As you may recently have read or viewed on local news, a Florence, SC resident has contracted West Nile Virus after being bitten by a mosquito as reported by WMBF News.

These are a few ways to reduce the mosquito population around your home.

1. Empty or get rid of containers, old tires, etc. that can hold stagnating water
2. Eliminate standing water in saucers under potted plants
3. Empty and wash birdbaths weekly
4. Keep your roof gutters free of leaves and other debris
5. Examine flat roofs after rains to be sure no water remains on them
6. Keep screens on doors and windows in good repair
7. If you use barrels/containers to collect rainwater for watering gardens, cover them with screening to keep out debris and mosquitoes. Keep the screens clear of debris as well
8. Store boats, canoes and other objects so that they do not collect rainwater
9. Cover or drain unused swimming pools. If you cover them with a tarp, make sure you remove leaves and other debris that collect on the surface
10. Correct drainage problems in your yard that allow rainwater to pool in low lying areas
    

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED HOW AFFORDABLE PROFESSIONAL MOSQUITO REDUCTION ACTUALLY IS.
FOR A FREE MOSQUITO EVALUATION, CALL TODAY. 843-756-2436

Are Your Pets Protected Against Fire Ants?
 
We love our pets at Ecotec. A serious concern this spring for our pets is definitely fire ants.
 
You may not know, but fire ants can cause serious health problems for your pets. Fire ants can sting and occasionally threaten the life of small animals. Pets with health problems or limited mobility are the most vulnerable of being affected by stinging fire ants.
 
Check areas around your lawn for mounds. Mounds that contain thousands of stinging fire ants can be a threat to small animals when disturbed by pets playing, running or digging outside. Another area to keep an eye on is in your pet’s feeding area. Fire ants are attracted to pet food, where they can bury themselves making it dangerous for pets to eat.
 
If you want to worry less about fire ants, just give us a call. We offer a service that will control fire ants for one year! One of our pest experts will inspect and treat your outdoor area. If you see fire ants for one whole year, just give us a call. We will come back at no extra charge!
 

Just a couple of days ago, I was enjoying a walk at Hunting Island State Park.  I had no idea that during this time I had become a host for six little creatures having a feast.  That is right... six little, tiny creatures... Ticks. 

Just before leaving, I noticed a speck of dirt crawling on my arm.  That was a freak out moment for me to say the least because... Where there is one, there are MORE!  Sure enough, I ended up finding six ticks that looked just like freckles on my skin.

I thought I would share some information on ticks, straight from Clemson University, Department of Entomology.

Ticks are closely related to scorpions, spiders and mites.  They are not insects.  They are external parasites that need a blood meal to survive and reproduce. Ticks can feed on humans and other mammals, reptiles, birds or even frogs.  All life stages of ticks feed on blood.  Ticks can transmit several diseases, such as Lyme disease, rocky mountain spotted fever, tick paralysis, and others, but most tick bites do not result in illness.

There are about 80 different kinds of ticks in the United States.  However, more common in South Carolina are:

Wood Tick

The name wood tick is used for many ticks including the blacklegged or deer tick, lone star tick and American dog tick.  These are usually found in woodland areas.  If a home is built in an area that was recently a field or forest, there is a higher chance that these ticks will be close-by.  They crawl around for several hours often before attaching themselves to a host, so they may be accidentally brought into a home on pets or clothing.  Wood ticks do not establish populations indoors.

Brown Dog Tick

The brown dog tick can be a nuisance in the home.  It is one of only a few ticks that will infest a structure.  The brown dog tick prefers to feed on dogs, but will occasionally feed on other hosts, such as humans.

They usually are found only where dogs occur.  They can be picked up in such common places as infested homes, kennels, veterinarian’s office, or outdoor areas frequented by an infested animal.  On the animal, the larval and nymphal stages of the tick are normally found in the long hair along the back of a dog.  The adult stage is found in the ear or between the toes.  When an infestation occurs indoors, ticks will be found in cracks, crevices, behind baseboards and in other protected places close to the floor.  Since the brown dog tick and adult female can lay as many as 5,000 eggs, the infestation can be very large.

Although avoiding tick infested areas is the best way to prevent tick bites, what happens when you have an infestation around your home or worse, in your home?

HERE ARE A FEW THINGS YOU CAN DO:

1. If you have noticed a problem with rodents or other wild animals, such as raccoons or opossums, take measures to remove them from your home and yard. 
2. Keep shrubs trimmed along the paths near your home. 
3. Keep grass mowed, and remove weeds, brush and leaf litter close to your house to reduce tick problems.
4. Make sure you consult your vet for medication or collars to help with control of ticks for your pets.
5. For your home and areas surrounding your home, the solution is to call Ecotec!
   
   
   

There is nothing like an ice cold bucket of water to start the day!  The employees at Ecotec Pest Control woke up bright and early to take the ALS Challenge!  Lou Gehrig's Disease is close to our hearts and we will also be donating to continue our support.  We challenge YOU to do the same!  Have some laughs and enjoy our video.

Have you ever noticed all of the bugs around your porch lights at night?  If you have incandescent lighting in your outdoor living areas, switch from white to yellow bulbs. The wavelengths of yellow bulbs are less visible to most bugs than those of white bulbs. 

If they can't see a light source, they can't swarm there! 

Who knew? This is definitely something to try in the long summer months of South Carolina.