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Are you worried about illnesses that are carried by insects? With the influx of West Nile Virus, people are starting to be a lot more cautious about mosquitoes and the possibility of illness.

One of the best ways to feel a little better about being outside is with the use of insect repellents. Unlike insect repellents, which actually kill the insects, repellents keep insects away. The insect repellant confuses the insect’s natural senses to look for a new location.

Insect repellents are available in products that are applied to the skin, or you can find repellants to use around your home. Some items, such as citronella candles or coils, will keep mosquitoes away from your patio and outdoor spaces. There are other essential oils that will repel a variety of insects and are useful when burnt as candles or added to diffusers around the home.

Lotions or sprays that are applied to the skin often contain chemicals such as DEET or Picardin. These chemicals disguise the skin odor of the wearer, making them unappealing to mosquitoes.

There are lots of great methods for keeping insects from spoiling your outdoor pleasure. When we do an inspection, we uncover problem areas, and suggest solutions, which may include repellants.  For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/.

Do you see a steady trail of little black or brown ants around your home? Ants are intriguing creatures – at least as long as they aren’t on your countertop.

Ants are social creatures that live in colonies. Sometimes, an ant colony can number as many as several million ants. Within the ant colony, there are many different responsibilities and jobs held by the ants, including queen, workers ants, and breeding ants.

Ants are hungry little creatures and love to feed off of scraps that we don’t even notice – crumbs and small pieces of food. Ants track into your house when the can find a food source. So if you get rid of their food source, you’re getting closer to getting rid of the ants. It’s difficult to see some of the crumbs that may be attracting ants.

Ants can be getting regular access to your home through cracks and gaps in your foundation. If you want to get rid of ants, you need to figure out how they are getting into your home and how you can close off access to your home.

Getting rid of food sources and controlling access to your home is one way that you keep ants out of your home. A good inspection will uncover the gaps and cracks that allow the ants into your home. We’ll find the most effective way to keep ants from coming back. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/.

Are you sick of gophers or moles making your lawn look like a miniature golf course? You can get rid of moles and gophers for good.

Moles and gophers feed off of the insects, grubs and worms that are found in soil. Unfortunately, they love to eat from the soil in your lawn. They make tunnels to pass through, and push the soil from their tunnels to the top surface of your lawn. That’s why you see the distinctive dirt piles.

There’s really only a few solutions effective for getting rid of gophers and moles. You use electronic sensors, hoping that the noise will distract them. Eventually, they find their way back to your yard.

Your best option is to consult with us for an inspection. We’ll find the best way to either trap the gophers and moles and relocate them or use a poison to kill them.  Because the gophers or moles aren’t entering your home, you don’t have to worry about them ingesting poison and decaying in your home. The gopher or mole will ingest the poison and stay in their tunnels.

For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/.

It seems a little innocuous to call insects and bugs “pests.” The name pest implies something that’s a little bit annoying. But insects can actually be quite hazardous to your health. Let’s take a look at of the health hazards.

Cockroaches are a big culprit. These awful insects track in disease and feces from the great outdoors, all around you house, your countertops, dishes, etc.  Mosquitoes are another source of worry. The West Nile Virus is spreading throughout this country. While the incidents are fairly low, you still don’t want to run the risk of injury or illness.

Another health hazard posed by insects is as from allergies or asthma. Many people have strong allergic reactions to bees or wasps. Having these creatures around the home could be a potentially painful and dangerous situation. Also, there is a new breed of bees – Africanized Honey Bees – that are quite aggressive and will attack if they feel threatened.

Spiders and fleas can also take a bit out of your health. Again, many people will experience mild allergic reactions to bites, and some spiders may be poisonous, while others make the bite victim feel nauseous or cause blood poisoning.

Insects, spiders and bugs are not as harmless as you may initially think. While they may be a nuisance, they can also pose a health hazard. We recommend an inspection to uncover insect or pest problems. We’ll recommend solutions that keep your family in good health. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/.

When it comes to pest control, there are a variety of different methods for getting rid of all of the creatures. Some pests respond well to one type of pest control method, others are more responsive to another type of product.

One of the most common methods of controlling pests is to use some type of insecticide – which could be a spray, a liquid or a powder. The insecticide works by either killing the pests upon contact, or is used as a bait which kills the insects when ingested.

Insecticides are especially effective against the following pests:

• Fleas
• Ants
• Spiders
• Flies
• Cockroaches
• Wasps
• Beetles

There are a lot of insecticides available for purchase in local hardware or home and garden centers. If you are going to use insecticides in your home, you should first get a pest control inspection. Many of the common insecticides are either not effective, or are so harsh that they may be dangerous when applied in your home.

We think insecticides are a great option for eliminating pests, but we always make sure that the insecticide is the right solution for your pest problem, and that you and your family are always protected. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to www.accuracypluscalifornia.com.

Are you looking for organic methods for controlling pests around your garden? Whether you grow flowers, fruits or vegetables, you want to have some form of pest control that is friendly to the environment and to humans. One option you should consider is using insecticidal soaps.

Insecticidal soaps share some of the same characteristics as regular soap. All soaps are made with fatty acids. What differs in insecticidal soaps is that the soap works by washing away the insect’s protective coating whenever the insect comes in contact with the soap.

The soap is not damaging to the plants. Normally, insecticide soaps are used with water. The insecticide is diluted in a water container and applied to the plant area. When you use insecticide soaps, you want to spray the insects, not the plants. The soap is most effective when used on infested areas, not as a preventative measure for future infestation.

Too much insecticidal soaps can damage your plants. While the soap will wash off over time, with rain or watering, if you apply on a daily basis you may be killing your plants.

We like to find healthy and organic solutions for pest control. We’d be happy to discuss some of the healthy ways of controlling pests inside and around your home. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/.

Are you looking for natural options to try and control insects? One of the best options is a naturally occurring chemical that’s been used for years, called Pyrethrum.  Pyrethrum is an extract from a type of Chrysanthemum. The oil extracted from the seeds of these flowers is powerful insect repellents, especially to mosquitoes.

Unlike many insecticides, Pyrethrum can be used repeatedly without insects developing a resistance. It’s a great base for insecticide sprays to use around a home or a pool. Pyrethrum will act in the following ways:

• It affects the central nervous system of many insects, immediately knocking them down and killing them.
• It causes some female mosquitoes to stop seeking blood for their meals.
• Pyrethrum also can cause insects to leave their hiding places.
• The scent of Pyrethrum will cause insects to leave the area without returning.

Pyrethrum gradually dissipates over time, so it’s necessary to reapply. With an occasional spray of a Pyrethrum based insecticide, you can keep insects, especially mosquitoes at bay. We have many different options for “green” insecticides to use around your home.

For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/.

There’s little doubt that termites can be one of the most frustrating insects to deal with – while they don’t pose a health hazard to humans, they certainly pose a hazard to your home. Untreated, termites can slowly eat away at the wood structures in your home. They feed of the protein found in wood.

Unfortunately, Southern California offers the perfect climate for termites – hot and humid. The best way to figure out if you have termites is to have your home inspected by a professional. But not all treatments for termites get rid of these nasty critters.

For instance, the most common treatment is to spray a chemical barrier around your home. However, these little guys can be creative, especially as they tunnel around your home’s foundation looking for entry points. If you are only spraying around your home, you may be missing an opportunity to really get rid of the termites.

An inspector will study all the areas around your home, not only the exterior but interior wood work. If you do have termites infecting your wood, you need to have that wood treated or replaced to get rid of the termites. Even after treatments, you should have at least an annual inspection to make sure that the termites are truly at bay. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/.