Link Round Up

National Geographic- Urban Grasshoppers Sing Louder

TheStar.com- Autism and traffic pollution linked, study finds

TheStar.com- Federal investment in clean energy would create 20,000 new jobs: report

TheStar.com- Why your car battery may as bad as malaria for the developing world

National Geographic- Blood Red Ocean: Not Exactly The End of Days

National Geographic- Polar Ice Sheets Shrinking Worldwide, Study Confirms

National Geographic- Climate Predictions: Worst-Case May Be Most Accurate, Study Finds

CTVNews- UN agency: 2012 warmer than normal despite La Nina

Animal Tracks

In this blog post, I'm going to show you pictures of some animal tracks that it could be good to know. We've already done posts on pest control in the winter; various prevention and maintenance but another way to a preventative measure is by being able to recognize some animal tracks. Each set of pictures will show a picture of the animal tracks and a picture of the animals tracks in snow.

Squirrel tracks

Squirrel tracks in the snow

Skunk tracks

Skunk tracks in the snow

Deer Mice tracks

Deer Mice tracks in the snow

Rabbit tracks

Rabbit tracks in the snow

Chipmunk tracks

Chipmunk tracks in the snow

Raccoon tracks

Raccoon tracks in the snow

Groundhog tracks

Groundhog tracks in the snow

One of the reasons why it is a good idea to be able to recognize tracks is that so in the winter you can be aware of what animals are in your area. It may not be easy to distinguish some tracks in mounds of snow, but it can be easier to spot them and distinguish the type of track in areas such as patios and window sills.

Many areas around Ontario such as Simcoe County, Tiny & Tay Townships, and the Muskoka are home to all of the animals listed here, so people who live or have cottages in these areas should be aware. If you are seeing a number of tracks around your home you may want to consider preventative measures to ensure that they cannot find a way into your home and become a problem. This is more likely to happen with deer mice (rodents in general) and squirrels as they only need small holes to enter your home (or cottage, garage, etc).

If you think you have a pest problem or you know you do, give Cottage Country Pest Control a call at 705-534-7863 or email us today to book your appointment. We can come in and handle pest problems responsibly and environmentally friendly or do winter maintenance and prevention measures to prevent possible pest problems.

Link Round Up

thestar.com- Bed bug battles: is fungus the next frontier?


Global News- New hope in the fight against bed bugs

thestar.com- Building owners not responsible for deaths of birds that fly into it, judge rules

Moneyville.ca- How to responsibly dispose of your old tech

thestar.com- Eggshell colour is warning sign for contamination in Great Lakes, study shows

CBCnews- Climate change a 'real and present danger,' Kent says

CBCnews- Galapagos to poison millions of rats

CBCnews- B.C. considering wolf culls in new management plan

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.

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.

Link Round Up

National Post- Ontario woman turns to Environmental Bill of Rights in bid to silence basketball-playing neighbour

Greenpeace Canada- Oil industry pushing for regulatory changes they've been told violate First Nations rights

Edmonton Journal- UN group issues statement of concern over iron dumping off B.C.'s north coast

CBCNews- New Windsor-Detroit bridge threatens endangered species

CBCNews- West Coast ocean fertilization project defended

CBCNews- Global temperatures matched record for hottest September

CBCNews- B.C.'s Cowichan River in danger of drying up

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.

Another Black Widow Spider

In March, Cottage Country Pest Control did a blog post about black widow spiders and then in May Ross received a customer call about a black widow spider at a house in Penetanguishene, which I did another blog post about. They are native species to the United States, Canada and Mexico and the Northern Black Widow is generally found in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. As stated in the previous posts, it is rare to see them and even if you know where to look, you may never see one in the wild. They can generally be found around trash piles, sheds, under rocks, wood piles, etc. Anyplace that is dark and a little damp is a great place for them to hide.

Anyway, a few days ago Ross got another call about a black widow spider again at a house in Penetanguishene, so we thought it would be a good time to do another post about them and what can be done to help prevent spiders in general.

Female black widow spiders are known for their distinctive black and red colouring and a mature female black widow spider is usually around 1.5 inches long and about .25 inches in diameter. Mature male black widow spiders are very different in appearance to the females. Males are much smaller than females with their bodies at less than 1/4 inch, while juveniles have a distinctly different appearance then the females (and some males) in that their abdomens are greyish to black in colour with white stripes running across them spotted with orange or yellow.

Controlling the spider population in and around your home is "easily" done by reducing the number of insects in and around your home. Using IPM is the best way to effectively control spiders (and other pests).

If you have any questions or concerns Call Cottage Country Pest Control at (705)534-7864 or email us to book an appointment--and remember - it's almost always better and cheaper to deal with pest control problems when they are small. 

Link Round Up

Toronto Star- Watch our for zom-bees, a real life sci-fi story

Fox News- M&M-loving bees make blue and green honey

Environment Canada- Winnipeg Man Fined Over $135,000 Under Federal Wildlife Legislation

Environment Canada- Government of Canada Invests in the Great Lakes Nutrient Initiative

The Vancouver Sun- Feds remove water protection from historic law

CTV News- Scientists warn iron dump could have serious consequences for ocean

CBC News- Another earthquake rattles B.C. coast

CBC News- No 'smoking gun' for Fraser River sockeye salmon collapse

CBC News- Transplanted Purcell Mountain caribou failure to survive