Posts

German cockroaches

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Do you know how or where I can purchase insect growth regulator in Canada. My son has purchased a house that ended up having German roaches. We have contacted a local exterminator who for $1000.00 will take care of the problem but only guaranteed for 45 days. Sounds like they will kill everything alive but the next generation. Regina.

 

I have found these IGRs recommended for German cockroaches:

Gentrol Point Source (Zoecon) – (this can be shipped to Canada)

Vendetta Plus Cockroach Gel Bait (4tubes) Roach Bait & I GR Roach Killer Paste – (I do not know if this can be shipped to Canada)

In the event that you cannot obtain an IGR labeled for homeowner use, you might try this bait formulation which is supposed to remain effective for up to a year – Click here or this one – Click here

Cockroach infestation

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Hello, Is there anyway to control a cockroach infestation in canada? It seems like there are no bait stations or boric acid dusts available in Canada. Thanks, Andrew. Saskatoon, SK.

 

Cockroaches are always difficult to control. Strategies to control vary depending if it is an multi unit building or an individual house. 

There are boric acid dusts available but because of insect resistance and bait shyness they are not very effective. A multi prong approach is usually used composed of both chemical (baits and sprays) and non chemical control (heat, vacuuming, sticky insect traps, etc). 

Good sanitation is key as cockroaches thrive in unclean environment. Kitchen grease and food crumbs behind stoves and fridges can provide food for long period of time. 

It is always best to contact a pest control professional, who should work with the property management to work out a good solution. 

Black wasps

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For 3 years in a row we have been finding black wasps in our house. Every summer 3 – 5 slowly come out of who knows where. Then we don’t see them again until the following year. Lucky my cats find them before my kids do.
The question is how do I find where they are coming from? Why do they keep coming back? Tecumseh

 

Wasps build new nests every year. The likelihood of new nests close to previous nests is high as the wasps go to where they think it’s a safe place to build. Seeing other nests in the vicinity makes that decision easier. 

I would suggest doing a walk through along the external perimeter of the house on a nice sunny day and observe where the wasps are entering the house. They need to access a void in order to build. Once located please contact a professional to treat. 

The wasps you’re seeing are probably ones that have lost their way heading out of the nest and then ending up on the inside. They will normally be slow moving as they have depleted their energy and gather by the windows, following the light in order to get out. 

Vacuum them off as spraying is a waste and detrimental to ones health on the inside. 

Spiders and pill bugs

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Hi there, we have a lot of shrubbery in the yard and experience a lot of spiders as well as pull bugs. We experience spiders inside the house as well. Looking for a suggestion and quote. Thank you. Surrey BC.

Spider population build up over time, especially if no control measures are taken around houses. A high spider population also tells one that there is a large insect population as spiders feed on insects.
Recommend using a permethrin based spray around the external perimeter of the house and along the window frames and along the eaves.

On the inside of the house, I would suggest insect sticky or monitoring boards at various locations all over the house along the baseboards. The boards should be replaced every week until the population is under control.

Spraying along the inside of house ONLY if the infestation is really heavy.

Pill bugs feed on decaying vegetation especially around the external perimeter of the house where grass clippings and other vegetations tends to collect. Once this population builds up, pill or sow bugs then tend to enter the house through cracks and crevices. Although they do not pose much of a health hazard – they are considered a nuisance.

The external perimeter spraying with a permethrin based insecticide will help bring down the sow bug population. In the inside of the house – use of only insect sticky boards to control the sow bugs.
The insect sticky boards will be effective for both the spiders and sow bugs.

Bedbug query

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I have been cleaning a friends apartment and discover after several visits in and out, that his place is infested with bed bugs? My concern is did I bring them home on my cloths? I didn’t sit down on any anything but I did remove his bed sheets etc because they were soiled. What should I do?

The bedbug query – Unless you physically removed some of the items from the infested premises and placed them in your vehicle or took them home with you, there is very little risk that you inadvertently brought bed bugs into your home. If you did take the soiled bed sheets home with you and they were not immediately laundered, you need to be on the lookout for signs of infestation. In addition to the information available on the Pestcontrolcanada pages, you might check out the publication at Click here for more recommendations.

Birch Leafminer

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How do find a supplier of parasitic wasps for birchleaf miner control? From Mississauga, Ontario

The Birch leafminer query – Of the two species of parasitic wasps (Lathrolestes nigricollis and Grypocentrus albipes) introduced for control of the birch leafminer, only L. nigricollis has become widely established. At the level of individual release sites, L. nigricollis has lowered pest density from 50 to <5% of first generation leaves being mined. (Click here.) These wasps were introduced into parts of Quebec and Newfoundland in the 1960s and 1970s and parts of Alberta in the 1990s; Click here for full details. I do not believe that these wasps can be provided to individual homeowners.

Locating Insect entry

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From Noelville:  Is there anyway to find out where insects are getting into the house. Every year we are infested with house flies, ladybugs and mosquitoes. They have to be getting in somewhere. Can a Pest Control company find out how they are getting in so we can can fix it?

Short of hermetically sealing one’s home, it is nearly impossible to keep all uninvited ‘guests’ from dropping in for a visit.  You can minimize their intrusions by ensuring that all doors and windows fit tightly and if opened for ventilation, have tight-fitting screens. Any gaps between their frames and the house structure should be filled, as well as any cracks in the foundation. If any pipes, vents (such as from a clothes dryer), etc. penetrate a wall, any gaps around those should be filled with caulking or expandable foam.