Gearing up for another season

... never really geared down though...

not as much to keep us busy over the winter as there is during the summer up here in cottage country, but Ross has been having ~fun~ with squirrels, mice, chipmunks, and the occasional rat. And bedbugs, of course. They are, unfortunately,  a year round issue, even in smaller communities like Midland, Penetanguishene and surrounding areas.

Now that the snow is gone and the lake is open it will soon be time to start thinking about booking your spider spray and dealing with cluster flies, carpenter ants, and any other pest problems.

Cottage Country Pest Control is happy to provide environmentally pest control services in Central Ontario. Give us a call at 707-534-7863, or send us an email at ccpestcontrol@gmail.com .

Cottage Country Pest Control Winter Maintenance & Prevention

This year, because we've done a few posts about pest control and the colder months, Cottage Country Pest Control is now offering a Winter Maintenance & Prevention service. Check out the ad below and give us a call to book your appointment.

Deer Mice

Today's post is really just a revisit so to speak. While searching the Internet today I came across an article Deer Mice vs. House Mice from Pest Control Technology, that while discusses many of the same topics in previous blog posts about mice (such as this one) it also includes a great photograph that labels characteristics of deer mice.

Given how much Deer Mice and rodents have been in the news lately because of the Hantavirus outbreak in Yosemite National Park, it really is important for people to understand mice (and other rodents) but also what safety and health concerns there are that can be caused by them.

While Hantavirus is not commonly found in Canada or Ontario there have been cases diagnosed in the past, which is why over the next few days I will be writing about Hantavirus and also doing a full revisit of mice and some of the other diseases that can be caused by them

If you find evidence that you have a mouse infestation and you want them gone, give Cottage Country Pest Control a call at 705-534-7863 or email us to book an appointment. We have environmentally (and people) friendly ways of handling all your pest problems.

Link Round Up

CTV news- Scientists find new family of spiders with fearsome claws

Vancouver Sun- Vancouver environmental group accused of 'laundering' by oilsands lobbyists

The Windsor Star- Report: Illegal logging in Mexico's monarch butterfly reserve down to near zero

CBC news- Cod comeback seen off Newfoundland

CBC news- Arctic ice could vanish in 10 years, scientists warn

Vancouver Sun- Rescued sea otter dies at Vancouver Aquarium

CTV news- Has Alberta lost its rat-free status?

Weird Wasp Nest

The locations that wasps choose to build their nest varies from species to species. Some prefer to build nests in trees and shrubs while some prefer holes in the ground, spaces in walls and in spaces under homes, cottages or other buildings such as garages or sheds.

Sometimes however,wasps  can AND will build their nests in weird locations. Recently, Ross went on a wasp job where the wasps had built their nest in the pole of a basketball hoop! They had entered the pole through some holes in the pole and gone about building their nest.

Front of the pole. Look carefully and you can see the hole they use to enter and leave their nest.

Back of the pole. There is again a hole that they use to enter and leave their nest.

An after shot. Notice the white powder? This is one method used to deal with a wasp problem

It's really important that you take notice of an excessive amount of wasps. Chances are if you are noticing an excessive amount during the day, then there is likely a nest somewhere close by. If you (or someone in your family have allergies), then you have to be really careful around wasps and their nest. They can and usually will become aggressive if they, or their nest is disturbed so it's a good idea to call Cottage Country Pest Control at 705-534-7863 or email us if you suspect or if you know there is a nest around your home.

Why you don't want to wait to call...

Perhaps you've seen this story already but if not, I suggest you go read the story "Ontario house a honey pit"

Done? okay, this story is a perfect example for why you shouldn't wait to call a pest control company if you've got a pest. Granted, not every pest is going to cause this type of damage, but if left long enough the damage caused by many pests can get not only bad (or worse than the damage in the story)  but also expensive too.

Why would you want to have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars fixing the problem and damage caused by something that could have been solved for way less money and in less time??

So, if you think you have a pest or you know you have a pest problem give Cottage Country Pest Control a call at 705-534-7863 or email us today.

For more information about bees (and wasps and hornets) you can check out the past posts:
Bees, hornets & wasps...oh my!
Hornets
Wasp
Bug Bites: Part Two

Don't put it off!

Friday Link Round Up

Nanaimo Daily News- Pesticides clearly toxic, harmful to human health

Better Farming- Proposed Growers Requested Own Use regulations clamp down on uncooperative companies

Cheboygan News-  Surveys search area rivers for lamprey

The Globe and Mail- Goats: The new first line of defence against weeds?

Yahoo News: Daily Brew- B.C. mudslide caught on camera from lake

CBCnews- Sockeye salmon collapse due to lack of food, study says

CTVnews- Low water levels prompt closure of 63 salmon rivers in Newfoundland

CBCnews- Suspected anthrax outbreak claims more bison in N.W.T.

CBCnews- Up to 20,000 sea turtles eggs crushed on Trinidad beach

The Globe and Mail- 450,000 salmon to be destroyed ofter outbreak in Newfoundland and Labrador

The Gazette- Seabirds on B.C., Washington and Oregon coast eating bellyfuls of plastic, study

As always, if you have a pest problem or just suspect you do, give Cottage Country Pest Control a call at 705-534-7863 or email us today to book your appointment or get more information.

Second Spider Spray

Reminder being sent to customers remind them to book their second spider sprays

"Friday Link Round Up"

Hope everyone had a great Canada Day and today's blog post will be our usual Friday Link Round Up

torontostar.com- Environmental laws are too important to be changed without public debate

torontosun.com- When moths attack

torontostar.com- Walkom: At Rio+20, Canada furiously backpedals on environment

torontostar.com- Stephan Harper government turns environmentalists into public enemies

torontoenvironment.org- Toronto first city in Canada with new Pollution Prevention Tool

CBCnews- B.C., Ontario score highest in environmental progress

CTVnews- Mothball makers ordered to change packaging

CBCnews- Insect bite remedies not effective


As always, if you have a pest problem or just suspect you do, give Cottage Country Pest Control a call at 705-534-7863 or email us today to book your appointment or get more information.

Second Sprays

If you are familiar with spiders and spider sprays (which you should be if you've been reading this blog....you can read them here and here) then  you might already know that generally once you have had one spray done they last about 6-8 weeks depending on weather conditions. Most people find two sprays per season provide optimal control, but this is purely a matter of personal preference and tolerance for spiders.


Since, spider sprays are generally started in May, now is the time to start booking for your second spray,  especially if you are once again seeing an excessive number of spiders and their webs on your home, cottage, dock, garages, etc.

Give Cottage Country Pest Control a call today at 705-534-7863 to book your second appointment (or even your first) or email us.

Raccoon Roundworm

On Saturday June 16, in the Toronto Star there was an article entitled "Beware a staggering squirrel in your backyard". In the article by Margaret Bream she wrote about her encounter with a squirrel in her backyard that was behaving oddly. After doing some research she discovered that the squirrel was likely suffering from Raccoon roundworm. 


Raccoon roundworm is a diseased caused by the parasite Baylisascaris procyonis. Raccoons are the main host of these parasites (they live in the small intestines of the raccoons), however can be passed to other small mammals such as squirrels, groundhogs and rabbits. While the parasite doesn't kill raccoons, it is a fatal disease to the other small mammals it infects and there have been confirmed cases of the disease in humans (it can be fatal in humans as well).


Dr. Douglas Campbell, a veterinary pathologist at the Canadian Co-operative Wildlife Health Centre at the University of Guelph says "Baylisascaris procyonis is by far the most common cause of neurological disease that we see in grey squirrels".


Small mammals get infected by the parasite by digging in the scat of an infected raccoon, which they do to find seeds to eat and they eat the roundworm eggs. Once the eggs hatch and become larvae that is when they become fatal to the animal.


It is stated in the article that "If you find raccoon excrement — or a communal “latrine,” where a group of coons regularly defecate — around your property, consider calling in a professional wildlife service for decontamination. If you opt to do the cleanup yourself, the Guelph wildlife centre advises that you do so cautiously. Wear a protective mask, gloves and clothing that can be discarded after use".

To book an appointment or if you have any questions about pests in and around your home, email or call us at 705-534-7863.

Hornets: A Revisit

If you haven't already, go ahead and read the revisit on bees and/or wasps.

Today's post is the revisit on hornets. Fun right?

• The European Hornet (Vespa crabro) is black and dark with yellow, they have deeply indented eyes (think c-shaped) with reddish-orange wings and their petiolate abdomen is brown striped with yellow and some hair
• They can be as big as 3.5 cm and like the honeybee and bumblebee they have a gentle disposition 
• This means they won't sting unless they provoked, stepped on or grabbed
• They will however get defensive when their hives are threatened and they can become aggressive
• Male European hornets have abdomens that have 7 segments and the females have 6 and the male antenna have 13 segments and the female antenna have 12
• European hornets will eat insects and they are also attracted to lights at night 
• Their nests are large paper nests and can be found in hollow trees that have sheltered positions

• Bald-face Hornet or (Dolichovespula maculata) is also known as the white-faced hornet and the white-tailed hornet
• Found throughout North America including parts of Canada, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Coast of the United States and most of the Eastern United States
• They are black with white ivory markings and can be up to 1.9 cm
• They also have 2 visible legs that hang when they are in flight and they lack pollen baskets
• Like the European hornets, the Bald-face hornet also eats other insects
• Bald-faced hornets are known for their large football-shaped nests, which they build in the Spring
• They are extremely protective of their nests and  can sting repeatedly

Basically, you don't really want hornets hanging around your home especially if you or someone in your family is allergic to their stings, so Cottage Country Pest Control can come in and using IPM methods we can help make your environment safer for you and your family.


To book an appointment or for more information email or call us at 705-534-7863.

Wasps: A Revisit

Like yesterday's post, today's will be a quick revisit but this time all about wasps.

• Paper wasps are one of the most commonly observed wasps in Canada
• Named for their habit of making paper nests 
• This species is dusty yellow to dark brown or black in colour and have little to no hair
• Paper wasps are generally between 1.9 and 2.5 cm 
• Are slender, with needle-thin waists, they have oval eyes and long antenna
• Like both bald-face hornets and European hornets they have 2 legs that hang visibly when flying
• Paper wasps are considered to be gentle, however if they or their wasps are threatened or disturbed they will become aggressive and can sting repeatedly
• Their nests consist of open hexagonal cells built using paper--which is wood fibers mixed with the wasps' saliva They can collect the wood fiber from various sources such as dead wood, wooden structures and plant stems Their nests hang down horizontally in protect spaces such as attics, eaves or can be found in soil cavities
• A nest will rarely exceed the size of an outstretched hand with populations of  between 15-200

Wasps (and bees and hornets) are not necessarily a pest you want hanging around to closely to your home since many people do have allergies to them. Cottage Country Pest Control can come in and using IPM methods we can help make your environment safer for you and your family.
To book an appointment or for more information email or call us at 705-534-7863.

Bees: A revisit

So I've noticed that a lot of the hits lately on the blog are people looking for information on bees. If you want to read the past posts I've written about bees (or wasps or hornets) you can click here for the first post in the series.

If you just want some quick information then keep reading. I won't cover everything again, because it's already been written, but I will give you some quick information and facts.

• There are over 1000 native species of bees in Canada (honeybee is not a native species)
• Honeybees were originally from Eurasia where they have been a domesticated species for centuries
• All the "wild" honeybees we have in Canada are from colonies that escaped from domesticated hives
• Bees are able to live year-round assuming the colony worked hard enough in the summer
• They are completely adaptable to the Canadian climate
• Honeybees are amber to brown in colour with alternating black stripes
• They are furry (with short hair) and are approximately 1.3 cm
• They eat nectar from flowers and when they sting (which they won't do unless provoked as they are considered gentle) it will kill them
• Honeybees live in large colonies in flat wax-based honeycomb hives that hang vertically

• Bumblebees lived in the wild for thousands of years before people started capturing them in order to domesticate them
• Bumblebees have long tongues which means they are able to pollinate a large variety of flowers.
  In the late 1880's, researchers began to think about using bumblebees to their advantage when it came to agricultural matters
• In Canada, the bumblebee was first used commercially in 1990 as a tomato pollinator
• Throughout the world there are 5 species of bumblebee that are commercially reared, however in North America only 2 are used commercially--the Bombus impatiens and Bombus occidentalis
• Bumblebees are yellow with black stripes and are furry, but with long hair
• They are considerably larger than a honeybee at 2.5 cm
• Like the honeybee they also eat nectar from flowers and if they sting it will kill them
• They too are considered gentle and will not sting unless provoked in someway
• Bumblebees can be found living in the soil in small cavities

Yes, honeybees and bumblebees are beneficial to the environment and agriculturally but that doesn't mean you necessarily want them building hives around your home or cottage. Especially if you or someone in your family is allergic to their stings, so Cottage Country Pest Control can come in and using IPM methods we can help make your environment safer for you and your family.

To book an appointment or for more information email or call us at 705-534-7863. 

Just Add Water Festival and Trade Show

This weekend is the Just Add Water Festival in Honey Harbour. Part of this festival is the trade show at Village Marina.

Cottage Country Pest Control will be there today, so if you are in the area stop by and come find us!

Carpenter Ants: A Revisit

Because of the mild winter we had, carpenter ants are back sooner and stronger than ever. We've done posts on carpenter ants before, which you can read here and here, however given the number of people who are having issues with them now, I think it's time for a little revisit. I won't go into as much detail as the previous posts, but hopefully you can find out a bit of information. Carpenter ants are a large species of ants (not just in their numbers but in their actual size). They general range in size from .25 to 1 inch and can be found worldwide. They have two types of nests, however they can have multiple of the second type. The first is their main nest and the second is the satellite nest. The main nest has to be somewhere damp, preferably in a moist and decaying wood source as this is the best location for the eggs and young. A main nest will be located outside, while the satellite nest will usually but not always be found inside a home. This is because it will be drier which is best for the larvae and pupae. The best places to look for a main nest include rotting trees/stumps or decaying landscape timber while the best places to look for a satellite nest inside include wall voids, eaves, ceilings or under insulation such as in attics or crawl spaces and they can also be found in roof gutters and in downspouts. Carpenter ants, while building their nests do not eat the wood but rather tunnel through it, which is why when investigating to see whether or not you have carpenter ants, it's important to look for piles of a sawdust-like material called frass. Controlling and eliminating carpenter ants can be done and the best prevention is to maintain dry conditions, so that they are unable to find moist and decaying wood to nest in. Remember, anyplace that wood comes in contact with soil, could potentially become infested with carpenter ants. The key to controlling any infestation is to find where the queen is laying eggs (the main nest). This will require a thorough inspection and an effort to follow foraging ants back to their nest. It is recommended that if you see 10-12 ants (or more) in your home during the evening then it is worth investigating. If a carpenter ant infestation treated quickly, carpenter ants are rarely responsible for any serious structural damage to houses and buildings. However, these ants could cause serious damage if they continue undiscovered for an extended period. It is advisable to seek professional help in containing a carpenter ant infestations, as incorrect procedures may allow the colony to grow again when surviving members begin to nest again, which is where Cottage Country Pest Control comes in. If you know you have a carpenter ant problem, think you have an infestation or have any pest problems call us at 705-524-7863 or email us at ccpestcontrol@gmail.com today.

Why Wait?

Have been hearing that some of the bigger pest control companies that come up to this area are now booking well into June....

Cottage Country Pest Control is happy to help you with your pest problems when you have them - and when it is convenient for you. This week, Ross has been working until 7 pm or later pretty much every day (poor guy drops off his helper and comes home thinking he's going fishing only to be packed off again) ... but people's problems are being solved quickly and efficiently.

We're doing a lot of spider sprays right now, but also seeing a higher than usual incidence of carpenter ants in Balm Beach (as usual) but now also in Victoria Harbour, Port McNicoll, Wyvale and .... well, basically, all over cottage country.  Lots of winged colonies on the prowl looking for new homes, too.

If you have a pest problem - or if you aren't sure but think you might have - drop us an email, or call us at 705-534-7863. The pike will thank you.

Phorid Flies: Part 2

Phorid flies generally breed in a number of locations such as in dung, on fungi, in decaying plant matter or in drain pipes. Phorid flies most commonly feed on decaying matter and can often be found around moist and decaying matter and decaying plants, but they can be found anywhere in your home and because they love unsanitary conditions they may transport various disease-causing organisms to your food.

Phorid flies are found worldwide but there is a greater number of species found in the tropics.

Their lifecycle consists of egg, larvae, pupae, adult. They will develop from an egg and go through both the larave and pupal stage to become adults in approximately 25 days although it can vary from 14-37 days depending on the species. A female phorid fly can lay anywhere from 1 to 100 eggs at a time and in their lifetime can lay up to 750 eggs.

After the eggs have been laid, the larvae will begin to emerge within a day, and they will feed from 8-16 days before they pupate.

We cover a broad area - Tiny & Tay townships, Simcoe, Muskoka and beyond. We're also available at your convenience - weekend service available at no extra charge, and we do island calls.

For more information or to book an appointment, call us at 705-534-7863 or email us today.

Upcoming Trade Show

On Sunday June 3, from 11-3 Cottage Country Pest Control will be at Georgian Bay Community Life Show in Honey Harbour as part of the Just Add Water Festival.

If you are in the area, come find our table! We'll have lots of information about CCPC, various pests and more.

For more information about the Just Add Water Festival.

Friday Link Round Up

Winnipeg Free Press- Beating the cosmetic-pesticide ban

The Gazette- Ash trees in West Island threatened by beetle

The Post- Ecological farming in Ontario began in Bruce Country

CBCnews- Pest threatens P.E.I. blueberry crops

cottagecountrynow.ca- Flower farm has roots dating back to the 1800s

Times Colonist- A future without pesticides? It could happen

CBCnews- Antarctic ice melting from below due to warming ocean

Canada.com- Critics pan instructions to Environment Canada scientists at Montreal conference