Feelin’ Squirrely: A few facts about summer squirrels

Squirrels can be a common issue ranging from outside yard activity to them curiously entering attics and chimneys through unscreened vents, or openings. Active mostly during the early morning and late afternoon, squirrels seek protective shelter for their nests and young. Unfortunately they tend to be invasive in some yards causing problems, especially with fruit or nut trees, which are their favorite things to eat. Squirrels are omnivores; they eat a wide variety of plant food, including nuts, seeds, pine cones, fruits, fungi, and green vegetation, and they also eat insects, eggs, and even small birds, smaller mammals, frogs, and carrion. In tropical areas, these foods often replace nuts.

Here at Gopher Patrol we offer some ways to control for the active critters eating those trees. Our service includes 4 visits in which we will set stations that attract them, and encourage feeding their ravenous appetites. Feel free to give us a call and let us know where your squirrel issues are troubling you!

We have been servicing for squirrels for almost 18 years! Call 888-466-4674 any time!

Travel, leisure, and infestations: How roaches can infest in One DAY!

Issues with German Roaches can begin with anything. They can be brought home from a guest, child, or spouse. They could just be from a neighbor’s apartment plumbing in the walls. Or even could be carried in grocery bags. Once these guys have entered a home there is no stopping them without some heavy treatments with consistent monitoring. They tend to hide out during the day and come out once its dark and everyone is asleep. They hide in dark, sheltered places under kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, along walls and cupboards or cabinets. A couple of their favorite spots include behind drawers or around pipes or conduits where it is for them to move from place to place freely without being seen.

These ninjas in the night reproduce almost as fast as they run from the light, with their reproductive cycle being relatively short with about 30-40 eggs in “purse” carried by the female; creating an infestation with just one egg sac. German Roaches can have about 6 egg capsules in their lifetimes. The average maturity female life cycle is approximately 100-200 days.

Not only are they quick to produce, they can survive in the harshest conditions they’ll even eat books and toothpaste! Roaches have also been known to become cannibalistic in the worst of times, eating each other’s legs and wings. Don’t be surprised if you detect a scent on that book, or taste a weird flavor on that cookie it crawled over. They are sure to have left an odor as well as other disease producing organisms, such as bacteria and viruses such as food poisoning, dysentery, and diarrhea. So it is safe to say prevention is the best key!

A simple precaution that will make the world of difference starts with leaving them hungry, by taking away their food supply. Clean dirty dishes as soon as they have been used, make sure to tightly close all food items, and make sure to clean thoroughly. Make sure those counters are dry, eliminating their desire to be near humid climates. And most importantly seal all openings and possible entry ways near kitchens and cabinets specifically. However, if you have a current infestation professional help may be the best option. Gopher Patrol has been servicing for pests such as these German Roaches for almost 18 years. 

Riffraff, Street Rats…Spot that Rat! Ways to Detect a Rat Infestation

Not as commonly seen as many other rodents such as gophers, moles, or squirrels. Rats and mice are night crawlers. Feeling around rooms and walls with simply their whiskers as their 6^th sense, making their way into attics, garages, and other inconspicuous dark cool hideouts.  However, one of their favorite hideouts are trees, and overgrown shrubbery often leaning on the hosts’ residence, encouraging them to continue inwards.

According to UC Davis Integrated Pest Management Program below are a few of the ways to inspect and detect if you have a rat problem:

• ·                 Do you find rat droppings around dog or cat dishes or pet food storage containers?
• ·                 Do you hear noises coming from the attic just after dusk?
• ·                 Do you see burrows among plants or damaged vegetables when working in the    garden?
• ·                 Are there smudge marks caused by the rats rubbing their fur against beams, rafters, pipes, and walls?
• ·                 Do you see burrows beneath your compost pile or beneath the garbage can?
• ·                 Are there rat or mouse droppings in your recycle bins?

Gopher Patrol has serviced and maintained rodents such as roof rats and norway rats for almost 18 years and counting. Their trained professionals will inspect and scour the property looking for any sign of the pesky, damage causing critters which have recently been found to carry the Hantavirus. Hantavirus is a fast growing severe and sometimes fatal disease currently making its way through Texas. A few ways to stay prepared and prevent the infection is sealing openings where rodents might find their way in, tightly close garbage cans and trash, as well as removing any woodpiles or brush away from home.

Rodents are a quick to spread species, so it is best to contain them at the first sighting. For a full rodent inspection, keep Gopher Patrol’s experts in mind.

Gopher Patrol is an eco-friendly company that protects homes’ doors, ledges, corners and walls from invasive rodents. They also service for gophers, squirrels, voles, and moles call anytime at 888-466-4674 and make sure to mention the online discount or schedule an appointment at www.gopherpatrol.com.

Increased Ant Populations taking over Households

The ants go marching one by one… into kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, garages. Ants seem to be taking over this summer! Being that the activity depends on their body temperature, hotter weather means plentiful amounts of minuscule creatures invading homes, on a mission to gather food and build colonies.

There are various forms of home remedy treatments including baby powder, salt, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, and cinnamon that have been known to work. However according to Gopher Patrol’s Service Technician Manager Robert Sena, “The best known way to control and maintain ants would be with pest sprays and baiting. The spray creates a barrier to keep them out, deterring them from entering any of the crawl spaces they may usually be attracted to. These pest sprays dry fast and give you at least a 30 day residual.” With bating, the bait attracts the ants as a food. The ants eat the food, and then share the food where it is transferred from the worker ants to the larvae in the colony.

Baiting and pest sprays combined are the most successful at keeping ant problems at bay. Gopher Patrol offers Summer specials for their pest monthly treatments. Be sure to ask! Global warming is heating our earth up, making for a HOT summer. Make sure to take precautions as much as you can for the active ants by removing food sources, sealing doorways and cracks, as well as removing harborage from outside of homes and yards. Be careful when handling large amounts of red ants, they may be dangerously aggressive, biting and swarming if threatened. Very young animals, caged animals, or those that have difficultly moving are most likely to be stung. Also, animals with open sores, hot spots, irritated skin, or limited mobility are very attractive to frenzied fire ants. 

Gopher Patrol Saves by Using Successful Gopher and Pest Control Treatments

The 2 visit service including a 30 day warranty thereafter offered by Gopher Patrol is helpful in protecting gardens and lawns from the ever hungry, ever vicious gophers, moles, and voles looking to feast.

The baiting and trapping programs they offer are most efficient. It may be difficult to choose gopher and pest control with all of the different products and companies. However, Gopher Patrol has proven to be successful and continually growing for over 17 years. They use various forms of pest control for insects including organic oils and mixtures to protect infants and the elderly.

And instead of having a personal tree demolition service, gophers will cut down into pieces those plentiful peach tree orchards for you, one root at a time. Just as harmful as gophers eating the roots, squirrels and rats will climb up and eat every one of the Georgia sized peaches. The only all encompassing server of all of Southern California is Gopher Patrol. They have been gopher, squirrel and rodent controlling since the 1990s! They offer services for pests as well; being able to strive for lush lawns and pest free homes is their goal.

Gopher Patrol is an eco friendly company that saves lawns, trees, and gardens from harmful pests, including gophers, bugs, rats, and voles. Call anytime at 888-466-4674 and make sure to mention the online discount or schedule an appointment at www.gopherpatrol.com!