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The holidays are the time that most of us travel at some point to see our family and friends. For many, that involves a night or more in a hotel. In order to make sure you don’t bring home any unwanted “gifts” from your trip, there are several easy things you can do to check your home away from home for bed bugs.

The first thing to realize is that bed bugs are not exclusive to a certain type of location. They have been found at hotels ranging from economy to upscale so spend a few minutes at the beginning of your stay doing a quick check of your room. The first place to check, and the most obvious, is the bed. You can pull back the comforter and sheets and check by the seams of the mattress. Bed bugs are flat, oval shaped and reddish brown in color. They are visible to the naked eye so if you see any insects matching this description, bring it to the hotel manager’s attention immediately.  Because bed bugs are small and like to hide, you should also look along the bed frame and the nearby baseboard and furniture.

Bed bugs are also nocturnal so it might be tough to catch them out during the day. If that is the case, then there are also other warning signs to look for. One thing to look out for is tiny spots of red blood or black excrement stains on the sheets, comforter or surrounding furniture. This can be a sure sign of infestation. Another thing you may notice is a sweet but unpleasant smell. The last warning sign is something you may realize after it is too late. When bed bugs bite, they often leave itchy welts on the skin. If this happens to you, then you should inform the hotel manager at once.

These few tips will help keep you happy and pest free during this busy holiday season. For any other pest control needs closer to home in the greater Los Angeles are, call the experts at Accuracy Plus at (888) 675-0258 for a free consultation today!

Most people contact Orange County pest control services for pest removal of insects such as termites, ants and bees, or of smaller mammals such as mice and rats. However, Los Angeles pest control services can also help you when you’re faced with a larger foe, such as a skunk, gopher or squirrels. These pests may not enter your home, but they can wreak havoc in your yard and make it difficult to let family pets run free. Let’s take a look at how Orange County pest control services can help with these animals:

• Skunks. Skunks are actually rather helpful animals. They eat insects and smaller rodents, keeping them out of your home. Because of this, the form of pest removal you want to use when dealing with skunks is to deter them, not kill them. This way the skunk will stay out of your backyard but will still be in the area as a natural control method for other pests. Los Angeles pest control services will do this by finding where the skunk burrows and filling in their den so they’ll leave your yard. So you don’t have to be worried about skunk pest removal again, you can soak rags in ammonia and place them around your yard – the smell will keep the skunk away.
• Gophers. Gophers cause quite a bit of damage to your yard. They’re usually spotted by the distinctive gopher mounds that pop up in the grass. There are a number of pest removal options out there for gophers, such as machines which cause vibrations meant to deter gophers and trapping them, but unfortunately these tend not to work. When you contact Los Angeles pest control services company Accuracy Plus, we’ll deal with you gopher problem by removing the gophers permanently with poison. It might seem cruel, but the eventual damage to your yard will be much crueler.
• Squirrels. Squirrels can damage gardens and scare away birds by eating the birdseed you provide them. They can also damage wires and your home if they build their nests on or around your roof. To prevent squirrels from taking over your property, remove all food sources. If this doesn’t work, you can contact Orange County pest control services, who can help with humane trapping techniques.

At Accuracy Plus, we deal with all of your pest removal needs, big and small. Contact us at 888-675-0258 for the best Los Angeles pest control services around.

Raccoons are highly intelligent, funny looking, and extremely pesky critters that have a knack for making a mess on your property.  Once they find a source of food at your house they’ll be back regularly to forage.  Unless you enjoy waking up to garbage strewn all over, dead birds, or raccoon droppings on your front lawn; you may want to find a way to control them.  The other concern is that raccoons are wild animals and they may carry infectious diseases, including rabies, which can be a risk to your family or pets.

Some people have tried scaring them off by startling them with loud noises, motion detector lights and water sprayers, or similar tricks.  Unfortunately, these are just a temporary fix.  Eventually the raccoons find a way around them.  Using poisons or pesticides is not a humane way to get rid of raccoons either, and you may end up simply injuring them rather than killing them as you intended.

So how do you get rid of raccoons?  In this case, prevention is the key.  As mentioned before, if they find an easy source of food they will consider it home.  That means you need to seal up your garbage cans or dumpsters tightly.  Remember, raccoons are very intelligent and they have opposable thumbs.  That means they have the ability to open latches or remove loose lids.  Your trash receptacles should therefore be locked down.  It also should go without saying that you don’t want to actively feed them yourself.  They are cute, but encouraging them is just going to get you invaded by a raccoon army.  If you have outdoor pets, you won’t be able to leave their food and water out all night, either.

To prevent raccoons from getting inside your house, be sure to seal off any possible openings.  Even though raccoons are slightly larger than the average house cat, they can fit into small spaces including chimneys, vents, and open seams along baseboards or roofs.  You may need to do some minor, low-cost repairs to your home exterior to ensure you have sealed it off completely.

However, if your problem is not getting better despite all your efforts, you may consider using humane traps to capture the animals without harming them.  You can always contact your local wildlife department and ask them what they recommend for trapping and disposing of pesky raccoons.

For a free Los Angles pest control inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to www.accuracypluscalifornia.com

Are you tired of trying to get rid of pests and insects from your home? It sounds like it’s time to think about a professional approach to pest control. But what exactly should you expect from a good professional pest control company? We think the following are essentials:

Timeliness and Efficiency – You make a call for an inspection, you should expect fast service. No one wants to wait around with a pest problem. Our company schedules regular inspections to track down your pest control problems and develop solutions.

Professional Approach – Our staff is trained on the newest technology and approach. We do careful inspections of your home to find the source of your pest problems.  Our employees listen carefully as you describe your problems. We welcome questions and are happy to show you the source of a problem.  We make repeated visits to make sure your pest problems are resolved.

Tiered Approach – We don’t just use one method of solving your pest problem. We want to great the best solution for you which includes a combination of steps, such as: focusing on access points, eliminating pests at the source of the problem, finding food or water sources and cleaning up, and providing a long-term pest control plan.

To get started, we need to inspect your home and determine your problem. From there, we’ll put together a comprehensive plan to make your home pest free. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/.

There are lots of ads in magazines advertising the wonder of all pest deterrents – ultrasonic pest control.  But do these pest control methods really work? Can you really count on them to rid your home or gardens of pests?

It sounds like a great idea, but unfortunately, Ultrasonic Pest control is mostly a myth. Here’s why:

Ultrasonic technology is based on the premise the insects or pests will find a noise – on a frequency that humans can’t hear – so annoying the will flee the vicinity or die. Tests show that many pests, such as mice and rats hear on the same frequency as humans. If we can’t hear the annoying noise, neither can the rats or mice. In fact, studies that put a rat or gerbil cage next to a device found the pets unaffected by the noise at all.

Frequency is another big factor. Even if the premise of the noise deterrent worked, the signal is often disrupted by any large object. In your home, this would include furniture of any kind. Outdoors, you’d have problems with trees, shrubs, walls, etc.

There are plenty of new, innovative techniques to rid your home and yard of pests. Unfortunately, Ultrasonic pest control isn’t one of them. Call us for an inspection and we’ll uncover the types of pests you are dealing with and put together an action plan to rid your home of them.

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

Pest control has come a long way since the days of spraying toxic chemicals with little concern for the environment or humans that breathe in the fumes. There are a lot of innovative pest control methods that minimize exposure to harsh chemicals.

Innovative pest control means using a multiple stage plan and a variety of techniques eliminate pests from a home or office space. Because the technology of pest control has changed so much over the last several decades, we are able to eradicate pest problems with far less toxicity than ever before. Let’s take a look at some of these techniques:

• Application of products in different formats – dusts offer much greater precision than wide spread sprays.
• Dust applicators that allow very precise application in cracks and crevices, the very areas that you see pest infestation.
• Wand applications that won’t clog in humid environments.
• Ability to seal access points much more effectively.
• Diagnostic tools to identify the types of infestation.
• Step-up plans to deal with pest control with the least amount of toxicity.

It’s easy to get a plan in place for innovative pest control. The first step is to have an inspection of your home and yard. We’ll identify potential pest problems and create a plan just for you.

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

Are you worried about the Africanized Honey Bee? There’s certainly been a lot of press about these bees and how dangerous they can be. But what are the true facts?

Africanized Honeybees were introduced into South America in the 1950s. The descendents of these introduced honeybees mated with regular honeybees, and the strain began to move up from South American into Mexico and the States.

Africanized Honeybees are very aggressive. While a normal honey bee will leave an area, Africanized honeybees are very protective of their environment. If they consider their environment threatened, they will react by stinging. They also tend to swarm in attacks, rather than individually. Africanized bees will also chase much further than a traditional bee – in fact, three times the distance.

Africanized bees will also swarm around man-made objects, such as drainage pipes, trash cans, or rock piles. If you suspect that you may have a bee hive near your home or yard, you need to take action. Call the experts to figure out whether this is a regular bee, and Africanized Honey Bee or a wasp. When you find out what type of insect, you can get the right plan in place to deal with them.

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

Are you afraid of being stung by a bee? Some people have legitimate medical reasons – a severe bee allergy that makes bee stings life threatening. Others just don’t want the pain and discomfort of a bee sting. There are some things you can do to avoid being stung by a bee. Use the following tips to be safe outside:

• Bees are attracted to sweet scents. Avoid wearing scented soaps, lotions or perfumes.
• Bright colors and floral patterns attract bees. If you look like a flower, you may attract bees and could get stung.
• Be careful of spills. If you have some slight spill on your clothing – juice, jam, any sweet smelling food, you could attract a bee.
• If a bee lands, don’t panic. If you make a sudden movement, you may startle the bee and it will react by stinging you.
• Try to gently move the bee. Rather than swat at it, try to blow gently on the bee. It may be encouraged to move on without startling.
• Avoid areas with a bee hives or populations.
• Carry a first aid kit. If stung by a bee, get the stinger out quickly. Some people suggest using a credit card to scrape the stinger out, a finger nail or dull blade works well also.

Prevention is also a great way to stay sting free. Many people mistake wasps for bees. If you have wasp nests around your home, you could be dealing with an entirely different bug – one that is much more aggressive.

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

Ants are relatively harmless insects. Very few varieties of ants bite. However, ants can contaminate your food, and certain varieties of ants damage the wooden structure of your home or fence. If you see a trail of ants in your home, it’s time to take action. You need to reclaim your house – make it ant free.

Ants are creatures that will travel vast distances to find food and water. If they have found a source in your home, they will leave an odor trail, letting all the other ants know that this is the place to go. Foraging ants go back and forth from the food source to the ant colony. That’s the trail of ants you see going in and out of your home.

Some ants are swarmers. These ants are winged, and leave their home colony to start a new nest. What’s especially frustrating is that these swarmers may start a new nest in your home – in a hard to find area such as inside a wall or in a crawl space.

The first step to controlling ants is to determine where the ant nest is and the food source. You may be surprised to find the ants coming in for just a few crumbs or a leaky tap. Once we find the ant nest, we destroy ant colony – including the queen.  Simply spraying the visible ants will not get rid of the problem – we need to trace it to its source.

We will carefully inspect your home and property to find the ant colony and treat it. We’ll continue to inspect on a regular basis to make sure that your home remains ant free.

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

Does the sight of an insect make you recoil in fear? Let’s face it – many people have an instinctive fear of insects. There’s actually good reasons for a fear of insects. For those of us that have strong sensory reaction, the feeling of tiny legs crawling over our skin is a little creepy. But even more important is the fact that insects do spread illness and disease.

Basically, if you can’t stand bugs, you may have a good reason. But, if your fear of bugs is becoming a strong aversion or phobia, you may need some help. There are a number of great ways to treat a fear of insects and bugs, including therapy or hypnosis. Many people may view a fear of bugs as a small problem, but when this fear is controlling your live – keeping you from going outdoor, enjoying activities, or living in fear – you need to do something.

There are a number of bugs or insects that are not only harmless, but are actually beneficial to have around. We know that honey bees pollinate trees and flowers, and produce delicious honey. Ladybugs eat other more harmful bugs.

One great way to fight your fear of bugs is to reduce the number of them in and around your home. We inspect homes to find bugs, insects or pests that could be harmful to your environment (tracking in illness or disease). We put together a plan to treat these insects and provide regular inspections to keep them from coming back. We’ll show you the bugs that are good to have around or harmless, and get rid of those you don’t want.

There’s no reason to live in fear of bugs when there are so many great solutions to deal with your fear and rid your home of pests.

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