This is the third installment of 15 Household Bugs in SW Florida That May Freak You Out, which can be downloaded from our free eBook library.

The earwig is one of the creepiest looking bugs on our list, but don’t let its name scare you too much.

The name “earwig” is thought to be over 1,000 years old and originated from the belief that the bug crawled into human ears according to the Oxford English Dictionary. And it’s not just English-language speakers who were afraid of this bug!

“Nations that have agreed politically on no other issues seem to share the unshakable conviction that earwigs are irresistibly drawn to ears. The French call them perce-oreille (ear-piercer); the Germans Ohrwurm (ear-worm), and the Russians ukhovertka (ear- turner); the same applies to Danish, Dutch, and Swedish”, The Earwig’s Tale by May Berenbaum.

Despite their name, however, earwigs are very, very unlikely to crawl in your ear.

In fact, they are unlikely to be in your house at all. They would much prefer to be living outside and feeding on other insects, flowers, fruit and decaying leaves.

If you do see an earwig in your Naples home, it has probably crawled through a small crack or crevice and is simply lost – hoping to find its way back outside.

The best way to prevent this from happening is to keep the areas on the outside of your house clean and free of piles of leaves, clippings and yard debris.

If you’re not sure that the bug you see is an earwig, check for a set of pinchers on one end of the body. That’s your biggest clue (and also the scariest looking part of the earwig). They are about an inch long and have a long, narrow body that is dark brown in color.

For more information on earwigs and other household bugs click the free eBook on the right,  contact us online, or call us toll free at (800) 314-8813.

Remember, anytime you hire us for Naples pest control service, we’ll donate a portion of the sales to a charity of your choice.

~Keith

This is the first installment of 15 Household Bugs in SW Florida That May Freak You Out which can be downloaded from our free eBook library.

If you have a freaky looking bug in your house that bears a slight resemblance to the
aliens in the movie Men In Black, then you might have silverfish. They’re quite common in Cape Coral and all of Southwest Florida for that matter. This bug has also been described as looking fish-like (obviously!) or like a very small, skinny, gray cockroach with a tapered end. Their coloration changes as they age; they start out white, but look silvery as they age because of the scales on their bodies. They are less than an inch long.

You also might realize that nasty bug is a silverfish based on where you find it in your house. Silverfish can digest cellulose, meaning that a cardboard box full of old books in the attic is a prime spot to find them. They also like flour, dry pasta and boxes of cereal.

Florida homes – as well as those in other parts of the southern U.S. – are especially vulnerable to these pests, because they like the warm weather and high humidity.

To prevent silverfish from getting a foothold in your house, use the following tips:

• Always store food in airtight containers
• Remove unnecessary cardboard boxes
• Throw away or recycle old newspapers and magazines
• Check your bookcase twice a year for signs of an infestation
• Use a dehumidifier
• Clean and dust regularly

Fortunately, silverfish can’t transmit disease to humans. Unfortunately, they can damage items in your home, so it’s important to get them under control. If you’re dealing with an annoying silverfish infestation in Cape Coral, please drop us an email or simply call (800) 314-8813 to help you get them under control! Anytime you hire us for pest control service, we’ll donate a portion of the sales to a charity of your choice.

~Keith

Since 1978, our Fort Myers pest control company has received numerous calls over the years from homeowners just like you, freaked out because of some creepy crawly that ventured into their home, garage, or lanai…and that’s perfectly fine with us. That’s what we’re here for! From ants and mosquitoes to roaches and crickets…we continue to receive plenty of calls asking us to “Please get rid of these bugs…whatever they are!”

So if you happen to see a bug in or near your home (or business) and you’re not sure what it is, you’ll be happy to know that we’ll be sharing 15 Household bugs in SW Florida that may Freak You Out over the next few months! You’ll learn about common (and not so common) pests around our area such as:

• Ticks
• Drain Flies
• Mosquitoes
• Scorpions
• Plaster Bagworms
• Palmetto Bugs

and many more. So stay tuned to this blog over the next few months. We’ll be sharing photos and lots of useful information about these pests and whether or not you should be concerned about them. If you’d like to get this information now, without waiting, click the eBook icon to your right and download it for free!

As always, if you need immediate help, we offer pest control services in Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres, Estero, Bonita Springs, and all of Lee & Collier counties, Florida. We can be easily contacted online, on Facebook, or at (800) 314-8813 for a free pest inspection.

~Keith

When was the last time your business benefited from commercial pest management? Do you feel prepared?

It only takes one roach, mosquito, bed bug or termite to breach your business and lay an egg that can lead to catastrophe. While customers & clients come in and out of your doors everyday, there’s bound to be some unwanted hitch hikers.

So ask yourself….. How well is your business REALLY protected?

One business that never knows WHAT is going to come through their donation box is Goodwill. Whether it be roaches, termites, or their larvae plotting to hatch, Goodwill must stay on their toes and be prepared to fight pests!

That’s why the 28 Southwest Florida Goodwill locations trust Larue’s commercial pest management to ensure their stores are pest free! We utilize innovative treatment techniques, backed by quality assurance data capturing tools to provide your business with the highest level of customer service available.

To take the next step in preparing your business for the bug-apocalypse contact us online, call (800) 314-8813, or request a free pest inspection today!

- Keith

Let’s pretend you’re a doctor who is in the middle of an examination with your patient, when suddenly a roach scurries across the floor and disappears into a crack in the baseboard. Your patient looks at you with a disgusted face and you are absolutely mortified. Do you trust this patient to NOT tell all of her friends and possibly the entire Internet community with a negative review of your business?

Ask yourself, just how important is it for your business to have the ultimate clean & sterile environment? In this instance above, it is paramount! But there are plenty of other instances where it pays to have an immaculate environment. For example:

• As the owner of a hotel, what would happen to your business if your guests complained of getting bitten by bed bugs?
• As the owner of a restaurant, what would happen if a trail of ants marched across your guest’s table at lunch-time? Do you think that would sit well with your patrons?
• As the owner of a commercial property, the grass is dead from a chinch bug infestation and your tenants are complaining that the grounds look horrible, and they risk losing business because of the poor image outside their doors.

Each of these scenarios could’ve been prevented with commercial pest control from Larue Pest Management. Just ask our friends at LeeSar how they have benefited from our commercial pest control services. LeeSar is Southwest Florida’s leading health care supply chain and they realize just how important it is to have a clean and as sterile environment (especially in the health care industry). Larue has been working with LeeSar since 2006 to ensure that their buildings and grounds remain pest free.

So, whether your business is having issues with termites, lawn pests, or bed bugs, our commercial pest control will assure that your business is bug free.

To take the next step, either contact us online, call (800) 314-8813, or simply request a free pest inspection today!

- Keith

Is your lawn suffering from:

• Pests (Termites, Chinch Bugs, etc…)
• Diseases
• Brown patches or gray spots
• Weeds
• Wild looking trees & bushes

Fort Myers lawn care is going to be in your future!

Download your free copy of the “11 Ways to Ensure You Have the Greenest, Healthiest Lawn in Your Neighborhood” eBook today to learn about:

1. Lawn Care – The Curse of the Chinch Bugs
2. Solving Your Pest Control Nightmares
3. Lawn Care – Get Those Grub Worms Before it’s Too Late
4. Lawn Care Service – Ugly Looking Blades? It May be Gray Leaf Spot
5. Lawn Problems – Brown Patch Disease
6. Weed Management – Know Your Enemy: Broadleaf, Grassy, and Sedge Weeds
7. Practical Irrigation Techniques for SW Florida
8. Buy a Bundle and Save Big – Package Lawn Care with Pest Control & Termite Service
9. Proper Lawn Care for Southwest Florida
10. My Grass is Greener. Now I Need Shrub Care!
11. Get Proper Tree & Shrub Care

You can learn more helpful tips from Larue Pest Management on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. To get lawn care, Fort Myers pest control or termite control that you can trust, feel free to contact us or call us at (800) 314-8813.

- Keith

This is the 11th installment in “11 Ways to Ensure You Have the Greenest, Healthiest Lawn in Your Neighborhood“ which can be downloaded for FREE from our library of eBooks.

Palm trees can be a great addition to a yard. They can frame a space or be ornamental when standing alone. Many varieties are ideal for planting in southwest Florida:

• Buccaneer
• Cabbage
• Florida thatch
• Keys thatch
• Needle
• Paurotis
• Royal
• Saw palms

The most common concern for homeowners with palm trees is pruning. A properly pruned palm should have a nice crown of fronds – not just one or two sticking straight up towards the sky.

Avoid the temptation to over-prune, which can leave your trees vulnerable to disease and palm weevils. This is where tree & shrub care is helpful.

Some palms don’t require pruning at all! Many mature trees will naturally drop their leaves when they’re dead and brown. Just be sure not to leave dead fronds on a tree when its falling palms could cause injuries. Before a hurricane, remove dead palm fronds so they don’t become harmful projectiles when winds pick up. Only remove dead fronds.

Sometimes a living palm frond can look dead – when it’s suffering from a vitamin K deficiency. In that case, it’s better to leave it on the tree. Dead fronds will droop way down, whereas nutrient deficient stalks will look half-dead or discolored.

Clean your tools before pruning. Diseases can be transferred from plant to plant on your clippers. Be careful when you prune. There may be some unfriendly animals residing in your palms – like rats, snakes, spiders and scorpions. If you’d rather not mess with those guys, you can always call Larue Pest Management for help with tree & shrub care.

If you don’t want to deal with falling coconuts, trim the flowers off your palm before they bloom. It won’t hurt the tree.

Larue’s tree & shrub care program controls palm bud weevils and also ensures that your palm trees are properly fertilized. Be sure to ask about their citrus care services too.

Now that you’ve learned how to properly care for your lawn, trees, and shrubs, you’ll know what it feels like to be on the other side of the fence where the grass is greener. You’ll be the envy of the town when your neighbors see your beautiful, healthy yard!

You can learn more helpful tips from Larue Pest Management on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Get Naples lawn care that you can trust with Larue, feel free to contact us or call us at (800) 314-8813.

- Keith

This is the 10th installment in “11 Ways to Ensure You Have the Greenest, Healthiest Lawn in Your Neighborhood“ which can be downloaded for FREE from our library of eBooks.

There are a wide variety of shrubs that can grow successfully in southwest Florida. For a beautiful accent to you lawn, remember these three fundamentals to shrub care:

Light

Make sure there is enough light, or your plants could wither and die by failing to photosynthesize enough food for themselves. For some species, you’ll want to make sure there’s not too much light – which could make conditions hot and unfavorable.

Space

Give your shrubs enough room to grow. If they’ve reached a mature height, you’ll want to prune them every year to maintain a clean look. It’s important not to prune in late summer or fall on tropical varieties that are stressed by winter temperatures.

Mulch

Lay organic mulch in your landscaping areas at least once every year, get Cape Coral lawn care and you can stop worrying today! It not only improves the aesthetics of the beds, it also helps them stay healthy and weed-free. Check at least once a month for signs of insects.

If you can master those three fundamentals to shrub care, you’re well on your way to beautiful landscaping. You’ll still want to watch for unusual circumstances – like winter freezes. In north and central Florida, freezes are common and usually occur every year. But in south Florida, it’s rare for temperatures to fall so low. If they do, your tropical and subtropical plants could die if not properly protected. Use a sheet, quilt, or plastic tarp to cover plants. Covers should not touch the plants themselves and should extend all the way to the ground. Remember to take them up in the morning if it’s sunny outside. If your plants are potted, you can simply move them indoors during a freeze.

Larue’s tree & shrub care program provides fertilization and controls unwanted insects and certain leaf diseases that affect Florida landscapes. Contact us or call us at (800) 314-8813 today and get Cape Coral lawn care and a free inspection!

- Keith