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Holidays 2011
Seasons Greetings!
Thank you for being part of the Brussell family. We wish you a pest-free holiday and a prosperous New Year.
Rats and Mice can be Trouble in Winter
As winter ushers in, house mice and rats will attempt to seek shelter inside the warmth of your home or property.
Mice
House mice breed rapidly and adapt quickly to various environments. Mice urine can cause allergies in children. Mice can also bring fleas, mites, ticks and lice into your home. Also a dime-sized space is all mice need to squeeze inside.
To keep mice and other rodents out:
- Seal any cracks and voids and holes.
- Make sure there is proper drainage at the foundation.
- Install gutters or diverts which will channel water away from the building.
Call Brussell Exterminating Service for interior and exterior rodent control and exclusion services at 301-434-5610.
Please click here for our contact form.
Rats
Did you know that there are 56 different kinds of rats? The most common home and commercial property invaders are Norway rats (brown rats) and Roof rats (black rats). Rats are excellent climbers and often enter homes and other buildings in the fall, when outside food sources become scarce, and as the weather turns colder. They can enter a property through a quarter-size hole. Rats can chew through wiring, causing fires. They also can carry rabies and can spread numerous diseases. For example, Roof rats secured their place in history by spreading the highly dangerous bubonic plague.
To help keep rats out of your home and commercial buildings:
- Keep firewood stored away from the structure. Rats are often found in woodpiles!
- Remove debris piles.
- Seal any holes larger than 1/4 inch.
- Remove moisture and harborage sources.
Call Brussell Exterminating Service for interior and exterior rodent control and exclusion services at 301-434-5610.
Please click here for our contact form.
Don't invite wildlife into your home this winter.
As cold weather approaches, wild animals including raccoons, squirrels, foxes and skunks often will seek shelter in and around your home.
Wild animals often carry diseases. For example, bats, raccoons, skunks and rodents, including squirrels, are frequent carriers of rabies, which is transmitted by a bite and is almost always fatal if untreated.
Birds often harbor Lyme disease, West Nile virus and respiratory disease spread through bird droppings. Also some fleas on animals may carry bubonic plague which can be transmitted through the flea bites or in rare cases, when handling an infected animal, including rabbits, squirrels, or prairie dogs, or scratches or bites from infected domestic cats. If bitten or if you become ill (with chills, fever, etc.,) seek medical attention immediately. If you encounter a wild animal on your property, do not attempt to remove it on your own;
Contact Brussell Exterminating Service at 301-434-5610.
Please click here for our contact form.
Brussell Exterminating Service will humanely remove wildlife including raccoons, squirrels, and ground hogs and provide various release options including on-site or relocation. Brussell also provides a full range of animal-proofing and exclusion services to help prevent re-entry which is so important.
The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) offers the following tips to help keep wildlife out of your home:
- Keep trash in fully sealed containers.
- Fence off open areas.
- Cap chimneys.
- Trim overgrown shrubs and tree branches.
Holiday Travel Invites Don't Include Bed Bug Bites
Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite While Traveling this Holiday Season!
Many of us will be traveling this holiday season. Unfortunately, bed bugs enjoy traveling, too; and if we are not careful, these annoying insects will hitch a ride with us.
Your hotel may be grand, grandma's house is likely neater than yours and your college kids dorm is...well, maybe not so neat. But the thing is, bed bugs can live anywhere and you don't want to bring them home.
Here are some NPMA tips to help keep bed bugs from hitching a ride with you when staying away from home:
- Thoroughly inspect your entire room with a flashlight before unpacking.
- Pull back the sheets and inspect the mattress seams and box springs, particularly at the corners, for tell-tale stains, spots or shed bed bug skins and eggs.
- At your destination, wrap your suitcases in a large plastic bag.
- Stow your suitcases on a luggage rack or the middle of a tile floor - never on upholstered furniture.
- Wash all of your clothes in hot water - even those you didn't wear – and dry on high heat - upon returning home.
- If you can do so without damaging them, toss your dry clean only clothes in the dryer and run them on high heat, upon returning home.
If you do find bed bugs at home or have bites (raised red bumps or flat welts) and Uncomfortable, intense itching, please call Brussell Exterminating Service immediately at 301-434-5610.
Please click here for our contact form.
Fall 2011
Happy Thanksgiving !
From our family to yours, we at Brussell Exterminating Service want to wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
August 2011
Bugs in the News
One Bad Beetle
Customs officials at Chicago's O'Hare airport recently intercepted a bag of rice from India that contained the feared khapra beetle larvae. This beetle reportedly can destroy up to 70 percent of the grain it infests and can give you a bad stomach ache (at least!) if you happen to consume it. Kudos to Customs for capturing this menacing pest!
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