About Ants:
It has been said that Ants have been around for about 100 million years! They have evolved a unique set of behavioral and physiological adaptations. They are able to discover food quickly and efficiently. A lone and begins with leaving the nest in search of food and keeps track of her compass bearing to home. When she finds food, she will find the shortest, direct route back to the colony carring an ample sample back to share. On the way back she will leave a pheromone or odor deposit to mark the trail for others to follow. If Ants are trailing indoors, most generally, baits are the most effective way of controlling them. The object is to kill out the colony. The ants you see trailing are, at most, 10% of the colony. Therefore, if you kill the ones you see, 90% or more of the colony remail alive. If we let the ones we see carry bait back to the colony, they become our messengers to feed the opesticide to the others. Ants share their liquid foods with other ants and in this way share the pesticide bait with the rest of the colony.
In the general Las Vegas homes, we primarily deal with only 3 or 4 of the 9 or 10 thousand species of ants in the world. In warmer weather, which is most of the year, we may be able to find the source outside and treat them directly. When it is colder and/or wet, they tend to go subterranean and then we must resort to a baiting program. It is then very helpful to be able to identify the variety as they all have different habits. Understanding those habits is essential in successful baiting.
So far, the Department of Agriculture and the Pest Control Industry have geen able to keep Fire Ants out of Nevada. I'm reasonably sure that eventually, a colony will develop, un-noticed and spread throughout Southern Nevada. In the meanwhile, we as an industry are ever diligent in keeping them at bay.
We do have an ant that is native that packs a very big whollup. It is rather large, red/orange in color, and seldom invades homes. It is a California Harvester. As the name implies, it forages for seeds and small plant material. They do not typically form a trail. When they bite, they also sting. The effects of the sting can last up to 37 days. (I can remember being stung and bitten some 60 years ago). A close relative of the California Harvester is the Western Harvester. It is brown in color and does not sting. These ants typically make a rather large hill of excavated soil out in the open.
Treatments for ant infestations, in most cases, can be accomplished with very low impact materials quite successfully.
Call us NOW to resolve your ant problems at 702-242-8668!
About Africanized Bees:
NIow that the weather has gotten warm and we're seeing more bees, we're receiving many inquiries about 'Killer Bees'. What a MISNOMER!! The correct name is 'AFRICANIZED BEES'.
Their species originated in Africa where they colonized near the ground or in vacated animal burrows. Over a vast period of time they evolved into a very protective species because, everything that likes honey (which is almost everything living) raided their nest (home), ruined or took their food stores (honey), and/or killed their queen.
Some of the questions asked are " are the bees I see Africanized?' Most likely. It was estimated several years ago that aprox. 9% of the colonies had cross bred and the traits of the Africanized bees sominate iin the cross.
'What do I do when I see bees in my flower garden - will they harm my childres or pets?' Generally no. Just leave them alone. They are only foraging for food and water. Unless they are swatted or feel trapped, they will not bother you.
"There's a bunch of bees on the tree (bush) in my yard about the size of a....(golf ball to basketball). Are they dangerous and what should I (or can ) I do to get rid of them?' First of all, yes, they may be dangerous if disturbed. Secondly, this is not a 'do-it-yourselfer' situation. Call a professional! If disturbed, they can and will get really angry and aggressive. The bees are swarming at this point and are looking for a new home. Their new home could weel be inside the walls or attic of your home! This is when removal could be very expensive because, a wall or the roof may need to be opened in order to remove them. Actually, when bees are swarming is the best and least expensive time to eliminate them. Recently a customer saw a swarm in her yard and decided to take a 'wait and see' approach. We had to remove them from the 2nd story roof! We've had to remove tiles, lift up the roof shething, and remove studcco, wire mesh and styrofoam from 3rd story boxed eaves. That colony contained approx. 50 lbs. of honeycomb! Just think about how much the bill may have been to replace that portion of the home back to the origonal condition after we had to open it up!
'Doesn't the ffire dept, police dept, city or county take care of the bees/' No, the fire dept. has their hands full with fire related problems and the police dept. takes care of crime. Pest control is a private matter.
When you see bees swarming, think about prompt professional removal. Again, it costs a lot less to get rid of them when they're hanging on the limb of a tree than when they have nested in your attic!
By Keith Pratt
Founder of Keith’s Pest Control
Mr. Pratt’s experience with bees started when he was quite young. He shared his father’s hobby of raising bees. That was about 60 years ago. Before moving to Las Vegas from Washington State, about 10 years ago, he was an Agricultural Consultant in the Columbia Basin. With the exception of a couple years off, he has since been a pest control professional in Las Vegas
