Snap Pest Control

Thanks Patrick. This was a tricky job in that raccoons were coming in from a neighbour's property into my client home. The job required me to mesh off a 3 story gap on a roof which was falling apart and dangerous all around. Personally, I`ve never seen such a large raccoon exit through a 1-way door. Thanks again, Joe

Seeing ants on an exterior wall is the beginning of a carpenter ant problem. Every time an ant ventures up and down a wall a pheromone is released. Invisible to us the trail can stay for years. The ants follow it up and then over winter in a nice attic space. Then one warm sunny winters day they awaken thinking it is spring and can be seen in various rooms of a home. Therefore it was wise to call about the ants when my client did because of the potential for an even larger problem down the road. The ants were eating the tree in order to create galleries for their nests and it was dangerously weak. I`m talking about a branch that was 2 feet wide by 30 feet long that came down with hardly an force exerted on it whatsoever. The inner section of it was gone and with a new family and little kids in the picture it had to go. The tree was a good distance from the home but as soon as I saw the clothes line attached to it I new it was the source of the problem. I left this job with a good feeling in that I averted the potential for serious accident. Thanks again for the review Joe

Oriental roaches can be one of the hardest pests to control. These roaches are able to live outdoors in warm months and are seen in homes as they venture in to over winter. They differ from German roaches in that there are no obvious nests that can be isolated and wiped out. Oriental roaches tend to be seen more in the spring and fall when rains are heavy and sewers are flowing. To escape the extra water they venture upwards and invade buildings and homes. Restaurants in particular may experience problems with these bugs because the organic material and food debris that is washed down drains invites them into structures. Once in they meander around and mysteriously show up in random locations. Sightings can be sporadic and only add to this roaches ability to make it even more annoying and difficult to control. Thanks for the review,Joe

Thanks for the review. Bed bugs are known to hide and will spread around and become even more entrenched through random spraying. There is no standard method by which all exterminators conduct treatments. I've seen all kinds of treatment methods out there from fogging, spraying, dusting ,dogs, vacuuming, heat treatments , cold treatments, the list goes on and on. I like to assess each and ever job individually and conduct it based on a solid inspection followed by systematically looking for the bugs This approach may take a whole day but call backs are rare and lives are disrupted once only. Thanks again for the review,Joe

Thanks guys for the great review. This issue manifested itself initially in the winter months. Sluggish carpenter ants were being found in various rooms of the house. I've seen this countless times before and knew full well that the problem really started the previous summer. It is important to understand that ant jobs are about observation and timing. In nature ants tend to forage and navigate via established pheromone trails. Trails are invisible and can last for years on a structure. Therefore, logically speaking it becomes important to erase the trail starting from its source. The primary nest with the queen could be in neighbors back yard or across the street in a park. In this particular case I was able to establish the source as well as erase the trail leading to the home. The issue was dealt with without randomly spraying chemicals everywhere in the hopes that they would just go away. Just because one does not see ants by the way doesn't mean the problem has been solved. These ants work in the early morning going to and fro while we are all sleeping . I educated my clients in what to look for if and when they should reappear. Thanks again, Joe

I was amazed too. I looked at the house and thought there was only one possible way they could be getting into that extension. Sure enough the little bears had dug a tunnel from one neighbors extension across and under a walkway and into my clients boarded up extension. I'm talking about a detached home and a tunnel that was 20 feet away. The clincher for me was the raccoons ripped off the vent underneath and created a little air conditioned rent free living space. I knew they were up to something when I saw the a/c blowing under there. I had seen this scenario before except in the reverse during the winter of last year. I reinstalled the vent and we told the neighbor to board up his space and this job was finalized. Thanks again,Joe

Thanks for the great review. I'm always amazed at the far reaching potential of subterranean termites. A shelter tube created by the termites was seen protruding from a basement ceiling one day by my clients.They were fortunate enough to have called a local pest control company run by one of my mentors. He took one look and knew right away that the problem was termite related. The plan was to remove portions of the affected ceiling and walls to ascertain an entry point as well as develop a plan of action. I removed a 2 x 6 that was butted up against the bottom portion of a wall and discovered an used electrical box that was cut into the cinder block foundation. It was clear that the termites were entering via this spot but since the rest of the home was finished it was decided to treat all affected wood by cross drilling with a borate. I made calculations and the slab and exterior were treated with a termitcide with excellent soil bonding properties. Water issues were also addressed and a follow up visit in 6 months was arranged where the still exposed wood (showed no signs) was retreated as insurance.

Thanks for the review. I must admit that bed bug jobs are particularly challenging and require a systematic approach to become successful. There are no standardized way that bed bugs are tackled. I personally like to conduct a long inspection then plan my treatment accordingly. These jobs take time and a lot attention to detail. A bed bug job can yield poor result's and even spread to non infected areas quickly. Better to leave these particular jobs to a professional or a continued re - infestation can become a true reality for a home-owner.

thank you for your kind review. I couldn't believe how many raccoons we trapped and released. Joe

Thanks for the review. Raccoon mothers can be unpredictable depending upon their experience. This seasoned mother wasn't going into any trap so the babies were placed in a lined cardboard box outside.Joe