The post The Wonderous Snail appeared first on Hydrex Pest of the North Bay, Inc..

Early or faux spring can awaken lots of different types of insects.  I had a honey bee bump into my forehead on his way to the customers garden.  He hovered as if to excuse himself (or regain his equilibrium) and then went about his business.

All and all a wonderful time of year to have an outdoor occupation!  Keep Hydrex Pest Control in mind when the warm weather pests start “bugging” you.  Remember, the earth needs the honey bee!  If you experience a swarm, give us a call for a list of beekeepers near you.

The post Servicing the Wine Country appeared first on Hydrex Pest of the North Bay, Inc..

The post Happy Holidays appeared first on Hydrex Pest of the North Bay, Inc..

The young oakworm caterpillar is hairless and yellowish-green with dark stripes and has a head that appears too big for its body. The adults are mostly black with bright stripes. Apparently they start in the spring when it warms up and new leaves form. but be active through late fall.  You’ll see them eating leaves, hanging on silk threads from the oak trees and moving on the ground. After about 6 weeks they turn into a brown moth. The adults don’t eat, they just mate and lay eggs.

When deciding whether or not to treat the trees, know that these pests are cyclic. An infestation this year makes it less likely to happen next year. The amount of eggs on the tree(s) this winter will be a good indicator as to whether or not they are coming back and if control is necessary. Even when a tree is completely stripped of leaves (defoliated) it almost always recovers.  So just keep an eye on the affected tree(s) and they will let you know if they need some help.

The post Oak Tree Pests appeared first on Hydrex Pest of the North Bay, Inc..

There are quite a few species which include the northern Pacific rattlesnake (in northern California), and the Western Diamondback, Sidewinder, Speckled rattlesnake, Red Diamond rattlesnake, Southern Pacific, Great Basin rattlesnake and the Mojave rattlesnake (all found in Southern California).

Most snakes are not aggressive and if given the chance to slither away they’ll take it. Generally strikes occur when the snake is trapped, bumped into or stepped on.

According to The California Poison Control Center, rattlesnakes account for more than 800 bites each year, but only one to two end in death.

The most common place to encounter rattlers are when hiking but there is the occasional urban sighting.

Most peoples first instinct is to kill the snake.  We need to remember that snakes are beneficial to the environment.  They keep down the rodent population and eat other reptiles and insects. If you do encounter one, give the snake some room and a chance to move off on his own.

When hiking, always go with someone and wear ankle high hiking boots and loose fitting pants.  The most common places to be bitten are the hands feet and ankles.  Do not walk barefoot in the woods or reach into areas such as old fallen trees where a snake may take shelter.

If you are bitten, stay calm (easier said then done) wash the bite area gently with soap and water, keep the bite area below the heart and get a ride to the nearest hospital.  Below are some pictures to help you identify common snakes in our area.  If you have a snake that does not want to leave your property there are reptile rescue services in most counties.  In Sonoma County you can contact

http://www.orgsites.com/ca/sonomacountyreptilerescue/

Gopher snake, often confused with a rattler snake.                         Red Diamond Rattle snake

                                                                Baja Rattle snake                                                                                          Northern Pacific Rattle Snake                             

The post Did I Hear a Rattle? appeared first on Hydrex Pest of the North Bay, Inc..

This is the time of year when you will see wasps moving to and fro to their painstakingly built nests.  The nests are attached to a structure by a stalk built by the wasps. They secret a chemical that they place around the base of the stalk that repels ants that could potentially attack  their eggs.  You can usually spot the nests under the eaves of the house. Keeping these nests knocked down is just one of the things our pest control technicians add to their list of things to do around your house during the warmer months.

These wasps, commonly referred to as paper wasps, are not generally aggressive unless disturbed. Unfortunately they may find the increased activity in the yard during the summer months disturbing.  Because their stings are painful, and can potentially produce an anaphylactic reaction in some people, it is best to eliminate them from your environment.  Call a professional to handle this situation to ensure that you or members of the family don’t get stung.

We at Hydrex Pest Control of the North Bay wish you and your family a fun, safe summer season!

The post Summer Visitors appeared first on Hydrex Pest of the North Bay, Inc..

So mud tubes are the most obvious sign that you have subs.  Here are a couple of pictures to remind you what they look like.  Check around the base of your house when mowing the lawn or raking the leaves. Make it a part of your chores.

Crawl your subarea a couple of times a year or have your pest control professional do it.  When you are down there with the creepy crawlies in your miners light helmet, you should feel good about the fact that you are  protecting your investment.

Here is a good example of wood that has already been damaged by subs.Notice the back and forth patterns of travel.

 Here you can see the nymps at work along with a winged swarmer.  If you see a group of swarmers inside or outside the house, call a pest control pro and either give them a sample of the pest or have them do an inspection!

So keep your eyes for these guys!  Let’s catch them before their colonies grow in number and before they damage your home!

The post They’re Baa-aack! appeared first on Hydrex Pest of the North Bay, Inc..

 SUSPECT LINE UP:

 Although all of these creatures are capable of doing significant damage to your property, the one with the cutest most innocent expression is actually the culprit.  Yes, Sasquatch is responsible for…JUST KIDDING!  It is actually suspect number three, the raccoon, who has done all of the damage in the pictures posted above.

Although they are very cute, cuddly looking animals, they can be very aggressive.  If you suspect they are spending time on your property, make sure your pets and children can not get in a situation where the raccoons are trapped in a room with them or that pets our children could walk up on them and startle them.  Making loud clapping noises or shouting can run them off as you approach the house. Carry a flashlight if the path to and from your house is not well lit.  Hydrex Pest Control does do large animal trapping.  You can also call your local animal wildlife rescue organization.

Do you  have any raccoon stories to share with us? 

The post What Did That??? appeared first on Hydrex Pest of the North Bay, Inc..

This was a first sighting for me in this particular environment.  Can you identify these impressive creations and who made them???  I’ll give you a couple of hints!

1.  Something will happen in these forms when the get warmed by the sun.

2. They are formed to allow the builder to survive above ground.

Hydrex Pest Control will give a 10% discount up to $100 if you can identify these forms!

Any guesses?  Aside from Pest Control Pro’s! : ) 

The post 10% Off if you can Identify These! appeared first on Hydrex Pest of the North Bay, Inc..

I never know what type of soil dwelling creature I may run into when I lift the bait from these stations.  I run across things like centipedes, sow bugs, skinks and so on.  This week I had two notable encounters. The first I identified as it was luckily crawling back down into the station.  I could see that it’s spiny tail was curled up over it’s back and I watched it’s hind legs crawl away from me into the dark hole. Yes, it was my first scorpion sighting in a Hex-pro station.  My heart raced a little faster for a moment and then I began to wonder what it would be doing down there.  I have always thought of scorpions as heat seekers, so I researched a bit.  Although they prefer temperatures from 68 – 99 degrees, they can survive freezing temps and do seek shelter under rocks, logs IN HOLES etc.  Did you know that some species can live up to 25 years?!

My second exciting find made a sound before I could see his huge dark eyes.  It was a spotted salamander!  Absolutely adorable, and they do actually make a high pitched little squeaking sound when startled or touched.  The little guy just sat on the edge of the station staring at me, as if he were asking, ” Now what? It’s awfully bright out here…”.  I gently pushed him back into the station and adjusted the bait so I wouldn’t squish him.

So all and all an interesting week in the field.  Please let me know if YOU have any cool creature stories that you would like to share!

The post Cool Creatures I Find! appeared first on Hydrex Pest of the North Bay, Inc..