Interviews

n2n: What is the yuckiest pest you have ever seen?

Jack: Grubs are the ugliest pests, the size of a mans thumb, white and wiggly. Fly larva (maggots) are by far the grossest.

n2n: How can homeowners minimize the toxicity of their pest control methods?

Jack: Doing their homework before they hire a pest control company. Look for a company that has an established history of "green" treatments. Just because a company’s name has the word ‘green’ in it doesn’t mean it is knowledgeable or following green practices. If spraying is their main approach to treatment, or the only treatment, pass.

Reducing pest food and harborage, weather stripping, caulking, vacuuming, or other alterations to keep pests out should be part of the overall treatment strategy. Prior to any treatment, the pest must be positively identified.

n2n: What are the most common pest control issues homeowners encounter in Southern California?

Jack: Argentine ants, termites, cockroaches, bedbugs, carpet beetles, and rats.

n2n: What can homeowners do to minimize infestation by each of these pests?

Jack: Ants are the most common pest. To minimize the problem: 1) Don’t over water the yard and plants. Let the top ½" of soil dry before watering. 2) Trim plants away from the structure. Ants use plants as an avenue into a building. 3) Make sure your plants are healthy. Sickly plants are prone to pest attacks from aphids, white flies, powdery mildew, scale and other pests. These pests and diseases produce honeydew that is an ant’s primary food source. 4) Bark mulch provides harborage for ants, and bark mulch with ground cloth allows enough coverage for Argentine colonies to build up to the tens of thousands undetected.

The best prevention for the most common type of termites, drywood termites, is a good paint job, along with sealing gaps and cracks around wood joints. We recommend annual inspections performed by a licensed professional and professionally treating exposed, unpainted wood in attics and sub-areas with borates.

Subterranean termite infestation can be reduced by removing tree stumps on the property -- the closer to the structure the more important it becomes. Remove cellulose debris (wood and cardboard) from sub areas (crawlspace). Prevent sprinklers from hitting the house walls. Stop earth to wood contact at or near the structure. Boron can be applied as a foam in the first floor wall cavities as a preventative treatment for subterranean termites.

The three most common species of cockroaches that inhabit California are German, Oriental and American. German cockroaches are found almost exclusively indoors, usually in kitchens. Oriental cockroaches are mostly an outdoor and sub-area pest, but occasionally find their way indoors. Orientals are associated with sewer leaks, dampness, and excessive leaf litter. American cockroaches are the largest of the three, commonly 2-3 inches in length. They have wings and can fly. They are most active at night and sometimes fly from the palm trees toward porch lights.

Bedbugs are quickly becoming the number one pest. For homeowners there are many techniques for prevention. Bedbugs can survive months without food (blood). They can travel in or on almost anything: suitcases, travel bags, backpacks, gym bags, and similar items. The best defense without getting too crazy is to unpack bags outside the house, place any clothes that are dryer-safe into the dryer for 45 minutes on high heat. Those that can’t be heated can be frozen for three days. Next best is to put high quality bed bug proof mattresses and box spring covers on all the beds. Good covers will cost around $200 per set, but compared to a mattress replacement or a thorough bed bug treatment, the investment is small. We suggest anyone who travels or has college students should invest in the covers.

There are several varieties of carpet beetles: furniture carpet beetles, black carpet beetles, and varied carpet beetles. These fabric pests feed on natural fiber. They are most commonly found around the edges of floors, on draperies and blinds. They infest and damage natural cloths fibers from wool to silk. What is little known is they make some people sick. As a carpet beetle larva grows it molts, shedding its exoskeleton. They molt several times before becoming an adult. The larva has "hairs" all over like a paint brush. As it sheds, its skin breaks up and becomes airborne. These tiny prickly particles are inhaled. Occasionally people have reactions in the form of unexplained itching or something resembling insect bites. Most often this is misdiagnosed by dermatologists and doctors alike as spider bites, bed bug bites, mite bites or scabies. In hundreds of inspections we performed last year with people reporting these symptoms, many of whom were examined by health specialists, we found less than a dozen with any type of insect infestation other than carpet beetles. Usually after two treatments the symptoms disappeared.

The best defense for homeowners is to use the crevice tool on their vacuum and carefully go around the perimeter of the rooms once or twice a month.

Rats: Rodents carry more diseases than you can shake a stick at. There is never any good that comes from having rodents. Rats urinate, defecate, and shed over 1,500 hairs each day, all of which carry viruses and/or diseases, and they contaminate every surface they touch. Homeowners can reduce the potential for infestations by doing a few simple as follows:

• Trim trees to keep limbs at least three feet away from the roof and walls.
• Keep vines off the walls.
• Remove heavy ground cover such as vines.
• Don’t allow clutter near the house or along the fence. (rats will use anything for harborage)
• Don’t leave dog food sitting outside -- feed the pooch and remove any remaining food.

n2n: Recent UC Irvine research has determined that sulfuryl fluoride, a greenhouse gas and the most common gas used in tenting, stays in the atmosphere at least 30-40 years, much longer than previously believed. It blocks an important wavelength of light through which significant heat would otherwise be able to escape. About 60% of the global use of sulfuryl fluoride occurs in California. Is there an alternative to this treatment?

Jack: Whole structure heat is the only state approved alternative to fumigation, but at this point in time it has more drawbacks in terms of its effectiveness, higher cost, greater potential of damage to paint, wall paper, mirrors, vinyl and hardwood flooring and other heat sensitive items. Homes are the single largest investment many people will ever make. At this time, in terms of whole structure treatments to existing construction when drywood termites extend into inaccessible areas of a structure, fumigation is the best alternative.

For new construction, the very best alternative is to borate all the exposed wood. This has by far the lowest toxicity, is permanent, natural, and won’t ever have to be fumigated.

n2n: Can you speak to some of the abuses you have witnessed in the pest control industry?

Jack: Companies that employ sales people usually pay them a draw against commission: no sales, no money. Consequently uninformed consumers may be taken advantage of. Over the years I have heard many stories from my clients. Some of the most memorable incidents:
A homeowner was told their roof could collapse due to drywood termites.
Reality: There was one spot about the size of a hand, with no structural damage
Another client was warned not to walk on the bedroom floor until after treatment and repair, or they could fall through.
Reality: There were no active subterranean termites and no visible damage.
Another exterminator told a homeowner that he saw "dozens of rats in the attic."
Reality: There were old rat droppings, but the recurring attic noise was caused by a loose roof vent.

n2n: What do you most enjoy about your business?

Jack: I enjoy the freedom to treat our clients honestly and fairly and the relationships we’ve created with many of them over the years. I thrive on developing new and better treatment strategies, trying new techniques, and advancing my education in the field of professional pest control. And perhaps the most important benefit is being able to share my passion with the love of my life, my wife Nanette, who enjoys the challenges of the business as much as I do.