Brown Recluse: 7月 2012

2012年7月23日星期一

Overview of Southeastern Poisonous Insect Bites, Stings and Treatments

Insect bites and stings are common and are seldom cause for worry. There are several insects in the Southeastern United States that can produce serious bites and stings. Being able to recognize and treat a person who has been bitten or stung can make a big difference, especially if bitten or stung by a poisonous insect. The results of some more poisonous bites and stings left untreated can result in permanent disfigurement and even death.

Southeastern Insects Covered by This Article

There are of course too many biting and stinging insects to cover exhaustively. The following are several of the more common insects encountered that command attention in the Southeastern United States:

• Honey bees

• Wasps, Hornets, Yellowjackets

• Scorpion

• Brown Recluse Spider

• Black Widow Spider

Honey bees

Honeybees are not usually an aggressive insect. They do sting if they are attacked or stepped on and will more likely sting if they detect a threat to their hive. Honey bees have a stinger that have barbs which will pull out a portion of its abdomen called the ovipositor, killing the bee quickly after the sting. This stinger will continue to inject painful poison into the victim until it is removed.

Treatment for a Honey Bee Sting

• First, remove the stinger by either pinching or scraping it off the skin. Studies show that the method of stinger removal isn't important. Quickly removing the stinger is important!

• Apply a cold pack to the sting.

• After pain subsides, the sting will itch. Scratching makes it worse!

• If shortness of breath, wheezing, swelling in the face, or hives appear, or any other non localized reaction, suspect a potential allergic reaction. Call 911 immediately.

Wasps, Hornets and Yellow Jackets

Hornets and Yellow Jackets are both part of the Wasp family. As far as their potential to sting, they can be either gentle or aggressive depending on the species. Regardless, if a wasp is handled, stepped on or perceives its hive as being in danger, it will sting. Like honey bees, wasps use a stinger in their abdomen to inject poison into their victim. Unlike the honey bee, they keep their stingers and can repeatedly sting. When stung by a wasp, removal of the stinger isn't of concern.

Treatments for a Wasp Sting

• Apply a cold pack to the sting.

• After pain subsides, the sting can itch. Scratching makes it worse!

• If shortness of breath, wheezing, swelling in the face, or hives appear, or any other non localized reaction, suspect a potential allergic reaction. Call 911 immediately.

Scorpions

Scorpions in the southeast are common, and will sting painfully if disturbed. Most southeastern scorpion stings aren't life threatening but should be watched in case symptoms become more serious. As the Scorpion uses a stinger to inject its venom, the sting initially feels like being stuck with a pin. The sting can be quite painful and can cause a number of different symptoms. If stung by a scorpion, a good rule of thumb is anything more than moderate pain is an indication that emergency treatment should be sought. A few of these symptoms are sweating, trouble breathing, rapid eye movements or blurred vision, slurred speech, nausea and vomiting.

Treatments for Scorpion Stings

• Wash the area with soapy water.

• Apply a cold pack to the sting.

• Watch for any non localized symptoms including sweating, trouble breathing, rapid eye movements or blurred vision, slurred speech, nausea and vomiting.

Brown Recluse Spider

The Brown Recluse spider is a small brown spider that hides in undisturbed clothing, shoes, gloves, closeted equipment and in other places infrequently visited. They are sometimes characterized by the presence of the shape of a violin or fiddle on their back giving them their colloquial name "fiddle back" spider. This isn't necessarily the best way to identify Brown Recluse spiders. The best way to clearly identify these spiders is to notice they have three sets of two eyes sometimes arranged like a human's two eyes and nose. The brown recluse bite is sometimes not painful or noticed until it becomes a serious skin and tissue lesion. One should seek medical attention if they notice a pimple or blood blister becoming worse in a period of a few hours to a day to become similar to a boil. If untreated, the wound can become gangrenous and potentially life threatening. The best treatment is recognition and immediate professional medical care.

Treatment for Brown Recluse Spider Bites

• Quick Recognition.

• Immediate care by a healthcare professional.

Black Widow Spider

The Black Widow Spider is a relatively small black spider with a characteristic red hourglass shape on its underbelly. The Southern Black Widow spider commonly spins its web in quiet, dry places such as under water meter covers, pieces of firewood or logs, in quite tool sheds and the like. This spider is quite poisonous and can produce a bite that requires medical attention. The bite is usually quite painful followed by several non localized symptoms that always indicate emergency medical attention. Any bite followed by muscle ache, cramps, abdominal pain, nervous jitter, vomiting, dizziness, chest pain and trouble breathing should be an indication of a potential life threatening condition that requires emergency medical attention.

Treatment for Black Widow Spider Bites

• Quick Recognition

• Immediate care by a healthcare professional

Benjamin Karp is the President of GA CPR. GA CPR is a full-service safety company. They offer complete solutions including individual CPR training, product consultation, and advice on developing a custom AED emergency response program for your entire organization. They also supply a full range of Philips AED equipment, CPR manikins, and CPR masks. For more information or to register for an Atlanta CPR class, visit: http://www.gacpr.com

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Tips on Keeping Away From Spiders

Most of the time, spiders do not bite human beings and they are very beneficial in killing different kinds of insects, some of which are harmful for humans. However, you may still be afraid of them for their ugly appearance and the small feet. And every time you see them, you will want to make them go away from your house. Then the following are some useful methods or suggestions for you.

Firstly, you should check out the food resource of the spiders. More often, the spiders live on different kinds of insects and they make a place as their home for the reason that there is enough food resource for them. And the number of the spiders depends on the amount of the food there. Therefore, you should check out the food resource first and then try to lessen them; as a result, the number of the spiders will decrease too. What is more, wipe your whole house and keep it clean will be a good way to get rid of small insects.

Secondly, you are required to make the place where they make nests less attractive to them. the most common type of spiders can be the brown recluse spiders. Their legs are long and they like to stay in the dark areas which cannot be so easy to be found. More often, they will move everywhere to hunt for food. It may really make people troublesome is that they often hide in the papers, bedding, corners and even in the clothing. Sometimes, you will be scared a lot when they suddenly appear in front of you. In order to keep this kind of spiders away, you should search in every corner of your house and try to make their favorite places less attractive to make any nests.

Most of the times, spiders will not bite you unless you make them feel that they are in great danger. Unfortunately, if you are bite by a brown recluse spider, you will feel very painful and it needs some time to heal. You do not need to worry too much about it because most of the bites are not fatal. However, if you are attacked by the poisonous spiders, you may need the help of the doctors.

By Michille S. Williams.
I find a wonderful online store where the sexy Slit Skirt can be available at affordable price.

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Camping With Poisonous Snakes and Spiders

Of course there are spiders, but I doubt any will crawl into our sleeping bags tonight. Living with someone with a newly developed passion for camping can teach you a lot about yourself. But since camping is a nice way to save money while still having a great vacation, I've learned to cope happily. Here's what I learned about camping with the neighborhood's snakes and spiders. Most are harmless to people and, in fact, provide great benefits, such as keeping rodent and insect pest populations in check. So it is important - for our own sake -- to be good neighbors to local snakes and spiders.Once you know where you plan to camp, learn about the poisonous snakes and spiders in the area. One of the best informational resources for photos and quick answers is venombyte.com.

Venombyte offers free descriptions, locations and photos of every kind of poisonous snake and spider in the U.S.Print out the appropriate photos so everyone, especially children, knows what to avoid and what to do if bitten. Any bite from a poisonous snake or spider should be regarded as a potential medical emergency so everyone in your camping group should have a number for emergency assistance available and know what to do until help arrives or until the person can be taken to a hospital. Even non-venomous snake bites should be treated because infections and allergic reactions are occasioned in some people. Common-sense approaches regarding your new neighbors prevent most unwanted encounters. If you leave your campsite during the day, zip up your tent against things that crawl along the ground. If you do leave it unzipped, carefully check your tent's interior and shake your bedding before crawling inside.

Snakes:

Hike along established trails, step onto then off (rather than simply over) logs, avoid tall grass and be careful when picking up firewood or rocks for your campfire. When rock climbing, remember a snake may be sunning itself or waiting for prey on the ledge you're reaching for. According to the NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE, every one of the lower 48 states, except Maine, has at least one poisonous snake species. Poisonous snakes in the U.S. include: (1) Copperheads (Broad-banded, Northern, Osage, Southern and Trans-Pecos), (2) Cottonmouths (Eastern, Florida and Western), (3) Rattlesnakes (Animas Ridgenose, Arizona Black, Arizona Ridgenose, Banded Rock, Carolina Pygmy, Colorado Desert Sidewinder, Desert Massasauga, Dusky Pygmy, Eastern Diamondback, Eastern Massasauga, Grand Canyon, Great Basin, Hopi, Midget Faded, Mojave Desert Sidewinder, Mojave, Mottled Rock, Northern Black-tailed, Northern Pacific, Panamint Speckled, Prairie, Sonoran Desert, Southern Pacific, Southwestern Speckled, Tiger, Timber, Western Diamondback, Western Massasauga, Western Pygmy and Western Twin Spotted) and (4) Coral Snakes (Arizona, Eastern and Texas). If someone is bitten, some resources recommend keeping the bitten person's heart elevated higher than the bite until they can reach a hospital. If it will take more than 30 minutes to get a bite victim to a hospital, some resources suggest placing a suction device over the bite to help suck out the poison (commercial snake bite kits often include suction kits). But most medical authorities reportedly warn not to cut into the wound, use tourniquets or cool the bite area with ice. While some poisonous snakes may inject little venom (venom injection is a voluntary act by the snake), others - like the Eastern Diamondbacks which live in the South - can inject large amounts of venom in a single strike. In those cases, antivenins may be the only treatment to save someone.

Spiders:

Don't place bare hands where you can not see and wear protective gloves when handling things like logs for your campfire or equipment, like a canoe, which has set overnight. Again, before slipping into your sleeping bag, it can't hurt to unzip it and give it a good shaking outside your tent.While all spiders are venomous, only a tiny fraction of them can deliver dangerous bites to people. Black Widow, Brown Recluse and Hobo spiders, however, are dangerous and need to be recognized quickly in the wild. So learn what they look like and know where they hide and hunt. Black Widow venom is a neurotoxic protein which is an especially potent venom.

Black Widow bites are immediately painful while Brown Recluse bites become painful after a few hours. Some resources' recommended treatment, until medical help is available, includes cooling the bite area with ice but to not apply suction or cut into the wound.Poisonous spiders in the U.S. include: (1) Widows (Northern Black, Southern Black, Western Black, Brown and Red), (2) Recluses (Apache, Arizona, Baja, Big Bend, Brown, Chilean, Desert, Grand Canyon, Martha's, Mediterranean, Russell's, Texas and Tucson) and, (3) Hobo Spider. Yellow Sac Spiders, though not poisonous, can cause painful necrotic lesions -- so know what they look like as well.If someone is bitten, bring the spider to the doctor's office, if possible. When a doctor can identify which spider's venom is in play, effective antivenims are available for Black Widow bites. Spider bites are hard to diagnose as many medical problems mimic identical symptoms, so bringing in the spider that bit someone could save valuable time. Be Safe and Happy Camping!This information is for reference only and is NOT intended as professional advice.

D. Sturgeon

Top Sleeping Bags [http://www.topsleepingbags.com/]

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2012年7月22日星期日

How Can You Know If That's A Brown Recluse In The Corner Of Your Ceiling?

The first time I correctly recognized a Brown Recluse Spider surprised me. I had no idea I really knew what the recluse looked like.

The company entomologist joined me on an inspection of one of my hospital buildings. As I shined my flashlight into a cabinet area I spotted movement. Looking closer I noticed a spider that moved away from the light's beam every time I pointed the light in its direction.

The legs set off a mental alarm. I called the entomologist over and asked if the spider was a brown recluse. He verified that it was.

That's the first recluse I ever seen alive.

I'd spent some time looking at pictures, and studying dead spiders through the microscope back at the pest control office. Evidently those efforts burned the brown recluse image into my brain so I could recognize one without getting too close.

I remember thinking that the spider's legs are unique, and that memory is what triggered the suspicion that the spider in that hospital building was a recluse.

This insect has very long legs. They angle upward from the body, and make a knee-like bend back toward the ground.

The recluse's body is long, and narrow. Its color is, as the name suggests, brown. On it's back is the shape of a violin (or fiddle). That shape is the reason you sometimes hear people call this the Fiddler Spider.

Most spiders I had experience with before my pest control days have short, fat bodies.

I still run across information that claims brown recluse spiders live in the southwestern United States. When I started working for the pest control company the entomologist told me that brown recluse only appeared in places where few people ever ventured.

Didn't take me long to understand that wasn't true. I found brown recluse right out in the open in the hospital buildings I inspected. On one visit to a warehouse where the hospital stores patient records I seen five of the pests.

Brown recluse are everywhere.

I even find them in my house when I get lax on pest control treatments. Not long ago I stood in my entryway, looked down, and spotted a recluse at the baseboard. That rascal had a web woven right there pretty as you please.

It's always those legs that alert me that I'm looking at this highly venomous bug.

If you wait to see that violin shape you're way too close to the brown recluse. They have a nasty bite. Starts out as a little red spot, but there's a lot of poison in that spot. Before long that poison starts spreading outward, eating your muscles and skin as it goes.

If you see a spider with real long legs don't take any chances.

Call your local pest control company.

Or save yourself those pest control company fees. Learn how to identify, and properly treat for, the brown recluse spider yourself.

Joseph Jackson is an experienced pest control technician and author of SPIDER RIDDANCE, a how to guide for performing do-it-yourself pest control for controlling spiders.

Find other pest control ebooks by Joe at http://www.bugsmiceratsnomore.com

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Where Did All These Brown Recluse Spiders Come From?

Recluse: "shut off or apart from the world; living in seclusion."

That's what my dictionary says. I just checked.

So the brown recluse spider lives hidden away from everybody? I mean that word "recluse" is right there in the spider's name. I take that to mean it's a shy insect.

But you sure can't tell that based on my recent clean up activities.

Over the years I stacked stuff into my barn, and it just kept piling up in there, so I decided recently to launch a "cleanup and organize" effort. It's so bad that I discarded some of the stuff before I could even get into the door.

Ever done anything like that and got a big surprise (or scare) you weren't ready for?

I had a set of chrome wheels, two with old tires on them, stored out there for a number of years. Since they'd sat there so long I figured I'd never use them, and decided the time had come for them to go.

As I started taking the tire off one of them a whole herd of brown recluse spiders went scrambling, and sent me jumping backward away from that wheel.

My time as a pest control technician familiarized me so well with the way these pests look that I recognize them quickly.

Most people look at them and just see spiders. Brown recluse have distinctively long legs that I came to associate with the species, but I took a while of studying these spiders before I learned to identify them without looking for the fiddle outline on their backs.

Anyway, as I watched that wheel I saw a number of adult recluse spiders, and a whole swarm of babies, go scurrying.

I don't think I ever saw that many brown recluse spiders in one place before.

The first recluse spiders I saw as a newbie pest control technician were rather reclusive. That was over 10-years ago. As I walked up to the spot where they built their webs I'd catch a motion, and only get a quick glance at the spider.

Most every time the spider headed for cover as soon as it spotted me walking toward its home.

Back then, in my early days of pest control, I only suspected I'd found a recluse. Only further inspection verified the insect as a recluse spider, and often that closer inspection means you're too close if you're untrained and inexperienced in pest control techniques.

These days those spiders don't dart for hiding spots so fast anymore. Seems to me they get bolder all the time.

Maybe it's because there are so many of them around. In my early pest control days the company entomologist told me that people rarely seen brown recluse spiders in the Midwest. He said they didn't live here in very large numbers.

I found that claim was just not true. Once I learned to recognize the recluse I started seeing them too often for comfort, and now I see them every time I go into my barn. I've even found them in my house.

Probably the only reason I see so many is my trained ability to recognize them, and if I'd never worked as a pest control technician I wouldn't know that I have brown recluse. Might be I'd never have a problem with them, but sometimes I get awful close to these insects, and if I didn't know what they are I'd get even close enough to get bit.

That's a scary thought.

I suggest if you're planning a cleaning job of your own in an area that sat cluttered for a year or more you take some special precautions.

Study some pictures of brown recluse spiders to get used to what they look like, and make sure you wear gloves when you perform your cleaning task. They can't bite through a good thick glove.

Be careful of brown recluse spiders when you're cleaning items from collected piles. They have a real nasty bite.

Joseph Jackson is an experienced pest control technician and author of SPIDER RIDDANCE, a how to guide for performing do-it-yourself pest control for controlling spiders.

Find other pest control ebooks by Joe at http://www.bugsmiceratsnomore.com

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Dust Off Your Pest Control Techniques The Brown Recluse Spider Is Active Again

Did you relax your pest control techniques for insects over the winter?

Those brown recluse spiders took to hiding in their crannies, and crevices, for the last three or four months. They lurked in the shadows just out of sight. But they didn't go very far away, and now they're developing eggs. Soon those eggs will hatch, and you'll have a bunch of little tiny brown recluse crawling all over your house.

Yesterday my lady started some spring-cleaning on the patio. She told me when she moved things around spiders went scurrying everywhere. She said there were all kinds of spiders out there.

I didn't say anything about that, and I didn't go have a look see. I know from experience many of the spiders she seen running away were most likely brown recluse. Those things are everywhere in the neighborhood now.

That's strange because just a few years ago we supposedly didn't have recluse spiders in Indiana. Now a days, even though I'm no longer an active pest control technician, I here about brown recluse bites all the time.

I think the main reason people get bitten is because most people don't know what a recluse looks like. Sure the majority of people know about that mark on the spider's back that's shaped like a violin, or fiddle. It's the reason we call the spider the fiddler.

But if you're trying to identify this spider by that mark you're way too close to the insect if it's still living. That violin is so small it's hard to see.

I studied pictures, and got an image of the spider firmly fixed in my head, back when I started my pest control technician days. Now I recognize one when I see it from a distance of a few feet. So I know to be very careful when I approach.

The brown recluse has distinctive legs. They're very long. They angle upward from the body for a short distance, and then turn back downward toward the ground. That turn, or bend, in the leg is kind of like our knee. The body is long, and slender. But it's very small too. That's why the fiddle mark is hard to identify.

These guys have a nasty bite. My father found that out the hard way. A recluse bit him on the first knuckle of his middle finger. He didn't really feel the bite. When you do feel it you only feel a slight pinch. But a short time later his knuckle started turning red, then it began swelling, and an angry wound opened up.

That red started crawling up his finger next. And then the doctors cut his finger off so the poison couldn't spread up his arm, and into his body.

Not fun.

Treating for brown recluse spiders is simple enough if you know how.

The hard part is learning how to recognize this pest. And then you must learn how to take care of it with the proper pest control techniques.

Joseph Jackson is an experienced pest control technician and author of SPIDER RIDDANCE, a how to guide for performing do-it-yourself pest control for controlling spiders.

Find other pest control ebooks by Joe at http://www.bugsmiceratsnomore.com

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Are Brown Recluse Spiders Hiding in Your Home?

How much do you know about the brown recluse spider? How reclusive are they, do you think?

Let me be totally honest about that title question up there. Brown recluse spiders don't hide from us anymore. They're rather brazen these days, and weave their webs right out in the open.

Back when I first started working as a pest control technician I knew absolutely zero about brown recluse spiders other than the fact that they carried a fiddle shaped marking on their back.

I didn't know a brown recluse spider from a violin.

I asked the company entomologist if brown recluse spiders lived in the Indianapolis area, because news articles said they only lived in southwestern states. But sometimes I don't trust the news media all that much.

That bug guy told me that he'd found a few recluse spiders, but only in the basements of the city's larger buildings, and even then only in very dark corners where people hardly ever went.

I took him for his word, and, since part of my job as a pest tech included visiting those very dark corners I looked at some pictures of brown recluse trying to familiarize my brain with what they look like.

Wasn't long before I realized those picture studies were well worth the effort - and that sudden realization came not in a deep, dark corner, but in a brightly lit, well traveled area.

Many warehouses have rodent problems, and to keep the mouse population down we used cardboard boxes with little round holes through their ends. Inside those bait boxes (that's what we called them) we put a glue board, laying flat, or a couple blocks of mouse poison.

One day I serviced the warehouse of a major Indianapolis hospital. This particular building housed all of the hospital's stored paper medical records and patient charts. The workers in the warehouse organized the records, filed them on stacks of shelves that covered the warehouse floor, and pulled records back out when doctors or nurses requested to see them.

I walked up the loading dock stairs, through the door into the warehouse, and picked up a bait box that sat on the floor next to that door. I opened the box up, and movement caught my eye. As my vision focused in on the source of that movement a clanging bell sound set off in my head.

...I dropped that box and jumped away from it just as fast as I jumped out of that old corvette I owned every time I failed to step far enough away from the door as I got out of the car - and my leg touched against the hot side pipe.

That movement was a brown recluse spider, my subconscious recognized it, and warned me to get away, even though my conscious mind took its time realizing what I looked at.

I got out a glue board, put it into the box, coaxed that spider onto the board, trapping the spider, and as I did another recluse jumped out at me from behind the bait block.

I captured the second spider too.

I didn't see my life pass before my eyes that day. But I did check my pants to make sure they were still clean.

Since then I found brown recluse in my bathroom, and in my office. Only because I studied those pictures when I first became a pest control technician can I recognize these spiders as recluse. Even then I only suspect, not until I see that fiddle shape am I truly sure. Of course, if you get close enough to see that violin while this spider is living, you're way too close.

That warehouse visit was the moment when I understood that brown recluse spiders aren't really all that reclusive.

Joseph Jackson is an experienced pest control technician and author of SPIDER RIDDANCE, a how to guide for performing do-it-yourself pest control for controlling spiders.

Find other pest control ebooks by Joe at http://www.bugsmiceratsnomore.com

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2012年7月21日星期六

About Spiders and Why They're a Danger to You in Your Home

Aside from Halloween decorations, it's never a good thing when you have spiders in your home. Yet some people don't realize what a real problem these creepy crawlies actually are. Some of them, such as the brown recluse, a very common spider in Florida and the Tampa area, can have fatal consequences.

The reasons spiders and other pests are an issue during the fall months is because that's when the climate and temperature varies as the weather cools. This makes all insects restless, and more likely to roam, and that includes roaming into places like attics, book shelves, closets, cabinets, sheds, and garages. They are particularly fond of dark places.

All spiders carry venom, which is used to paralyze their prey. Some of it is more dangerous than others, with the brown recluse and the black widow having the most dangerous bites.

The brown recluse is said to have venom that is more powerful than a rattlesnake's bite. It can cause dizziness, fainting, severe headaches, low blood platelet count, and even death. The brown recluse's venom destroys the tissue surrounding a bite. People who are bitten by these dangerous spiders must undergo one to several rounds of antibiotic treatment, in addition to having the bite drained.

You can prevent spiders in your home by cleaning and dusting regularly. Be on the lookout for spider webs, especially in dark areas, or places that aren't frequently visited. Garages, sheds, and doorways are popular places for spiders to congregate.

Have pest control come out to your home and spray for bugs annually, and more frequently if needed. Pest control can also inspect your home for places that could be vulnerable to insects.

If you suspect you've been bitten by a spider, call a doctor immediately, especially if you feel faint or dizzy. Sometimes the bites are minor, but other times, they can be fatal. In this situation, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Tampa Pest Control

Tampa Bug Control

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Itsy, Bitsy Spider! Venomous and Non-Venomous Spiders Dog Owners Should Watch For

If you are unsure whether or not the spider is venomous, you need to visit your vet immediately! Unfortunately due to their long hair, a spider bite is often hard to detect, until symptoms of serious distress begin to show.

DO NOT WASTE TIME! DO NOT SECOND GUESS!

There are a number of spiders in the U.S. that are poisonous. They include:

1. The Black Widow

· Northern Black Widow - Found from Southern Canada to Northern Florida - shiny, black on top, with a red hourglass divided into two separate markings on their bellies. Found anywhere, they prefer tree stumps, fallen logs, wood piles, stone walls, sheds, barns, garages and basements

· Southern Black Widow - Found commonly in Southeastern states from Texas to New York. Shiny black top, anvil shaped red hourglass on the belly. Can be found anywhere but prefers dark cool places such as wood piles, fallen logs, tree stumps, sheds, barns, compost piles, eaves.

· Western Black Widow - Found throughout the Western United States. Can be found anywhere. Often found underground, in mole, mice, and prairie dog holes. Shiny black top, perfect red hourglass on the belly.

2. Tarantulas - Large, hairy and found in Southern California, Mexico, Southern and Southwestern states. Prefer dry, warm climates. Shy, and will try to avoid people and pets, but will bite if confronted. Pet may go into anaphylactic shock - the shutting down of the circulatory system. Your dog could die, in less than 20 minutes, unless they receive immediate veterinary care.

3. Brown Spiders - including the Brown Recluse - Brown, with dark brown violin shaped marking on thorax (between head and body) and six eyes, arranged in pairs, rather than eight. Found throughout the United States. Prefer places to hide such as linen closets, clothing drawers, closets, shoes and laundry hampers. Seek immediate veterinary attention...bite can cause dangerous blood disorders in just a few days and develop into a massive ulcer.

An important factor to remember should you suspect your dog has been bitten by a spider; try to capture the spider! Bring it with you, so the vet can identify it before treating your pet for a venomous spider bite.

A regular spider bite may be painful, and cause swelling, but it can be treated with first aid.

First Aid - Non-venomous bite:

· Restrain the dog - crate, pen or restrict them to the smallest room in the house, usually a bathroom for 2-6 hours

· Wash the wound area with COLD water and soap

· Place cold wet towel to wound site

· Apply ice to the cold, wet towel, for 15 - 30 minutes several times per day to reduce swelling and prevent the venom from spreading to brain and heart

· Watch for infection, fever, swelling, discharge, and hot, red, swollen areas sensitive to the touch

Venomous Bite - Requires Immediate veterinary attention! Until then:

· Check pulse and heartbeat.

· If necessary, begin CPR

· Crate or carry your dog to the car- to prevent venom from spreading to brain or heart - DO NOT MAKE THEM WALK!

· Watch for chills, labored breathing, fever, anaphylactic shock

· Keep bite area below heart level to slow spread of venom

· Wash wound area with COLD water and soap

· Place cold wet towel to wound site

· Apply ice pack to cold wet towel, it reduces swelling and numb area. Ice will decrease the circulation, slowing the spread of venom to brain and heart. Also may help reduce necrosis (tissue death)

Signs to watch for:

· Pale gums

· Fever

· Chills

· Swelling

· Convulsions

· Weakness

· Vomiting

· Diarrhea

· Rapid breathing

· Anaphylactic shock (circulatory system shuts down)

Bottom Line: DO NOT TAKE ANY CHANCES! If you suspect a venomous spider has bitten your dog, seek veterinary attention as soon as possible!

Watch for secondary infections. Your vet will prescribe the appropriate anti-biotic.

Expect your pet to be weak or even partially paralyzed for several days. Keep food and water nearby. Plan to carry and support them, when they have to relieve themselves.

Some dogs may continue to have seizures and require anti-seizure medication.

Karen A. Soukiasian, GOOD DOG! - DOG TRAINING - Owner/Trainer, St. Augustine, Florida - AKC CANINE GOOD CITIZEN Evaluator http://www.freewebs.com/gooddogsite

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How to Get Rid of Spiders

If you are like me though, these facts will do little to keep you from recoiling at the sight of a spider in your home. When you see one, you just want to get rid of it. The best method of fighting spiders is to target their food sources. Spiders are predators, and the size of their population is directly proportional to the amount of available food. Take a good look around your home and a good look back into your memory - what other insects are found in your home? You must work to reduce these in order to reduce the number of spiders. Use the navigation on the right or the search box at the top to find the guides needed to reduce the other insects in your home.

Spider bites

In the rare event of being bitten by a spider it is a good idea to capture it in case you have an allergic reaction to the bite. Spiders can be captured by carefully lowering an inverted glass or jar over them and then sliding a piece of paper underneath the opening to trap it. Flip the container back over and tap the paper to make the spider fall to the bottom. If you suffer no reaction within 6 hours, let the spider go outside.

The following sections deal with the more dangerous varieties of spiders. We will show you where to find them, how to minimize their presence (if possible) and what to do if someone gets bitten.

1. How to get rid of brown recluse spiders

Brown Recluse spiderBrown recluse spiders grow to 1/23 (13mm) excluding the legs. They have long thin legs, light tan to brown bodies and a violin-shaped mark on their backs. Their abdomens will vary in color depending on what was last eaten. These spiders are hunters who wander away from their nests at night in search of prey. Most brown recluse spider bites are a result of the spiders hiding out in clothing or bedding and then being inadvertently pressed against a persons skin.

Black widow spiders like to build their nests in dark, undisturbed places close to the ground. The webs themselves are usually small with a thick den spun into the center in which the spider takes up residence during the daytime.

Locating and removing brown recluse spiders

Brown recluse spiders are native to the U.S. and are commonly found in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Montana, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi,, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and northern Florida.

It is important to understand that if you kill a black widow, it's likely another will shortly take it's place. So when you locate one, after killing it you should seek to make the area in which it was found less attractive as a hiding place.

Indoors, focus near the floor and look in stacks of papers and piles of things, closet floors, clothing and bedding that is in contact with the floor, underneath cabinets and in corners. Outside, look in and around debris piles, stacks of things, rocks, logs, inner tubes, tires, ditches, holes and crevices. These spiders will nest in dark, undisturbed places so look anywhere that fits that description especially if it is a place where a child can go.

If you locate a black widow spider, it can be crushed or vacuumed up. If you vacuum one up, seal up the bag and stick it in the freezer overnight to kill it.

Want to know more? You can read more tips on How to get rid of Spiders, plus information to get rid of practically anything else that ails you - from bad breath to telemarketers to cellulite - at http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com

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2012年7月20日星期五

Two Different Types of Spiders and Information on Removal

No matter where in this country you live, spiders can be a serious problem. Most people don't realize that there are two distinct types of spiders, the first type of spiders are the web building spiders. These spiders like to spin webs in areas that are avoided by people, but where they might happened upon a nice, juicy, fly. Common places to find web building spiders are in the upper corner of neglected rooms, inside closets, under the eaves of homes and in storage sheds.

In addition to web building spiders there are also hunting spiders. These are spiders that leave the protection of their home to find and kill their own prey. Examples of hunting spiders are wolf spiders, brown recluse spiders and jumping spiders. These spiders spend most of their time hunting others of their kind, crickets, moths, flies, and cockroaches.

Hunting spiders don't usually travel very far from the place that they live, whether it be in a burrow, under the couch, under the refrigerator or in the garage. It is not uncommon for these species to find ways in between the walls of your home and spend most of their time there.

Among these two groups you will find various types that are considered poisonous enough to be a danger to small children and pets. Occasionally you will run into a species that can actually harm full grown adults such as Black Widows and Brown Recluses.

The most poisonous species in the United States is the Black Widow. This species has venom that has been compared to a cobra snake in regards to potency. However, the Black Widow is rarely involved bites that result in death because of the relatively small size of the spider. While a cobra, when it bites you, injects a large amount of venom, a Black Widow only injects a very small amount.

Nevertheless, it is highly recommend that if you, or anyone you know, is bitten by one of these that you should go to the hospital immediately. Some people believe that prior to the invention of Black Widow antivenin, that almost 5% of all bites resulted in death.

The Brown Recluse is the most poisonous hunting spider in the United States. While their bites are seldom, if ever, deadly, they do tend to kill the skin around the bite area. In addition to killing the skin a Brown Recluse bite can also be very painful and become extremely itchy.

It is not uncommon to hear people state that the presence of spiders in your home is a good thing because they act to limit the numbers of other insects, bugs and pests. This is untrue however. When comparing the various types of bugs and insects that can be inside your home, spiders are the last kind that you want. They hide in dark areas and commonly bite when threatened.

The best way to make your home free of spiders and other insects is through a regular maintenance spray of pesticide chemicals. You can either purchase diluted portions of chemical to spray yourself or you can hire a professional pest control provider.

There are companies that provide professional pest control in all 50 states. Before you choose to do-it-yourself with a more intensive type of extermination procedure, such as scorpion removal, it is highly recommended that you speak to a professional.

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Home Pest Control - How To Prevent Spiders From Entering Your Home

Are you afraid of spiders? These tiny insects with eight long legs and little round bodies instill fear in about half of all women, and at least ten percent of all men. Why is this, when most spiders are relatively harmless? Because there are a few spiders in Arkansas that are not harmless: in fact, a handful of spiders can inject poisonous venom in humans and sometimes, this can be deadly. If you have spiders in your home it's important to address the problem immediately, especially if someone in your home has a fear of spiders. There are many ways to get rid of spiders and even more ways to prevent them from entering your home in the first place. To protect your home from the regular every-day American house spider and the deadly spider varieties (including the brown recluse spider), here are a few things you yourself can do in and around your home.

The common American house spider normally enters your home during the summer while looking for insects to feed on. Because so many insects manage to find their way indoors during the summer months, your home makes the perfect insect hunting ground for clever spiders. As the weather gets cooler in the fall months, spiders that are looking for a warm place to spend the winter will enter your home. The American house spider is harmless, but it will spin its webs in the corner of your home and thus becomes a nuisance. The American house spider is generally rather indistinct- normally their bodies are about a quarter of an inch long, and they are usually a shade of dull brown. They aren't known to bite people very often, and when they do, their venom is not considered dangerous.

Deadly spider varieties like the brown recluse have similar habits to the common American house spider- they too are looking for a nice, warm place to spend the winter and will enter your home in both the summer and fall, looking for food and shelter. The brown recluse is between ? inch and ? an inch long, generally brown in color with an oval shaped abdomen. It's quite difficult to tell them apart from the common American house spider, but if you look closely at a brown recluse spider, you will see its body shows a strange dark brown violin-shaped spot. The brown recluse uses it's poisonous venom to kill insects, and it's venom is poisonous to humans as well. It's very important to avoid coming into contact with these spiders, and the best way to keep them out of your home is prevention.

There are no fool-proof methods of preventing spiders from entering your home, but if you follow these steps, the chance of having spiders in your home is minimized:

Make sure that holes or tears in window or door screens are repaired.

Apply weather stripping around doors and windows to seal any small cracks.

To keep insects from coming in the chimney, install a chimney cap.

Install hard wire mesh in dryer vents and attic vents.

Close up any gaps or holes around utility pipes and wires.

Seal any cracks or openings in your home's siding.

Remove piles of wood or other objects from close vicinity to the foundation.

Because regular outdoor lights can attract insects to your home, install sodium vapor lighting outdoors.

Get rid of any insect populations inside your home so that spiders have nothing to feed upon.

The very best way to keep spiders out of your home is to make certain that your home is free of all insect activity by using the steps suggested above. Also, keeping a clean home that is free from spider webs will help make sure that spiders cannot survive easily within the walls of your home. If you are finding spiders in your home despite having employed the prevention methods described here, a treatment performed by a professional pest control specialist is the next step. Pest control professionals will be able to locate any spider infestations in your home and have the tools to take care of the problem. They will be able to identify the type of spider that is infesting your home and give you advice on what you can do to avoid spider infestations in the future. Pest control professionals are trained extensively at pest extermination, and they know how to safely and effectively take care of your pest concerns.

If you have a spider infestation in your home, contacting a pest control company who offers pest control in your area is the best way to keep your home and property pest free. For spider control and extermination in Little Rock or anywhere else in Arkansas, you can contact http://www.callmccauley.com for more information.

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Is That a Brown Recluse Spider in the Corner of Your Ceiling?

Brown recluse spiders seem so abundant these days that you see them building webs all over your home, and most people have no idea that the spider they're looking at is a recluse.

Spiders are spiders - right?

When I first started working as a pest control technician I had no idea what a brown recluse looked like. Oh, I knew they have a fiddle shaped marking on their backs, but you must get really close to the spider before you can recognize that mark.

If you get that close you're a whole bunch closer than safety demands.

My first month as a technician I worked with another tech as a trainee, visiting a number of customers, and learning how to inspect and treat for pests. My instructor, and the pest control company's resident entomologist, told me that brown recluse spiders were no threat here in Indiana.

The truth soon proved otherwise, and luck was with me when I learned that truth.

During my training period I studied local pests and their habits, and one book I read had pictures of brown recluse. I gave them no more than glancing looks, but those short glances anchored a fuzzy picture in my mind that set an alarm off the first time I actually did see a recluse in one of my customer's buildings.

It was in the basement area of a major hospital that I made my first recluse sighting. As I looked at the spider moving around its web something about the legs seemed familiar. To me a brown recluse's legs are distinctive; they are very long and slender. I remember thinking at the time, "That looks like those pictures I seen of brown recluse spiders."

I caught that spider on a glue board, took it back to the company with me, and had a look at it through a microscope that evening. Sure enough a violin shape was on that spiders back.

From that moment on I had a definite, and permanent, picture of the brown recluse legs in my head. That's a picture that never faded, I see it as clear today as I did that day - almost 10-years ago.

That picture saved me from a number of bites over the years.

One time I opened a small box, looked in, and seen what I thought was a set of those legs scurrying for cover. I dropped the box, put a glue board in it, and used a long tool to move the items inside around. A few moments later I had two brown recluse spiders trapped on that glue board. A few feet further along the wall I opened another box to spot another recluse in residence. I got that one on a glue board too.

If you see spider webs around your home, be careful about approaching them. Brown recluse spiders are everywhere these days. I've found them in my bathtub, and often in my storage barn.

Find some pictures of these spiders; familiarize yourself with how their legs look. Get a picture of those legs fixed in your mind well enough that you at least recognize a potential brown recluse if you see one.

Don't take a chance on getting too close to these spiders. Their poisonous bites leave you with some nasty wounds that won't heal soon, and sometimes spread through your body.

When you think you see one understand that he probably has a family. You probably must treat your whole home to minimize infestation.

Joseph Jackson is an experienced pest control technician and author of SPIDER RIDDANCE a how to guide for performing do-it-yourself pest control for controlling spiders.

If you want a more complete how to book for do-it-yourself pest control see BUG RIDDANCE, Mice And Rats Too!

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2012年7月19日星期四

Stun Guns to Treat Spider Bites

You undoubtedly have heard of the stun gun as a self defense or personal protection device. They are carried by law enforcement agencies around the world and today are quite popular among private citizens looking for an easy and non-lethal way to defend themselves in case of attack. There are some unusual uses for them that you're probably not aware of, though. You shouldn't try these yourself, but it's interesting to think about this device being used for purposes far beyond its invaluable self defense features.

Stun guns have recently been tested for the treatment of brown recluse bites. This poisonous spider's venom can apparently be stopped by one second of shock from the stun device, placed directly on the bite area. Several physicians around the world are known to have used this method repeatedly with success. Dr. Stan Abrams, one of the proponents of stun gun treatment for such bites, recommends a pattern of five or six shocks from 100,000 volt stun device (the type frequently sold for self protection) across the bite region. He has used them to treat hundreds of patients in Texas for brown recluse bites. Those who use his methods have also tried them for the treatment of wasp stings, tick bites, and other insect stings. Whether this method works is said to depend on the individual's biochemistry, the severity of the bite, and the length of time between the bite and the stun treatment.

Missionaries in remote regions, particularly in Africa, have also been using stun guns and other high-voltage, low-amperage electrical sources (such as the current from a small engine battery) to shock snakebites. This method is used in these areas because there are practical problems in obtaining anti-venom quickly enough to treat bites.

There is science to back up this unique use of stun devices, though the current scientific literature is inconclusive. The use of electroshock to treat venomous bites was recognized within the scientific community during the 1980s. However, other studies have found that venom injected into animals could not be successfully treated using this method. Those who believe in this treatment method argue that because the venom of the brown recluse spider penetrates deep into the tissue, it is necessary to use a stun gun device, which provides a deeper shock than surface-only shock devices. Incidentally, this is one of the reasons why it is so effective at stopping attackers. In addition, the stun gun is believed to inactivate the enzymes in the venom, inhibiting the venom's attack. Those who have used these treatments for bites often claim that the pain has disappeared, leaving no bite reaction.

Though these methods are certainly an interesting use for stun guns, trying these methods is not recommended unless you have been trained in the use of stun guns in such situations. Stun guns should never be used except in the case of an imminent violent confrontation. The improper use of stun guns can cause pain or detrimental health effects, particularly in those with underlying heart conditions.

Resist Attack is your one stop shop for all of your needs. We have all you could possible need to feel safe!

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Elizabeth Barrett Browning: A Discussion of "How Do I Love Thee?"

"How Do I Love Thee?" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning was written in 1845 while she was being courted by the English poet, Robert Browning. The poem is also titled Sonnet XLIII from Sonnets From the Portuguese.

Early Experiences

Elizabeth Barrett was born in Durham England in 1806, the first daughter of affluent parents who owned sugar plantations in Jamaica. She was home-schooled and read voraciously in history, philosophy and literature. Young Elizabeth learned Hebrew in order to read original Bible texts and Greek in order to read original Greek drama and philosophy. She began writing poems when she was 12 years old, though she did not publish her first collection for another twenty years.

Elizabeth Barrett developed a serious respiratory ailment by age 15 and a horse riding accident shortly thereafter left her with a serious spinal injury. These two health problems remained with her all of her life.

In 1828 her mother died and four years later the family business faltered and her father sold the Durham estate and moved the family to a coastal town. He was stern, protective, and even tyrannical and forbid any of his children to marry. In 1833 Elizabeth published her first work, a translation of Prometheus Bound by the Greek dramatist Aeschylus.

A few years later the family moved to London. Her father began sending Elizabeth's younger brothers and sisters to Jamaica to help with the family business. Elizabeth was distressed because she openly opposed slavery in Jamaica and on the family plantations and because she did not want her siblings sent away.

Early Writing

In 1838 Elizabeth Barrett wrote and published The Seraphim and Other Poems. The collection took the form of a classical Greek tragedy and expressed her deep Christian sentiments.

Shortly thereafter, Elizabeth's poor health prompted her to move to Italy, accompanied by her dear brother Edward, whom she referred to as "Bro." Unfortunately he drowned a year later in a sailing accident and Elizabeth retuned to London, seriously ill, emotionally broken, and hopelessly grief-stricken. She became reclusive for the next five years, confining herself to her bedroom.

She continued to write poetry, however, and published a collection in 1844 simply titled, Poems. It was also published in the United States with an introduction by Edgar Allan Poe. In one of the poems she praised one of the works of Robert Browning, which gained his attention. He wrote back to her, expressing his admiration for Poems.

Robert Browning

Over the next twenty months Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning exchanged 574 letters. An admiration, respect, and love for each other grew and flourished. In 1845 Robert Browning sent Elizabeth a telegram which read, "I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett. I do, as I say, love these books with all my heart - and I love you too." A few months later the two met and fell in love.

Inspired by her love for Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett wrote the 44 love poems which were collected in Sonnets From the Portuguese and which were eventually published in 1850. Her growing love for Robert and her ability to express her emotions in the sonnets and love poems allowed Elizabeth to escape from the oppression of her father and the depression of her recluse.

Her father strongly opposed the relationship so she kept her love affair a secret as long as possible. The couple eloped in 1846 and her father never forgave her or spoke to her thereafter.

Move to Italy

Elizabeth Barrett Browning and her husband, Robert, went to Pisa, Italy and soon settled in Florence where she spent the rest of her life, with occasional visits to London. Soon Elizabeth's health improved enough to be able to give birth to the couple's only child, Robert.

In 1850 she published Sonnets From the Portuguese. Some have speculated that the title was chosen to hide the personal nature of the sonnets and to imply that the collection was a translation of earlier works. However, Robert's pet name for Elizabeth was "my little Portuguese," a reflection on Elizabeth's darker, mediterranean complexion, possibly inherited from the family's Jamaican ties.

While living in Florence, Elizabeth Barrett Browning published 3 more considerable works. She addressed Italian political topics and some other unpopular subjects, such as slavery, child labor, male domination, and a woman's right to intellectual freedom. Though her popularity decreased as a result of these choices, she was read and heard and recognized throughout Europe. She died in Florence in 1861.

The Poem, "How Do I Love Thee?"

Sonnet XLIII, "How Do I Love Thee?" is probably Elizabeth Barrett Browning's most popular love poem. It is heartfelt, romantic, loving, elegant, and simple. It is also quite memorable.

The love poem starts with the question, "How Do I Love Thee?" and proceeds to count the ways. Her Christian spirituality testifies that she loves Robert "to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach." She then professes seven more ways that she loves Robert. Her "passion put to use in my old griefs" refers to the depth of her former despair. The love that "I seemed to lose with my lost saints" refers to the lost loves of her mother and her brother.

The love poem ends with the declaration that time and death will not diminish her love for Robert because "if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death."

How Do I Love Thee

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday's

Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints,--I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life!--and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

*****************************

Garry Gamber is a public school teacher and entrepreneur. He writes articles about real estate, health and nutrition, and internet dating services. He is the owner of http://www.Anchorage-Homes.com and http://www.TheDatingAdvisor.com.

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Brown Recluse Spiders Live Openly in Places That Might Surprise You

Our temperatures here in Indiana are running 10-degrees below normal for this time of year. At least that's what the weatherman said on a recent morning forecast.

A couple days ago I went scuba diving. Cold weather diving is normal around here; though when I saw the 34-degree reading that morning before I headed out I admit I hesitated for a moment or two.

At the park where I dove I was cold until I climbed into my wet suit. The air temperature by the time I entered the water was 47-degrees. Lingering at the surface a few minutes I checked the water temperature, and read a pleasing 60-degrees on my thermometer.

This dive was in an old rock quarry in a local park, and I dove to 30-feet during my time in the water. Usually you find a thermo cline around 20-feet or so where the temperature drops about 10-degrees, but that day the water was a warm 60-degrees at all the depths I dropped to.

That was nice because when I came out of the water I started shivering again. I was warmer in the water that day than I was standing in the air, even after I changed into dry clothing.

A particular incident I found interesting during my visit to that park happened when I went into the men's room.

Standing at the urinal I looked down and spotted a couple of spiders right next to me. Looking closer I recognized that they were brown recluse. Turning my gaze to the other side of the urinal alerted me to the presence of another recluse on that side too.

I see this often, so I wasn't surprised to see brown recluse in that environment.

If you attend outings at city, state, national parks, or go camping (this park also had a campground) you know the type of building that housed this men's room. They have electricity for lights, and running water for the sinks, urinals, and toilets, but the builders don't seal them against the weather. They have no heating or cooling equipment.

These facilities are wide open to insects of any kind, and it isn't rare to see spider webs in the corners of the walls. Since these restrooms are in parks, and the atmosphere is one of nature, maintenance people don't perform any kind of pest control. The thought of eliminating the natural inhabitants goes against the theme of the place, don't you think?

Due to the lack of human interference brown recluse spiders don't have any enemies in these buildings, so we see them all the time.

Most people don't recognize them by their long legs, and long, slim bodies, but my pest control experience gave me the ability to identify them quickly from a safe distance. I learned long ago to spot them, and keep a wary eye on their movements.

Brown recluse don't actively attack humans (we're much too big for them to take on), so you won't normally have any trouble when they appear as close to you as they were to me on my scuba outing. Still awareness and watchfulness increases my comfort factor when I run across these poisonous bugs.

If you see a spider with very long legs in proportion to its very slim, and lengthy body, just be alert that you're likely looking at a brown recluse spider.

And keep your eye on it.

Joseph Jackson is an experienced pest control technician and author of SPIDER RIDDANCE a how to guide for performing do-it-yourself pest control for controlling spiders.

Visit BUG RIDDANCE Rats And Mice Too! for how to information on do-it-yourself pest control techniques.

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Living in Texas, we are all well aware of the vast numbers of insects and spiders living alongside us, in our homes, gardens, and lawns. Some can be toxic to the touch while other kinds can be quite helpful because they eat other harmful insects. Knowing what kind of pests can enter your house and lawn area can be useful in getting rid of harmful ones and how to react when you're caught in a bug situation.

Wolf Spiders

One of the more common spiders people encounter are wolf spiders. These spiders are often large and hairy - a fact that can alarm many people! Their brown and black color helps them to blend into the dark and in concealed areas. They can run very fast and will startle people when they are discovered. They commonly rest in areas such as under stones, landscape timbers, firewood, under decks, around compost piles and other dark areas.

A unique fact about wolf spiders is that they do not build a typical snare web, they actively hunt their prey. Wolf spiders normally habit pastures and fields and serve as a natural control against harmful insects. Hundreds to thousands of wolf spiders may be living in any average backyard. They often enter homes through gaps under doors, or other openings. They are not normally permanent residents in structures, but once inside they will generally stay. However, they pose no danger at all to people or pets.

Springtails

Springtails are small wingless insects that can flip into the air via a structure on the underside of their abdomen. These insects usually surprise homeowners as they can usually group together in large numbers on driveways, backyards, and mud puddle surfaces. They can enter the home through moist and damp areas such as cellars, bathrooms, and kitchens. They can even pop up near drains, leaking water pipes, sinks, and in the soil of over watered house plants. They usually appear in the spring and early summer, but can be found all year round.

Outside of the home, most springtails live in rich soil or leaf litter, or under bark and decaying wood. Many springtails are themselves scavenger and feed on decaying plants and fungi.As a result of this, most springtails cannot survive in dry conditions.

Preventing Springtails

To get rid of springtails, take steps to improve ventilation and increase drying. Removing piles of wet leaves or other moist organic clumps will help to upset their breeding grounds.

Springtails are not harmful to humans at all, other than the annoyances they cause by showing up at your home.

Large Cockroaches

The American cockroach is considered to be the biggest and one of the most common cockroaches in Texas. The size of an average American roach is 1 1/2 to 2 inches long and are a dark reddish brown color. They are also distinctive by their tan to light-yellow bands outlining the shield behind the head. These cockroaches are not only big, but they can also fly!

The American cockroach usually habit areas of high moisture and humidity. They commonly live outdoors under the bark of trees or in leaf litter and places like barns. These roaches also habit sewers, which allows them easy transportation throughout campuses and major metropolitan areas. Through sewer pipes, they can enter homes into kitchens or bathrooms. Once they make it inside the home, they prefer to live in moist areas closest to furnaces or heating ducts.

Preventing Roaches

An important idea to consider with cockroaches is that it is much easier to prevent cockroach problems that it is to control the infestations once they have occurred.

One initial thing that should be on a home owner's priority list is eliminating any source of food, water, and a place for them to live. This makes tackling the roach problem more effective. The Texas Cooperative Extension recommends good sanitation control, use of non-chemical control tactics, and exclusion to prevent your home from a roach infestation:

Inspection

Before taking steps to control cockroaches, you need to identify problem areas, so first conduct a quick home inspection. German cockroaches are most likely to reside indoors around kitchens and bathrooms. Check under sinks and in cupboards, closets, cracks and crevices that provide dark hiding places near food or water. Also, check warm spots or areas near food. Look for cracks with tiny black specks (droppings) that indicate cockroach hiding spots. For outdoor species like American, smokybrown and oriental cockroaches, look in dark, moist areas close to decaying organic food sources, such as in overgrown ground-cover or flower beds and around trees, wood piles or compost piles. Also, check for leaking roofs, inspect water-meter boxes, and look at sewer lines near your home, especially those with manhole covers, all of which are favored sites for these cockroaches.

Cockroach sticky traps are useful inspection tools. Traps typically consist of a piece of cardboard covered with sticky adhesive. Cockroaches enter traps and get stuck on the adhesive. Traps help identify areas with cockroach infestations and track the effectiveness of control efforts. Place traps along paths cockroaches may use to travel to and from feeding and hiding areas. Traps should be placed touching walls and in corners with both ends unobstructed.

For active infestations, relocate traps if no cockroaches are caught after two or three nights.

Sanitation

Sanitation is extremely important for successful cockroach management. Do not leave unwashed dishes, used kitchen utensils or food out overnight. Promptly clean counter-tops and spilled liquids. Regularly clean hard-to-reach areas where food may be spilled, such as beneath and behind cabinets, furniture, under and behind stoves and refrigerators. Store food in tightly sealed containers. Where cockroaches are a problem, kitchen waste and excess refuse should be kept in cockroach-proof containers and disposed of every night. Dry pet food should be stored in tight containers away from the kitchen and separate from other foods. If pets are fed indoors, left-over food should not be allowed to remain overnight in their feeding dishes. Outdoors, garbage cans, racks, platforms or slabs should be cleaned regularly. Roof gutters should be kept free of debris to prevent moisture accumulation in eaves and attics. Leaky water faucets or pipes inside and outside the home should be fixed. Debris such as bricks, lumber or firewood stacked near a house should be removed to eliminate cockroach infestation.

Exclusion

Keep cockroaches out of a home by sealing as many cracks in the foundation and exterior walls as possible. Weather-stripping around doors and windows should be kept in good repair. Pipe penetrations into a home should be sealed with caulk or expanding foam. Caulking around counters, cabinets and plumbing fixtures helps reduce cockroach infestations in these areas.

Chemical Control - Baits

Baits are among the most effective insecticides for control of cockroaches in homes. The most common bait formulations sold to consumers come in ready-to-use plastic bait stations or tubes containing gel baits. Baits consist of food mixed with an insecticide and give best results in buildings with few alternative food sources. Always use the number of bait containers needed to effectively treat the area where cockroaches are to be controlled. Place baits next to suspected cockroach harborage areas. Examine bait containers frequently to ensure that they remain fresh and that bait is not depleted. Baits can be used in combination with sprays or dusts, but care should be taken to avoid contaminating bait stations with other insecticides or with household chemicals. Do not spray close to bait stations, because baits work most effectively when cockroaches can feed freely, then return to their harborages to die.

Chemical Control - Insecticides

Many effective insecticides are available for consumer use in controlling cockroaches. Pesticides vary in how they are formulated, how they are applied, how long they last, and how they kill. Most insecticides sold to consumers for cockroach control have low toxicity to humans when used as directed. Information about toxicity can be obtained from the product label; from a Material Safety Data Sheet available on the Internet or from the manufacturer; or from information provided by Cooperative Extension agents. Use pesticides after applying sanitation and other preventive measures listed above.

With springtime making its way to Texas, homeowners can expect to see an abundance of insects as well. Now that you are familiar with the most common types of pests and insects that can invade your home this month, take some precaution and control methods above to save prevent you and your family from having to deal with the headaches of an uncontrollable infestation.

Fran Phalin is a freelance editor and writer specializing in home improvement topics. She is based in Austin, TX.

For professional pest control assistance, please contact ABC! ABC Pest deals with all crawling insects. You can visit their website at http://www.abcpest.com

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

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