Tag Archive for: wasps

Ants in the Lighthouse

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The following is one, in a series, of funny/unique events in my day as a pest control technician for LIND PEST CONTROL

Ants in the Lighthouse

I went out to Tanglewood island once (off of Fox Island).  We had a call come in that there were carpenter ants in the “Great Hall” structure of the Tanglewood Island’s lighthouse.  I met a guy at the boat launch by the fox Island bridge.  He picked me up in a small aluminum boat to take me out to the island.  I wasn’t really sure what I was up against, but I brought some gear and some products with me that I thought would do the job.  This was quite a long while back, and I wasn’t even sure what this structure was.  There was no such thing as the internet, google, cell phones, or anything else to do research on this place back then.  I could see the structure from afar and thought that this was going to be a pretty big project for the relatively small amount of products and limited amount of equipment I was able to take with me in this small boat.

When we got to the property, I was pretty much in awe of this huge, and unique structure.  I was also apprehensive of being able to do what I needed to do within some semblance of time management in comparison to the price that was quoted.  Let alone the probability that I was going to be unable to nail down the exact location of a carpenter ant nest that had inhabited this monstrous structure.  We also did not have the type of “non-repellent” products that we have today which technically puts the ants to work for us by transferring residuals throughout the colony.

After a brief tour of this beautiful structure, I set about my inspection process.  I had a been shown an area , of the “Great Hall”, where most of the Carpenter Ant activity had been seen.  This, at least, narrowed the area down for me to concentrate on.  I used a stethoscope to detect sounds in the ceiling of the downstairs level.  Much to my surprise, and delight, I could hear the distinctive “clicking’ noise and a faint rustling of newspaper sound in the ceiling void.  I had found the main colony!!!  I proceeded to drill a few small holes in the ceiling sheetrock and injected product into the void area.  Carpenter ants of every stage and size came POURING OUT.  There were major, minor, and intermediate workers as well as male and female reproductives.  It was instant success!!!!

I have to say this was one of my most memorable experiences in the 35 plus years I’ve been doing pest control.  From the experience of riding out on the boat-to being able to explore this beautiful, and historical structure.  Being able to put my professional experience into “saving”, and helping to protect this structure is one of the many, many proud and memorable moments I have experienced in my career.  I have also had the pleasure of providing service to, and inspecting, old historical churches, famous houses in Tacoma (where celebrities were born and raised), houses where movies were filmed, a local prison (on an island), as well as many, many older historical north end homes and business structures.

Squirrels in the Attic

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The following is one, in a series, of funny/unique events in my day as a pest control technician for LIND PEST CONTROL

Squirrels in the Attic

I once had a friend call me with a problem he was having with squirrels in his attic.  I went over to his house and as we stood and watched the corner of his roof/gutter area, we saw a squirrel pop out and return with some nesting material a short time later.  I climbed into his attic and, sure enough, down in the baffled corner of the attic I saw a squirrel’s nest.  When I got close, the squirrel chattered at me a little and ran out of the small hole in the soffit.  As I approached the nest, I saw she had 3 baby squirrels in her nest.  Well, I couldn’t just leave the squirrels in his attic.  I have seen them do some pretty serious damage by chewing on wires and PVC pipes )let alone the mess they cause and “superficial damage” they do to sheetrock, etc.  The problem was, every time I got close to the nest, Momma squirrel would come running in, and she was very aggressive, (rightfully so).  We devised a plan for my friend to get on a ladder, outside, and protect the corner armed with a 2×4.  I’m not sure who had the worst job, me crouched into a corner of an attic, while balancing on rafters, or him outside on a ladder fending off an angry momma squirrel.

I got a small box and filled it with old shredded newspaper and other nesting material.  I went up into the attic and proceeded to gently remove the baby squirrels, from their nest, one by one, and place them into the new cardboard box nest we created.  I was wearing gloves to protect myself and to also make sure I did not leave my scent on them so that the mother squirrel might reject them.  While I was doing this, I heard commotion outside that told me that my friend was having quite a time with “momma squirrel”.  I was laughing to myself, in this dark cramped space, picturing this big rugged guy out there on a ladder with his 2×4 while this little squirrel was giving him all he could take!!!

We managed to rescue the squirrels, close up the access hole, and place the nest in as safe of place (near the corner of his house) as we could.  We let nature take it from there knowing we did the best we could to remove the situation from his home, while giving all of the squirrels a fighting chance

RIP my good friend FRED!!!  Love you brother.

Yellow Jacket, Tacoma-based and family-owned pest control and inspection company

A Pain in the Rear

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The following is one, in a series, of funny/unique events in my day as a pest control technician for LIND PEST CONTROL

A Pain in the Rear

This one is not so funny to me, but y’all will probably get a kick out of it.  I was called out to extinguish a possible yellow jacket nest.  When I arrived at the property, the homeowner informed me that their dog was stung while playing in an outer area of the back yard.  They had taken the dog to the vet and had verified that it was indeed a bee sting.  Right away I was sure we were either dealing with bald-faced hornets or yellow jackets.  I went to the area that the homeowner pointed out, advising the homeowners to have their kids, and the dog, stay a safe distance away (preferably inside the house).  I carefully approached the area to locate any nesting sites.  I was looking, simultaneously, at (and in) the bushes for signs of a bald-faced hornet nest and in the ground for yellow jacket activity with my head on a swivel.  The ground was covered with ivy, so it was difficult to see anything in the ground.  After a few minutes, and further investigation, I caught sight of a yellow jacket “making a bee line”.  I stood and watched as another-after-another-after-another followed.  They were flying in a descending pattern which informed me that I was dealing with a yellow jacket nest in the ground.

As I studied the situation, and crept closer, I could see a small clearing in the ivy.  A slight, slight, mound of dirt, surrounding a small hole in the ground, caught my eye. This is where I saw yellow jackets flying in and out of the ground like crazy!!!  It was the middle of a summer day and it was hot (about 82 degrees).  I went back and put on all my gear which consisted of a respirator, coveralls, bee veil, extra coat, and heavy duty neoprene gloves.  I fired up the pump motor and drug my hose out to the hole in the back yard.  As soon as I placed the rod down into the hole, yellow jackets came swarming out!!!  I squeezed the trigger and locked the lever down allowing the pesticide to run through the hose and rod and into the subterranean yellow jacket nest below.  I was used to this activity so I was not thinking anything of the dozens of extremely agitated yellow jackets around, and on, me.  As I was almost finished, and ready to cut off the flow, I felt 2 sharp pains in my rear end!!  They STUNG and were hurting like you know what.  I held on for a few more seconds and disengaged the lever to the rod and made my escape.  The nest, along with the queen had been extinguished.  The agitated workers, which were away from the nest at the time of treatment, were all coming back and swarming around the hole.  As they try to rescue the queen, and larvae, they will come in contact with the residuals and succumb.

Meanwhile, I’m sweating to death, trying to get all my equipment off, while my butt’s on fire!!  Apparently a couple of the yellow jackets made their way underneath my coveralls.  Luckily, this was my last job of the day.   I took a Benadryl, which helped a little, but there wasn’t a whole lot I could do but wait out the pain.

Needless to say I had a pain in the rear for a couple days!!!

yellow jackets

Getting Tired Of Swatting At Yellow Jackets?

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Yellow Jacket, Tacoma-based and family-owned pest control and inspection company

Have You Been Stung by a Yellow Jacket This Year? 

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Ouch, I feel for you!

We had a very early start this year with wasps and yellow jackets. Our early warm spring that continues into a sweltering, consistently hot summer, led to population EXPLOSIONS of these nasty pests. While yellow jacket stings can really pack a wallop, they can also lead to other serious problems. There can be varying degrees of allergic reactions to their sting and in some cases can become fatal.  It is important to see a doctor if you begin to have a reaction after you have been stung.

 

Hidden dangers.

This time of year, they have formed pretty good size nests and are very aggressive while seeking nourishment for their colony. The most dangerous nests are the ones we don’t see. These can be in siding and ceiling cavities, within our homes, or underground. Treating these types of nests can be very tricky and dangerous. Having the correct tools, products, knowledge, and safety equipment are the most important aspects of exterminating these dangerous nests where we live, and our children and pets play.

We recently treated a ground nest where a couple’s son and his friends play basketball.  It was hidden in the ivy, on the hillside in range of an errant jump shot. We saw the nest while performing an ant treatment at the property, and informed the homeowner. They thanked us profusely for finding and treating the nest, as it was unbeknownst to them….and their son’s friend is highly allergic!

Another dangerous ground nest we found last week was in the backyard of a house where a couple’s young daughter had a small swimming pool. The nest couldn’t have been more than 5 feet from where the pool was! We were already at this house to treat a yellow jacket nest in a siding cavity at the front of the house. The homeowner requested we take a look around for other nests. We were able to spot and extinguish the nest before anyone was harmed.

 

Keep your eyes open.

LIND PEST CONTROL INC. performs treatments of this type several times each day.  There is a story behind each one and most have happy outcomes. A few have learned the hard way that they have a nest by being stung. Fortunately, this year, we have not run into a situation where an unsuspecting person or pet has been seriously injured by multiple stings. We still have a couple of months to go for our wasp season.

Each day their nests grow tenfold and they become more aggressive. Please keep a constant eye out for areas of concentrated yellow jacket activity in and around your home. Consider having a professional out to your house to give it the “once over”. We offer one-time perimeter sprays and or preventive maintenance sprays for spiders, ants, and other ground crawling insects.  We are glad to inspect the area during this service and make sure your family and pets are safe from these harmful pests.