I noticed a lot of small holes on the side of my yard and in the pine straw. Now I’m seeing a bunch of chipmunks in the yard and I’m thinking they made the holes. I want to set up some traps and get rid of them but have a question. When I think I have gotten rid of the chipmunks, should I try to fill the hole with a mixture of dirt (or dirt and sand)? And what about spraying some kind of repellent down their hole? I don’t want them or another critter to move into the empty hole.
Thank you for your time,
Phyllis
Chipmunks in the yard should be removed first before you start doing anything to their holes. Chipmunks aren’t comfortable with anything messing with their home and you could cause them to get shy and skittish so for now let them be.
But once you get rid of the chipmunks in the yard, you should apply some COYOTE URINE or PEST RID GRANULES down their burrows and then fill them with dirt. Next, apply some of more of either repellent on top. This should keep new chipmunks for quickly moving in. Remember, these tunnels and nests are full of chipmunk “scent” which will lure any in the neighborhood. Use chipmunk repellent to keep new ones away.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Coyote Urine: http://www.bugspraycart.com/repellents/liquid/coyote-urine
Pest Rid Granules: http://www.bugspraycart.com/exempt/granule/pest-rid-exempt-granules-2-pound
Chipmunks: http://www.bugspray.com/articles98/chipmunks.html
Filed under chipmunks by on Jan 28th, 2012. Comment. 
I have a house down at the beach and a bunch of snakes are living and mating inside. We’ve found them in the insulation of the bottom walls when we were fixing a leak last time we visited so we know there is a problem. It seems they come around every spring and live there all summer but we don’t see them in winter time when we visit. Is there something we can put out to keep them out?
Snakes are opportunistic and if this house has a lot of entry holes, they’ll readily move in if you don’t try to stop them. Snakes also like to live close to where there is food so I bet there is something they’re eating close by like rodents, frogs or insects. To start, I suggest you set out some of the traps we have listed in our SNAKE CONTROL ARTICLE on the inside of the house.
I also suggest you set out the SNAKE REPELLENT around the perimeter of the building. The repellent will keep them away but if you trap any inside, the traps should collect them as they forage around trying to escape. Renew your applications at least once a month if can.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Snake Article: http://www.bugspray.com/snakes.html
Snake Away: http://www.bugspraycart.com/repellents/granules/snake-away
jonathan
Filed under snakes by on Apr 9th, 2010. Comment.
I’ve had large bumble bees and wasps swarming around my little oak tree in the front yard most every year. This year it seems the bees have moved over to my shrubs in front of windows. Help! How can I get rid of them!?
Based on the time of year when all this happening, I doubt you’re seeing bumble bees. Bumble bees will seek food in the form of pollen and once they gather some, they’ll move on and away. They don’t hang around swarming. But another bee that looks like bumble bees will. This other bee is known as a carpenter bee and as explained in our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL article, the males will hang around bushes and shrubs quite a bit waiting on a female. I suspect this could be what you’re seeing.
First, do a good inspection around your property to make sure there aren’t any nests forming like what we describe in our article. If the property is mostly free of nests, you can then consider doing some treating to keep them away. In our Carpenter Bee article we talk about CYPERMETHRIN. When applied to plants and house surfaces, it will both repel and kill any insects that try to use the treated area. This should keep them away.
We also have a non killing insect repellent that can be used to repel unwanted insect activity on and around the home. Featured on our NON TOXIC PEST CONTROL SITE, this product is listed as NBS INSECT REPELLENT. Basically it’s a concentrate that can be mixed with water and sprayed on the home and plants with the intention of chasing away unwanted pests. Made with plant oils, it’s not a pesticide so it won’t kill anything. But it will effectively repel and keep unwanted activity from bees and wasps minimized. Mix it water and spray it where you’re trying to keep them away. It can also be added to paint as an additive serving the same purpose. When used as an additive, treatments will last 1 year or more.
Here are direct links to these items and information:
Carpenter Bee Article: http://www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-control
Cypermethrin: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/viper-cypermethrin
NBS Repellent: http://www.bugspraycart.com/exempt/additive/nbs-paint-additive-16-oz
Non-Toxic Pest Control: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page259.html
http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/
http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/repellents/nbs-repellent-insect-spray
jonathan
Filed under bees by on Apr 4th, 2010. Comment.
I have palm majesty plant inside my apartment and it’s been quite healthy. Recently ants has been getting in from the window and going to the soil of the plant and to other places in the house. How can I get rid of them? I heard just spraying them won’t work so I don’t want to mess it up and make the problem work. Help!
Ant problems usually start from outside the structure. Failure to do preventive pest control around a structure will allow ants (and other insects) to live close by and once they’re nesting alongside any buidling, it’s just a matter of time till they get inside. It sounds like this has happened in your situation.
Since you live in an apartment, it might be hard to use the more traditional approach of spraying the outside and baiting the inside. Traditional sprays will alert the foraging ants of something “bad” in the area and they’ll stay away from where you spray. This is why spraying inside is generally not suggested.
However, this case is different. I suspect you might not have a good chance of gaining access to all areas where you’d need to treat so I’m afraid it might be tough to control this problem unless you employ one of the new actives we have in the pest control industry. These new products work slowly and don’t alarm or spook the target pest so they’re unaware anything is even around. By the time they figure out they’ve been walking over a treatment it’s too late and the nest will be affected. This product I’m talking about is called PHANTOM. Odorless and easy to mix, it would be ideal if you applied this outside where they’re coming in as well as to the baseboards and plant soil where they’re no doubt nesting. Remember this is not a fast acting product and you won’t kill anything when it’s first applied. This is by design. But in the days following the treatment it will “kick in” and when it does, the whole nest will be shut down.
You might also want to get some PHANTOM AEROSOL since it comes with a nice crack and crevice applicator making it easy to apply in the structure and for small jobs since you won’t need a sprayer. Remember to let the ants you see walking over the treated areas to live as they are important if you want to get control of the problem. By walking over the treatment, they’ll pick up the active Phantom and “share” it with the other members of the colony eventually shutting it down.
Here are direct links to the products mentioned above:
Phantom: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/aerosol/pt-phantom-17-5oz
Phantom EC: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/phantom-21-oz
jonathan
Filed under ants by on Mar 29th, 2010. Comment.
I noticed these tiny small gnats flying around my jade plant in my kitchen. I have a few more plants around the house and now the same little bug is active on all of them. Do you have anything organic I can spray on the plant what won’t hurt it? I don’t want these bugs in my house.
Most likely fungus gnats, there are a wide range of flying gnat like insects which can get active on any plant kept inside. Most will thrive in the plant soil but some will derive nutrition from the plant itself. There are several organic solutions that work and can safely be use inside the home.
MULTI PURPOSE INSECT KILLER is one such option. Just add a small amount (it mixes 20 parts water to 1 part concentrate) in your watering can. This will allow you to effectively treat as you water your plants. The water will saturate their nest site and effectively kill them off.
If you have found fungus to be a problem on any of these plants, get the 3 IN 1 CONCENTRATE. It can be used the same way but is a little weaker; you’ll mix it 15 parts water to 1 part concentrate. But this formulation covers more problems and may be a better solution.
Here are direct links to these products featured on our Organic Pest Control site:
http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/concentrates/multi-purpose-insect-killer-24-oz
http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/concentrates/3-in-1-fim-32-oz
jonathan
Filed under fungus gnats by on Mar 28th, 2010. Comment.
I live pretty much in the country, and our garage has a dirt floor. When we moved in, there was a mouse problem in the garage, so obviously we had black snakes there to eat the mice. We put mothballs all around the garage to get rid of the mice, but I am still seeing snake skins in the garage. How do I get rid of them?
The easiest way will be to trap them out. If you review our SNAKE CONTROL ARTICLE, you’ll see several SNAKE TRAPS featured. These are easy to use and when baited with either a live mouse or some SNAKE LURE, you’ll catch them in a relatively short time. Once caught you can then set out some SNAKE REPELLENT around the garage to prevent new ones from entering. The scent of old snake activity and rodents is sure to attract more so using the repellent is suggested.
Here are direct links to the products and article listed above:
http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page148.html
http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page100.html
http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page1462.html
http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page98.html
jonathan
Filed under snakes by on Mar 27th, 2010. Comment.
I see them roaming around my pool all the time and they scare our family. Obviously I don’t want to wipe them out – I just want to keep them away or to send them elsewhere. Any quick solution?
There are two things you can try. First, install a FAKE WASP NEST. This wasp and bee repeller is a visual deterrent which is designed to make it seem as though there is already a wasp colony active nearby. Instinctively both wasps and bees tend to forage away from existing colonies or other nests. We’ve had good results from customers who have installed this unit with this exact purpose in mind.
Second, if you have a lot of plants around the yard close to the pool, spraying them with some BUG PATROL will usually chase all insects away. This product is organic and easy to use; just hook it to your garden hose and spray as needed.
Here are direct links for the products mentioned above:
Waspinator: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/pheromone-and-food/waspinator-repellent-nest
Bug Patrol: http://www.bugspraycart.com/organic/liquid/bug-patrol-32-oz-rts
jonathan
Filed under repellents by on Mar 27th, 2010. Comment.
i have heard that if you put mothballs around your yard it would keep moles away. does this really work and if it does how? i’m seeing tunnels all over the place and i know i have a problem. what is the best and cheapest way to get rid of them?
I suggest you start by reading our MOLE CONTROL ARTICLE. In the article you’ll learn they probably are active in your yard because they’ve found a good food source. Get rid of the food and you’ll get rid of the moles. The article will explain how to do this as well as offer several MOLE REPELLENTS that can be applied after you treat for their food supply.
As for moth balls and moles? Forget it. They won’t help and in fact would just lead to more problems with your turf. Stay away from all these remedies and use products designed for the product if you want safe and effective treatments.
Here are direct links for the Mole Control products and information:
Mole Out: http://www.bugspraycart.com/repellents/granules/mole-out-repel
Mole Control: http://www.bugspray.com/articles98/moles.html
jonathan www.bugspray.comFiled under moles by on Mar 26th, 2010. Comment.
I am very fearful and afraid of snakes. My husband has removed some from the yard this past year and it’s frightening. I have not been able to do any landscaping because I’m afraid to go outside. Is there a natural repellant to get rid of snakes?
The only natural repellent we’ve had people using is the SULFUR GRANULES. Applied every 1-2 months around the property line where you suspect they might be coming from is something you can try. If you feel it doesn’t work well enough, get some SNAKE AWAY REPELLENT. It uses Sulfur but also has some other actives and we know it works well.
Direct links to these products can be seen here:
Sulfur Granules: http://www.bugspraycart.com/yard/fertilizer/sulpher-90-50lb-bag
Snake Away: http://www.bugspraycart.com/repellents/granules/snake-away
Snake Article: http://www.bugspray.com/snakes.html
jonathan
Filed under snakes by on Mar 25th, 2010. Comment.
I’m seeing ants all over the place. i dont know where they are coming from, but i suspect the drains because I keep seeing them in the sink. how can I get rid of these pests for good?
Read our ANT CONTROL article which explains all you’ll need to do. In most cases they come from outside and if you don’t treat out there, the problem will keep going on and on. Inside you should NOT spray; use one of the baits we have in the article. A combination of the outside treatments and inside baits will get rid of the ones you see now and ultimately you’ll only need to treat the outside to keep the problem under control.
Here is a direct link to our article:
Ant Control Article: http://www.bugspray.net/tiny-ants-in-home
jonathan www.bugspray.comFiled under ants by on Mar 24th, 2010. Comment.