If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Are you sick of bugs in your yard and garden? Tempted to try to get rid of all the insects? Well, even though you may not enjoy them, there are some insects that are beneficial to your yard, garden and plants. You don’t want to get rid of these “good bugs”.

Let’s take a look at some of the beneficial bugs:

Praying Mantis: These insects are great eaters and will rid your garden of a variety of bugs.

Wasps: While you may not like wasps buzzing around your head, the do eat aphids and also pollinate your plants.

Ladybugs: Ladybugs have voracious appetites – they can eat as many as 50 to 60 aphids a day.

What bugs do you want to avoid? Some of the “bad bugs” include:

Aphids: These tiny insects suck the sap from plants and take away the growing tips of plants.

Japanese Beetles: These beetles are very destructive to green leafy plants. They feed on many types of annuals, perennials and shrubs, taking big bites out of the leaf and leaving behind the veins of the leaves.

Spider Mites: Spider mites attack plants, especially in hot climates like Southern California. These small insects suck the sap from the underside of the leaf.

When it comes to enjoying your backyard or garden, you should be able to experience it free of annoying insects that cause harm. Our inspection finds those insects that are damaging your plants or yard. We develop a plan to get rid of them, while keeping the “good bugs” around.

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

Dangerous Insects – Mosquitoes and Disease

Do you dread the drone of mosquitoes near your ear? There are some good reasons to be hyper alert when it’s mosquito season. Mosquitoes are more than just a mere annoyance. In fact, mosquitoes can be harmful to your health.

Mosquitoes transmit disease and illness when they bite. Technically, a mesquite injects a needle like protrusion into your skin. It releases a blood anti-coagulant to get your blood flowing, then it sucks you blood up and flies away. As the mosquito transfers the anti-coagulant to your blood, it can also transfer disease, because it can transmit disease and illness from its last victim as part of the process.

There are many illnesses that can be transferred by mosquitoes. Some examples include malaria, filariasis (a type of encephalitis), and the one most people worry about: West Nile virus. West Nile virus is more a type of encephalitis that can be transmitted through infected birds. The incidence of reported West Nile virus increases each year.

You can limit your exposure to mosquitoes through careful inspection of your property. We’ll uncover any areas that are the perfect breeding ground for insects. Once those breeding grounds are eliminated, your exposure is decreased.

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

Not only do you want to keep your home free from pests, but you also want to be able to enjoy your yard and garden – without having to swat away flies, bees or other insects.

When it comes to taking control of pests outside your home the same principles apply: inspect your home for problem spots and take action. You don’t have to coat your garden or pool area with pesticides. A little prevention will go a long way towards controlling pests.

Here are some steps to keep your outdoors bug free:

Look for weak or infested plants. These week plants are great food for insects. Get rid of the plant or treat that plant with proper insecticides. You may want to add seaweed mulch in place of soil to make your plants healthy and keep them bug free.

Get rid of rotting fruit or vegetables. Fallen fruit from trees is a great food source for bugs and insects. Removing the food source keeps the bugs out.

Pick up after pets. Not the most pleasant of tasks, but keeping your yard free from pet feces also keeps bugs at bay.

Taking Control of Pests in the Garden

Look for standing water. Anytime you have water – whether a pond or a puddle – it’s a great breeding ground for many insects, especially mosquitoes. Get rid of the standing water, and you stop the breeding grounds. Even drippy irrigation or faucets can create enough water to provide pests with a great environment.

When we inspect your home, we look over your garden and outdoors. We’ll find any areas that may be ideal for pests, and eliminate those ideal situations. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/.

Do you want to get pests under control without the use of a lot of chemicals? There are some great tried-and-true methods for natural pest control, and some that aren’t that successful. We’ll focus on three proven natural pest control methods:

Bring on the Sweet Stuff

Many bugs and pests are naturally attracted to sweet scents. When you combine those naturally sweet scents with a little glue paper, you’ve got natural flypaper. Start with some citronella candles, put some glued paper around the candles, and you’ll trap the flies.

Essential Oils

Essential oils have a long history of being useful for a variety of things, including pest control. Peppermint oil, eucalyptus, and lemon are all great natural oils that detract pests. Essential oils can be very toxic, so be careful when using them. Dilute the oils in water to keep the oils from burning if you come into contact with them.

Herbs

Some herbs are not only great for your garden or your food, but are also great for keeping bugs away. Basil, thyme, mint and lavender are all great examples of strong smelling herbs that distract and detract pests from your home.

There are lots of solutions for pest control. When we inspect a home, we find the problem areas and put together a plan of action for your home. Before long, you’ll be pest free. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/.

Years ago, the best method of pest control was to introduce harsh chemicals and toxins into an area that was infested. The pests were taken care of, but at what cost. These dangerous chemicals may have presented some serious health problems, some that we don’t fully understand.

Today, we take a completely different approach to pest control. Harsh chemicals or toxins are not the first choice. Instead, pest professionals use an integrated approach – using a combination of different methods to eliminate the problem.

Let’s take a look at some of the methods used:

Proper sanitation – Pests are attracted to food sources. Crumbs on counters, grease in sink traps, garbage not properly sealed, these are all great food sources. Even standing water can be a great breeding ground for insects. Our inspections find those problem areas so you can take care of them.

Physical barriers – Sometimes pests simply look for opportunity. During our inspection, we look for cracks or holes into your home – these spots provide easy access for pests and rodents.

Baits – Unlike harsh chemicals, baits are a great way to trap pests without spraying the entire home. The pests are attracted into the bait, and unable to get back out. Simply through the trap away and get rid of the pests.

Chemical application – We no longer have to spray all over for pest control. The technology for application of chemicals is much more refined. We can actually apply chemicals in small amounts to the affected area. This spot treatment gets rid of pests without wide spread chemical use.

With an inspection, we’ll uncover your problem pest areas and put together a plan using many technologies to get your home pest free. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/.

It’s one thing to try to get rid of insects – you can spray or trap them and keep them away. But sometimes it’s much more frustrating to try to fight another kind of pest – animal pests.

Animal pests can do just as much damage as insects. They will often feed off foliage from your plants and shrubs, or eat your grass. Other animals get inside your home and nibble or gnaw at walls, wood, furniture, even wiring.

You can do a lot to control animal pests – birds, rabbits, mice, rats, moles, squirrels, etc. Here are some quick tips for helping to control some of the pests:

Make your property difficult to access. Sometimes a fence will deter some pests, but even more important, check around your property for points of access. Look for cracks in the foundation, holes in walls, screens or windows.

Remove hiding places. If animal pests don’t have access to nesting grounds, they may not be as tempted to stay. Don’t store items outdoors; remove garbage immediately; don’t leave woodpiles against a wall or fence. Remove piles of leaves and keep grasses trimmed.

Use motion devices. Some timid animals might be deterred by outside devices that create noise – pinwheels, wind socks, wind chimes, etc. Use anything that might startle them and keep them from exploring.

Consider having natural predators. Dogs and cats do a lot to discourage pests from staying in your home. You can also scare off some birds with decoys of other bird varieties, such as owls.

Ask about live traps. Sometimes the best solution is to trap and animal and remove it from your home area. This will keep the animal from wandering back.

You’d be amazed at how much damage pests can do around your home, and the amazingly creative ways they find to get into your home. With an inspection, we’ll uncover any potential pest problems and find solutions to rid your home of those pests. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/

Plants are a favorite food source for many pests – whether it’s fruit, flowering or leafy trees. It’s frustrating to see your hard work and efforts, growing trees, shrubs or flower beds, infested with pests. You can certainly opt for a number of pest control solutions, including spraying the plants. Another option to consider is using plants to discourage pests.

Certain herbs and flowers repel many types of pests. Let’s take a look at some of the plants that could help improve your yard:

• Chives are very effective at removing scab in apple trees and removing black spot on rose bushes.
• Tansy will keep ants from making a picnic, or ant holes, throughout your yard.
• Oregano, Sage, and Thyme works wonders at keeping moths away from your patio.
• Elderberry is a great plant outdoors (it can be potentially poisonous when used indoors). If you have a problem with moles, try some Elderberry leaves or branches in the mole holes. A tea made from Elderberry leaves will control aphids when applied to rose bushes.
• Garlic not only adds great flavor, but its strong odor will chase many pests out of your yard.
• Lemon balm and eucalyptus both discourage mosquitoes from your yard.

We think it’s important to look at all kinds of solutions for pest control. The first step is to determine what kind of pests are in and around your home and put together an action plan. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/

While we enjoy the beautiful summer sunshine and all the opportunities outdoors, there are plenty of pests that seek shelter from the sun – primarily in our homes. If you aren’t careful, you might found your home overrun by these creatures.

There are several methods for controlling the pests in your home and keeping your home pest free in the summer. Here are varieties of control methods you can use:

Cultural Control – This method of control keeps insects and pests from further developing. If you control an insects access to nesting or breeding grounds, you help control that population. Some examples include tying garbage bags closed, keeping garbage in cans with tight lids, cleaning up any freestanding water (even puddles or spots from leaky pipes), and cleaning counters and floors. If you create less opportunity for breeding you help control the population.

Biological Control – Some pest control methods actually involve introducing known pest competitors to kill off the annoying pests. For instance, some harmless wasps will kill off housefly populations, ladybugs will kill off aphids.

Chemical Control – There are a number of baits that attract insects and kill them. There are also a number of chemicals that interfere with the insects ability to reproduce, or simply kill insects outright. Many of these chemical solutions are low in toxicity or even naturally occurring.

Controlling summer pest populations often requires a multi-phase approach. There are a number of ways that we can help you control the insects and pests around your home. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/

If you enjoy a beautiful yard, you may find yourself battling a variety of pests and insects. Some insects and pests damage the grass and plants around your yard, others simply make it difficult to enjoy being outside. If you are wondering what’s invading your outdoors, you may be dealing with:

Ants – While these insect might not do much damage to the yard, they can be obnoxious when it comes to biting and invading your outdoor snacks.

Armyworms – Armyworms are found in warm climates and enjoy feeding off of the grasses that make up your yard. They leave a trail of destruction behind them. Armyworms measure about ¼ to 2 ½ inches and look like a caterpillar with a light stripe on each side. During their adult stage, they turn into a brown-gray moth.

Cutworms – Cutworms start in the caterpillar stage. During their larvae stage, cutworms infest lawns and hide inside soil and thatch. They will cut plants of at the soil level. Later in their life cycle they turn into moths. You’ll see these moths around outdoor lights.

Grubs – Grubs damage a great deal of lawns across the country. These pests are really beetles that feed off of the roots of plants and grasses. They become especially prevalent in the warm summer months.

If you think your lawn might be infested with any of these creatures, we can help. With the right treatment, you can enjoy a healthy, green lawn and vibrant flowers and shrubs around your home. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/

Do you sometimes catch a trail of ants entering your house? Do you watch cockroaches scurry under cabinets when you turn on the lights? Do you worry about being outdoors and being attacked by bees or wasps? If these problems sound familiar, you need to take a proactive approach to get rid of unwanted pests and insects from around your home and yard.

Here are a few tips to help you keep your house bug free:

1. Store food and beverages in air-tight containers. Cereal, flour and other staples are invitations to bugs. Any crumbs, fruit peelings or cores, act like bug magnets. The more you do to eliminate potential food sources, the less bugs you’ll have inside your home.
2. Clean up counters, floors and sinks. Don’t allow your countertops or sink to have sugar, food crumbs or grease. Cockroaches are opportunistic creatures. If you make it easy for them to find food, they’ll be happy to stay for a while.
3. Get rid of any standing water – even small leaks. Water from leaky pipes can be a great breeding ground for many insects. Even a simple puddle in the yard can attract mosquitoes and other insects and create an ideal breeding ground.
4. Seal up cracks, holes and opening. Carefully look around your home for any cracks in the foundation, holes in screens or other openings to the great outdoors. Mice and rats are able to squeeze through the smallest holes.
5. Don’t leave out pet food. Cat or dog food that is left out in the open is likely to attract all kinds of pests. Why look elsewhere when there’s a great food source next to the water bowl?
6. Keep your yard clean. Pick up any fallen fruit or branches, keep the grass cut low, pick up grass trimmings.

Most pests and insects are attracted to a home that makes it easy for them to find food and shelter. The harder you make it, the less likely they are to come into your home. We inspect your home to eliminate those potential access areas and food sources that keep pests coming back for more. For a free inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/