Bugs. What to do?
 

We just bought a new pre-owned house in the Villages. (Love it) Yuk, but when we wake at 6 and groggily walk into the guest room area, there are 1 to 2 beetles with evidence of a few more. We sprayed Ortho at the plumbing openings and the doors. We thought we'd taken care of it but today we saw 2 on the kitchen floor. They've moved. We've always tried to fix things ourselves and wonder if you have advice. Help! A few particulars:

1. We have a very thick coating of bark surrounding the bushes around front, back, sides of our house. Someone told us this is Palmeto heaven. Should we get rid of the bark?

2. If you had a bug company come in, where do they spray?

Thanks a ton!, Carol

Call Deans or Massey. Here in the semi tropics it is important to have bug protection.

We had a similar problem with Pametto biugs aka Brazillian cockroaches. A real infestation. Massey got rid of them in one visit and now it is rare to see any around our pre-owned premier. They do a great job in making an inpenatrable barrier and return every 3 months or more if you call. Massey is the bomb! "bug bomb!

We have once=a=year and they are also great. my wife calls them everytime we see a bug and then come and spray the interior and parimeter for free as part of the contract. rarely see any of them giant roachs (water bugs) whatever, anymore.

We had an ant problem and Massey took care of it in one visit. They are super professional and I have no qualms about recommending them.

If you live in Florida, you'll need an exterminator. Call any of the reputable ones mentioned and you'll be in fine shape. Exterminator's will come on a regular basis and spray outside areas for sure. They don't need to come as often inside.

I have seen three palmetto bugs this week in my house - one dead, two not! Called Massey who does our pest control and they came out the same day to lay another barrier around the house. The Massey guy said it was the rain that drove them in the house. He said to block your sinks at night, including the shower (use a jar opener - they work great). He said they also come in through the exhaust fans in the bathrooms but you can't do anything about that. I hope this works because I have a severe phobia of bugs and these are particularly disgusting!

Ugh. These are not helping me with my post blind mosquito recovery. Garcie, you understand, right? I better get some bug counseling before we arrive permanantly in October....

Palmetto bugs are the only thing I haven't had yet. Maybe that's because I don't have any palm trees on my property.

I had Dean's & Massey and have let them go for 1 800 Pest Control... they are fantastic, I have contracts with them for inside, outside and shrub & trees spraying. They have been extremely responsive and reliable. I've been having them spray inside a few times this year and its covered under my contract and they come very quickly after I call for help. If I find a mound of red ants, they come the very next day and immediately take care of them.

Now,,, if I could only find someone for snakes???? This rain brought some of them up from the pond and I found 2 in my lanai. I am not a happy person right now. They are the long black snakes so they aren't dangerous but I don't want to kill them, just get rid of them. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Try giving them an eviction notice! http://www.4smileys.com/smileys/happ...y-smiley16.gif

Seriously, how about a snake hook, bought or Homemade if you know someone who could make it for you! You could then just pick them up on the hook and show them the way home!

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...RuHrMQxUFMK-uA

But if they R hanging out, you know you don't have mice!

If they got in you have a hole, blocking all possible holes that might give any snake an opportunity to get in.

Also take turpentine on small rag 2"x2" outside in few spots, they don't like it.

Come on Jimbo confess. You write the Heloise column in your spare time, right?

Maybe not, she says are not R. ;)

Cute, U R right as usual.

can someone please share what the average contract cost is.

Please take this advice: Florida is no place to try to be cheap in the battle against insects. You'll lose.

PS Start by bombing the whole house. Insect bombs are available at Home Depot.

When we first had thelandscapper plant our palms found a palmetto bug in the house. Massey came out treated the area and it was done. Massey said palmetto bugs only live 72 hours. told him that was 72 hours too long. the following year my neighbor planted palms. So i made another call to Massey

Bugs
 

Carol, I agree with the posters who say hire someone! We have Alliance Pest Control, and my husband and I both agree that no matter how poor we may ever be, our "pest guy" will be the first to get paid -- I HATE those big ugly things. We pay something like $200/year - but well worth it. We may see bugs in the house, but they are always DEAD! (My phobia is spiders).

Everyone is so good at helping //:pepper2:

On the bug bomb thing, we haven't ever done that because I am afraid of inhaled insect poisons.I personally would prefer having the professionals handle getting rid of them or in our case never getting any. Our bug service guys don't enter your house unless you see a bug, they spray the perimeter monthly I think, We usually would have some little tiny **** ants when we returned in the fall in both bath rooms when we were snowbirds and they would come immediately and put professional traps where they were...the kind you buy at Lowes were never as effective...and they placed them where our cats wouldn't get to them. They never have come inside to spray the whole house. They spray the exterior and always knock so we can take the cats off the porch. We also know to keep flour, sugar, etc. in closed container so as not to tempt bugs. I know that our whole neighborhood uses either Massey or Dean and I am glad, they are protecting our house by doing it.

Sweetie is reading the paper and he doesn't remember how much we pay yearly. More than anyone wants to, but I agree it is one thing we will not attempt to do ourselves.

Call and get several to come out and give you estimates, they don't hard sell you like water softener people. I would rather have bug service than a water softener. Massey and Dean are the biggest.

Just my view..

Thanks much.. Good advice. :)

Another Vote for Massey
 

The lady who owns the house we are buying (in two weeks) uses Massey and loves them. We plan to continue using all the same services she has used for 18 years. Massey sounds like my kind of pest control service (i.e. professional and prompt). Sorry but don't know what she pays monthly. We will be calling them when we come for closing.

I agree with those who posted "rely on the professionals". I keep some Amdro (sp) for ant mounds after a rain, some wasp and ant spray for spot treatments. But, with a regular service we never spray indoors as they get them on the outside. We pay $34 a month for our service here in Montgomery, just to give you something to compare. I would think somewhere around $300 a year sounds reasonable.

Hi Carol,
Another nod for Massey's. I used them for termite, pests and yard maintenance, so I don't remember the cost of the pest part. I agree with others who say to use a professional rather than trying to do it yourself. They know what to use when for prevention, not just treatment after the fact. You know what they say about an ounce of prevention.

you're suppsed to get out of the house for hours after you set offthe bombs. Oneshould read the directions.