Some insects are genetically equipped with a kind of natural anti-freeze that allows them to weather outdoor exposure to winter temperatures. Almost all insect eggs, for example, will survive the winter outdoors, ready to hatch when the weather turns consistently warm next spring. Live insects such as grubs and beetle species know how to hibernate deep in the ground and avoid the cold, so they’re not an issue in your indoor living spaces, either. The primary winter visitors that seek survival indoors are cockroaches, spiders and ants. Warm-blooded rodents like mice and rats that summer outdoors will often migrate inside during cold snaps, as well. In either case, your home provides the perfect safe haven to wait out the winter.

Unfortunately, insect pests like cockroaches, and rodents such as mice and rats, are primary disease-carriers and should have no place in your home—even just for a season. They may threaten the health of you and your family and/or your pets. First take sensible DIY methods such as sealing outdoor cracks, gaps or other openings that give pests and rodents access to the interior of the house. Then contact a reputable pest control professional who can inspect your home and suggest a routine treatment plan with safe, approved chemicals that target the specific insect pests and other winter visitors you may be seeing at this time of year.

In Palm Beach and Broward County, Haggerty Pest Service has been your established source for professional pest control since 1985. Contact us for more information about effective treatments to eliminate the winter insect pests common to South Florida households.

The post Insect Pests Usually Survive South Florida’s Mild Winter appeared first on Haggerty Services.

They spread disease and ruin your food. Their flat bodies allow them to get into the tiniest nooks and crevices to scavenge for crumbs and the finest bits of sugar and flour. They then build colonies and make themselves at home.

Even if you keep the most fastidious clean house, you may be surprised to see one scurrying across the kitchen floor one night when you turn on the light.  Where did it come from? Most likely it hitchhiked its way into the house inside a box or bag from the store, a suitcase, or a piece of used furniture.   Here in Florida, it may have made its way across the street from a neighbor’s house!

They reproduce rapidly so it is critical to handle the situation as soon as possible.  They thrive in the kitchen, hiding in and around cabinets and appliances, near food and water.  But they will also make themselves at home in an upstairs bathroom, feasting on soap and seeking nearby dinner in book bindings, glue, dog toys and paper.

Call Haggerty Pest Services at (561) 347-2930 as soon as you spy a roach anywhere in your house or garage.  We can safely and effectively eliminate German cockroaches and other bugs and rodents with the best preventive and maintenance solutions available today!

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We recently got a call from a client in West Boca Raton… “Help!  I just discovered my dog had fleas!!”  With the help of a groomer, the dog was bathed in diluted Dawn dish soap and given a Capstar tablet.  It’s administered orally and kills fleas within 30 minutes. But what about the house and yard??

Haggerty Service was there the next morning to spray the yard and treat the house.  Our professional pest control technicians know how to develop a customized approach to treat a flea or tick infestation in your home and yard. A treatment plan is a must because infestations are difficult to control since there are four stages in their life cycle—eggs, larvae, pupae and adults—and certain stages are easier to eradicate than others.  Adult fleas only live when they can bite (or suck the blood) of live animals, but the eggs and larvae they produce and leave behind can lay dormant for many months.

Here are a few tips to deal with a flea infestation and its aftermath:

• Throw all bedding, dog beds, clothes, other fabric items, etc. into the washing machine and use hot water, then the clothes dryer set to high. If things such as pillows and stuffed toys cannot be washed, just pop into the clothes dryer;  the hot temperature will kill live fleas and eggs.
• Vacuuming isn’t enough to maintain your home after being professionally treated. Dust your carpets with food grade diatomaceous earth, let sit overnight, then vacuum. Make sure it’s food-grade which is harmless to people and pets.
• Use flea and tick prevention on your dogs and cats, either oral or topical. Your vet can advise.
• Just as you should with mosquito prevention, keep your property clear of standing water… it attracts fleas.

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Whiteflies are minute bugs that feed on the leaves of plants, devouring sugars from the leaves and eventually damaging or destroying their target in the process. They feast on the leaves and stems of plants, bushes,  trees, and vegetables.  If you turn over a leaf and see little white insects, they are whiteflies They suck the sap out and leave behind a gummy scum that makes the plant yellow and die.

There are more than 75 whitefly species in Florida, but the most popular ones are ficus and rugose spiraling.  A homeowner needs to know what to look for to effectively treat the problem. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to do.  And there is a skill in how much of the right pesticide to apply at the right time and how often.  Haggerty Services’ trained pest control technicians can identify the species of whitefly and plan and implement the correct course of action to eradicate the whitefly infestation efficiently and safely.

Call (561) 347-2930 to get your yard and trees lush and healthy again.

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As the weather begins to cool here in Palm Beach County, rats and mice start moving indoors in larger numbers looking for food and dry, protected shelter. Haggerty Pest Control receives calls for rodent control throughout the year, but these pests cause far more problems now before the holidays and during the months ahead than at any other time. Even homes and businesses that are usually rodent-free can start having problems.

Rats and mice eat and contaminate a good deal of stored food with their urine, numerous droppings, and their shed hairs. They also damage property by chewing and digging. In addition, about 25 percent of all fires of unknown cause are due to rats and mice gnawing on electrical wires. In fact, house fires tend to occur most frequently in autumn when rats and mice move indoors seeking shelter. Rats and mice also transmit a wide variety of diseases.

More than 200 kinds of disease-causing micro-organisms (including those causing salmonella food poisoning, hantavirus, murine typhus, and plague), as well as parasitic worms (such as those that cause trichinosis) are commonly associated with rats and mice.

Rodents also can have blood-sucking insects and mites feeding on them, including fleas, ticks, mites, and lice. These blood-suckers are one of the ways many disease-causing organisms get transmitted from rats to people and pets. Not all mice and rats are infected with all diseases, but every rat and mouse is infected with some of them. The fact that they can transmit these diseases to us means that if you or your neighbors or friends have them, it is important to call us to control them.

Here are some tips to keep your home and yard free from mice and rats:

• Seal all structural cracks and crevices in with steel wool or caulk.
  • Check screens and door sweeps.
  • Make sure any fittings such as the air-conditioning exhaust is plugged with steel wool.
  • Look for a wider-than-usual opening near the dryer vent (including the roof).
  • Utility boxes for telephone and electricity often have gaps.
  • Check screens and door sweeps.
  • House mice can get through an opening the size of a quarter!
• Keep food in air-tight sealed containers, preferably glass and plastic.
• Don’t store food in the garage unless it’s also in glass or plastic containers. Rodents (and roaches) will happily feast on unopened cereal or pasta boxes. Wash any used containers that go into the recycle bins.
• What won’t be of much help to prevent rodent infestations are peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, pepper, cloves and mothballs. You would need such immense quantities to be practical.

If you do find mice or rats in your home call Haggerty.  We are trained to safely and effectively remove them with professionally targeted methods.

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• • Dry everything. Use fans and crank up the air conditioner. Dehumidifiers can help significantly. Make sure to check for leaking pipes and fix those right away. If the carpet has become nearly or completely saturated or you see water under tiles, remove them. Drywall that that has absorbed water should also be discarded. Bugs love wet places.

• • Ants are always a concern in Florida, but they can become a big hazard in flooded conditions. To survive flooding, ants cling together and form floating rafts. They can float for weeks on flood waters. Ants looking to escape the higher levels of water and wet soil are also likely to seek refuge in your home.

• • Mosquito activity spikes significantly in the days and weeks after a hurricane. If they only need a tablespoon of water to breed, imagine all that standing water after a storm!  Mosquitoes can spread West Nile and Zika viruses, among other harmful diseases.  Whether you’re clearing fallen palm fronds or walking the dog, make sure you’re wearing protective clothing and EPA-approved insect repellents that contain active ingredients of DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus.  Your animals should be protected as well. Click here for some good tips on natural dog mosquito repellents.

Before a storm and all the time:

• • 

    Repair cracks on the exterior of your home, fix torn door and window screens. Rodents seek shelter during a storm.  Don’t let them use your home or commercial building as sanctuary.  A small rat can get through a hole half the the size of a dime.

• • Be sure your doors are sealed. If you examine your doors, you’d be surprised at how many gaps there are between the bottom and the floor. A door sweep will close the gap between the threshold and the actual door. And to completely seal the door, you can add weather stripping around the door with chalk where it meets the door. You may need to seal your windows too.

• • Keep your gutters and storm drains free of debris.  Don’t let them become a place for critters to nest and for stagnate water to breed mosquitoes.

• Inspect your property year-round for any cracks, crevices, or windows that can be entry points for all kinds rodents and bugs.  Haggerty Pest Control’s specialists will help our South Florida clients perform thorough inspections upon request as part their service contracts.

Stay safe and bug free!

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There are over 75 different species of whitefly in Florida alone. The most common species of whitefly that causes the most damage for landscapers are the ficus whitefly and rugose spiraling whitefly.

Worried your property is infected? Don’t wait for defoliation to happen. Look for clusters of white spirals and white, waxy substance buildup on the underside of leaves; if so, your property may be at risk for whitefly infestation.

Whiteflies invade in colonies and typically affect vegetable garden and ornamental plants and trees. You will notice when a plant has been infested by its yellow leaves and disfiguration. This damage is caused by the feeding of whiteflies on the plant’s cells. Look for dark mold on the leaves, as these are caused by whitefly excrement.

Inspect areas of your property’s plants and trees that have new growth, as these are breeding grounds for whiteflies. Older plants may also require regular treatments, as they are most prone to be affected by larvae and pupae infestation, particular on the lower leaves.

Regular whitefly treatments are important in order to protect the leaves of your plants and property.

How can Haggerty Services Help Control
White Fly in Your South Florida Yard?

We offer Effective & Eco-Friendly Whitefly Treatment

The No-Drill Injection Solution
When you call Haggerty Pest Service, we’ll provide you with an effective and eco-friendly method for treating whitefly. This safe and eco-friendly whitefly removal is perfect for treating homes, condominiums, country clubs, golf courses, office and industrial complexes, retail properties, and more.

Advantages of the Direct Injection Method:

• No spraying. We’ll provide you with peace of mind knowing that chemical drift concerns are eliminated.
• Does not damage plants or leave open wounds or holes in trees and leaves.
• Less invasive application; chemical is applied directly into the plant’s vascular system.
• Environmentally responsible; people, pet, and plant-friendly treatment that provides quick and manageable control.

Most treatment is done with a liquid application done by drenching the root system with a long-lasting residual product that includes a liquid fertilizer to boost the nutrient needs of the plant.   Some trees are treated with a direct injection into the vascular system of the tree but smaller trees, hedges, bushes are done by root drenching and foliage spraying. If there is a sever infestation we will spray the foliage for a quick knock-down of whiteflies on the plant or tree.

If you suspect White Fly damage on your property or see it on your neighbor’s, call Haggerty today before it spreads!

The post Whitefly season is back and it’s a real threat to South Florida properties appeared first on Haggerty Services.

Talk to Haggerty Services first.

Before you start:

• Let us do a full inspection before you begin. And if it’s a new house,  you may have had a home inspection before closing, we can do a closer examination to see if they might have missed things like roach droppings or ants.
• Treatments can be applied to the exterior that will help reducing insect pressure before opening the building for construction.

During Renovation

When the workers start drilling and knocking things down, your home can become even more vulnerable to pests. Your site will become a heaven to vermin such as termites, ants, and mice.

• You may need additional traps around the house and near building materials, baited to attract pests sited.
• Keep an eye on how your site is graded. Be sure water flows away from the house. Standing water breeds mosquitoes.
• We are an extra set of eyes making sure that there are no cracks where rodents can enter and that all doors and screens are properly sealed so bugs and pests will stay out.

And when you’re all done.

• Start a regular monthly schedule of treatments for home, lawn and if it’s season, for mosquitoes too.

 Call (561) 347-2930

We look forward to keeping your newly designed
house a pest-free home!

The post Pest Control Before During and After Home Remodeling & Renovation appeared first on Haggerty Services.

Florida rainy season is back and so are the mosquitoes.

We feel their bites when they’re most active in the early morning and early evening.
Even walking the dog or putting dinner on the grille is a bother.

Haggerty Pest Control offers seasonal Mosquito Spraying
for Palm Beach and Broward homeowners
who wish to take back their yards!

Once a month we will spray your outside area in a 20-30-minute process by our trained professionals.  We use a backpack sprayer/fogger to spray eco-safe, pet/people friendly products on your yard. In just one use, we can eliminate 85-90% of unwanted pests. With monthly treatments from Haggerty Pest Service, you’re guaranteed to see noticeable results you’ll love.

While the process specifically targets mosquitoes, other bugs like no-see-ums, midges, and biting flies will also be repelled.

Still not sure? We’re confident enough in our product to guarantee a free re-service of the yard in the unlikely case that mosquitoes bother you between scheduled treatments.

If that sounds like a good deal to you, just wait. We’re making it even better: if you pay for a season’s worth of Barrier Spray services up front, we’ll give you a $70 discount. Even better, if you refer a friend or neighbor and they get two monthly treatments, you’ll get a FREE barrier spray treatment!

You can also call us to spray before your special event such as weddings and family reunions.

The post Start a Monthly Mosquito Spraying Schedule Now appeared first on Haggerty Services.

Adult cane toads are the largest toad found in the U.S. and can measure up to 6 to 9 inches, and that’s just the body without the legs extended!

There is a difference between the Cane Toad aka Giant Toad (Bufo marinus) which is toxic vs the Southern Toad (Bufo terrestris) which will is not harmful.  The southern toad stays under 4 inches in length. The southern toad also has smaller parotid glands and two short, parallel ridges that start as knobs between the eyes and extend down the back for an inch or so.

The cane toad has no knobs or ridges between the eyes. The cane toad has dry, warty skin and the color is usually various shades of brown with some gray, some are yellow, red-brown or olive brown with varying brown and white mottling. See this website for species identification    tinyurl.com/8g3bpcq

Don’t leave the dog’s or cat’s food outside as it attracts toads. There is no humane way to prevent toads from congregating on your property other than keeping up with your routine exterior pest control as they are attracted to the bugs that live there.   Never use the suggested home remedies such as hot pepper or moth balls as seen on the Internet as they are harmful to other animals and domesticated pets.  Some have minor success by laying galvanized chicken wire at the base of their fencing but that works only if your perimeters are tightly secured.  Toads are attracted to lights; it’s not unusual for homeowners to return home to find groups of toads congregated on their front porch or along their driveway  lights.

If your dog grabs onto one of these toads and you see that his or her gums are turning red and or there is foaming at the mouth grab a garden hose and rinse out the dog’s mouth but be sure to let the water drain out and not down it’s throat or the dog could drown.  Just point the edge of the hose under it’s “lips” and move it around while keeping the dog’s head pointing down. If the dog is still foaming and the gums are not returning to a normal color within a few minutes get it to the vet ASAP. Here’s information from petmd.com on what to do if your dog is poisoned by a Cane Toad.  And from experience, we can tell you that you have act fast!

The most humane way to deal with a Cane Toad if you can catch it is to use gloves and a fish or butterfly net. Place it in a baggy and freeze for about a week and discard in the trash the day it will be picked up.

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