During spring to early summer, bird mites start to become a problem in buildings. This happens as a result of birds nesting and mating as they seek an appropriate place to make their nest. Often an ideal place to make a nest is within the roof cavity of a building.

We have seen an increase in calls from customers around Taree and Forster with bird problems over the last month.

Bird Characteristics

Species of pest birds such as Starlings, Indian Mynas, Pigeons, Sparrows that commonly nest within roofs, all carry Bird Mites.

Bird mites are very small often difficult to see with the naked eye, they are semi-transparent in colour until they have had a blood meal then they can appear to be red or black in colour.

Health Issues and Problems

Bird mite’s often come in contact with humans due to birds nesting within a building or home. Birds can enter roofs through broken roof tiles or gaps in tiles, gaps between roofing and gutters and many other ways. Birds nesting on window ledges or on attached items such as air conditioning units and the like can also lead to a problem with bird mites.

When the young birds have left the nest or if they die, these mites need an alternate food source to survive. They leave the nest area in large numbers; often thousands will be living on in single nest and go in search of food throughout the building. They cannot survive on humans but will bite humans that they encounter. Their bite is irritating and causes a lot of discomfort to the occupier of the property.

How to prevent birds nesting at your property

1. Proofing – Prevent birds from nesting within the roof cavity by sealing all access points. A pest controller is highly recommended to assess possible entry points. Once assessed proofing can be carried out. There are many proofing options available in the industry depending on the situation. From time to time a roofer may be required to repair broken tiles and the like.
2. Removal of the nest – If accessible removing the nest is essential. Removing the nest removes their natural habitat. Just removing the nest alone may not be enough.
3. Treatment – Removal of the nest should always be followed with a treatment to the affected area. If treatment is not applied the mites will take a lot longer to die. Without a bird host they will die in up to 3 weeks so treatment is highly recommended.

Still concerned?

If you need bird removal, contact your local experts Amalgamated Pest Control Taree for further advice.

1300 884 526

Throughout the warmer months of September and October, bees are very likely to swarm. While this can be an amazing site to see, if they decide to make your home their home, that’s not so amazing.

The swarm will usually come to rest in a cluster on reasonably nearby objects as you can see from the photo below, taken of a swarming bee colony in Tuncurry Beach where they have come to rest on the picnic shelter. This swarm may remain resting here for as little as an hour or possibly two days. While the majority of the bees rest here, scouts are flying about looking for a suitable place to set up a permanent nesting site.

    

How do you remove bees?

The honey bee is an important part of our ecology so it is recommended that an integrated pest management approach be carried out. One such control system that can be tried if the bees have not been in there new home long is installing a cardboard cone to their entry point. This can allow the bees to exit but they cannot renter providing the cone hole is around 6-10 mm across. This must be performed by somebody who is trained to do so. Bees will become aggressive if their hive is threatened and getting close to their entry point may very well make them aggressive and likely to defend their colony.

Bee removal risks

Often we hear of people trying to get rid of these clusters of bees with their garden hoses or other means and end up being stung multiple times in the process. When bees are in this state, stay away from them and do not interfere with them. If you are presented with a swarm of bees it is extremely important that you leave them alone and contact a professional to assess the situation and take the appropriate measures that may be required. If there is a threat posed by these swarms they can be removed and relocated quite easily be a professional only.
Do not attempt this yourself.

What to do if you are stung by bees

For any patient that is allergic to bee stings and shows signs of anaphylaxis, call 000 for an ambulance, and have the patient taken immediately to the emergency department of the nearest hospital.

If you or a family member are stung by bees, follow these general first aid steps:

• Remove stings by scraping sideways with your fingernail or with the edge of a knife.
• Apply a cold pack.
• Watch for allergic reactions – breathing difficulties, rashes, itching, or swelling around the mouth or eyelids.
• If an allergic reaction takes place call 000 for an ambulance immediately.
• Observe and record pulse and breathing.
• If casualty is carrying medication for the allergy it should be taken at once.
• If conscious: help casualty to sit in a position which most relieves breathing difficulty.
• If unconscious: open and clear casualty’s airway and prepare to resuscitate if necessary.

Ref: St John Ambulance

Still concerned?

If you need bee removal, contact your local experts Amalgamated Pest Control Taree for further advice.

1300 884 526

Termites: What are they, how they enter your home.

Termites are an ancient order of insects whose origins date back more than 100 million years to the Cretaceous period. Although they are commonly called ‘white ants’, the resemblance to ants is superficial and they are more closely related to cockroaches and in fact have been recently included into the cockroach order Blattodea.

Termite Characteristics

Termites can be grouped into three basic categories:

• Dampwood, these termites generally live in damp rotting logs or rot pockets in dead or living trees.

• Drywood, these termites obtain water from the wood in which they live and have no contact with the soil, or with any other source of moisture.

• Subterranean, these termites are generally ground-dwelling or require contact with the soil or some constant source of moisture and are the main threat posed to timber in the built environment, (timber-in-service).

What type of damage can they cause to your home

No matter where you are located in Australia, Subterranean Termites are present in your area. Subterranean termites are responsible for more economic loss each year than all natural disasters combined. There are more than 350 species of termites which have been recorded in this country, about 25 of which achieve economic importance as pests of timber in service.

Where do they live?

Subterranean termites live in colonies, numbering from a few hundred to millions. In each colony there is a division of labour, with several distinct castes, each specailising in particular duty. The worker termites are responsible for the damage to timber caused in their search for food, which consist mainly of cellulose, sugars and starch present in the timber. Subterranean termites generally nest underground in the soil,  build earthen mounds, or nest in the root crowns of trunks or living and dead trees. Having to maintain contact with soil or a reliable water source to obtain sufficient moisture to survive, subterranean termites construct protective mud shelter tubes from their nest to their food source- living trees, seasoned timbers, books, furniture, etc. Consuming the wood from inside out, usually by the time the termites work is visible, the timber is virtually eaten away.

How subterranean termites can enter your home.

• Constructing mud tubes over concrete piers
• Constructing tunnels up the centre of wood stumps
• Constructing mud tubes from the soil to the flooring, often within cavity walls
• Through hair line cracks which appear in concrete slabs around plumbing and electrical conduits
• Through service pipes such as telephone, plumbing and electrical
• Bridging by way of vegetation in contact with the building, through the soil abutting the base of the building, working their way through mortar or timber in soil contact
• Through colonsing flights, reproductive termites may form nests within or in close proximity to the building

Still concerned?

If you wish  further information or advice regarding termites or having a timber pest inspection, please contact your local Amalgamated Pest Control branch.

This article describes the methods used by Amalgamated Pest Control (APC), during the installation of a post-construction termite perimeter treatment around a residential property.

Currently, APC only approve termiticide formulations based on four types of active ingredient. These actives being  Bifenthrin, Imidacloprid, Fipronil, and Chlorantranilioprole.

The Termiticide Formulation.

For this treatment, the product of choice was the minimal odour  EnviroMax® Bifenthrin 100EC Termiticide & Insecticide formulation – sourced from Australasian Wholesale Chemical Technologies® Pty Ltd.

The treated property is described as a single story brick veneer home on a concrete slab, with a colour bond roof. The home is situated in a rural setting with landscaped gardens

Treatment Method

Step 1: A thorough timber pest inspection and report was undertaken 2 weeks prior to the EnviroMax® barrier installation. During inspection, no termite activity or associated damage was found, and we recommended that the client undertake the following actions prior to the EnviroMax® perimeter barrier being installed:

1.1 Gardens: We required the gardens to be trimmed back from the house, and some shrubs removed as they were planted too close to the perimeter of the building. This action is required to ensure the chemical barrier is not bridged or breached.

 

Removal of mulch and foliage from the house’s perimeter.

1.2 Mulch & Rocks: All mulch and rocks were required to be kept 300mm from the perimeter of the structure to ensure the chemical barrier is not bridged or breached.

1.3 Floor & Plumbing plans: The APC technician requested a copy of the floor plan of the structure being treated, to determine that the concrete slab had no joins, and to ensure all external plumbing penetrations could be located prior to treatment.

Step 2: Trenching

 

2. All air-conditioning units were moved

2.1The soil areas were excavated as per Australian standards and Amalgamated Policy and Procedure requirements.

2.2 All external plumbing penetrations were located and exposed.

2.3 The plumbing penetrations were cleared, then coated and resealed with Term-seal primer and Term-seal multi purpose.

3.1 The trenches were rodded and flooded with termiticide.

3.2 Imported soil was then added to the trenches and further termiticide was applied and mixed with the soil to create a slurry.

4.0 Treatment to concrete areas

In order to form a termiticide chemical barrier beneath the concrete slabs and paths, we needed to undertake concrete drilling. The recommended drill hole spacing is between 150 and 200 mm.

4.1 To enhance chemical-soil distribution we used a lateral dispersion tip on the injector and up to 10L of emulsion per linear meter. To ensure formation of a continuous barrier, holes were drilled no more than 150 mm from walls or expansion joints.

4.3 The concrete drill holes were then capped with mortar

Long-lived protection of vulnerable structures from subterranean termite attack is facilitated by

EnviroMax® Bifenthrin 100EC Termitcide & Insecticide treatments. Perimeter treatment of the soil or fill surrounding properties, isolates the structure from termite galleries, through formation of a chemical barrier which acts as a contact poison, killing and repelling termites that come into contact with the treated area. When the colony realises that workers (the food gatherers) are being destroyed it ceases to send them to that location.

At Amalgamated Pest Control we believe that the key to any treatment program is continued monitoring. At the very least, inspections should be carried out at 12 monthly intervals. Following inspection, we extend our service warranty for a further period on the proviso that our recommendations are adopted.

Mosquito control is an important issue as apart from being generally annoying, mosquitoes can carry debilitating illnesses such as Ross River Fever, Barmah Forest Virus, Murray Valley Encephalitis and Malaria.

There are numerous species of mosquito in Australia, and each has its own characteristics in terms of:

•  salt or fresh water,
• geographic distribution,
• the diseases they can carry

Mosquito control in Queensland is the legislative responsibility of Local Government.

Local Government staff that undertake Mosquito management are well trained and do a fantastic job as they treat numerous locations in pristine salt and fresh water environments with specialized equipment and treatment methods.

The focus of this story is about the home owner and what the home owner needs to be aware of to help reduce the threat of mosquitoes around their property.

Home owners’ can reduce the number of mosquitoes around their property by:

• screening windows, doors and water tanks.
• empty all containers around the house that might collect water – pot plant saucers, guttering, tins, tires etc.
• use a repellent outside especially at dusk.

Amalgamated Pest Control can help in a number of ways by offering the home owner the following services:

Larval Control

This is a  environmentally friendly treatments targeted at larvae in still water areas (e.g. ponds). This treatment affects the growth hormones  of the mosquito larvae . This treatment method is target specific, and will only affect the mosquito larvae.

Or

Residual Barrier Treatment

Those looking for an additional, more-targeted solution to mosquito problems should consider specialised “residual barrier” treatments, which significantly reduces the adult mosquito population and prevents them from lingering around the home for  several weeks.

Despite being predominantly airborne vector pests, mosquitoes die after coming into contact with “residual barriers” treated on the ground and around the home. The specialised residual barrier treatment is applied to areas where mosquitoes land and rest such as amongst leaf litter under trees.

The situation is ideally suited to establish garden areas with significant plant foliage and other exterior structures such as shade cloth, which provide landing and resting areas for adult mosquitoes. Residents notice relief immediately.

The treatment is effective for a number of weeks and relief can be noticed immediately many customers that previously could only enjoy their views from inside, now spend their days and evenings out in their pergolas and gardens where they want to be.

If you are unable to enjoy the great outdoors because you are the target of mosquito or midge bites, give us a call at Amalgamated Pest Control on 1300 858 834

It’s that time of year again when residents should be on the look out over the next few weeks for the annual termite swarms which are both visually spectacular and a possible indication of an infestation.

Mid-November to mid-December is the peak time for the normally subterranean termites to take flight in order to mate and start new colonies. The swarms can be an impressive event with some resembling a plume of smoke rising from the nest.

The swarms of colonising termites generally take place at dusk when the weather is hot, calm and very humid which can often be before or after summer storm activity.

If you do see a lot of flying insects under these climatic conditions have a good look around the building and yard to see if you can find out where they are coming from as it might mean you have a nest of termites nearby.

If residents do see a swarm of termites coming out of a specific site, we recommend marking the spot and contacting Amalgamated Pest Control.

However, property owners are generally more likely to become aware a swarm has taken place when they find dead winged termites in the windowsills and on the floors which is often a cause for concern

People should not be afraid of the swarming, particularly if you have a regular termite inspection program already in place for your property. If you do not have your property regularly inspected for termites then you should collect several of the dead swarmers in a jar, with a little methylated spirits to preserve them, and call your pest controller to identify them and inspect the property.

Of the millions of winged termites that set out only an occasional pair succeeds in finding a mate and suitable nest site however once established and mature, the Queen termite can produce up to 2000 eggs a day.

These winged termites are all members of the alate caste with each one a potential king or queen of a new colony. The alates generally do not travel far, snapping their wings off once they land before searching out a mate and looking for a nest site.

Alates do not fly strongly, and unless assisted by winds, their dispersal is limited so if you do find a large number of winged termites in and around your property over the next few weeks and you don’t have a termite management program in place, call your qualified Amalgamated Pest Control technician to be on the safe side.