With all the talk about major pest problems in the spring like ants and termites, we often overlook some of the less commonly talked about pests. Clover mites are another common spring pest in Arkansas and homeowners are starting to see them now because of their ability to rapidly reproduce when the weather is warm during the spring and summer months. These are the tiny reddish to brown colored mites that are often found inside homes. If you have them, you likely have a lot of them!

The good news is that clover mites pose no threat to you, your family or the structures of your home. They do not spread disease nor do they bite, but this does not make them any less of a nuisance! During the spring and summer months, clover mites begin to reproduce as the temperatures are ideal for breeding and survival. Females can lay up to 70 eggs and they are fully matured in just 30 days which means clover mites rapidly populate the areas they infest.

Their favored food sources are plants and grass which means that even your indoor plants are at risk for becoming dinner for many, many tiny red bugs. Now in the past we have talked about how making sure that any cracks and crevices on the exterior of the house are sealed off to prevent pests from getting inside. When it comes to clover mites, this becomes even more crucial! The reason that they can so easily infest homes is because they are so tiny and can fit into cracks and holes that you may not even know are there.

In order to avoid clover mite infestations inside your home, our team of Little Rock pest control professionals recommend our year round pest control services such as the Prescribed Home Protection program to help prevent a clover mite infestation from occurring. Again, these tiny bugs are not going to cause any harm or damage but they will surely be hard to control once they begin reproducing. Give us a call today to get rid of clover mites in Arkansas including in Little Rock, Hot Springs, and Fayetteville.

If you have been reading our recent blog posts, we have been talking a lot about ticks and the spread of Lyme disease. Because ticks are becoming more active this spring and will continue to be active through the summer months, it is important to be prepped on what to do in case you happen to find a tick on you or a member of your family. It is true that ticks can spread Lyme disease but before you panic, it is best to just get the tick off your skin.

Ticks have sucking mouthparts that latch right onto the skin so tick removal is not a simple brush of the skin to make it go away. It is important to be cautious when removing ticks from the skin because you want to pull out the tick and it’s mouthparts. Here’s what to do:

1. Use a pair of tweezers, fine pointed tweezers are best, and grab hold of the tick as close to the skin as possible.

2. Pull upward on the tick with a steady motion. Any fast movements or jerking of the tweezers can break the tick off and leave the mouthparts in the skin.

3. Once the tick has been removed, wash the area with soap and water. You can also apply rubbing alcohol to the tick bite area.

Now, there is no need to enter panic mode just because you have a tick bite. What you want to do is closely monitor the tick bite area on your skin and any symptoms that happen to arise. If you notice a rash forming around the tick bite, you should go see the doctor to have a Lyme disease test done. But not everyone infected with Lyme disease is going to have this rash. So the other symptoms to watch for are flu like symptoms including headaches, fatigue, fever and chills. These could be the beginning stages of Lyme disease and it is best to have the doctor treat you right away so the symptoms do not progress.

For future reference, click here to read our tips to avoid tick bites so that you can prevent future tick problems. And don’t forget, if you are finding ticks on your property, give us a call at McCauley Services! Our home pest control in Little Rock, Fayetteville and Hot Springs as well as throughout Arkansas is a great way to control all of the insects and critters that are beginning to appear on your property this spring. We even incorporate Integrated Pest Management techniques to avoid the unnecessary use of chemicals! Call us for more information on AR tick control.

If you have noticed any dome shaped mounds of dirt around your property, you may be hosting a colony of fire ants! Unlike many other species of small ants, fire ants are more aggressive and this is why our Little Rock exterminators want to offer a little advice on how to recognize fire ants on your property and prevent them. After all, now that we have enjoyable and warm weather in the area, the last thing you want to worry about is a massive colony of fire ants on your lawn.

You can recognize fire ants because of their coppery colored head and body with a darker colored abdomen. They do vary in size but are usually pretty small, 1/8 of an inch to 1/4 of an inch in length. The trouble is that they form massive colonies of up to 500,000 ants! Fire ants are most likely to form nests under rocks, at the base of trees, or in the soil near moist areas. When there is no coverage for the ant colony, fire ants will form a mound shaped domes of dirt to keep themselves covered.

If you believe that you have fire ants on your property, it is best to stay away and contact the Little Rock pest control professionals right away. Since fire ants are capable of stinging, they should not be dealt with on your own. Fire ants are aggressive and if their colony or food source is threatened, they will attack; and not just one or two, but by the hundreds. Their stings can be very painful and leave you covered in red welts.

To avoid the sting of fire ants this summer, make sure that you alert the pest control pros if you see fire ants but also, make sure that your home is properly pest-proofed to avoid foraging ants. Fire ants, like most nuisance ants are after food sources which can leave your home an open target. In order to prevent fire ants from foraging inside your home you should

• replace any torn window screens

• trim back bushes and branches so they do not touch the side of the home

• take the trash out of the home on a regular basis

• keep all open food sealed in airtight containers

• wipe up crumbs and spills immediately inside the home

• clean up well after any outdoor picnic or cookout

For more information on fire ants in Little Rock, Fayetteville and elsewhere in Arkansas, including how to get rid of fire ants on your property, please contact McCauley Services today. Not only will treatments from our team of pest professionals be safer but also more effective at eliminating the entire fire ant colony so that you and your family are no longer threatened by their aggressive nature and stings.