Abundant Blackberries in Seattle Area Invite Rats

This hot and dry summer has been a boon to the blackberry patches in and around the greater Seattle area. Throughout King and Snohomish counties we have loads of blackberry bushes, sometimes taking over corners of lots, or even whole vacant lots. These berries are a source of enjoyment for all of us each year. However, these same blackberries--along with other berries and fruits--atract rats. And the blackberry vines and bushes create well hidden spaces for them to hide. Rats and other pests thrive on the berries this time of year, encouraging them to bread and multiply while the food is plentiful. Later, after the rat population has increased and it gets cold, the rats will tend to move into the attics, garages and crawlspaces of our homes. This hot and dry summer has been a boon to the blackberry patches in and around the greater Seattle area. Throughout King and Snohomish counties we have loads of blackberry bushes, sometimes taking over corners of lots, or even whole vacant lots. These berries are a source of enjoyment for all of us each year. However, these same blackberries--along with other berries and fruits--atract rats. And the blackberry vines and bushes create well hidden spaces for them to hide. Rats and other pests thrive on the berries this time of year, encouraging them to bread and multiply while the food is plentiful. Later, after the rat population has increased and it gets cold, the rats will tend to move into the attics, garages and crawlspaces of our homes. http://nematode.unl.edu/norway_rat1.jpg We're not suggesting you remove all blackberries from you property. Nor could you remove them from adjacent or nearby property without permission. Plus, the blackberries are for you to enjoy. But if you have blackberries growing nearby it is all the more reason to have Cascade set up a protective barrier around your home and service it often enough to keep the rats at bay. So, enjoy those blackberries...and have Cascade protect your home today. 1-888-989-9879 Don Leland We're not suggesting you remove all blackberries from you property. Nor could you remove them from adjacent or nearby property without permission. Plus, the blackberries are for you to enjoy. But if you have blackberries growing nearby it is all the more reason to have Cascade set up a protective barrier around your home and service it often enough to keep the rats at bay. So, enjoy those blackberries...and have Cascade protect your home today. 1-888-989-9879

Pregnant Mother of Four Dies from Bee Stings

A young mother of four children from the state of Vriginia died from wasps stings. She was only 32 years old and pregnant with her fifth child. http://freeyellowjacketremoval.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/YellowJacket.jpeg While this is rare, the wasps encountered are plentiful here in the greater Seattle area. During August and September wasp nests, particularly Yellow Jackets, have populations of up to four thousand in any one nest! Problems we've encountered with wasps and yellow jackets in the Seattle area, Bellevue and Redmond include wall nests that can break into the living space of the home presenting an escalated risk to people and pests. What happens is the wasps nest in wall cavities or in attics just above the ceiling, and the wasps slowly scratch through the sheetrock until there is only a layer of paper and paint separating them from the home interior. We at Cascade have had a number of people over the years call us from their neighbor's house because they were driven out from the yellow jackets breaking through the wall and invading their home. In a few cases we caught the situation before they'd broken through. If you have wasps, yellow jackets or other pests--or, better yet, to set up pest protection before it's a problem, call Cascade today! 1-888-989-78979 WWW.CASCADEPEST.COM Don Leland

Animated Video on Rat Infestation and Control

Cascade Pest Control is delighted to announce that we have released a great animation that depicts rodent problems in a home in a way that is both thorough and entertaining. View the video. The video dramatizes rat infestation and consequences accurately to educate the public. Rats are an important pest in the greater Seattle area, including The Eastside, Bellevue, Redmond, Everett and beyond. The video, while short, demonstrates the "how" and "why" of rat and rodent control, including assessment, initial control, exclusion and periodic service.

Cascade Pest Control's Rodent Service from No Pests on Vimeo.

Don Leland

Spiders Can Kill - Fortunately Brown Recluse Not Normally Found in Seattle Area

At least two people have died in the US in 2014 from the bites of brown recluse spiders. One was reported from Mulberry Conty, Florida, where a 62-year-old man, Ronald Reese, was renovating a home and got bitten on the back of his neck. His father, 89, reported that Ron thought it would heal on it's own but that, instead, it "rotted to the vertbrae." Brown Recluse spider bites often do heal, but because they break down red blood cells and can become systemic they should always be checked by medical professionals. Obviously, some can cause death. The most recent death attributed to brown recluse spiders occured in Michigan--a rare case for that area. The woman was 58 years old and was bitten on her foot. Similarly, she rsisted seeing a doctor until it was too late. Usually, a brown recluse bite on a foot woiuldn't be fatal but the bite ocurred directly into a blood vessel, allowing the venum to ciculate into the blood stream. By the time an ambulence came she was non-responsive. She died shortly thereafter. While we have no resident brown recluse spider population in the Puget Sound region, they can conceivably be shipped from the south central part of the United States. Also, while a spider bite here shouldn't be from a brown recluse, we do have the aggressive house spider and the hobo spider--both of which can cause severe symptoms, apparently including auditory hallucinations in some cases. For more information about local spiders and their control contact Cascade Pest Control.

NPR "Death Of Popular Hawk Highlights Concerns Over Rat Poison"

Today NPR hosted a needed piece about the use of certain rodenticides and their sometimes unfortunately unintended effects on wildlife and/or pets. Some rat and mouse baits can be toxic to wildlife and pets when they consume the mouse or rat that has died (or is ill) from the rodenticide poision. These animals are all omnivorse or carnivores--most notably raptors, birds of prey, becuase they are small and cannot tolerate much toxins. The dead or dying mouse or rat still carries the toxin in their bloodstream which is now consumed by the animal--wild or pet. Part of the controversy stems from consumer use where the average person is not trained, let alone licensed, to handle rodenticides with a full consideration of mitigating risks to children, pets and wildlife. California has banned the sale of some rat and mouse poisons to the general public for this reason. We at Cascade Pest Control greatly rely on trapping to being with. Trapping is likely more "humane" anyway and, besides eliminating secondary poisoning to hawks and other animals, insures that the dead rodent won't die inside a home causing a horrible odor problem. We do use rodenticides, however, they are applied by fully trained abnd licensed technicians and placed in tamper resistant bait stations when needed outdoors. Additionally, consideration of pets and wildlife is fully considered. Obviously, all of this has to be blanced with concern around rats and mice and the diseases they carry, as well as other damage they do. Thankfully, the NPR interview mentioned the fact that we do need effective rodent control because the threat from rodents is very real. They cited the recent illnesses that occurred in a National Park. Red Tailed Hawk, Rat Infestation, Enclosed Rodenticide Bait Station Don Leland

Crazy Ants in Seattle? Crazy ants in Northwest? Bellevue?

Crazy ants are tiny, but come in huge quantities--one mane vacuumed five gallons of them out of his air-conditioner that had quit working! 5-Gallons of tiny ants! They don't bite or sting but do smell musty and they are known for their huge numbers and their attraction to electrical and electronic devices. They have been know to shut down laptop computers, televisions and many other devices. This would be an important pest in the greater Seattle area with all our software and aerospace companies--besides all of us being so electronic dependent. But so far crazy ants are mostly remaining in the Texas area and other Gulf States. What we have to watch for--pest wise, here in in King and Snohomish counties would be crazy ants hitch-hiking on people's belongings when they move from a crazy ant infested area. Also, shipments of manufactured or other goods from areas like Texas could also transport crazy ants. Those of us considering pest control here in the Seattle--Eastside--Bellevue--Everett areas need not be too concerned about the widespread and "crazy" nuisance of crazy ants spreading from vacant lands or even necessarily from house to house because they need a warmer climate than what we have to offer. However, our indoor climates are controlled and crazy ants can survive and maybe even thrive within our homes and businesses. Speculating from a lifetime of pest biology and control, if they do get a foothold indoors it most likely could be in larger apartment and condominium buildings. But for the time being we have lucked out! If you encounter ant problems contact Cascade Pest Control today. Crazy Ants Covering Grounds Crazy Ants Shorting Out Electronics Don Leland

Boy Dies from Rat-Bite Fever. Could it happen in Seattle?

A boy died from a bacterial infection recently in San Diego, apparenly from his pet rat. The Rat was purchased from Petco by his grandmother as a gift. The San Diego County medical examiner's office ruled that the cause of death was streptobacillus moniliformis infection, commonly known as rat-bite fever, after exposure to an infected rat. What's important here is the fact that, while rat-bite fever is less common from a pet store bought rat, it is far more likely from the wild rats that live here in the greater Seattle area. Cascade Pest Control has long warned residents in King and Snohomish county about the hazards associated with rat infestations, including rat-bit fever and more. Unfortunately, it may take a tragidy like what happened in San Diego for many to pay heed to warnings about real risks from diseases rats carry. There are high rat populations througout Seattle, Everett, Tacoma, Mercer Island and other cities...and rat bite fever is carried within the rat populations. "Most anywhere amongst the urban and suburban areas of the Puget Sound region we have an abundance of rats, and the diseases they carry are a real hazard," says Kurt Treftz of Cascade Pest Control. If you or someone you know has a home that may be encountering rodents call Cascade. If you're already on service be sure to follow recommendations, if any, that your technician provides you to reducse likelihood of rats. Don Leland