How To Stop Suffering From Bug Bites!
You work hard everyday, your schedule always has you running at a “hundred miles per hour” and you think to yourself that you’d like to “get away from it all” and relax for awhile. Then, you decide that maybe a camping or hiking trip would really be a “nice way to escape”.
So, you pack up the car and head for the hills. Once you get to your destination, you just have to stop, stretch and take a deep breath of fresh air while you enjoy the fantastic view.
About this time, you reach down to scratch because you felt something crawling on you. At first, you don’t think much about it until you realize that this never seems to stop – One bug after another keeps landing on you. Then you start looking at yourself and you can see a lot of bug bite marks starting to pop up all over your body. And, in no time at all, you’re ready to get back in the car, roll up the windows, turn on the A/C and head home.
Folks, that’s no way to have fun. Unfortunately, some people are just more attractive to insects and these pest just can’t seem to resist the urge to start biting them.
What is a person supposed to do when they have a problem like this? Does that mean they have to stay locked up inside of a house or car all day to protect themselves from biting bugs?
Diseases transmitted by insects are a major source of illness and death worldwide. Mosquitoes alone transmit disease to over 700 million people annually. Did you know that Malaria kills over 3 million people each year, including one child every 30 seconds?
We’re fortunate that here in the U.S., insect-borne diseases aren’t nearly as big a problem as they are in tropical and sub-tropical climates. But, we still have to deal with sporadic outbreaks of encephalitis and other diseases, such as West Nile Virus.
Protection from insect bites is best achieved by avoiding infested habitats, wearing protective clothing and using insect repellants. In many circumstances, you’ll find that insect repellents may be the only feasible way to deal with insect bites.
When you consider that even a single insect bite from
an infected insect could result in transmission of disease,
it is really important for you to know which
products can be relied on for protection.
There are a lot of insect repellent products available and they can be divided into two categories – synthetic chemicals and plant-derived essential oils.
The best known product is called DEET. This is a synthetic product that was originally developed by the U.S. Army. DEET can be applied to the skin or on clothing and is primarily used to repel mosquitoes. It is very effective against tick bites (Ticks spread rickettsioses, meningoencephalitis and Lyme disease.) Test reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that products containing DEET provide the longest lasting protection.
When you’re shopping, it is very important that you check the concentration rates. In their test, products with 23.8% DEET lasted up to 6 hours. Products with 4.75% DEET only lasted 1 ½ hours. Great examples of this would be when you compare S.C. Johnson‘s “Off Deep Woods” that contains 23.8% DEET with their “Off Skintastic” that contains only 6.7% DEET. The “Deep Woods” product lasted 6 hours, but their “Skintastic” product lasted only 2 hours.
No non-DEET products tested were able to offer protection for more than 90 minutes. Only the soybean-based repellent (HOMS Bite Blocker) was able to come close to matching the products containing the lowest levels of DEET.
Citronella oil was found to offer protection for 20 minutes. Another product you hear being touted a lot is “Skin So Soft”, by Avon. Test showed that Avon’s products only offered an average of 10 – 20 minutes protection.
Most alternatives to topically applied products, such as wrist bands, devices that emit sounds and products that you swallow (garlic & thiamine) have all been proven to be ineffective.
DEET has a remarkable safety record after 40 years of use and nearly 8 billion human applications. If you’re still concerned and would like to use a more natural product, then “HOMS Bug Bite” with soybean oil might be your next best choice. Just keep in mind that it only offers about 90 minutes of protection.
Are you having a problem with stinging pest and bugs biting you at your own home and you don’t want to have to walk around wearing insect repellant everyday? Then call Termite Terry Pest Control at (949) 631-7348 or click on order form for a complimentary 57 Point Pest Control Audit. You’ll receive a lot of valuable information, you’ll learn what you can do to help yourself live bug-free and there’s absolutely no obligation to use our services!
Rave Review
I just wanted to thank you and your company for an excellent job well done. From start to finish, it was perfect. First meeting with Joseph Johnston was the cinch in my decision making. I had met with 3 other termite companies prior and I was not comfortable with their proposals. Joe was impressive. His knowledge base of termites is remarkable. He took his time and explained everything in detail. He spoke of my damage, where there was “NO” damage, advice on types of treatment and what could be done to protect against for the future. I was convinced he was honest and your company was reliable. I know it’s the old “cliché”, but being a single woman, I still believe I get taken advantage of, but I didn’t feel that way with Joe. Jose did the work that day on my house and he was “Exceptional!” The price was right and the work was done to my expectations. I couldn’t be happier!
-Linda Reynolds, Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust.
We had an unusually persistent crop of fruit flies so we called you. Your technician advised moving a houseplant outside and treated under the sink. He said if that didn’t do it, he’d come back and do a more aggressive treatment.
His advice worked and he didn’t need to come back. We’ll call Termite Terry for future extermination issues!
- Overall Rating A
- Price A
- Quality A
- Responsiveness A
- Punctuality A
- Professionalism A
-Kimberly Grove, San Clemente.
Rodent Blamed For Dishwasher Fire!
Fire officials are blaming a rodent that had quietly stored dog food behind a dishwasher, for starting a fire that damaged a kitchen in Manchester, New Hampshire.
“He must have been stealing the food for a long time, putting it away for winter I guess”, said Fire Chief Kevin Pratt.
The fire started just before noon and it didn’t take firefighters long to pinpoint the cause. They found dog food piled up around the dishwasher’s heating element, pump and fan. This caused the dishwasher to overheat and catch fire while it was operating.
Paul Hammond, the Assistant Fire Chief, stated that the homeowners had known for sometime that they had a “mouse issue”.
Florida Is Worst State For Bugs
A recent survey of homeowners nationwide shows that Florida is the worst state for bugs. The telephone survey, conducted by Infogroup and sponsored by BASF Pest Control Solutions, reveals that 90% of homeowners said that they have experienced an insect infestation. Ants were the number one problem with nearly 60% of homeowners saying they were likely to have an ant infestation. We also note about 27% of respondents said they were likely to have termite infestations.
The top 10 buggiest states were:
- Florida
- Louisiana
- Texas
- California
- Georgia
- New York
- Mississippi
- Alabama
- Missouri
- South Carolina
States having the least amount of pest problems were Washington D.C. (50th), South Dakota (49th), Connecticut (48th), Idaho (47th) and New Hampshire (46th).
“The survey findings mirror what we see in real life,” said Bob Davis, chief entomologist at BASF. “Ants are pervasive throughout the United States, while termites tend to be most prevalent in the West, South and Southeast.”
Salmonella And The Massive Egg Recall Of 2010
Over a half-billion eggs have been recalled by two of our nation’s largest egg producers, located in Iowa. This occurred because over 1,300 hundred people became sick after eating contaminated eggs.
The Center of Disease Control tells us that unlike eggborne salmonellosis of past decades, the current epidemic is due to intact and disinfected grade A eggs. This time, we are dealing with Salmonella enteritidis, which silently infects the ovaries of healthy appearing hens and causes the eggs to become contaminated before the shells are even formed.
In the 1970s, stringent procedures for cleaning and inspecting eggs were implemented. Salmonellosis, caused by external fecal contamination of egg shells is extremely rare, today. Investigators are now examining the possibility that rodents may have contaminated the chicken feed, spreading salmonella enteritidis to the eggs.
The egg producers involved in this case are gigantic and when you have large facilities like this, a few sick chickens can turn into hundreds of sick chickens. Then, when you’ve got thousands and thousand of chickens to deal with, tracing the bacteria back to the source is very difficult
“Putting all your eggs in one basket in a sense, is what’s going on in the industry and it’s not necessarily a good thing,” said Scott Schultz, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Farmers Union.
The CDC says that the elderly, infants and persons with impaired immune systems are at increased risk for serious illness. Most deaths caused by Salmonella enteritidis have occurred in nursing homes for the elderly.
The CDC has the following recommendations for reducing the risk of Salmonella enteritidis infections:
- Keep eggs refrigerated.
- Discard cracked or dirty eggs.
- Wash hands and cooking utensils with soap and water after contact with raw eggs.
- Eat eggs promptly after cooking. Do not keep eggs warm for more than 2 hours.
- Refrigerate unused or leftover egg-containing dishes.
- Avoid eating raw eggs (as in homemade ice cream and eggnog. Commercial products are made with pasteurized eggs).
- Avoid restaurant dishes made with raw or undercooked, unpasteurized eggs. They should use pasteurized eggs in any recipe that calls for pooling of raw eggs.
If we later find out that rodents are the cause of this latest epidemic, it’s just one more reason for you to be proactive and take care of any rodent problems you may have at your home or business. If you need help in dealing with rodents or any other pest problem, call Termite Terry Pest Control at (949) 631-7348 or click on order form and we’ll be glad to assist!
September Is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
In September of 2005, President George Bush declared September to be National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. The President called for government officials, business communities, health care professionals, educators and everyone in the U.S. to continue our strong commitment to preventing and treating ovarian cancer.
The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2010, over 21,000 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed and over 14,000 deaths will occur from it. Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of death in women.
Ovarian cancer is a cancer that develops in the ovaries. Ovaries are part of a woman’s reproductive system. This cancer begins at a cellular level and these cancer cells continue to grow and divide until eventually, they form a tumor.
Signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer are subtle and can be difficult to diagnose. Research is suggesting that there are four symptoms that may be associated with this cancer:
- Bloating
- Pelvic or Abdominal pain
- Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
- Urinary urgency or frequency
Other symptoms may include:
- Nausea, indigestion, gas, constipation or diarrhea
- Extreme fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Backaches
Ladies, if these symptoms last more than 2-3 weeks, you need to talk to your doctor. Many women ignore these symptoms and by the time they visit their doctor, the disease has spread. The good news is that if this cancer is diagnosed early, the five year survival rate is over 93%.
Take care of yourself – You are your best advocate!
The Value Of Customer Testimonial Letters?
Deciding who to hire to do termite treatments, termite fumigations or termte damage and dryrot repairs for you is not an easy thing to do unless you already know someone in that business. You’re always wondering if they’ll do the job right, will they over charge you and last but not least, you may not even be sure the stuff they’re selling will even work, right?
What are you supposed to do? When you look at their ads, they all say that they are the best. Who are you supposed to believe?
I know that everyone always tells you to get 3 bids, check contractor’s licenses and to call the Better Business Bureau. I guess that’s alright, sometimes. But, what if you called 3 bad companies for a bid? (That’s very easy to do!). What difference would it make if they all had a current contractor’s license? And, what if you did a little homework and found out that even some of the worst contractors have “A” ratings at the BBB? Now, what do you do??? May I suggest a slightly different approach?
Next time you’re interviewing a contractor, go ahead and hear what they have to offer and make sure everything is in writing. But then, ask for letters of recommendation from recent clients. Next, ask for a list of customers in your area. Last, but certainly not least, call these people and if you can, go see what their finished work looks like.
Now think about that for a minute. If the contractor has several satisfied clients in your area, you’ve talked to them , you like what they have to say and you like the way their work looks, wouldn’t you agree that hiring that contractor would be a good bet?
That’s the way we operate. Everytime we give a quote, you’ll always see that we give you several (real, legitimate and sometimes long) testimonial letters, you’ll get a list of clients in your area, we’re happy to arrange for you to speak to other clients and we’ll gladly show you other homes we’ve worked on in your area. Combine that with our Money Back Guarantees and you’ve got yourself a “no-brainer” – It’s no wonder that most clients we visit wind up hiring us! Call Termite Terry Pest Control at (949) 631-7348.
