Pest Control

You may think that winter pest control isn’t as important. Mosquitoes and flies aren’t very common in the winter, but that doesn’t mean pest control isn’t needed. In the Rockwall area some winters are very mild and we will still see some of the flying insects, even in the winter months. This also means that bug eggs and dormant insects aren’t killed off by hard long freezes, which makes pest control even more important.

During the winter months spiders and cockroaches are much more common. Winter pest control services will help prevent those from entering the home during winter as well as limit the population once spring arrives.

As we approach the winter months, we wanted to give you some winter pest control tips to help you keep pests and insects out of your home.

The National Pest Management Association has several tips listed for homeowners as you go in to winter. Some of these items we listed in our previous article about Pest Control for the Winter.

• Seal cracks and holes on the exterior of the home to prevent rodents and pests from getting in. Did you know a mouse can fit in a hole the size of a dime? It doesn’t take much.
• Replace loose weather stripping and mortar around windows and doors.
• Do not store firewood close to the house. And when you do store it, make sure it is up off the ground.
• Eliminate any moisture spots around the home. This includes leaky faucets, clogged drains and leaky pipes. If you can’t find a leak, hire a leak location plumber to come and locate the leak for you.
• Install door sweeps and repair any damage to screens on windows.

If you suspect you have a pest problem or if you notice more insects in your home as the weather becomes cooler, contact Stronghold Pest Control today. We offer professional pest control services in the Rockwall area.

The Zika virus is here and as the summer months wear on, we are seeing more cases of it, making pest control services even more important. Just yesterday, in Florida, a non-travel case of the Zika virus was reported. Florida may seem a long way from Texas, and it is, but many Texans travel to Florida over the summer for vacation. While traveling this summer in Florida, people from Texas, New York and Taiwan have been infected with the Zika virus.

In addition, over 2,200 travelers have carried the Zika virus to America from other places. Here in North Texas, Dallas County has 28 reported cases and Harris County, which is the Houston area has 33 reported cases.

The bottom line is that with the summer, school starting back and sports picking back up, we are outside frequently. This increases the risk of mosquitoes infecting us.

We offer a variety of services that can help keep your home free of mosquitoes. We offer regular pest control services, mosquito treatments and a variety of products to help protect against mosquitoes, including the Mosquito Patch.

Contracting Zika

Mosquito bites are the primary way that Zika virus is transmitted. The virus can be spread from mother to child. Spread of the virus through blood transfusion and sexual contact have also been reported.

Even if you don’t know you’re infected, mosquitoes that bite you could transmit the virus to others. Mosquitoes may pick up certain viruses, such as Zika, from biting a human who has a Zika infection. The mosquito takes a blood meal from the human and takes in the virus in the human’s blood.Then, after about 7-10 days, the mosquito may pass the Zika virus to other humans when biting them. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting several days to a week.

Symptoms of Zika

Many people infected with Zika virus won’t have symptoms or will only have mild symptoms. The most common symptoms of Zika are

• Fever
• Rash
• Joint pain
• Conjunctivitis (red eyes)

Other symptoms include:

• Muscle pain
• Headache

Symptoms last for several days up to a week. Typically people don’t get sick enough to go the hospital and very rarely die from it.

If you are in need of pest control services, contact us today for a free evaluation of your home or business.

Bees are common in the Rockwall area. Most of the time they aren’t seen in swarms and hives and they are not usually located in any neighborhoods. However, they do exist and with many parts of Rockwall still undeveloped, it is very possible to encounter a swarm of bees, which can be deadly.

In Rio Hondo a man did die from a bee attack within the last week. While working on his tractor, the man was attacked by bees near a drainage ditch. In this case the encounter was fatal. Upon inspection by a pest control company, they found a bee hive in the ditch and one located in a nearby home.

Many of the plants we have in our area will attract bees, sometimes many at a time. Keep an eye on what plants you have in your yard that might attract bees. Being aware of what plants are likely to attract bees can help you prevent yourself, your children and your pets from being attacked.

If you are stung by a bee, first remove the stinger. You’ll want to control the swelling by using ice and elevating the stung area if possible. If you have pain, over-the-counter medications will help relieve that.

If you have severe allergy symptoms to bee stings, you should call 911 right away. Those with severe allergies to bee stings might experience trouble breathing, hives, dizziness or a swollen tongue.

At Stronghold Pest Control, we provide solutions for many types of insects and rodents. Contact us today for a free evaluation of your home or business.

Fire ant treatment is a very common service we offer, especially this time of year. Along with pest control, rodent removal and other pest related services, fire ant treatment and prevention is one of the most common requests.

Fire ant control is often difficutl to accomplish. Hiring a pest control professional will save you time and money. Fire ants can cause a significant amount of pain, especially for children.

If you have fire ants and you have children, you should definitely consider a fire ant bait or insecticide treatment. At Stronghold Pest Control, we treat the entire lawn or property. Some homeowners treat individual fire ant mounds, and if that is the only treatment method, it is likely the fire ants will simply move to another location.

A more comprehensive approach and regular treatment of the home and lawn is the best option.

With the large amounts of rain we’ve had recently in the Rockwall area, it is more likely homeowners will see fire ant mounds pop up around their lawns.

Fire ants that were nesting underground, beneth sidewalks, etc. are forced up, above ground when the ground becomes heavily saturated.

If you have a fire ant problem an need fire ant treatment or fire ant control, contact us today to schedule an appointment.

Bug and Insect prevention is actually important to the overall health of your family. This is why it is critical that we protect homes, businesses, schools and other locations that have humans living, working or playing nearby.

Pest Control Service is a great way to maintain a bug free home or office. Our pest control services provide safety for your family and give you peace of mind as your family goes through the day.

Our previous pest control post about rodents provided some tips for the winter. We’d like to provide a few more that you may not think about.

Bugs and Firewood

Make sure to store firewood at least 20 feet away from home and keep it 5 inches off the ground. You may have to walk a little further to get the wood, but having it closer to the home increases the chance of bugs and insects entering the home.

Storing Garbage

Store garbage in concealed containers. Bugs like the garbage too, but the real worry here are rodents. Mice and for those a little more rural racoons and possums will attempt to invade your trash. For those that already have a rodent issue, we provide bait boxes and traps if necessary to solve your rodent infestation.

Replace Rotted Wood and Shingles

Repair fascia and rotted roof shingles; some insects are drawn to deteriorating wood.

Replace Weather Stripping

Replace weather-stripping and repair loose mortar around basement foundation and windows.

For all your pest control needs, contact us today. We serve Rockwall, Heath, Royse City, Forney and surrounding areas. Call today for a FREE quote on your home pest control needs.

Summer is definitely here in the Rockwall area and Pest Control doesn’t take a break in the summer. The summer months bring their own challenges when it comes to bugs and insects.

Summer is a time to be outdoors, wheather your by the pool, next to the grill or just enjoying the outdoors, we have a few tips to help keep insects out of your outdoor experience.

Hopefully you have your yard and home treated regularly by a pest control professional. But, if you don’t and you are experiencing bug or insect problems, give us a call.

1. Avoid scented soaps, perfumes, scented lotions and hair spray. These heavily scented items attract insects.

2. Avoid the combination of sunscreen and insect repelant. While sunscreen should be reapplied, insect repelant should not.

3. Use insect repelant with DEET. These are more effective and can be used on children. However, do not use these produts on infants or babies under two months of age. A product containing 10% DEET will keep insects off for up to thirty minutes.

4. Stay away from stagnant water. Rockwall and the surrounding area probably doesn’t have too much stagnant water since we see very little rain in the summer months. However, we do have a lake and several ponds that can be havens for insects to live and breed.

Stronghold Pest Control provides pest control services for Rockwall and the surrounding areas. Contact us with any questions or to schedule your free consultation today.

The Rockwall area and the majority of North Texas has seen unprecedented amounts of rain recently. Pest control becomes even more important after the types of rains we’ve experienced. Why? Because insects follow floods.

According to the LSU AgCenter, homes are more subject to fire ants and other insects. Ants are often living underground and when heavy rains come, the ground becomes very saturated. This forces the ants up to the ground.

If you are in the Rockwall area, you may notice many ant mounds in your yard that weren’t there before all the rain. Fire ants especially will seek higher ground during periods of heavy rain and flooding.

Another insect you may start to see more of due to the rain and flooding are wasps. Wasps feed on grubs in the soil and flooding causes these grubs to be pushed up closer to the surface, becoming more availalbe to wasps.

Some of the storms we had were severe and caused wind damage to homes and trees. If a tree was broken or damaged in some form, it could allow insects such as wood borers, Southern Pine beetles and Ips beetles to gain entry into the tree. The same can be said for your house.

Inspect your home for any wind damage, especially in the roof. Insects can, and will, use any opening to infiltrate your home.

Carpenter ants are also notorious for invading trees that have broken limbs and then transfer to the house off the tree branches haning over the roof.

If you have any pest control concerns give Stonghold Pest Control a call.

Spring is a great time of year in the Rockwall area. The temperature warms up and people begin to work in yards and no doubt encounter bugs, insects and other pests. Many homeowners feel the need for pest control in the Spring when insects and other bugs are beginning to appear.

Pest Control is recommended year-around, not only during the spring and summer months. Since Rockwall is a community with a lake, we see a higher presence of mosquitoes and other flying insects. For those in north Rockwall or Heath that have homes bordering the lake, pest control is incredibly important.

Every year we hear of news stories involving mosquitoes and diseases they carry. While they can be dangerous, other bugs can be just as harmful.

We have a list of winter tips for keeping bugs out of your home. Going through the steps listed are also a good idea for Spring.

Since Spring is usually a time that most homeowners do yard work, we thought we’d list a few tips that pertain to the Spring Bug and Pest season.

1. Keep soil from sitting up against wood or below wood. If wood must be present, make sure it is up off the ground.

2. Eliminate damp conditions. Carpenter ants love a moist environment and increasing ventilation and replacing decaying wood are great ways to prevent a damp area of the home.

3. Use crushed rock around flower and shrub beds instead of mulch. Mulch provides food and a habitat for centipedes, millipedes and other insects.

4. Reduce plant cover around the foundation. Remove leaves and other debris under decks, in window wells, and behind bushes to eliminate decaying organic matter which may provide food and habitat for sow bugs, centipedes and millipedes.