Another Case of Plague - This Time in New Mexico

Another case of bubonic plague was confirmed in New Mexico, the fourth confirmed in the U.S. The patient is a 73-year old woman who, after hospitalization, is now recovering at home. Bubonic plague--or the plague organism-- is carried by fleas which, in turn, are carried about by rats. So rats are then the principle "vectors" of plague. And, as it stands, the frequency of plague cases are rare. Rats may rarely carry plague, but they do very frequently carry other disease organisms. One of the most frequent causes "Rat Bite Fever." Videos about rat-bite fever. For more information about rodent- or rat-carried diseases see related playlist on our Youtube channel: Cascade Pest Control. For information on rat control, rat inspections, rodent control, rodent inspections, rodent-proofing and exclusion from www.CascadePest.com . Rodent control is important to our health and well-being because rats contaminate our food and/or living space, spread diseases, cause damage such as by compressing insulation or gnawing on electrical wires. Rats live in cities, both urban and suburban areas...wherever there is enough human population to help them by with garbage, food (often pet food and bird seed or compost...but sometimes our actual food from household kitchens to stores to warehouses.) We also supply rats (rattus novegicus and rattus rattus) shelter with the cavities of our walls, attics and crawlspaces and our insulation for their nest material. Rat control should be maintained by professionals and an ongoing maintenance program designed to protect your home from future invasion. The rat populations is maintained throughout greater Seattle, from areas up north like Arlingtion down through Everett, Lynnwood, and down through Seattle north-to-south. The resident rodent population resides in other homes, greenbelts, saltwater beaches and so on. Besides a continuous rat population "reservoir" down through Seattle, there are more or less continuous pockets of rats living clear around the north end of lake Washington and in the communities of Kenmore, Bothell, Woodinville, Kirkland and down through Bellevue. Mercer Island is not immune. It has a high incidence of rats, many of which take refuge in the many greenbelts. This pattern of fairly continuous pockets of rat population "networks" also runs down through Maple Valley to Renton, SeaTac (including the airport), Burien, Des Moines and Kent. A few decades ago rats weren't found on the Sammamish plateau. But now, with the many housing developments the former population of field mice are rapidly being displaced by rats, found often now in Snoqualmie and North Bend.

Woman Has Portions of All her Limbs Amputated Due to Tick Bite

It's a very rare instance, but a 40-year-old Oklahoma woman had portions each leg and each arm amputated due to a life-threatening infection from a tick bite this summer. Her name is Jo Rogers, a mother of two. She likely got bit--and, hence, contracted the disease, while hiking. This is an extreme case, but we are not without ticks here in the Seattle - Puget Sound region. Yes, there are far more ticks usually found in eastern Washington, but we do have ticks here in western Washington as well. Many are found on deer trails in the woods right around us. Perhaps the most common species of tick here is the 'brown dog tick.' Don't let the name fool you...deer and other animals are their hosts as much, if not more, than dogs.

Fortunately, we have few cases where ticks are plentiful on any small portion of property and neither homes nor lawns--knock on wood--need be treated. Nevertheless, we at Cascade Pest Control provide control for fleas and, in the rare instance, ticks. Cascade Pest Control is dedicated to protecting your health and property. Call Cascade Pest Control for all your rat, rodent, insect and other pest needs.  Don Leland

Seattle is #1....but not in the way you might think.

Seattle leads the country in contact with rodents, according to a recent study released by the US Census Bureau. The agency conducts a biennial accounting of rat, mouse and cockroach sightings across the country. The most recent numbers, collected in 2013, were released in June 2015, and show Seattle is a rat paradise!

Amazingly, this graph suggests that Seattle has more homes with rodent infestation that New York City, the alleged city of 2 million rats, as does Austin, Miami, Tampa and San Antonio.

The same report shows Seattle scoring in the lower-ranking cities with mice and cockroaches. View the Bloomberg article here, and contact Cascade Pest Control TODAY if you have a rodent issue!

Cascade's New Informative Rodent Video

We at Cascade Pest Control are happy to announce a new and very informative video about rodents: Rats and Mice, their behavior and examples of what might be found at a home. In the video we explore rat evidenced and signs, what rodents eat, and the many places in a home that rats and mice can gain entry. We explore the house exterior, roof, crawlspace and more. Rats are an important pest in the greater Seattle area and they run rampant on Mercer Islann, and in communities like Medina, Bellevue, Issaquah and Kirkland laregly due to all the waterfront areas. But rats are not confined there. Rat populations are soaring throughout the eastside (of Lake Washington), south King county and throughout most of Snohomish county due to the growth in human population. Rats are "commensal rodents" meaning they live with or near humans--actually dependent on human habitation. So rats are now being found throughout all residential neighborhoods, whether urban or suburban. Rats also cause considerable damage to homes and can carry harmful diseases. Please take a look at our rodent vieo to learn more. http://www.cascadepest.com/videos/ Don Leland

In Praise of Environmental Protection Agency's PESP Program

Image Copyright EPA PESP The EPA's Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP) promotes pest control efforts that are ecologically aware and also less toxic for people. The history of Cascade Pest Control as a pioneer in environmentally friendly pest management services spans from the early 1990's. In those days there were few groups or agencies that would work with a conscienscious pest management company. In fact, in those days most of the pest control industry had a lot of animosity toward environmentalists in general. Today things have changed significantly and the EPA has sponsered the PESP program to encourage and promote companies for their efforts in environmental care and the use of safer products and methods. Cascade is a proud member of PESP and our owner, Kurt Treftz, and our IPM Laison Person, Maxine Luna, wrote articles for the PESP newsletter Pestwire. See article. Don Leland