Don’t Be Alarmed, Be Aware

Mother Nature’s Pest Control addresses potential insect-related issues not to be ignored: Zika virus, termites, bedbugs, and fleas and ticks.

Most of us are becoming aware of the Zika virus disease, heretofore confined to Central and South America. The first case of Zika in the United States was recently reported from Dallas, Texas. The virus is spread to people through mosquito bites, and the most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes). Justin Buckmaster and Sheila Disler of Mother Nature’s Pest Control & Lawn Care say there is no need for panic or alarm, but in concern for public health, we should be doing all we can to keep mosquito populations at a minimum.
Warmer weather is just around the corner, and winning battles against insects is Mother Nature’s expertise. Treatments are administered in and around our homes, gardens, shrubs and lawns, therefore diminishing the inherent numbers of mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, bedbugs and termites. The range and abundance of the Lone Star Tick have increased over the past 20 to 30 years, and they now reside in Oklahoma and Texas. According to Justin, “All three life stages –
larva, nymph and adult – will feed on humans and may be aggressive. They also feast on dogs and cats and are often brought into our homes.”
With our mild winter, Mother Nature’s major focus is now on disease-carrying insects. Shelia indicated that common pests are most active mid- to late-summer and mild winters generally indicate that we’ll see pests earlier, longer and in greater numbers. “This includes fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, bedbugs and termites,” she added.
With spring break approaching and students on the move, Shelia reminds us of these tips to help reduce the risk of bedbugs in your home: Don’t put luggage on hotel or motel beds. Inspect rooms prior to moving in. The safest place for luggage is the bathtub; bedbugs hate porcelain and tile. When you return home, leave the luggage in the garage. Put clothes from luggage into the dryer and run a cycle on high setting. (Temperatures over 115 degrees will kill bedbugs.) After the dry cycle, wash clothes and do another dry cycle. Bedbugs love clutter; remove it. Don’t open packages you receive inside your home. The number one carrier of bedbugs is secondhand furniture. Contact Mother Nature’s for a treatment of FROSTBITE before bringing furniture into home.
“We predict a healthy swarm of termites this year,” said Shelia. “Colonies get overcrowded and send out swarms that include future queens and kings to ferret out places to form new colonies. Sentricon HD (High Density) Bait System is our best defense against termites.”  
Mother Nature’s also offers a full-service mosquito elimination plan where technicians check potential mosquito habitats around your home – gutters, French drains, pools, toys, shrubs, trees and lawn. You will be advised of a recommended treatment plan and its cost.
Don’t panic. Be calm. But do all you can to reduce threats to you and your family brought on by little crawly things that live around us. Call Mother Nature’s, the experts in pest control.