After a cook out, our outdoor garbage containers became infested with maggots. Is there a special sanitizing solution I should use to clean the garbage cans?

Over a period of time garbage cans tends to pick up the odor of the garbage and this will attract flies. In order to remove this odor the garbage cans should be cleaned with Clorox type bleach. This will remove the odor of the garbage. In order to prevent flies in the future, a piece of vapor strip can be attached to the inside of the garbage can with tape. This will kill any flies that stay in the garbage cans and also any maggots that hatch out. (Back to Questions.)

Rental house on the farm had a new metal roof installed 1998. Yesterday, Sunday, a bat appeared on the floor of the upstairs bedroom. Outside you can hear them under the roof on the north, south and west slopes. What can be done NOW?

We strongly suggest that in order to successfully manage your bat problem, you should contact us by calling our office at 1-315-469-7766.

At this time, there is nothing you can do as there will be young babies in the bat colony. You will have to wait until the end of July and then use a one-way exit to get bats out. If any thing is done now, the young will die in the attic and stink. (Back to Questions.)

Where did the earwig come from originally? Where did it get its name?

To answer your questions, there are several different species of earwigs. However the one that is a pest problem is actually the European earwig. Because it does not have any predators or parasites in Canada its numbers can buildup very rapidly. Our native earwigs do not normally enter buildings and are not as numerous outside.

The insect got the name earwig because it was thought that they would enter people's ears while the people were asleep. (Back to Questions.)

How do I get rid of ants entering a house? How do I get rid of a bee-hive?

To prevent ants coming into the house the best method is to carry our a granular insecticide treatment around the perimeter of the house.

To get rid of a beehive you need to know where it is, is it a beehive or a paper wasp nest. If it is a bee hive in a wall then you need to inject an insecticide dust in the wall. If it is a paper wasp nest then any of the wasp aerosol blaster will work.

If you need any further assistance, please call (315) 469-7766 to be connected to the office nearest you and one of our friendly technicians will be happy to help. (Back to Questions.)

1. How we can get rid of him.
2. How he may have gained entrance.
3. Where he is most likely to be living in our home, and
4. How can we prevent any further visitors from gaining entrance?

With regards to your query, please note that somewhere on the outside of the house there is a small opening that the chipmunk has come in, it is probably around a pipe or wire that is coming into the house. The best method of trapping the chipmunk is to use a Ketchall. Once he is trapped you can release it outside. Then you need to search for the opening it came in and seal this. (Back to Questions.)

We are in the process of storing boxes and bags from an apartment, which was infested with cockroaches. These boxes and bags have been sealed up tightly with tape, or articles have been tightly tied up in plastic bags. All of the above are in our garage. Our fear is that they probably have cockroaches in them (how many, we don't know). Our question is - how can we kill the roaches that may be in these boxes and bags.

To answer you query, the easiest way to ensure that any cockroaches in the boxes or bags are dead is to put pieces of Vapor strips in the boxes and bags. The Vapor strips can be obtained from us or a hardware store. (Back to Questions.)

I have lived in different environments and used variety of pest control products, only two of them were effective on roaches. One of them was basically a agricultural pesticide and other was used by a pest control company, that was used with an applicator, just one or two thick honey like drops pasted under the cabinets and roaches traffic area. This is very effective on roaches and for years roaches do not re-appear. Can you please help me find this pesticide, this also comes in small adhesive plastic containers, which can be pasted in the needed places. How much is your annual fee for the pest control service for a average house.

We do provide services for exterminating roaches as well as sell pest control products. I suggest you call (315) 469-7766 to be connected to the office nearest you and one of our friendly technicians will be more than happy to help. It is very difficult to quote a price over the phone, and we suggest our technician come over and provide you with a free inspection and quotation for solving your roach problem. (Back to Questions.)

In the area I live we have a problem with crows and pigeons. I surfed the net and found your web site. Now I'm wondering if there is anything you could do about our "bad bird invasion" and how much that would cost.

You did the right thing by contacting us and we will do our utmost to solve your bad bird invasion problem. Yes, we do Bird Control and one of our professionally trained technicians will be happy to come over and inspect the extent of the problem and quote our price for doing the work.

I suggest you call us at (315) 469-7766 and one of our friendly technicians will be more than happy to help. (Back to Questions.)

Where I live we have an ongoing problem with ants. They are very small ants and seem to appear most when small food particles have been dropped on the floor. I have tried simple ant baits from the store and we have also tried the gel (around baseboards, etc...). They keep coming back and I'm concerned that it will get worse. Just wondering how much it would cost to have someone come and take a look and help us deal with this problem.

We'd be pleased to help out with your ant problem. One of our professionally trained technicians will be pleased to come and inspect the situation and quote accordingly.

You may call us at (315) 469-7766. (Back to Questions.)

Are the chemicals used in irradiating carpenter ants toxic and therefore harmful to dogs, cats, chipmunks, squirrels etc?

Pesticides by their nature are toxic materials. Because they are used to kill organisms, this means they are toxic. The general pesticides are not specific as to their effects on animals. Thus since both ants and dogs, cats, etc are animals pesticides can be toxic to them all. This is why pesticides must be applied in an approved manner. The label for pesticide products outlines how they are to be used so they can be used in a safe manner so that non-target organisms such as dog, cats, squirrels, etc are not harmed. This is why the person applying the pesticide needs to be trained in the proper application techniques.

Normally when applying pesticide for the control of carpenter ants the pesticide is applied to cracks, crevices, or voids where dogs, cats, etc do not go.

If the application is an outside treatment with a granular material to prevent ants from entering the house, the animals such as dogs, etc would not pick up this material and there would be no risk of harm to these animals. When the granules are applied they rapidly move down into the grass thatch or into the soil and thus will not affect animals walking across the grass or the soil.

If you need any further information, please feel free to call us at (315) 469-7766 . (Back to Questions.)

I am moving into a two bedroom house in Syracuse, North York from Vancouver and it is empty right at the moment. The building is clean and so is the unit, but I take possession of the unit about a week before my furniture arrives from Vancouver. I am always concerned about pests but roaches most of all. Can I do anything to test if there are any? Can I buy some roach motels and leave them in cupboards, behind fridge and stove and then come back a couple of days later to see if there are any caught? That way if they are there I don't have to move in!

Yes, this would be a good idea. If you put out some monitors and baited them with food such as small pieces of dog food, peanut butter, small pieces of bread, etc, this would tell you very quickly whether there were roaches there or not, especially since there should not be any other food source in the apartment if it is empty. You would only have to leave the monitors in place for a couple of days and if there are roaches there you would catch some. The best place to put the monitors is behind the fridge and stove, in the cupboard under the sink, and the cupboards beside the sink, and under the sink in the bathroom. If all else fails, you can call AAA Exterminators to do an inspection by calling (315) 469-7766. (Back to Questions.)

I think I have Carpenter Ants getting in my basement. I live in the westside and would like any advise you could give me on getting rid of them.