Monday, December 16, 2024 | Mid-Cities Pest Control
On the first day of Christmas the squirrels gave to me A hole in my attic ceiling.
On the second day of Christmas the squirrels gave to me Two ruined cushions, And a hole in my attic ceiling.
On the third day of Christmas the squirrels gave to me Three torn-up vents, Two ruined cushions, And a hole in my attic ceiling.
On the forth day of Christmas the squirrels gave to me Four empty feeders, Three torn-up vents, Two ruined cushions, And a hole in my attic ceiling.
On the fifth day of Christmas the squirrels gave to me Five chewed-up wires, Four empty feeders, Three torn-up vents, Two ruined cushions, And a hole in my attic ceiling.
On the sixth day of Christmas the squirrels gave to me Six shredded curtains, Five chewed-up wires, Four empty feeders, Three torn-up vents, Two ruined cushions, And a hole in my attic ceiling.
On the seventh day of Christmas the squirrels gave to me Seven dug-up gardens, Six shredded curtains, Five chewed-up wires, Four empty feeders, Three torn-up vents, Two ruined cushions, And a hole in my attic ceiling.
On the eighth day of Christmas the squirrels gave to me Eight gnawed-up fences, Seven dug-up gardens, Six shredded curtains, Five chewed-up wires, Four empty feeders, Three torn-up vents, Two ruined cushions, And a hole in my attic ceiling.
On the ninth day of Christmas the squirrels gave to me Nine stripped-down tree limbs, Eight gnawed-up fences, Seven dug-up gardens, Six shredded curtains, Five chewed-up wires, Four empty feeders, Three torn-up vents, Two ruined cushions, And a hole in my attic ceiling.
On the tenth day of Christmas the squirrels gave to me Ten days of trapping, Nine stripped-down tree limbs, Eight gnawed-up fences, Seven dug-up gardens, Six shredded curtains, Five chewed-up wires, Four empty feeders, Three torn-up vents, Two ruined cushions, And a hole in my attic ceiling.
On the eleventh day of Christmas the squirrels gave to me Eleven shredded ducts, Ten days of trapping, Nine stripped-down tree limbs, Eight gnawed-up fences, Seven dug-up gardens, Six shredded curtains, Five chewed-up wires, Four empty feeders, Three torn-up vents, Two ruined cushions, And a hole in my attic ceiling.
On the twelfth day of Christmas the squirrels gave to me Twelve attic disasters, Eleven shredded ducts, Ten days of trapping, Nine stripped-down tree limbs, Eight gnawed-up fences, Seven dug-up gardens, Six shredded curtains, Five chewed-up wires, Four empty feeders, Three torn-up vents, Two ruined cushions, And a hole in my attic ceiling.
Fast Facts About Squirrels:
Tree Squirrel Species Native to Texas: fox squirrel, gray squirrel, and flying squirrel
Most Common Squirrel Species in the Metroplex: fox squirrel
Lifespan: 4 to 7 years
Average Size: 18 to 27 inches long, 1.5-2.5 lbs
Appearance: brown-gray with orange underbelly and 7 to 14 inch long bushy tail
Diet: tree nuts, fruit, bark, tree buds, insects, tubers, bulbs, roots, bird eggs, mushrooms, and seeds
Habitat:
In the Wild: tree dens (natural cavities & crotches in trees) and leaf nests, ideally in an area of open forest with mature shade trees
In a Home: nests are most often built in attics and chimneys
Active Times: daytime
Reproduction: 1 to 2 litters per year: 1 in Spring, 1 in Fall.
Babies are born blind & furless and are weaned for approximately 12-14 weeks
Behavior:
Caching of food: they bury shelled foods that are high in fat, such as nuts
Often these buried nuts are forgotten and will later grow into trees
Solitary and asocial other than during breeding season
Large vocabulary consisting of clucking and chucking sounds
Can jump 15 feet horizontally and 8 feet high
Can land safely from 20 feet high
Have 4 front teeth that will continue to grow throughout their lives and are kept in check via gnawing on nuts and other items
Can run up to 20 mph
Will inhabit a range of about 10 acres per season
Signs of Squirrel Damage:
Holes chewed in soffits/eaves
Torn up insulation
Urine and feces in the attic
Chewed wiring
Gnawed tree bark
Dug up and eaten flower bulbs
Noises coming from the attic or chimney during the daytime
Squirrel Removal:
If a squirrel has moved into your attic or chimney, the best course of action is to call a professional for a thorough assessment and live animal trapping. This process ensures the squirrel can be safely captured and relocated. A technician will also inspect your home for entry points, such as areas where the squirrel may have chewed through siding, eaves, or soffits, and discuss repair and prevention options. Since baby squirrels require a significant weaning period, it’s crucial to have a professional handle the trapping and exclusion to avoid separating mothers from their young.
Squirrel Prevention:
If you spot squirrels in your yard or hear them scampering across your roof, it’s wise to take preventive steps to keep them out of your chimney or attic. This can help you avoid costly repairs and extensive cleanup caused by their intrusion.
Here are some tips to help successfully prevent squirrel infestations:
Trim tree limbs back at least 8 to 10 feet from your roof.
Install sheet metal bands around tree trunks to discourage squirrels from climbing.
Ensure attic vents are properly screened to block entry.
Remove bird feeders located close to your home.
Install a chimney cap and confirm it’s in good condition.
This winter, don’t let squirrels crash your Christmas festivities. At the first signs of squirrel damage, call in a professional to handle the issue. That way, the only sounds on your rooftop will be Santa and his reindeer, and you can focus on keeping your celebrations merry and bright.
Saturday, November 16, 2024 | Mid-Cities Pest Control
Fall has arrived, and while many people are enjoying the cooler temperatures, the seasonal shift can also bring an unwanted increase in pests seeking refuge in your home. While this time of year is well-known for heightened rodent and wildlife activity indoors, there’s another pest preparing to crash your holidays: wasps.
We typically think of wasps as a nuisance during summer, disrupting outdoor activities, but fall brings its own set of wasp-related challenges. For most wasps, fall is their prime season for reproduction. Male and queen wasps are produced and mate during this period, which leads to heightened wasp activity. As temperatures drop, fertilized queens search for warm shelter, often finding it in and around homes, where they’ll hibernate until spring. Once spring arrives, these queens emerge to build their nests—often in the same spots as the previous year. This means fall serves as the time when wasps scout out future nesting locations, and those choosing your home for their winter retreat can quickly become the kind of guests you regret hosting: the ones who overstay their welcome.
What Kind of Wasps are in Texas? While Texas is home to a variety of wasp species, there are five types that are especially common in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. These are paper wasps, yellowjackets, hornets, cicada killers, and mud daubers. Each of these wasps has its own distinct look and behavior, but they can generally be grouped into two categories: social wasps and solitary wasps.
Socialwasps are the most prominent group within the vespid family. They build communal nests that are actively defended by the colony. These wasps primarily use their stinger as a defensive weapon to protect their nests and fellow colony members. Paper wasps, yellowjackets, and hornets all belong to this group.
Solitarywasps, on the other hand, are usually found in much smaller numbers because they do not form communal nests. Without a colony to protect, these wasps are far less likely to sting humans. Instead, their stingers are primarily used to paralyze prey. Cicada killers and mud daubers are the most well-known solitary wasps in the region.
While both social and solitary wasps are capable of stinging, social wasps pose a significantly greater risk due to their defensive nature and close proximity to human activity.
What do Wasps Look Like? Wasps come in various shapes, sizes, and colors, and they are often brighter and less hairy than bees, which makes them easy to distinguish.
Paperwasps measure between 3/4” and 1” in length and range in color from reddish-orange to dark brown, with distinct yellow markings on their bodies.
Yellowjackets are slightly smaller, ranging from 1/2” to 3/4” long, and are easily recognized by their alternating yellow and black stripes that cover their bodies.
Baldfaced hornets are about 3/4” long and feature a striking black-and-white color scheme, with a predominantly white head. These are the only true hornets found in Texas, though the term “hornet” is often misused to describe other types of wasps.
Cicada killers are among the largest wasps, growing up to 1.5” long. They have a red, rust-colored head, thorax, and wings, combined with bold yellow and black stripes on their abdomen.
Mud daubers are slender wasps measuring between 3/4” and 1” long. They can appear dull black with bright yellow markings or have an iridescent blue-black sheen. Their elongated, narrow waists make them easy to identify among other wasps.
What do Wasp Nests Look Like? Wasp nests can be just as diverse as the wasps themselves, ranging in size from small to massive and appearing anywhere from underground to high up in the air.
Paperwasps build distinctively shaped nests using chewed wood fibers. These nests hang from a single filament and feature a single layer of hexagonal cells with the comb facing downward, resembling an upside-down umbrella. Typically, paper wasp nests are found in sheltered locations such as under house eaves, in attics, sheds, shrubs, or trees. A single nest can house approximately 30 adult wasps.
Yellowjackets construct their nests using a paper-like material made from chewed wood fibers. Their nests are fully enclosed, except for a single entrance hole, and can range in size from just a few inches to over 6 feet! Remarkably, a single nest can accommodate up to 20,000 wasps. These nests are commonly found in both underground and aerial locations, including gardens, flower beds, trees, eaves, and even within wall voids.
Baldfacedhornets build round or pear-shaped nests that range in color from gray to brown and feature a single entrance near the bottom. These nests can grow as large as 3 feet long and are typically found high above the ground in trees, though they can occasionally appear on eaves. A single nest can accommodate up to 400 wasps.
Cicadakillers create their nests by digging galleries in lawns, where they lay eggs and provide food for their young. While relatively small, these nests can cause damage to lawns and gardens. Each nest typically houses just one adult wasp and its offspring.
Mud daubers construct small, tube-like nests using mud, as their name implies. These nests are often located under eaves or in attics. Each nest typically contains just one adult wasp and its offspring.
What do Wasps Eat? While the exact diet varies by wasp species, most feed on insects and spiders. Some, like yellowjackets, also consume nectar and honeydew. This preference for sugary substances is why wasps are often drawn to sweets, making them particularly troublesome pests during outdoor activities and gatherings.
Are Wasps Dangerous?
Wasp stings are not only painful but can also be life-threatening. Typically, a sting causes sharp pain, redness, and localized swelling around the affected area. While these symptoms subside quickly for most people, others may experience a systemic allergic reaction, resulting in severe swelling and pain that can persist for days. In extreme cases, stings can trigger anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal reaction. Stings to the head, eyes, and neck are particularly dangerous, as are multiple stings occurring in quick succession.
How do you Prevent Wasps? While it’s impossible to completely stop wasps from entering your property, there are steps you can take to make it less inviting for them to settle and build their nests.
Maintain regular pest control services. Contact The Bug Dude at 1-800-310-BUGS (2847) to discuss a service plan that best suits your needs. Regular pest control helps keep insect populations around your home low, reducing food sources for wasps. It also increases the chances of a technician spotting and addressing a wasp nest before it becomes a bigger problem.
Eliminate food sources around your home. This includes removing ripe or fallen fruits and relocating hummingbird feeders, which can attract wasps looking for sugary sustenance.
Seal any visible cracks and crevices around porches, eaves, and other entry points that wasps could use to access your home.
Ensure all garbage cans are tightly sealed to prevent wasps from being attracted to food scraps and sugary residues.
Promptly clean up any food trash and spills from food or drinks during outdoor activities to avoid attracting wasps.
How do you Eliminate Wasps? Wasps are highly defensive and at their most dangerous when they feel their nest is being threatened. For this reason, it’s always safest to call The Bug Dude at 1-800-310-BUGS (2847) to handle any wasp problems. Our trained technicians have the expertise and equipment to resolve the issue while keeping you and your family safe.
This fall, don’t let wasps ruin your holiday season by settling into your home. If you notice signs of wasp activity on or near your property, call Mid-Cities Pest Control, Inc., also known as TheBugDude.com, at 1-800-310-2847. Let us help you keep this season focused on an abundance of thanks—not an abundance of pests.
Further Reading: “Paper Wasps, Yellowjackets and Solitary Wasps” – Glen C. Moore and Mike E. Merchant – AgriLIFE EXTENSION – Texas A&M System “Mud Daubers” – Texas Apiary Inspection Service (TAIS) – Texas A&M AgriLIFE Research “Cicada Killer Wasps” – Lee Townsend, Extension Entomologist – University of Kentucky College of Agriculture
Something exciting is happening this year in the insect world, and it’s all to do with cicadas. You may have seen some news articles about the rare double emergence of 2 cicada broods, but did you know that this is the first time since 1803 (the year of the Louisiana Purchase, when Thomas Jefferson was president, and there were only 17 states in the U.S.) that brood XIX & XIII will co-emerge? And though that’s definitely the headline for the excitement around this year’s special cicada happenings, it’s not the only noteworthy occurrence this year. For cicada fans, 2024 also brings with it the chance to see all 7 periodical cicada species as adults in the same year, an event that won’t happen again until 2037.
But what does all this actually mean? And is there cause for concern for us here in Texas? Keep reading to find out all about cicadas and what you can expect from this historic event.
What Do Cicadas Look Like? Like most insects, cicadas can vary in appearance depending on their species. However, unlike most insects, they also vary in appearance based on whether they are annual or periodical (more on this in a moment). In general, cicadas are about 0.5 inches wide and between 1 and 1.625 inches long, with the annual group being on the larger side. They are all stout, have bulging eyes, short antennae, and semi-transparent wings that are longer than their abdomen and are held tent-like over their bodies. Though their coloring depends on species, they tend to be brown, green, or black, and have white markings; periodical cicadas usually have reddish eyes and orange veins in their wings.
Nymphs of this pest have the same look as the adults, except they are dark brown and wingless. You can tell if you’ve had one of these young cicadas in your area if you find a pale, empty husk in the shape of a cicada clinging to your trees or your house; this husk is the remnants of the final stage a cicada goes through before becoming an adult.
What Are Cicada Broods? Before we can discuss what a cicada brood is, you first need to understand the difference between periodical and annual cicadas, and in order to do that, you need to first look at the life cycle of all cicadas. The basic life cycle goes like this: female cicadas lay eggs in trees; after 6 weeks or so, small nymphs hatch and drop to the ground where they burrow into the soil; while underground the nymphs will molt through several stages; eventually, when they have reached their final nymph stage and the weather is right, they will emerge from the ground and climb up the nearest object (usually a tree), and when they have reached maturity they will molt and become an adult. Adults live around 5 or 6 weeks and spend most of their energy mating in order to continue this life cycle. It’s in the time spent underground that we see the big difference between periodical and annual cicadas.
Annual cicadas have life cycles of 2 to 5 years, meaning that they only emerge from the ground and become adults every 2 to 5 years. While that may make you start to question why we see these pests every year in Texas, it’s because there are around 159 cicada species in the U.S. and Canada, about 39 of which are in Texas, and they aren’t all on the same emergence schedule.
Periodical cicadas have life cycles that last either 13 or 17 years; that means that they only emerge as adults once every 13 or 17 years!
A cicada “brood” is a term used to group all periodical cicadas of the same life cycle that will emerge in a specific year, it is not the same as a cicada species. To showcase this distinction, there are 7 periodical cicada species, but there are 12 broods of 17-year cicadas and 3 broods of 13-year cicadas. The 15 unique cicada broods are designated by Roman numerals.
Where Will The Double Emergence of Cicada Broods Appear? The two cicada broods emerging this year are Brood XIII (a 17-year brood) and Brood XIX (a 13-year brood). Brood XIII will be found in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Iowa. Brood XIX will be found in Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and possibly even east Texas. Though both broods can be seen in Illinois, their territories barely overlap, with the greatest possibility of a “double” density of cicadas around Springfield, IL. This means that though it’s a very exciting time for cicada fans, here in north Texas we are unlikely to notice a drastic uptick in the number of these pests flying around our yards from any other year, though we may notice a few with reddish eyes hanging around.
Where Will You Find Cicadas? Cicadas can be found the world over, but interestingly, periodical cicadas are only found in the U.S. and are most common in the central and eastern regions of our country. Fortunately, these pests only choose to live outdoors, specifically on or near trees and other plants; this means that though a stray one might find its way into your home, it won’t start its family alongside your family.
What is a Cicada “Song”? A cicada “song” refers to the whirring noise we all associate with the emergence of these pests in spring and summer. Though we might quickly get irritated with this constant buzz, it is in fact a love song from male cicadas (yes, only males make this distinct sound) trying to attract a mate (though occasionally it can also be a defense mechanism). They make their particular sound (different species have different “songs”) by vibrating special structures on their abdomen, the sound of which is amplified by the large air sac that comprises most of their abdomen.
If you’ve ever felt that this “song” is uncomfortably loud, you’re not alone, and with good reason! A cicada “song” can reach 90 decibels (about the same as a lawnmower) and when a whole group gets going at once, that can quickly get out of hand.
Are Cicadas Dangerous? The answer to this question is a bit ‘yes,’ but mostly ‘no.’ Fortunately, the ‘yes’ part is mostly specific to young trees. Cicadas are known to damage young trees in two main ways: first, when females create slits in branches in order to lay their eggs, and second when nymphs (which mature underground) feed on the roots of the young tree. These pests are also not ideal to be around your pets, not because they will directly harm them, but because if your pet were to eat one, it could cause digestive issues and discomfort, and the cicada wings could potentially lodge in your pet’s throat. Though these insects do not pose any danger to humans, they can mess with some of your stuff; specifically, they can land in pools and hot tubs and end up clogging and burning out the filters for these items. So, all in all, they don’t pose a significant danger, but they can sure be quite a nuisance.
Can You Prevent Cicadas? Though there is no way to fully prevent these pests from finding their way into your yard, there are a few things you can do to help protect your trees and property and help you keep your sanity amongst these noisy insects.
Keep trees and shrubs pruned and trimmed
Clean up any dead cicadas you find (they will not only emit an odor as they decay, their carcasses can attract other pest issues to your property)
Before cicadas emerge, you can protect young trees by utilizing foil barrier tape and netting
Keep pools and hot tubs covered when not in use
Keep window/door screens in good condition and be sure to use them
Cover any patio furniture located under trees (to keep cicada excrement from ending up on it)
Do your yard work in the early morning or late evening when cicadas are least active (it’ll be much quieter then!)
What To Do If You See Cicadas In And Around Your Home? While seeing (and hearing) cicadas isn’t exactly the best part of summer for most people, it’s also not the worst (fire ants, I’m looking at you), so often you can simply wait for these pests to fade away as cicada season wraps up in mid-to-late-summer. However, if you find yourself surrounded by droves of these insects and their constant din, give The Bug Dude a call at 817-354-5350 and let our technicians set up a treatment plan that will help get you some peace and quiet from these pests.
While 2024 is set to be a historic year for cicadas, that doesn’t mean it needs to be a memorable year for your battle with bugs. At the first sign of a pest problem give The Bug Dude a call at 800-310-BUGS (2847) and let us help you make your 2024 extraordinary (for something other than swarms of insects).
Saturday, April 13, 2024 | Mid-Cities Pest Control
Are you someone who loves a good joke? Do you love planning an epic prank and delight in seeing it go off perfectly? Do you get a good laugh from a successful prank, whether you are the prankster, the one being pranked, or simply a bystander? If so, you probably look forward to April Fools’ Day all year. But have you ever taken a moment from your April shenanigans to think about how this tradition started or when? Have you asked yourself what were some of the biggest April Fools’ Day pranks ever pulled? Are you asking those questions now? Well, you’re in luck, because we have assembled a quick guide to April Fools’ Day, as well as a caution for something much less fun that could be planning on ruining your spring. Keep reading to find out more!
What Are The Origins of April Fools’ Day?
What would you think if I were to tell you that April Fools’ Day originated 463 years ago? Does that seem too long ago or too recent? How about if I said it actually originated in ancient Rome? Does that seem more probable? Now what if I said that in reality, no one knows the origin of April Fools’ Day? What would you believe?
The reality of this unofficial holiday is that it’s been around for a while, but no one knows exactly how long or how it started. Some theories say it began in ancient Rome as the Hilaria festival, a celebration in late March that involved dressing up and mocking others. Other theories suggest it may be related to the vernal equinox and Mother Nature fooling us with ever-changing and unpredictable spring weather. Yet others suggest it could have started with the medieval Feast of Fools celebration. The most potentially traceable origin, however, goes back to mid-1500s France. This theory is based around the time when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, which changed the date of the new year from the spring equinox (around April 1st) to January 1st. The thought is that people who continued to celebrate the old new year were called “April fools” and were the butt of jokes and hoaxes. The most common joke or prank in France would have been to have a paper fish placed on their back and be called a “poisson d’avril,” or “April fish.” These “April fish” were so termed as they were viewed as gullible, and easy to catch, much like the plentiful, and young, literal fish of that season.
Though the term “poisson d’avril” goes back to at least 1508, the earliest clear reference to April Fools’ Day is actually in a Flemish poem from 1561. Unfortunately for the calendar theory, that is a full 21 years before France officially switched to the Gregorian calendar. Either way, though, the “poisson d’avril” is still an integral part of April Fools’ Day in France, where it is customary to stick a paper fish on someone else’s back, marking them as an “April Fish”.
By 1686 the holiday had reached English-speaking countries and is referenced in John Aubrey’s book, Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme. By the 1700s the tradition spread throughout Britain, with Scotland particularly embracing the holiday and making it into a 2-day event. Day 1 is “hunting the gowk,” where people get sent on fake errands. Day 2 is “Tailie Day,” where people pin fake tails or “kick me” signs on others. By 1771 it had become known in the U.S. and Canada (as evidenced by a diary entry from that year written by Anna Green Winslow in Boston).
Some of the Greatest April Fools’ Day Pranks of All Time
Lion Washing: A few days before April 1st, 1856 Londoners received a seemingly official invitation to the Tower of London to view the annual washing of the lions ceremony. Adding potential credence to this event was the fact that the Tower had housed a menagerie of bears, leopards, lions, etc. for 600 years; however, that had all ended in 1835. Nonetheless, the hoax did successfully draw a number of hopeful, and ultimately disappointed, spectators.
Great Heist: On April 1st, 1905 a German newspaper announced a fake successful heist of the U.S. Federal Treasury and claimed a public cover-up of the robbery. The news spread quickly before the April Fools’ Day prank was realized.
Spaghetti Harvest: On April 1st, 1957 a BBC news broadcaster announced that Ticino, an area in southern Switzerland on the Italian border, had had “an exceptionally heavy spaghetti crop” that year; this announcement was followed by footage of people picking spaghetti off trees and bushes. Though it might seem silly to believe such a thing now, at that time spaghetti wasn’t a common dish in Britain, and some viewers reportedly asked how they could grow their own spaghetti at home.
UFO: On March 31, 1989, Richard Branson (founder of the Virgin Group) and his companion Don Cameron flew a hot-air balloon shaped like a flying saucer near London. Though they landed a day early and in the wrong place (they had intended on landing in Hyde Park on the morning of the 1st, but due to weather had to land in Surrey the evening prior), they committed to the stunt and startled police responding to calls about a UFO landing by having the fully silver-clad Don Cameron exit the balloon to greet them.
Burger King for All: In 1998 Burger King ran a full-page ad in USA Today for their new “Left-Handed Whopper,” claiming that all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees to better accommodate southpaws. People ate it up, with thousands of customers requesting the new burger.
Google: In 2000 Google played its first, but hardly its last, April Fools’ Day prank. On April 1st of that year, those looking to utilize Google were greeted with the new “MentalPlex” feature that purported to allow users to search the internet by reading their minds.
Spot The Prank: Are The Following Statements True or False?
Colorado has a festival called “Frozen Dead Guy Days,” which honors Grandpa Bredo, a Norwegian man who was cryogenically frozen after his death in 1989, and then stored in Colorado in a shed that doubled as a makeshift cryogenic facility before eventually being moved to the Stanley Hotel.
The first ever telephone directory was published in February 1808 in Connecticut; it was on a single sheet of cardboard and listed 50 commercial and residential numbers.
Chickens outnumber people in Delaware by 200 to 1.
King Ranch in Texas is the largest ranch in the United States and is larger than the land area of Rhode Island.
Wisconsin has banned the production and sale of margarine since 1895.
Fruit flies were the first animals to be sent into space.
Grasshoppers have only existed for 20,000 years.
Certain termite queens can lay 40,000 eggs per day.
Some biting ant species have historically been medically used as sutures to close wounds.
It was estimated by the biologists Bert Hölldobler and E.O. Wilson in their Pulitzer Prize-winning 1990 book, The Ants, that ants outnumber humans at a ratio of about 500,000 ants per human.
Check out the end of this article to find out if you were right!
What Else to Watch Out For On April 1st Besides Pranks
Though April Fools’ Day kicks off the month of April, the notorious pranks perpetrated by people on this day don’t hold a candle to what nature could be poised to throw at you this month. Not only is it spring, which means that just about every pest is out and multiplying, but it’s also the perfect season for termites to swarm. These destructive pests are no laughing matter, and at the first sign of a potential termite issue, call The Bug Dude at 817-354-5350 and let our expert technicians keep these pests from making a fool out of you.
This April, don’t let pests make you feel like a fool, call The Bug Dude at 1-800-310-BUGS (2847) at the first sign of an issue, and get back to enjoying the laughs from this year’s epic April Fools’ Day pranks.
Author Bio: Alissa Breach has been gaining knowledge and experience around pest control concerns over the last 14 years while working for Mid-Cities Pest Control. She has a creative writing BA from UW-Madison and is always pursuing new and interesting writing projects.
“Spot the Prank” Answers:
True.
False, it was 1878.
True.
True.
False; it was banned from 1895 to 1967. It is still illegal for a restaurant to serve margarine instead of butter unless the customer requests it.
Ask most people today and they’ll generally agree that reading the news is a mixed bag at best; it feels like just about every time you go to read the news there is some fresh horror waiting for you. Whether the issue is medical, environmental, political, or social, there’s bound to be something new and awful to find out, and it’s rarely balanced by the wonderful things that can happen in this world. Unfortunately, such a negative news item recently popped up, and it’s about the bubonic plague. If you missed it, here are articles from Time and CNN. Essentially, someone in Oregon was diagnosed with the plague, after contracting it from their cat; this is the first case of the plague in Oregon since 2015. And yes, the plague we are talking about is the infamous Black Death. With the Covid pandemic so fresh on our minds, it’s easy to see this story and start worrying about the implications. Fortunately, it was caught early and all the proper steps were taken to help the person who was infected and keep it from spreading to anyone else. But a story like this can get you thinking, what do you really know about the bubonic plague and what kind of danger does it still pose? Keep reading to find out.
What is the Bubonic Plague?
The bubonic plague is an infection caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria and is the most common of the 3 main clinical forms of the plague. The other 2 forms of the plague are the septicemic plague and the pneumonic plague. The plague has been responsible for more than 200 million deaths throughout recorded human history. Bubonic plague has an incubation period of about 2 to 8 days, after which an infected person would have the following symptoms: fever, chills, weakness, headache, and 1 or more swollen (up to the size of an egg) and painful lymph nodes. Though those symptoms may not sound too bad, if left untreated the bacteria can spread and has a 60% mortality rate within just 1 week of exposure; in addition, if untreated it can become septicemic or pneumonic plague. Septicemic plague symptoms include many of the bubonic plague symptoms plus: abdominal pain, shock, bleeding into the skin and organs, and skin and tissue turning black and dying on fingers, toes, and the nose; this type of plague is fatal without treatment. Pneumonic plague is the most dangerous version and adds the symptom of rapidly developing pneumonia, which can cause respiratory failure and shock; this type of plague is also fatal without treatment.
History of the Plague & The Black Death
Though you might be most aware of the plague as the Black Death, it’s actually been around for thousands of years. We currently have evidence that the plague has afflicted humans since at least the Bronze Age, about 3800 years ago. Also, the Black Death wasn’t even the first pandemic that the plague was responsible for, though it was the most notable. Around 541 CE the Justinian plague began and in at least 18 distinct waves over 209 years, it swept across the Mediterranean basin, including areas as far apart as Persia and Ireland.
The Black Death, which is still the deadliest known pandemic in human history, began in October 1347 when 12 Genoese ships, probably coming from Central Asia, docked in the port of Messina in Sicily. When they arrived, the ships were full of dead and extremely ill sailors, and though they were quickly turned away, that short time in port was long enough for the virulent plague to get to shore and spread like wildfire across Europe. In just 5 years more than 25 million people, at least one-third of the European population at the time, died from the Black Death. This level of death changed European societies in many ways, from labor shortages, to a decline in the power of the Italian states, to mass persecutions of Jewish citizens (they were incorrectly and arbitrarily blamed for the plague), to populations moving out of cities, and to the death of both livestock and cats. With so many people sick and dying, those who were healthy did everything they could to avoid those who were sick; this included doctors not seeing patients, priests not giving last rites, stores being closed, and even families abandoning their ill loved ones. The doctors who did tend to plague victims wore protective gear that we still recognize today as the garb of “plague doctors”: the long cape and the mask with the bill-like protrusion over the nose and mouth (this section contained aromatic substances to help block out the horrific smell). Though the plague had died out by the end of the 1300s, there were several other large outbreaks in Europe over the next 400 years.
The final plague pandemic began in 1855 in the Yunnan Province in China; it then spread to Taiwan, Canton, and Hong Kong; between 1910 and 1920 it was further spread via ship to Japan, India, Australia, North America, and South America. In India alone, between 1898 and 1918 around 12 million people died from the plague.
It wasn’t until 1942, when antibiotic treatments were available, that people stood a real chance against the plague. However, it is worth noting that even with antibiotics, if a plague infection isn’t quickly identified and treated, it can still be very fatal (as discussed above). In the U.S., between 1900 and 2012 there were 1006 human plague cases, over 80% of which were bubonic plague; more recently, there are an average of 7 human plague cases each year in the U.S. Worldwide, between 2010 and 2015 there were 3248 plague cases and 584 plague deaths. The countries where the plague is most endemic modernly are Madagascar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Peru.
What Causes the Bubonic Plague?
The vector that transmits the Yersinia pestis bacteria to animals and humans is primarily the Xenopsylla cheopis flea, though about 80 species of flea can carry and transmit this bacteria. When a flea is infected with the plague bacteria, it blocks the flea’s alimentary canal, which means that when the flea bites an animal to try to feed, instead of sucking in blood, the bacteria causes the flea to regurgitate the Yersinia pestis into the animal host. Perhaps the most notable hosts for these bacteria-laden fleas are black rats since they were the rodents that are believed to have carried the fleas during the Black Death (though this long-held belief is now being questioned). However, it’s not just rats that can carry these fleas; many small animals, such as prairie dogs, squirrels, and rabbits can be carriers. Even worse, it’s possible for our pet cats and dogs to pick up these fleas and bring them inside with them.
So how do humans get infected by the plague? Generally, it’s through a bite from a flea. People can come in contact with these fleas either while outside in an area where the bacteria is presently active, or from fleas that find their way inside on rodents or household pets. It’s also possible to contract the plague from contact with contaminated fluid or tissue; generally, this could be a hunter skinning an animal that had been infected, or even someone touching a dead animal in the wild that had been infected with the plague. Finally, it’s possible to catch the plague from someone infected with pneumonic plague through droplets released into the air when they cough.
Fleas
As fleas are the vector through which the plague bacteria spreads, they are the single most important pest to be aware of if you’re concerned that this deadly disease might be active in your area. Though the plague is very rare in the U.S., fleas are not, and these little pests can make you sick with a variety of things that, though way less scary than the plague, are not issues you want to have to contend with. The most important things to know about fleas are that you can get them even if you don’t have pets, flea pupae can be dormant for up to a year, they feed on blood meals (and will feed on people if they are an accessible food source), and a flea infestation can explode very quickly. For all of those reasons, if you suspect you have a flea problem, contact The Bug Dude at 800-310-BUGS (2847) as soon as possible to have an expert technician assess and treat the problem before it takes over your life. Want more details on these nasty pests? Check out our article: “Fleas Making You Want to Flee? We Can Help!”.
Rodents
While the first rodent you think of when hearing about the plague is naturally the rat, there are other rodents that could carry fleas into your yard and home. A few of the major culprits, besides rats, are squirrels and mice. Not only do rodents present a real health risk for you and your family (and we are talking about risks much more common than that of the plague), but they can also do damage to your home, cars, possessions, plants, and even crops. Rodent infestations are not a problem to be taken lightly, and at the first sign of an issue (i.e.: hearing noises in your walls or attic at night, seeing rodent droppings, finding rodent nests, or seeing chewed wiring) you need to call The Bug Dude at 817-354-5350 to find and eliminate the problem before it gets completely out of control. For more information on rodents, see our articles: “Rats: Not Even Their Own Are Safe!”, “Are Unexpected Guests Crashing Your Thanksgiving?”, and “The Twelve Days of Squirrels”.
Cats
Though cats might not be an animal you would associate with the plague, they have a long history with this particular bacteria. In fact, cats were killed during the Black Death as possible transmission agents. Unfortunately for our furry feline friends, people weren’t far off the mark in thinking that cats transmitted the disease; indeed, cats can become infected with the plague (somewhat easily it would seem) and can then transmit it through aerosolized droplets. So while cats weren’t the main reason for the disease being transmitted, they could potentially have contributed to a small portion of the spread. The good news is that most house cats are unlikely to encounter the fleas that carry the plague, so are unlikely to ever contract it. The bad news is that community cats, as well as cats that roam free in rural areas, are at risk of contracting this deadly disease as well as a whole host of other health concerns. For a more in-depth discussion of community cat and free-roaming cat issues, see our article: “Will A Black Cat Cross Your Path This Halloween?”.
Woman in red boots raking Fall leaves with rake.
Preventative Measures You Can Take
When it comes to keeping yourself safe from the plague (which, admittedly is not a major risk for most people), the fortunate thing is that the steps you would take to keep your yard and home free of fleas and rodents are close to the only steps you need to take. Those steps are:
Maintain a regular pest control service with The Bug Dude
Keep your pets on a regular flea preventative program
Seal all visible holes, cracks, and gaps around your home
Remove all debris from your yard (brush, rock piles, etc.)
Trim tree branches away from your roof and keep vines away from your walls
Keep trash cans sealed
Keep pet food in sealed metal containers
Remove bird feeders and bird baths from your yard
Place sheet metal bands around tree trunks to discourage rodents from climbing them
Make sure attic vents are properly screened
Make sure you have a chimney cap installed and in good condition
The only other measures to take are specific to keeping humans safe from disease, rather than keeping pests away from your home and yard. They are:
Wear gloves if you are handling potentially infected animals
Use repellent and wear appropriate clothing if you think you could be exposed to fleas while outdoors.
While the news can sometimes make us fear the worst, just remember that when it comes to pest issues, you don’t need to stress and worry, just call The Bug Dude at 817-354-5350 and let us handle the problem so you can quickly get back to enjoying the beautiful things in life.
Author Bio: Alissa Breach has been gaining knowledge and experience around pest control concerns over the last 14 years while working for Mid-Cities Pest Control. She has a creative writing BA from UW-Madison and is always pursuing new and interesting writing projects.
Friday, February 16, 2024 | Mid-Cities Pest Control
February has arrived, and that means that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. For many, this is a day to celebrate the romantic love shared with a partner, for others, it’s a day to celebrate the love of friends and family, and for some, it’s a day to enjoy the single life. With delicious food, flowers, and a cozy night on the menu, it’s a day many people look forward to. But why do we celebrate love in the middle of February? How did our modern Valentine’s Day traditions start? And what does it have to do with pest control? Well, much like the mysteries of love, the origins of Valentine’s Day are shrouded in unanswered questions. Fortunately, there are a few solid, and very interesting theories surrounding this lovely holiday, so keep reading to find out more. (And as for how it relates to pest control, the answer is more than just that The Bug Dude loves all our clients…though that is of course also true).
Lupercalia
The first theory on the list pertains to the celebration of love in mid-February and dates all the way back to ancient Rome circa 6th century B.C. On February 15th the Romans used to have a fertility festival celebrating both the god of agriculture (Faunus) and the Roman founders (Romulus and Remus). The festival began with the sacrifice of a goat and a dog, moved on to men taking to the streets with strips of the goat’s hide dipped in sacrificial blood and gently slapping women and crops with the goat’s hide, and ended with all the young women of the city putting their names into an urn, each to be chosen by one of the city’s bachelors to be paired with for the rest of the festival and potentially for the rest of their lives in matrimony. Though this festival is a far cry from our modern Valentine’s Day celebrations, a few vestiges remain, most notably the use of the color red, which can be traced back to the blood sacrifices made during this ancient celebration.
This festival was celebrated until the late 5th century A.D. when Pope Gelasius I abolished Lupercalia and installed a holiday commemorating the martyrdom of Saint Valentine instead. Though it’s likely that the Pope hadn’t intended for the day to remain a celebration of fertility and love, those tenets persisted, though in a much milder form of celebration.
Saint Valentine
If Lupercalia doesn’t feel like it’s a full fit for how we got to our modern Valentine’s Day celebrations, how about looking at how the day got its name? Well, the first issue you’ll encounter is that there are at least 3 Catholic saints named Valentine/Valentinus who were martyred, and there’s no way to know which one may have inspired the holiday. Even worse, there are 2 main stories as to why Valentine was martyred, and again no definitive answers.
The first story goes that during the 3rd century A.D., Valentine, who was a priest, disobeyed the marriage law enacted by Emperor Claudius II. The Emperor had outlawed marriage for young men, having concluded that single men made better soldiers. Valentine found the law unjust and performed marriages in secret, uniting many a young lover, until he was discovered and put to death.
The second story posits that Valentine was put to death after being discovered helping Christians escape Roman prisons. It’s said that during his imprisonment he tutored the blind daughter of his jailer and after they prayed together, God returned the girl’s sight. Before his death, he supposedly wrote her a letter (possibly due to falling in love with her) and signed it “From your Valentine.”
Though the events surrounding the Catholic saint who inspired Valentine’s Day are cloudy at best, the tales speak to the value of love and helping others; and thanks to these romantic tales, by the Middle Ages, Saint Valentine was one of the most popular saints in France and England.
Chaucer
While both of the above theories show merit, they don’t exactly explain how we got to our modern Valentine’s Day. That’s where Chaucer might come in. Though you probably know Chaucer best for The Canterbury Tales, his poem “Parlement of Foules” is one of the earliest known references linking Saint Valentine’s Day with the idea of celebrating romantic love. If Chaucer was the originator of this linkage, he may have chosen it because of the legend of Saint Valentine, or he may have simply chosen it because mid-February was the time when Britons of the era (14th century A.D.) believed spring began, and that coincided with Saint Valentine’s Day. Giving credence to the second idea is the fact that a large portion of the poem is devoted to birds choosing their mates, a sure sign of spring.
Lovebirds
Speaking of birds, perhaps the most appropriate Valentine’s Day animal out there is the aptly named lovebird. These small, colorful parrots are perhaps best known for the fact that they mate for life. This bond is so strong that after being separated for a time, they will feed each other to reconnect, and if one of the pair were to die, the remaining bird would exhibit behavior that could be described as depression. Though lovebirds are native to Africa, there are feral populations living in the southwest and San Francisco, and they are a somewhat common pet, so it might just be possible for you to say hi to a beautiful pair of lovebirds this Valentine’s Day, and not mean it metaphorically.
Not Lovebirds
While having a lovebird or 2 in your home as a pet might be a lovely idea, what happens if you have unwanted birds finding their way into your home or commercial building? That’s when you need to call The Bug Dude at 817-354-5350 to get an expert technician out to assess the situation, put together a plan to remove the current bird problem, and discuss deterrent or exclusion options for the future. Our technicians have experience dealing with tricky avian situations and will always try to find you the safest and most effective methods to handle any bird problems you may be encountering.
Valentine Pests?
But what if you’re sick of all the lovey-dovey stuff? (by the way, the dove is yet another bird associated with love, this time because of a link to the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite) Well, if that’s the case, consider naming a cockroach after your Ex. Yep, that’s a real thing, and it’s done in Texas at the San Antonio Zoo through their Cry Me A Cockroach Fundraiser.
Whatever the reason we celebrate Valentine’s Day, and however you are going to observe the holiday, everyone here at The Bug Dude would like to send you lots of love and gratitude for helping us get to our 45th anniversary this year!
Author Bio: Alissa Breach has been gaining knowledge and experience around pest control concerns over the last 14 years while working for Mid-Cities Pest Control. She has a creative writing BA from UW-Madison and is always pursuing new and interesting writing projects.
Saturday, January 13, 2024 | Mid-Cities Pest Control
Happy New Year from all of us at The Bug Dude! We hope that your holidays were joyous, and your new year is starting out wonderfully!
The confetti has settled, the fireworks have all gone off, the champagne has been consumed, and 2024 has begun. If you’re like a lot of people, one of the first things you did after all the celebrations had concluded was to let out a sigh of relief that all the stress of the holiday travels was over for another 11 months. But for many animals, the biggest travel times of the year are just approaching. And while fireworks in the sky are an enchanting sight, nothing can compare with the majesty nature has to offer when animals take to the skies in mass migrations.
Whether the migration is centered around food and water, finding a mate, or giving birth, there are some amazing animals performing astounding feats every year in North America. So to ring in the new year, instead of talking about the issues you can encounter when insects and wildlife invade your home, we’re going to look at some of the grandeur Mother Earth has to offer.
3,000 Miles
One of the most majestic and breathtaking animal migrations in North America is performed by something with only a 4-inch wingspan: the monarch butterfly. These beautiful insects will fly a distance of 3,000 miles during their migration from Canada to Mexico (though some will overwinter in the U.S. in Florida or California). Even more amazing than the fact that these insects can make such a long journey is how they do it. The journey south is completed by a single long-lived generation of monarch butterflies, but the journey north is completed by multiple (3 to 5) generations of the butterfly!
If you ever get the chance to visit a spot along the migratory path of these butterflies, you won’t regret taking the time to admire these beautiful creatures in flight or simply resting in droves on trees. I’ve had the chance to experience it firsthand and it is every bit as magical and fascinating as it sounds.
7 Grams
Weighing in at only 7 grams, another 3,000-mile North American migratory animal to marvel over is the ruby-throated hummingbird. These tiny birds, only 3.5 inches tall, not only traverse the distance between Canada and Central America, but they are capable of flying completely across the Gulf of Mexico, a 500-mile trip that they have to make in one 18-22 hour nonstop flight! On shore, these little birds cover an average of 20 miles per day on their trek; that’s better than most human thru-hikers can manage!
29,000 Feet
Perhaps the most easily recognizable migration in North America is that of the Canada goose. Unlike the smaller animals on this list, it’s difficult not to notice the sky filled with v-shaped formations of birds measuring 2-3.5 feet long and with a wingspan of 4-6 feet. But in case you weren’t looking up at the time, their distinctive honking will quickly alert you to their presence. And while you marvel at them flying overhead, consider that they have been known to reach an altitude of 29,000 feet (about the height of Mount Everest) during their journeys and can cover 1,500 miles in a single day!
500,000 Birds
If you’re looking to set eyes on hundreds of thousands of birds preparing for their long migratory journey, look no further than the sandhill crane. These graceful, long-legged birds stand around 4 feet tall and spend most of their lives in freshwater wetlands. Every year they make the trek from Texas, California, or Florida all the way up to their breeding grounds in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. What’s particularly unique about their migration is that between March and April around 80% of these cranes (over 500,000 birds) settle in a 75-mile stretch along the Platte River in Nebraska in order to fatten up and gain the reserves they need for their journey. During their journey, they can fly up to 400 miles in a single day.
60 MPH
When you think of the great migrations of the world, you probably first think of a variety of birds, then maybe animals like wildebeest, eventually you would get to ocean-dwellers and insects, but would you ever think of the migration of bats? While not all bats migrate or migrate any significant distance, the Mexican free-tailed bat completes an annual migration from Texas to Mexico. While not traveling the longest distance, these bats not only can fly up to 60 mph, but they also come in droves. Every year at least 100 million female bats make the trip up to Texas to give birth!
45 Years
While all of the migrations discussed above are spectacular to witness, there is also an intrinsic beauty to be found in staying in one place, and we here at The Bug Dude are happy to have called the Mid-Cities area our home since 1979. That’s right, we are celebrating our 45th anniversary this year! So to help us celebrate, let’s look at a few highlights from the year Mid-Cities Pest Control began.
Oscar Winners: Jon Voight, Christopher Walken, Jane Fonda, and Maggie Smith
Best Movie Oscar Winner: The Deer Hunter
Top Grossing Movie:Superman
Also in the Top 5: The Amityville Horror, Rocky II, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and Alien
Top-rated U.S. TV shows: 60 Minutes, Three’s Company
Also in the Top 10: M*A*S*H, Dallas, The Jeffersons, and The Dukes of Hazzard
Best Musical Tony Winner: Sweeney Todd
#1 on the Billboard Hot 100: “My Sharona” by The Knack.
Also in the Top 10: “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor & “Y.M.C.A.” by Village People
Sports: the Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XIII, the Seattle Supersonics won the NBA finals, the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup, and the Pittsburgh Pirates won the World Series
Noteworthy: the 1979 NCAA Championship still has the highest Nielsen rating for any U.S. basketball game (college or pro); the game was between Michigan State (with Magic Johnson) and Indiana State (with Larry Bird).
Historic Events: the Three Mile Island accident occurred, the Iranian hostage crisis began, and NASA’s Skylab fell to Earth
Technology: the Sony Walkman and the Black and Decker Dustbuster were introduced
Minimum Wage: $2.90 per hour
Price of Gas: $0.86 per gallon
Most Popular Car: Oldsmobile Cutlass
Average House Price: $62,900
DFW Population: 2,416,000
So as we look back at the 4.5 decades behind us and look forward to this bright and shiny new year, we would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the success of The Bug Dude and wish all of our clients (and future clients) a healthy, wealthy, and wise New Year!
Author Bio: Alissa Breach has been gaining knowledge and experience around pest control concerns over the last 14 years while working for Mid-Cities Pest Control. She has a creative writing BA from UW-Madison and is always pursuing new and interesting writing projects.
Friday, December 15, 2023 | Mid-Cities Pest Control
Christmas trees are an integral part of most Christmas celebrations; the family gathers together to listen to Christmas carols while they adorn the evergreen with garland, lights, and ornaments. Whether you cut down your own tree, buy one from a Christmas tree lot, use an artificial one, or simply decorate the one growing in your yard, you’re sure to enjoy the beauty this wondrous tree provides. But what do you really know about it? Keep reading to find out how the Christmas tree tradition started and what surprises could be hiding in that beloved tree.
When Did the Christmas Tree Tradition Start?
Winter celebrations involving evergreens are much older than you think and in fact predate Christianity! In the Northern Hemisphere, these celebrations generally centered around the winter solstice (which falls on December 21 or 22 and marks the longest night of the year). Early Romans celebrated the solstice by decorating their homes and temples with evergreen boughs in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture, as the solstice marked the midway point in winter and thus the nearing of spring. Evergreen boughs were also used by the Druids (the priests of the ancient Celts) as temple decorations and were representative of everlasting life. Though the Vikings didn’t use evergreen boughs, they did honor mistletoe for its role in the story of one of the most beloved Norse gods, Baldur. Even Christians in England in the 15th and 16th centuries used the evergreens holly and ivy as a common winter holiday decoration for churches and homes.
The Christmas tree tradition that we now so fully embrace and enjoy began in Germany, though the exact origins aren’t clear. Perhaps the earliest documented example of an evergreen tree being used in a Christmas celebration goes back to 1419 when a guild in Freiburg used a decorated tree to represent the tree of knowledge in their “Paradise Play” that was performed on Christmas Eve, according to TIME. By the 16th century, it’s recorded that Christians had decorated trees in their homes in Germany, and it’s believed that the famous Protestant reformer, Martin Luther, was the first to add lighted candles to an evergreen tree. The term Weihnachtsbaum (German for “Christmas tree”) was in use by the 17th century, the same time when the oldest known Christmas tree market existed in Strasbourg in Alsace.
How Did Christmas Trees Become Popular in the U.S.?
It would be another 2 centuries, until the late 19th and early 20th century, before most Americans would embrace the Christmas tree tradition. Up until the 1840s, most Americans (other than German immigrants) still viewed Christmas trees as pagan symbols, a clear vestige of America’s early Puritan beliefs. These Puritan beliefs also led Massachusetts in 1659 to outlaw any observance of December 25th in order to maintain strict order and keep the day free from any potential pagan influence. But as German and Irish immigrants flowed into the U.S., the sternness of the Puritan legacy began to fade, allowing a pivotal moment to happen in the mid-1800s. In 1848 an illustration of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their children celebrating around a Christmas tree was published in the Illustrated London News; since this royal family was very popular, what they did became immediately fashionable both in Britain and in East Coast American Society. Less than 50 years later, Christmas ornaments were being imported from Germany and the Christmas tree tradition was spreading across the United States. About another 40 years later, in 1931, Rockefeller Center hosted its first Christmas tree.
Can Christmas Trees Have Bugs on Them?
Whether you’re talking about the real Christmas tree that you are planning on putting on display inside your home or about the evergreen tree that adorns your yard, the same answer applies: yes. Though you are much more likely to contend with a pest problem on the living tree than on the cut one, it’s definitely possible to bring a bevy of pests into your house along with that beautiful Christmas tree. Keep reading for the types of pests you are likely to encounter.
What Bugs Are Found on Christmas Trees?
Adelgids – If your tree looks like it has white “flocking” on its needles, twigs, or bark, you may have an issue with adelgids. These insects are tiny, sedentary, and secrete white cottony wax filaments around their bodies. Though they might not look much like the insects we are most familiar with, they pack a punch and can easily kill a tree.
Aphids – For an overview of aphids, see our article here. Generally, these tiny insects are host-specific and will only feed on the type of tree you bought for Christmas, so won’t likely spread to other trees or houseplants. Interestingly, the giant conifer aphid can get up to 1/8” long and is one of the largest aphids in North America. Despite being tiny, they can cause real damage to leaves, shoots, and buds.
Bagworms – These insects are most recognizable for the tough silken case they build to live in; this case (or bag) can be up to 2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide and is strengthened with intermixed leaves, twigs, and bark. The mature bagworm caterpillars can be up to 1 inch long and will emerge as an adult that either looks like a black moth (male) or like a yellowish-white maggot (female). They are also voracious eaters of leaves and can completely strip the foliage off a tree if not treated.
Bark Beetles – The larval stage of these insects will bore into a stressed tree, creating a fine sawdust and leaving behind small holes; they will then feed on the tree, potentially killing it in the process. Adult bark beetles are small and cylindrical in shape and will eventually emerge from the tree, though they will still feast on it. Fortunately, they are not a threat to the furniture or structural wood in your home.
Bark Lice (psocids) – Unlike the similarly named bark beetles, bark lice do not actually feed on the tree itself, instead they feed on the materials that accumulate on the tree’s bark and leaves, such as pollen, mold, fungus, and even dead insects. They are small, soft-bodied insects that generally have wings and are either gray or brown.
Mites – There are a variety of mites that can inhabit an evergreen tree or any nests that are built in that tree. Mites are generally tiny and light-colored and are difficult to detect. On an indoor tree, they don’t pose much risk, but on living trees, they have the potential to do a lot of damage.
Praying Mantises – Though praying is likely part of your Christmas celebration, you probably weren’t looking to include this pest in the tradition. You almost certainly have an image of the adult praying mantis in your head, but did you know that they produce brown, frothy-looking egg masses that they attach to plants and trees? When these egg masses hatch, dozens of baby mantises will emerge! Fortunately, these pests are not dangerous to the tree itself, so if you see one of these masses on a tree in your yard you don’t have to fret. However, if you don’t want a deluge of mantises in your home, be sure to remove the egg masses before you bring your Christmas tree indoors.
Scale Insects – Much like adelgids, scale insects are sedentary and generally have a waxy covering. The exception to this is the youngest stage of scale insects, which are called crawlers; aptly named because they do exactly that. They are extremely small, but when found in large numbers, they can be quite distressing to behold. Even more distressing, however, is the damage scale insects can do to living trees, including stunting growth, discoloration, defoliation, and dead branches.
Spiders – Generally speaking, the spiders found on Christmas trees are harmless and are not well-adapted to living indoors. However, if you see a spider that you think could be harmful (brown recluse, black widow, etc.) or if you have an abundance of spiders in your home, call The Bug Dude as soon as possible.
Are Christmas Tree Bugs Harmful?
The spiders and insects found on Christmas trees that have been cut down and placed inside your home for the holiday are generally harmless, though they are definitely an unwelcome addition to your Christmas festivities! The biggest problem these bugs pose is that they take a beautiful part of your Christmas celebration and can make it frustrating, scary, or just plain gross. There is one exception, however, that can affect pets (if you have a bird as a pet) and bite humans, causing severe itching: bird mites. These pests cannot survive on a human host so are unlikely to cause a long-term infestation, and they are not known to transmit any diseases to people, but they would make for a very unhappy Christmas surprise.
The damage that evergreen tree pests can inflict on living trees in your yard can range widely. This damage could simply be an aesthetic blight, a deformation, stunted growth, or even worse, it could kill the tree. That’s why if you think you have a pest problem on your living Christmas tree, you need to call The Bug Dude at 817-354-5350 as quickly as possible to make sure you get to enjoy that beautiful tree for years to come.
Can You Prevent Christmas Tree Bugs?
There are a few tricks to keeping bugs from hitching a ride into your home this holiday via your real Christmas tree:
Before you buy the tree or cut it down yourself, make sure to inspect it with a bright flashlight; keep a lookout for any signs of the pests listed above and if you see those signs, move on to another tree.
If the tree you want has a bird nest in it, remove the nest before you pack it up to go home with you.
If you notice any praying mantis egg sacks and decide you want that tree anyway, simply remove the egg sacks and leave them outdoors.
Utilize the mechanical tree shaker at the tree lot where you buy your tree or manually give it a good shake if you cut down your own tree before you prep it for transport home.
When you get to your house, inspect the tree again for any signs of pests or any bird nests you may have missed, and remove them if possible. If you discover the tree is full of bugs, consider going back to the tree lot and exchanging it.
Shake the tree one more time before you bring it inside.
If you cut down the tree yourself, consider sprinkling some food-grade diatomaceous earth on it and leaving it on your porch or in your garage for about 48 hours before you bring it inside. This is a natural way to help eliminate potential pests. Be sure to shake the residue off the tree before you bring it inside.
Do not spray your indoor tree with pesticides as some can cause flammability risks.
For outdoor, living, evergreen trees, call The Bug Dude at 817-354-5350 to talk to an expert about your preventative treatment options.
What to do if Your Christmas Tree Has Bugs?
If you notice a few bugs emerging from your indoor Christmas tree, don’t overly stress. The majority of these pests are not suited to living inside your home and will quickly perish. For these few pests, simply vacuum them up as you see them. However, if you notice an infestation of pests or if they persist for more than a few days, call The Bug Dude at 817-354-5350 to get an expert technician out to identify the pest and get it treated before it can ruin your magical Christmastime.
Now, if you notice signs of any of the above pests on your outdoor, living, evergreen trees, make sure you call The Bug Dude immediately so you don’t risk the issue spreading and destroying that beautiful symbol of Christmas you cherish in your yard.
Christmas is a time to surprise your loved ones with gifts that show them how much they are loved and thought of. And while those surprises are part of the joy of the season, not all surprises are welcome. So if any pests try to crash your Christmas festivities, give The Bug Dude a call at 817-354-5350 and let us help get you back to a time of merriment, joy, and peace.
Author Bio: Alissa Breach has been gaining knowledge and experience around pest control concerns over the last 14 years while working for Mid-Cities Pest Control. She has a creative writing BA from UW-Madison and is always pursuing new and interesting writing projects.
Thursday, November 16, 2023 | Mid-Cities Pest Control
Thanksgiving is nearly here. That means it’s time to put up some harvest decorations, get ready for a big family gathering, and start cooking. While you might argue that a Thanksgiving meal isn’t complete without stuffing, a pumpkin pie, or cranberry sauce, you would almost certainly say that it’s not a true Thanksgiving meal without the main dish: turkey. But even if you don’t plan on eating any turkey this holiday, this indigenous bird is an absolutely iconic part of the season. Whether it’s a simple turkey hand drawing or a full turkey costume to wear at this year’s Turkey Trot, there is sure to be some sort of turkey imagery adorning your Thanksgiving celebration. But what do you really know about turkeys? Keep reading for the top 15 surprising turkey facts.
Turkeys Can Run and Fly Fast
Wild turkeys can run up to 25 miles per hour, that’s 1.65 miles per hour faster than Usain Bolt’s record-setting sprint! And they are even faster when they fly (and yes, wild turkeys most certainly can fly), clocking up to 55 miles per hour in short bursts. In fact, a wild turkey can travel several square miles in a day. Good luck trying to catch one of these birds for your Thanksgiving feast!
Turkeys Sleep in Trees
You might not expect a bird as large as a turkey to be hanging out in a tree, but that’s exactly where you’ll find them when it’s time to sleep. When dusk hits, these big birds fly up to high branches and roost for the night, only flying down again when dawn breaks. They spend their nights in trees to protect themselves from predators, especially since they don’t have very good night vision.
A Turkey’s Head Can Change Colors
Almost like a giant mood ring, a turkey’s head and neck can change colors depending on their emotions. A turkey’s head is normally either pale pink or bluish gray, but when scared, anxious, excited, or sick, the coloring can change to red, white, or blue (a truly American bird!). And the more intense the color is, the stronger their emotions are.
Turkeys Have a Surprising Relative
If you look at the evolutionary chain that led to modern turkeys you might be surprised to find out that a bird we would often compare it with, the chicken, is separated from it by more than 45 million years of evolution. But that’s not the biggest surprise. If you follow that chain even further back, say to around 150 million years ago, you’ll find the earliest ancestors of turkeys, theropods. Theropods were a group of dinosaurs that included the T. rex, velociraptor, and Archaeopteryx.
Turkeys Can Swim
If you were surprised that wild turkeys can fly, you might be even more surprised to find out that these large birds can swim. They achieve this feat by tucking in their wings, spreading their tails, and kicking. Using this method they can swim up to 1 mile in open water.
Turkeys Have Beards
When you picture a wild turkey what do you see? You would probably note their large bodies (36 inches for females and 48 inches for males) and brown feathers first. Then you might remark on their bald head, wattle (the red skin on the chin of a turkey), and snood (the red skin that hangs over a turkey’s beak). But did you know they have another distinctive characteristic? They have beards! All male turkeys have a bundle of feathers that sprouts from their chest, this is called a turkey beard, and much like human beards, it gets longer over time. Interestingly, some female turkeys also grow beards, but it’s not as common.
Turkeys Have a Lot of Feathers
Not only do turkeys have between 5,000 and 6,000 feathers, their tail feathers can reach up to 15 inches long!
Turkeys Have Great Eyesight
These marvelous birds are not only faster than humans, they can see much better than we can, 3 times better in fact. Plus they can see in color, and their eyesight covers a full 270 degrees, that’s 90 degrees more than us humans.
Turkeys Have Unique Poop
In fact, a turkey’s droppings can tell you if the bird is male or female. A male has droppings that are shaped like the letter “J”, whereas a female has more spiral-shaped droppings. Even stranger, you can tell the approximate age of a turkey by the size of the poop, the bigger the diameter of the dropping, the older the bird is.
Turkeys Can Weigh a Lot
Generally speaking, male wild turkeys can weigh up to 25 lbs, with females weighing up to 12 lbs. However, the heaviest turkey on record (not a wild turkey), according to the Guinness Book of World Records, was a monumental 86 pounds!
Turkeys Have Stones in Their Stomachs
You might have heard of a turkey gizzard, especially if you have an aunt like mine who always asks for the giblets of the Thanksgiving bird. If you don’t know, the giblets are the heart, gizzard, liver, and neck of the bird. But what exactly is the gizzard? The gizzard is a vital part of the turkey’s digestive system; it’s one of the bird’s 2 stomachs and contains tiny stones (that the bird previously swallowed) that help grind the food that the turkey has eaten. Remember, turkeys don’t have teeth, so they needed a different way to grind up the food they eat.
Turkeys Can Help With Pest Control
If you are lucky enough to have wild turkeys in your neighborhood, they could be providing you with some free pest control. This is not only because they consume insects as a significant portion of their diet, but also because they consume fruits, nuts, and seeds that otherwise could end up as food for mice or squirrels. In both cases, the turkeys help by reducing the populations of pests in your area and lowering the likelihood that these pests will find their way into your home.
Turkeys Were Almost Extinct
During the 1800s wild turkey populations plummeted due to a combination of over-hunting and habitat loss. By the early 1900s, wild turkeys were nearly extinct, with only around 30,000 of these birds left. Fortunately, through restoration efforts, the population of these native birds has risen to 7 million. These efforts have been especially important because there are only 2 species of wild turkey in the world, one native to North America and one native to North/Central America.
A Lot of Turkeys Are Eaten Each Year For Thanksgiving
Around 46 million turkeys are consumed each Thanksgiving. With an average Thanksgiving turkey weighing 20 lbs, that means that 920 million pounds of turkey will be consumed this holiday. That’s an average of 3.15 lbs of turkey per American (factoring in the National Turkey Federation’s statistic that 88% of Americans consume turkey for Thanksgiving). Perhaps even more surprising is that the amount of turkey consumed on Thanksgiving is roughly 20% of the total turkey an average American will consume annually!
Turkeys Brought About the First TV Dinner
If you think it’s difficult to manage all your Thanksgiving leftovers, imagine having 260 tons of turkey leftovers to contend with. That’s what happened to Swanson in 1953 when they overestimated the turkey consumption that year. To mitigate the overage, they created single-serve Thanksgiving meals consisting of turkey, cornbread dressing, gravy, peas, and sweet potatoes and packaged them in 5,000 aluminum trays. This full meal was sold for $0.98 and was so popular that in their first full year of production, they sold 10 million of these meals, and began the enormous frozen ready meal industry.
And in honor of Black Friday, here’s a BOGO deal on a top list: The Top 5 Reasons You Should Call The Bug Dude at 817-354-5350 “OR” 800-310-BUGS (2847) at the First Sign of a Pest Issue:
Author Bio: Alissa Breach has been gaining knowledge and experience around pest control concerns over the last 14 years while working for Mid-Cities Pest Control. She has a creative writing BA from UW-Madison and is always pursuing new and interesting writing projects.
Tuesday, October 17, 2023 | Mid-Cities Pest Control
A breeze rustles through a barren tree, its branches scrape sharply at your window. You look out to see a blood moon hanging overhead, a colony of bats passing across it like an angry cloud. A wolf howls in the distance as you watch a black cat begin to cross the road only to stop in the glow of the streetlight, look directly at you, and raise its hackles, baring long, sharp fangs. You take a step back from the window and feel a cold hand on your shoulder, a bit of discolored cloth drapes down your shirt. Shivers prickling your spine, you turn to see a mummy, red eyes glimmering, only inches from your face. After a single sharp intake of breath, you smile at your costumed partner, Halloween is finally here.
If you were to make a list of iconic Halloween images you would most likely include a jack-o-lantern, a witch, and, of course, a black cat. Black cats have been associated with the occult in many parts of Western civilization for nearly 800 years, so it’s hardly a surprise that they are so common in our Halloween decorations, costumes, and celebrations. Yet despite our festive enjoyment of these creatures, black cats tend to have a lower rate of adoption and a higher rate of euthanasia than cats with other coat colors. Now if you’ve ever had a pet cat, or known someone with one, you know that cats of all colors, coats, and sizes can make excellent pets, and black cats are no exception. But sometimes things can go awry and these great pets can find themselves without a home. Even worse, they can end up pregnant, on the streets, and giving birth to new generations of cats who will now be feral. And in the blink of an eye, a few unhoused pet cats can turn into a large number of community cats that can plague people and animals alike.
What Are Community Cats? The term community cats refers to any unowned cat that is living exclusively or primarily outdoors. This includes stray cats, feral cats, lost or abandoned cats, and even cats that receive intermittent care from community residents. And yes, if you were wondering, community cats are the same species of domestic cat as your house pets, though their lifespan is around 2-10 years instead of 13-17 years for house cats.
Stray Cats Vs. Feral Cats Though you might not be able to tell the difference between a stray cat and a feral cat at a glance, there is a very important distinction between these two groups, and being able to recognize which group a cat falls into can help you make sure that any unknown cat that starts visiting your yard gets the help it needs while also keeping you and your loved ones safe. The biggest difference between stray cats and feral cats is simply that stray cats have been socialized to people and feral cats have not. This means that a stray cat once had a home with humans, and has a real chance of being able to find a new indoor home and happiness with a new family. A feral cat, however, is extremely unlikely to ever find peace in an indoor life and instead has made a family with other feral cats. The only exception to this is that feral-born kittens can make excellent pet cats if they are found and socialized with humans at a young age (the younger the better, with 4 months old being generally considered too old to successfully socialize them).
If you have community cats in your area and get a chance to observe them, here are a few signs that can help you determine if they are likely to be stray or feral cats. Stray cats may approach people, houses, or cars, they are mostly solitary, they may meow if you talk to them, they are most active during the day, and they are likely to be dirty. Feral cats, however, will find hiding places to avoid people, commonly live in a colony, won’t meow to you, are mostly nocturnal, are likely to have a clean well-kept coat, and may have an eartip. Eartips (cutting the top corner off a cat’s ear) are done by veterinarians while a feral cat is under anesthesia for a spay/neuter surgery to easily identify released feral cats that have been spayed or neutered.
Once you have determined which type of cat you are encountering, you can better assess your next step in dealing with them. Keep in mind that both types of cats are very capable of showing aggression or running away if confronted, making it a good idea to call The Bug Dude to have an expert technician handle trapping the cat and bringing it to the local animal shelter, rather than attempting such a feat yourself. Being able to provide the shelter with the likelihood of it being either stray or feral can help them assess the cat and determine the next appropriate step to take. Knowing this information can also help The Bug Dude technician more effectively manage the trapping. Finally, if you believe you have a feral cat visiting you, it’s worth keeping an eye out to see if there are more in the area so you can enter into a trapping endeavor knowing the scope of the project.
Are Community Cats a Problem? The short answer is “Yes.” Community cats can cause problems in urban and rural settings and can pose not only an economic and ecological threat, but also a health threat to you, your pets, and your loved ones.
Health Issues Caused by Community Cats Perhaps the biggest health threat that community cats pose is that they are the most common vectors of rabies in domestic animals. In addition, cats can transmit several different diseases and parasites to people: cat scratch fever, plague, ringworm, hookworm, salmonellosis (caused by salmonella), and toxoplasmosis, to name a few. When it comes to diseases that community cats can pass to your pets, the list is even scarier: FIV (feline AIDS), feline leukemia virus (FeLV), feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), rabies, distemper, and various parasites. These diseases and parasites are generally passed via direct contact with the infected cat, but can also potentially be passed through contact with the cat’s feces, or even from a proliferation of fleas caused by these cats (as is potentially the case for plague and typhus). This is especially important to remember as community cats are known for using loose soil (aka gardens and flowerbeds) or sandboxes as their bathrooms.
Ecological Impact of Community Cats Community cats and free-ranging cats (these are pet cats who are allowed to roam free outdoors) are notoriously devastating to native wildlife. If you just look at the numbers, there are about 164 million cats in the U.S., of which roughly 30 to 80 million are outdoors as community cats, and a potentially large portion of owned cats are free-ranging outdoors as well. Thus with tens of millions of these predators running free, it’s hardly surprising that cats are possibly the most significant cause of mortality to native birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. In fact, cats have been partially responsible for the extinction of at least 63 species in the wild worldwide. But their ecological impact doesn’t stop there, they are known to impact wildlife populations through injury and behavioral changes (like reduced feeding chances due to cat harassment). To give an example of community cats’ impact on wild birds, a study was done on more than 80 rehabilitation centers in North America and they reported that cats caused the intake of over 50% of injured birds, and of those nearly 80% died. And while cats can also sometimes kill invasive species like house mice or pigeons, research shows that they haven’t done so in numbers great enough to control those species.
Economic Concerns From Community Cats The first clear economic concern that community cats present is to anyone raising livestock, especially free-range chickens or other domestic fowl. Yes, these cats will prey on those livestock animals, causing losses for anyone raising them. In addition, a recent study estimated that cat damage and management has cost around $22 billion worldwide in less than 50 years, that’s almost $1.3 million a day.
What Can You Do About Community Cats? As a community, the absolute best thing we can do about community cats is to prevent their populations from rising. The number one way to do this is by spaying and neutering the cats. First, make sure you spay or neuter your beloved pet cat so if they get out of the house they don’t end up making more kittens. Second, support TNR initiatives. TNR stands for Trap Neuter Return, a program whereby feral cats are trapped, spayed or neutered, and then returned to their outdoor community. The goal of these programs is to gradually reduce or eliminate feral cat populations by progressively decreasing new generations of cats being born feral. Third, if you, a loved one, a friend, or a neighbor need to re-home your pet cat, bring it to an appropriate animal shelter instead of “setting it free” with feral cats; remember, domestic cats aren’t a native species and don’t belong in the wild.
And of course, if you are currently having an issue with feral cats, and don’t have decades to wait for their populations to decline, give The Bug Dude a call at 800-310-BUGS (2847) and let our technicians use humane live animal traps to catch the cats and bring them to the local animal shelter.
Finally, it’s worth noting that though they aren’t community cats, owned free-roaming cats are also part of the problem and are at risk by being allowed outdoors unsupervised. If you want your pet to experience the great outdoors, consider building them a catio, appropriately enclosing your yard, or taking them out for walks on a leash (and yes, this is definitely possible, I take my cat out for daily walks on a leash, or perhaps I should really say that he takes me out for daily walks).
Spaying/Neutering Benefits Not only are spaying (for female animals) and neutering (for male animals) vital to community cat control, but having these procedures done on your pet cat can greatly increase their health and quality of life. A few major health benefits of spaying and neutering your female cats are: reduced chance of them developing a potentially fatal uterine infection and reduced chance of them getting uterine, mammary gland, and other reproductive system cancers. For male cats, these benefits are: eliminating the risk of them getting testicular cancer and eliminating the potential development of prostatic hyperplasia (a condition that affects the cat’s ability to defecate). In addition, a 2013 study showed that spayed cats lived 39% longer than intact female cats, and neutered cats lived 62% longer than intact male cats. That’s a lot more time with your beloved fur baby!
Additional benefits of spaying and neutering your pet cats are that it can help reduce behaviors that can exasperate both you and your cats. By spaying and neutering your cat, especially when it’s done when the cat is under 5 months old, you can drastically reduce mating-related behaviors. A few examples of these behaviors are: spraying, yowling, roaming, and fighting. Not only will this make the house more peaceful for you, but it will give peace to your cat who otherwise can be plagued by intense and unnecessary hormonal urges. And these benefits also apply to spayed/neutered feral cats, which can give some needed relief to inundated homeowners.
When To Call The Bug Dude If you are having an issue with one or multiple cats invading your yard (and you’re sure it’s not your neighbor’s pet), and you’re ready to end the long nights of howling cats, the unexpected finding of cat droppings, and the terrifying catfights, and reclaim your territory, then it’s time to call in the experts. Just call The Bug Dude at 817-354-5350 and let our experienced technicians humanely trap those pesky cats and take them to a local animal shelter to be appropriately taken care of. With years of experience dealing with live animal trapping, our technicians know every trick in the book when it comes to finding ways to entice clever animals into traps. From understanding animal behavior, to knowing their favorite foods, to clever tricks to employ to make a trapping program successful, our technicians will work hard to make sure they can eliminate the community cats from your property.
This Halloween if you notice a black cat crossing your path, don’t worry about the superstitions, but do keep an eye out for if it has a collar, and be ready to call The Bug Dude at the first sign that community cats have taken over your yard.
Author Bio: Alissa Breach has been gaining knowledge and experience around pest control concerns over the last 14 years while working for Mid-Cities Pest Control. She has a creative writing BA from UW-Madison and is always pursuing new and interesting writing projects.
