What's In Your Frosty Flakes?

Discovering "bugs" in your breakfast cereal may be disgusting, but it isn't unusual -after all, pantry pests (a.k.a. stored product pests) enjoy munching on the same type of foods that we do.  We recently received a text from a young lady panicking over the worm-like things appearing on her counter top.   What she thought were maggots, actually ended up being a sign of pantry pests.  No one is exempt from the infestation possibility.  In fact we brought them into our home a few months ago.  We purchased some dog treats at a specialty pets store and discovered upon getting home that the bag was  a-l-i-v-e.  We were fortunate to have found the problem right away, rather than after the treat munchers infested other items in our pantry.
There are several different varieties of pantry pests and whenever possible it is best to determine which one is causing havoc in your home.  It will help narrow down possible food resources that they are using and harborage areas.  Typically the first signs of a pantry pest problem are moths, small brown beetles or tiny worms on the wall, counter, shelf or pantry floor.
Of course these insects can't roll up in the McDonald's drive thru for their next meal---that's why they are at your house.  Their favorite foods include dried goods-especially those containing grains, dried fruits and nuts.  Baking mixes, flours, spices, cereals, powdered milk, pastas, bird seed, dry pet food and pet treats---(obviously-refer to 1st paragraph).  Even unopened boxes of cake mixes, puddings, cereal, crackers, popcorn, etc. can have an infestation.  Some varieties will even feed on dried flower arrangements and some eat...chocolate-Oh ya-I went there!  Chocolate! 
Ok...So what do you do about it?   First thing is inspect.  Everything.  It is time consuming, boring and yep tedious, but you will never get rid of the problem if you try to skim thru it.  Empty your pantry, your beloved cookie or cereal cabinet or the pet food/treat stash.  You are checking for holes in unopened packages, looking for bugs (or parts of them) in clear bags, check areas where crumbs gather-behind appliances or canned goods, look for any webbing and check the shelves-and above them in each of these areas.

Infested items need to be sealed up and removed from the home immediately.  Your other option is to throw the item into a freezer bag then in to the freezer to kill off the bugs.  Items not infested need to be sealed in an air tight container.  Thoroughly vacuum -all areas including crevices and wash cupboards, pantry shelves, floors, etc. to remove any spilled food stuff and any insect fragments.  Seal the vacuum bag in a plastic bag immediately after vacuuming and take it outside.
The bright side?  Once you locate and eliminate all infested foods, you have cleaned thoroughly, and repackaged the remaining items in sealed containers, any remaining adults (beetles or moths) will be looking for another food source to deposit their eggs.  -But you have done your job, which means they can't do theirs.  Nice.
Yeah, It's a pain in the butt to get rid of them. But... once you have eliminated your problem you can help avoid future infestations. Repackage materials in properly sealed clear containers.  Inspect new items-as soon as you bring them into the home, especially discounted or nearly expired products.  Rotate your food products to use older items first.
Now you can sit back and enjoy that bowl of cereal once again....and know -it's just a bowl of cereal.

Stuff It!

Looking for a special gift for someone who's hard to buy for?

We now offer gift certificates for Christmas or other Holidays and special occasions.

Gift Certificates are available in any dollar amount .

Great gift for people on a tight budget, makes a great stocking stuffer or an excellent Secret Santa gift.

If you would like to purchase one of our Gift Certificates, you may stop into our office, drop us an email, or give us a call.

We service the areas of:

*Anna Maria

*Holmes Beach

*Longboat Key

*Bradenton Beach

*Bradenton

*Parrish

*Ellenton

*Palmetto

*Ruskin

*Sun City

*Wimauma

*Sarasota

 Gift Certificates can be redeemed for any services we provide including:

*Pest Control

*Termite Control

*Termite Renewals

*Rodent Work

*WDO

EEEK! A GHOST!

 

Some call them sugar ants, others call them pests, we call them ghost ants. No matter what you refer to them as, we all consider them to be a nuisance. So with Halloween around the corner, we find it appropriate to blog about them.

 Here in FL, ghost ants are a very common household pest dating back as early as 1988. Within the last 15 years or so, they have elevated in status from just a household pest to a major pest problem and are most commonly found in warm and tropical climates. These unwelcome, trick or treaters have become well established in Florida, Hawaii, and Texas.

Ghost ants are small in size (less than 1/16 of an inch long) and they do not bite or sting. Their ghostly appearance on dark surfaces is due to their opaque abdomen and legs and their dark brown head and thorax.

 Ghost ants are small enough to enter through the tiniest holes and cracks in caulking and foundations or from shrubs, plants, and/or tree limbs touching the home.

Outdoors, these ants can be found in mulch, the base of palm fronds, under loose bark, plant stems, in hollow supports for pool enclosures and screened porches, or clumps of moist, dead grass, just to name a few. So, the first step in prevention outdoors is to trim landscaping and trees to keep limbs from touching the home or business and repair any leaky hoses, roofing, or plumbing.

Indoors, they will colonize in baseboards, wall voids, potted plants, spaces between cabinets. Once they have found their way inside, they can be found trailing to and from sinks/bathtubs in search of moisture. The best way to control these little pests indoors is cleanliness. Keep food sealed in air tight containers, wipe up any spills or crumbs immediately, and reduce moisture sources such as plumbing leaks and condensation.
Control is normally not necessary except when the ghost ants become a nuisance.  If your home is being over-run with these little demons give Acme a call.  We can provide a price over the phone and peace of mind that your home can once again be ghost (ant) free.
Have a Safe and Happy Halloween!

New Item!

Now when you have your home protected from termites by Acme Termite & Pest Control, you get this awesome custom key chain as a thank you for choosing us!

These custom designed, bottle cap key chains were created by Zu-Li Designs and also double as a traveling business card. So now, whether you're out of town, always on the go, or simply busy at work, you will always have our number close.

We want to give a special thanks to Billie at Zu-Li for working so hard on these for us and simply put, we think they're pretty awesome!