As autumn’s foliage begins to produce its beautiful landscapes many have already started harvest time. This is a time of excitement and hard work, the time to reap for those that have planted during spring and summer. They gather with family and friends to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

However, for those of us that are in the pest management industry it is a completely different kind of harvest time. Just as many prepare for the cooler temperatures by cleaning out the fireplace and making sure that they will have plenty of firewood on hand (for those cozy nights along with the hot coco), we are not alone in doing so. Our furry friends are also preparing their migration indoors. From squirrels and raccoons to rats and mice, they are eager to find just the right warm location to overwinter. Keep in mind for example that rodents reproduce quickly. The House Mouse may have up to 5 litters per year with as many as 5-10 young per litter. The Norway Rat may average 4-6 litters with 6-12 young per litter. You can see that if the environmental conditions are right instant population explosion.

At Catseye Pest Control we have developed an effective program to discourage this migration when identified in time. It begins with a thorough inspection of your home/business to ascertain the potential access points as well as any visible signs of rodent activity. It’s a three step elimination process:

1) Eviction by performing our version of harvest time (approximately 5 days of consecutive trapping).

2) Cleanup sanitize and disinfect those areas contaminated by rodent activity.

3) Seal the entry points by using the CAT-GUARD EXCLUSION SYSTEM. To assure their elimination regular monitoring is performed, making it the most extensive rodent program in the industry.

Yes, indeed it is harvest time!.

One thing I have learned over the past thirty years of pest management that the average person doesn’t appreciate is that the average person sees a pest management professional simply as the bug man (that being one of the nicer things we may have been called). For example if I were say first responder, what comes to your mind? No doubt you would say courageous and self- sacrificing and you would not be alone. These are individuals that run into dangerous situations while the rest of us are running in the opposite direction.

Bubonic plague, hanta virus, murine typhus (comparatively mild, acute, endemic form of typhus and characterized by fever, headache, and muscular pain) typhoid fever, cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, tuberculosis, salmonella and parasitic worms. What do all these diseases have in common? They are transmitted by either an insect a rodent or both. This reality has made this point clear early in my career that as a pest management professional I have been on the front lines protecting the public’s heath.

Like the first responders, the pest management professional runs into situations that the rest of us run away from. How many times have we heard someone say “it’s a dirty job but someone has to do it”. That may be true in some cases unless you’re referring to heading into a room infested with bed bugs. The idea of heading into an insect or rodent infested condition is the things of nightmares. It takes a special kind of person to be willing to run into that kind of situation. Who knew.

It’s both exciting and depressing at the same time, depending on your prospective. Yes, school days are here. For children, it’s the end of the fun days of summer and the beginning of a new school year. For parents, it’s time to hit the sales on clothes and school supplies as well as preparing for the ups and downs of another school year. The fact that school days are here may also include receiving the dreaded note from the school nurse, the one informing you of the outbreak of head lice.

An infestation of head lice is a medical problem and not a pest management one, however, a pest management professional can prove to be a valuable source of relevant information. Let me put your mind at ease by stating that the only louse that is a vector of human diseases such as typhus, relapsing fever, and trench fever is the body louse.
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