What You Need to Know About Heat Thermal Pest Control

Did you know that pest control methods don’t always involve chemicals? Heat Thermal Pest Control is a way to keep the pests at bay by manipulating temperatures to deadly levels for pests. It is an earth-friendly alternative, and can be used in different spaces, from homes, to offices, to other sensitive environments like nursing facilities, medical labs, and hospitals.  There is no need for occupants to move out, or for food and medicine to be bagged. No harm will be caused to your pets either.

Interested? Here is what you need to know about heat thermal pest control:

What is Hot Thermal Pest Control?
Thermal pest control refers to treating pest infestations with either extremely hot or cold temperatures. True to its name, hot thermal pest control is a heat treatment that eliminates common pests. The entire house or area that needs to be cleared is heated to a temperature of 120 – 140 degrees for four to six hours, making it a deadly environment for any unwelcome pest.

Prior to the heat treatment, any equipment or objects that can be damaged by prolonged heat exposure are either removed or covered with specially designed thermal blankets. Then, tarpaulins are placed at the targeted treatment areas. Special machines then deliver hot air to these areas, while a thermal probe measures the temperature of the air to make sure an optimum level of heat is achieved.

What Can Be Killed with Heat?
Heat treatment is often used for pests like bed bugs, cockroaches, drywood termites, scorpions, dust mites, powderpost beetles, rodents, and other wood destroying insects.

Bedbugs and their eggs are eliminated, without any damage to the fabric it is found on. Dust mites that lurk within mattresses, pillows, and sheets can also be dealt with, helping to improve air quality and allowing you to breathe better. Drywood termites and wood boring beetles, which are very damaging to wood structures, can be wiped out as well.

Cockroaches are a common pest found around food sources, which also causes contamination, while rodents often carry diseases. Both of these pests can be controlled through this method.
A little less common is the scorpion, which is dangerous and can cause a nuisance when found in your home. As nocturnal creatures, they are active while you are sleeping. Heat thermal pest control can combat these critters as well.

Drawbacks
However, there are some drawbacks. Hot thermal pest control is not always effective. It is often difficult to heat the building at a high enough heat for an adequate amount of time to kill all the pests, such as bed bugs that hide in mattresses and skirting boards.

On top of that, it can also prove to be an inefficient use of energy, especially if a large area needs to be heated. The equipment used needs to be very precise to avoid overheating the house. In practice, the entire heat treatment process may be more complicated to execute, as it needs to be carried out efficiently and the premises have to be managed well afterwards.

This is especially important because overheating a house can cause structural damage, especially for buildings that are older and more fragile. Wood paneling can buckle, candles can melt, and other objects can be damaged. In general, houses are not made to withstand this kind of intense heat.

Fischer Can Help
At Fischer, we conduct inspections and do direct treatment instead. Don’t know the difference? Contact us today with your questions about the differences and we’ll be happy to set your mind at ease!

5 Tips to Prep Your Lawn for Early Spring

Spring is arriving early this year, with many parts of the country experiencing warm temperatures in February. To make sure your lawn is green and ready to greet the world come Springtime, here are 5 tips to help you get your lawn in tip top condition.

#1 Aerate your soil before doing anything else
Winter often compacts the soil, causing poor conditions for growth. It’s important to create holes in the ground with an aerator, which will allow air and moisture to penetrate into the soil and encourage deep root growth.

#2 As your lawn starts to grow, it’s time to fertilize
As a rule of thumb, only start fertilizing once your lawn is actively growing. This helps to protect the environment. If you’re growing cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass and Fescue, it’s especially important to fertilize. The reason is because cool season grasses thrive in cooler weather and don’t grow as well in the hotter temperatures of Summer. The added nutrients ensure that they will be strong enough to endure the heat and continue growing again come Fall.

A well-fertilized lawn can also fend off weeds. Thick and dense turf without any bare spots will minimize the chances of weeds growing. Ample nutrients will encourage strong root growth, helping your grass to grow well and fighting off weeds and pests.

#3 Water your lawn with just the right amount of water
How much is just enough? It’s important for turf grasses to have ample water to grow healthy and strong roots, but too much moisture can also lead to a susceptibility to drought and disease. Try watering about half an inch of water a time. Allow turf to dry before your next watering to prevent fungi and disease, which require excess moisture to spread and thrive.

Not only will adequate watering help to keep your grass healthy, it will also reduce mite damage. During the winter, mites take moisture from the grass, killing off sections of a lawn at a time. This usually happens on parts of the lawn that face south and west, or where sun is reflected onto the yard off of fences, rock walls, and structures. Watering adequately will allow your lawn to grow back evenly without large patches of dead grass. Using mite sprays and watering your lawn during the winter can be a great help in preventing damage later on.

So during early spring, start watering your lawns. Set your sprinkler systems to water about twice a week. Make sure that there isn’t too much water that causes a run-off as run-offs are expensive and damaging to the environment. But at the same time, also make sure that there is enough water so that it penetrates into the soil to reach the roots.

If your lawn is on a sloped surface, try watering it twice within a short interval of time, which allows water the chance to be absorbed instead of simply running off.  This kind of deeper watering encourages deep root growth that is more drought-resistant than shallow roots.

#4 Keep the weeds in check
To prevent weeds from taking root, make sure your grass is growing well. Following the above steps to fertilize and water your turf will ensure robust grass growth, keeping the weeds at bay.

#5 Mow your lawn for healthy regrowth
Once your turf reaches about 3 inches in height, it’s okay to start mowing your lawn. Cut only about a third of the length of a blade of grass with a sharp blade. The sharp blade will help grass to heal faster while losing less water.


A beautiful lawn is yours with just these five simple tips. Call Fischer today if you need support with your lawn care.