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What does a termite look like?

Termites are sometimes mistaken for flying ants but, there are several distinct differences between them.

Flying ants or termites — What does a termite look like?

Any homeowners know that the first sign of a termite infestation is the swarm of flying insects. However, not all swarming insects are termites, they could be flying ants.

Here’s how to tell the difference:

• Ants have a pinched or narrow waist. Termites have a straight waist.

• Flying Ants have bent antennae. Termites have straight antennae

• Flying ants have bigger front wings. Termites have wings of equal size.

• Other signs of termites are the dropped wings and damaged wood.

Roach Extermination-Are Roaches Dangerous?

Most people don’t like seeing cockroaches in their home but, many don’t realize that a roach can carry disease. Roach extermination is important in the initial stages, when you first see signs of a cockroach. You may not see the actual roach but, you will probably see their droppings.

Cockroach Treatment — Treating Roaches early is Important!

Our highly trained pest control technicians carefully treat both the structure’s interior and exterior to control pests through various methods of spraying, baiting and extermination.

Peninsular Pest Control programs work with you to rid your home or office of roaches, silverfish, spiders, ants (including carpenter ants), earwigs, centipedes, scorpions and rodents, to name a few. We gladly work with your schedule to provide interior and exterior treatments on a quarterly or annual basis.

Why isn’t my new sod growing?

If you just moved into a newly built home and your grass is not looking as good as it should? There is a probably a good reason.

New subdivisions are often created on top of an existing sandy soil composition. Most builders don’t add rich topsoil to the ground before the sod is installed and therefore the grass will not thrive. We all know grass needs nutrients to grow …but a healthy soil profile containing rich, organic matter is equally important. Just adding fertilizer to the lawn will not help… unless there is healthy soil below.

Soils that are gray or sandy colored generally contain less organic matter and you need to add topsoil.

Once the soil has had time to penetrate the grass blades, property fertilization will have a much better chance of working.

Can mosquitoes be controlled in the yard?

The answer is YES!

Our Mosquito Exterminators at Peninsular use advanced techniques which provide treatment for mosquitoes. Our Technicians pay special attention to area of the yard where the mosquitoes rest during the day as well as the exterior perimeter, to prevent pest entry.

What does the insecticide spray do?

Adulticide sprays immediately kill flying mosquitoes. Larvicide sprays kill mosquito larvae that hatch from eggs and lasts longer than adulticide sprays. Both products will temporarily reduce mosquito populations in an area, but will not permanently get rid of them.

What can I do to keep the mosquitoes from coming back?

It is important to begin your mosquito control efforts as early as possible before the breeding cycle goes into full swing. Things you can do around your yard are: remove any standing water. Mosquitoes need water to breed. This can be flower pot bases, garbage can lids, coolers, even a stagnant birdbath.

What causes these brown areas in my yard?

Before you start treating for insects, it’s a good idea to just do a simple check for drought. That could very well be your problem and it’s easy to remedy!

This video will show you how to check for drought and what to do it you discover that it is your issue.

How do you check trees for Formosan Termites?

Formosan termites have been in the news lately because some of our historic trees in the Riverside area are becoming infested and damaged. But, we are noticing calls from all over the Jacksonville area.

Here’s George to explain how to check your trees:

This has generated a lot of concern for both home and business owners. Here are a few things you can look for: Mud Tubes Hollowed out areas of around the tree Actual termites

If you see activity, it’s important to take immediate action because your gorgeous decade old trees are at risk;

One very effective way of killing the termite colony is to have Sentricon always active bait stations installed around the tree to prevent any further damage.

Difference between flying ants and termite swarmers

What do swarming termites look like:

Termites in Florida can actually swarm during any month of the year.

The termite swarmers don’t actually do the damage but, it usually means that there is a subterranean termite colony nearby. Homeowners often confuse flying ants with swarming termites. Here’s how to tell the difference:

Peninsular Pest Control offers two different types of termite treatment and prevention: Termidor and Sentricon.

Adding Lime to Lawns:

We will begin to provide our annual lime application service in January and February. This application helps to adjust the pH of the soil to maximize usage of nutrients within the grass plants. We use a Calcium based product which releases within 2-3 weeks.

Most people are familiar with Dolomite Lime from local hardware stores which takes 3 or more months to notice results in the pH. Calcium is needed to build stronger cell walls in the turf.

Correction of low soil pH with lime is a major concern to all who grow plants, from the commercial producer to the home gardener. The reason for liming an acidic soil is to improve the performance of the plants being cultivated. Soil acidity affects the plants root environment, which ultimately affects plant growth and performance. Most plants grow better in slightly acidic soil than in strongly acidic soil. When a soil is too acidic for proper plant growth, lime may be applied to reduce the acidity. The proper pH level also helps with the uptake of the fertilizer applied to the lawn.

Learn More about Lime Application at:

www.crittergitter.com//lawncare/lime-application-for-your-lawn/

Sod Webworm Identification

Tropical sod webworm larvae are destructive pests of warm season turfgrasses in our area.

The first sign of damage is often caused by differences in grass height in areas where larvae are feeding. The sod webworm feeds at night, their counterpart, the army worm feeds during the day and are a little larger than the sod webworm.

You can find sod webworms by parting the grass and looking for a small C-shaped worm curled up in a green pile of their excrement at the thatch level. What you will have found is the larval stage of the sod webworm moth. It’s the larval stage that will crawl through the grass and chew the blades down to the root zone.

Treatment requires two treatments in order to break the life cycle of the insect. As the eggs hatch out, that next cycle of worms will need to be treated. The reason it’s best to call a professional exterminator is due to the volume of material that is needed to control the sod webworms. The Peninsular technician will inspect the lawn to determine where the sod webworm has started to eat the lawn. This is usually a brown color that is shorter than the rest of the lawn, almost as if a weed eater has attacked that area of the lawn.

Pest Control Questions and answers:

Do those large ants bite?

Florida carpenter ants seek either existing voids in which to nest or excavate only soft materials such as rotten or pithy wood and Styrofoam. The main nests for the black carpenter ant are usually found outside, with satellite nests found indoors within voids or under insulation.

Carpenter ants are primarily nocturnal in their foraging behavior. Carpenter ants do not sting but they do bite and can spray formic acid into the fresh wound if the ant is not removed quickly.

Homeowners often see these ants foraging inside their home at night. An experienced pest management professional, or a determined homeowner, can usually follow a trail of ants back to the ants’ nesting site and treat it. Carpenter ant complaints are numerous during the spring swarm season, usually between April and June, when winged reproductives are often found in homes, mainly along window ledges and near sliding glass doors.

What does the Peninsular Termite Guarantee mean?

Let’s talk about termite coverage in Florida. Termites cause more damage each year than hurricanes floods and fire combined. Termites are discovered in more than 5 million homes on average each year in the United States. Unless you call Alaska home, your house is not safe from termite damage. The National Pest Management Association estimates termite damage costs U.S. homeowners $5 billion each year.

How can they cause so much damage? A subterranean termite colony can include millions of termites, and the worker termites forage for food 24/7. Their food is the wood in your home: your floors, walls and ceilings. And a termite may only need a 1/16″ space to pass through your foundation and reach the wood above.

Retreatment-only coverage, In the event of live termite activity, the company will retreat at no additional cost.
Retreatment and repair coverage provides in the event of live termite activity both retreatment and repairs will be covered. Not all structures qualify for repair coverage.
Only one certified and licensed pest control operator can provide current coverage on the same property per the State of Florida.
The phrase termite bond or warranty, is a maintenance agreement renewed annually. The Termite Agreement is to provide treatment and control if termites are discovered. Annual inspections are provided.

Active termite coverage is important when buying or selling a home. If a home inspector finds a termite problem, often a termite treatment is required prior to the closing. Likewise, certain lenders may not be willing to provide a mortgage for at-risk homes without a bond. Ternite coverage may help homebuyers qualify for lower cost loans as well. The majority of termite service agreements are transferrable to a new homeowner.

It is important that you read the detail in the contracts as some have many exclusions. In addition it’s important to understand what wood-destroying organisms are covered. Most cover subterranean termites. It’s important in our area of Northeast Florida that you include coverage for the aggressive Formosan Termites. You can check on a company you are interested in having in your home with the Better Business Bureau, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services or other consumer forums like Angi (formerly Angie’s List).

How do I know if I have chinch bugs or drought?

If your lawn is turning brown in certain areas, take a few minutes to watch this video that will show you how to determine if your lawn has drought or chinch bugs:

What are these bugs in my yard?

Lubber locusts are small black grasshoppers that appear in large numbers in the landscape. It is possible to control them when they are young before they become 3-4 inches long. Learn more about these colorful insects in George’s article on Medium.com HERE.

Lubber Locust can destroy certain plants, especially citrus so, you may need help controlling them if they become overwhelming.

Jadera bugs are small reddish insects that feed on the seeds of Golden Rain trees and appear in large numbers.

Jadera Bugs don’t cause any real harm to humans but, if you happen to step on them they can stain the carpet as you walk inside your home.

So, it’s best to just enjoy this natural phenomena!

Mining Bees (ground bees) are harmless borrowing bees found in the landscape. They are known for their small mound of soil with a clear pencil size entrance hole.

Mining or Digger Bees are only around between 4-6 weeks to raise their young.

They are not aggressive and don’t even defend their nest so, it’s best not to try and treat them or destroy them. Just enjoy their presence while they are around.

How can I tell if my house has fleas?

If you think you have a flea problem inside of your home. Do this simple test: Place a white cloth on the area of the floor that is most likely to have the fleas. Whether it’s where your pet lies during the day or it’s simply near a chair that YOU sit in and are continually bitten. Fleas are attracted to white, and they will appear on the cloth. This would obviously be an area that needs to be treated.

Flea treatment for homes is just as important as the treatments used to protect our pets. Creating a safe and comfortable home for your pet. Although the pet may be shielded from fleas, you could be living in a house that is flea infested. These biting insects are very creative! They can enter a home on your shoes or pants. Treating both the home and yard is important.

Am I seeing flying ants or termites?

Flying Ants have a pinched waist and Termite Swarmers have a straight waist. Flying Ants have bent antenna and Termite Swarmers have straight antenna. Ants have larger front wings while Termites have wings of the same size. A diagram of the difference between the two insects is visible on the YouTube video below.

Why am I seeing more Mosquitoes this year than I did last year?

Should I add lime to my lawn?

It is recommended that you check the pH of your soil before adding lime. This video will explain the details:

Why are some weeds not dying?

Weed control is a partnership between the homeowner and the Local Pest Control Company. There are three types of weeds in our area and they all react differently to herbicide. This video will explain the difference:

What do termites look like?

Here’s how you tell the difference between flying ants and termites swarmers:

What should I do if I see termite swarmers?

Call us immediately so we can inspect your home to make sure they are termites, not flying ants. Once you have your Sentricon® System in place you can simply vacuum them up.

What can I do to help keep termites out of my home?

What are some signs of subterranean termites?

Finding Termite Wings Around or Outside Your Home. … Mud Tubes Near or Within Your Home. … Hidden Subterranean Termite Damage under Bubbling and Peeling Paint. …

What can I do immediately to prevent termites?

Prevent Extra Water Accumulation. … Don’t Store Extra Wood Near Your Home. … Have a Sentricon Specialist install a Subterranean Termite Baiting System.

Find more informative videos on our YouTube channel: PeninsularPest