sunshine, and dry conditions destroy your grass roots. To rebuild (and then strengthen) the roots we recommend that you perform two fall feedings. The first should be done in the early fall. The second should be done 6-8 weeks after the first.

Recover from Summer Heat and Lack of Water by Reseeding Damaged Areas
Louisiana summers always damage your grass. When the fall season hits and you use your lawn more and more, grass can be furthered damaged. You should combat this by reseeding problem areas. Once you reseed, maintenance is easy—watering once or twice a day should do the trick.

Cut Your Grass Low to Allow for Maximum Sun Exposure
Available sunlight will slowly start to decrease as the fall turns to winter. Lower your lawnmower blade one or two levels to ensure that your grass and roots are receiving as much light as possible. Your grass will stay healthy throughout the entire winter.

Aerate So Oxygen, Water, and Fertilizer Can Reach Grass Roots
You want to make sure your grass has as many nutrients as possible. The best way to do this is by aerating during the fall. Aerator machines are easy to use and typically cost about $70 per day to rent. They use a blade to punch tiny holes in your yard. It’s through these holes that oxygen, water, and fertilizer can reach grass roots.

Make Your Lawn Look Pretty by Filling in Bald Spots
Fall is the best time of year to fill in bald spots. A lawn repair mixture is recommended. The mixture contains seed, fertilizer, and mulch that will start growth and then ensure your grass stays healthy. Various mixtures can be found at most local garden centers.

Kill Weeds Now to Ensure They Don’t Come Back in the Spring
A beautiful spring lawn doesn’t have weeds. You need to kill all your summer and fall weeds as soon as possible. If you do, they won’t come back once the weather heats up again.

Mulch Your Leaves to Make Sure Your Grass Grows
Leaves do not insulate your lawn during the winter. Get rid of them so that your grass can grow. You should rake, mulch, and then redistribute leaves that are blocking sunlight.

Protect Your Lawn and Garden Tools So They’ll Be Ready for the Spring
Lawn and garden tools are needed for proper lawn maintenance. They're also expensive. For these reasons, you should protect them by storing them in a place away from water and weather.

Keep Your Lawn Furniture Looking Great by Putting it in Storage
Fall and winter rain, hail, and wind can all take a toll on your lawn furniture. Protect your investment and keep it looking great by storing it in a well-covered shed or storage unit.

Unclog Your Gutters So Dirty Water Doesn’t Pool in Your Lawn
Unclogging your gutters is a must. It’s inevitable that bad fall and winter weather will hit Louisiana. When it does, you want your gutters to flush water off your home and through your yard.

Use these ten fall tips so your spring lawn looks as beautiful as ever. If you need any assistance or have any questions, please contact us today!

Can Bedbugs Live in the Winter?

"Can bedbugs live in the winter?"—that’s a great question.

If you're worried about bedbugs, you want to make sure you're protected year round.
Bedbugs are a unique type of pest that can freeze when exposed to extremely cold temperatures—but, this rarely happens.

Why?

Because bedbugs make their homes in beds, sofas, and even furniture, but never outdoors. They stay warm year round—which means, you should always be prepared by:

Taking Proven Preventative Measures
The best way to ensure your home is free of bedbugs is to make sure they never enter. This can be done by taking two proven preventative measures.

1. Always make sure you, your clothes, and your sheets are clean.

Bedbugs will feast on anything that's dirty. They'll also spread their colony and eggs by attaching themselves to cloth and moving around your home. You want to make sure that you shower after physical activity and work. Also, you want to make extra sure that your kids aren't running around your home while dirty.

It’s also a good idea to not wear shoes in your home—especially on carpeted areas and near the bedroom. You should make sure your floors are swept and mopped at least once a week. As this will keep your home free of any food that might attract bedbugs.

Always make sure your sheets are clean by washing them once a week. In addition, never eat in bed, and never let pets in your bed.

2. Only Purchase New Furniture

While it might seem a bit overboard, only purchasing new furniture is a key preventative measure you can take. Furniture fresh from the store is clean and polished. The chances of it having bedbugs are slim to none.

Furniture that comes estate sales, antique stores, and second-hand shops can be a major source of bedbugs. It's recommended that you never buy furniture that comes from these type of places. But, if you do, you should always carefully inspect it before bringing it into your home.

When inspecting furniture (or any areas of your home) for bedbugs, realize that they:

• Are very tiny
• Feed at night
• Leave visible droppings

These droppings are easier to see than the bug themselves, so keep your eyes peeled. If you do find bedbugs, the next step you should take is to contact a pest control company, as they’re the solution that can completely rid your home of the pests.

Why Contact a Pest Control Company
Ridding your home of bedbugs can be a time-consuming, costly process. It also requires a certain degree of expertise, experience, and knowledge. DIY jobs rarely solve the problem. A pest control company is always your best bet. They’ll:

Perform a Complete Bedbug Inspection to Locate Any and All Bugs
A complete bedbug inspection is the first and perhaps most important step in eliminating bedbugs. A good pest control company knows this and will perform a thorough inspection to determine what areas of your home need to be treated.

Eliminate the Bugs and Their Eggs
Pest control companies use effective and necessary measures to eliminate all the bugs and eggs. Once this is completed, preventative measures can once again be taken.

Bedbugs can live in the winter. As the season approaches, be prepared. Use preventative measures to make sure bedbugs never enter your home. If you find bedbugs or need assistance, please contact us today!

5 Great Tips to Prepare Your Home for Fall Pests

“Preparation leads to prevention”—such a true statement.

Especially in regards to pest control.

No one (that we know of) has ever magically prevented pests from entering their home.

Taking proper preventative measures is always necessary.

Anything less is just leaving it up to chance—something we’re sure you don’t want to do.

Fall Is in Full Swing—It’s Time to Take Action
It might come as a surprise, but pests love the fall. It’s the season where they start preparing for the winter by moving closer and closer to homes. Which means—more food, water, and shelter. Now that the fall is in full swing, you should definitely be taking preventative action.

Five great tips that you can use to prepare your home for fall pests are:

Tip 1—Eliminate All Sources of Water and Moisture to Ensure There’s No Way Pests Can Survive in Your Home
This is the most important tip that we can give you. Pests need water (not food) to survive. For this reason, it’s super important that you find and eliminate any and all water sources that can serve as a drinking fountain for pests. We recommend that you carefully inspect all appliances for pooling/dripping. Also, check:

• All corners of your home
• Your basement
• Your attic
• Your kitchen

Once you’ve located sources and problem areas, you can take action. We recommend hiring an appliance company to fix leaks and drips. We also recommend thoroughly cleaning your kitchen, countertops, and floors. You should sweep, mop, and disinfect.

Tip 2—Eliminate All Entry Points to Ensure There’s No Way Pests Can Enter Your Home
This is a pretty common sense tip—but you’d be surprised how often people overlook it. It’s not easy to eliminate all entry points. For this reason, we recommend that you use a professional pest control company. When using Fischer Environmental, you can rest easy knowing that:

• All holes and openings are sealed
• All attic and ceiling fan entry points are blocked
• All small cracks (inside and outside your home) are filled

The chances of pests entering your home will be slim to none.

Tip 3—Make Sure Pests Can’t Keep Warm in Places Near Your Home
The perfect heater for fall pests is stacks of firewood near your home. We know how awesome fall fires are, so we don’t recommend getting rid of firewood. To us, the most reasonable (and proven) tip is to move firewood as far away from your home as possible.

We also recommend that you pay close attention to things like garbage, playground equipment, and children’s toys. These can oftentimes be a great place for fall pests to warm up before they make the ultimate attempt to get in your home.

Tip 4—Don’t Give Pests a Free Ticket into Your Home (In Other Words—Shut Your Door!)
Pests are like little kids—if you give them the opportunity, they will take it.

Fall is one of the only times we get to enjoy decent weather in Louisiana. So, we don’t discourage opening your windows. But, we do discourage keeping your door(s) open.

Tip 5—Cover Your Pool and Hot Tub So Pests Can’t Party Next to Your Home
Pests breed in the fall. And, there’s no better breeding spot than a pool or hot tub. If you have one (or both), make sure it (they’re) always covered.

An Extra Tip
Fisher Environmental is the number one resource you can use to tell pests that they have no place in your home. We’ve served the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coasts for over 50 years. We’ll put our experience to work so that your fall (and winter) are as pleasant and possible.
Contact us today to learn more!