Spring is in the Air!

We love spring! This is a beautiful and wonderful time of year with great weather and an open invitation to enjoy the outdoors! Who doesn’t love to take a walk around the block or pull out a chair in the backyard to just enjoy the nice cool evening breeze and count the stars. I have a neighbor that loves to air dry her laundry in the spring because the weather is perfect and she loves spending time outside for a change. We happen to live in paradise so why not enjoy it’s many gifts of nature? Oh but not all of natures gifts are enjoyable or even wanted! This is the time of year to look out for termites, rodents and fire ants among other unwanted pests. If you haven’t already protected your home now is a good time to consider giving us a call and getting some peace of mind! Below are a few of natures lovely gifts you might want to look out for this time of year. Click on the links or images to read more.

TERMITES – Do you know what swarming season is? Termites begin swarming in mid to late February through late March and have been feeding all winter, summer, spring and fall. This is the first visible evidence of termites and their swarm is commonly mistaken as “flying ants”. Turning on your heat on a cold day can cause these termites to immediately start flying out of your walls. Scary thought huh? Termite damage can get quite expensive in a home, is yours protected? Click here to read more…

RODENTS – Springtime means peak breeding season for commensal pests and rodents! Who knew? Roof rats breed throughout the year, with two peaks of production: In February and March and again in May and June. The period of least activity is in July and August. The gestation period is approximately 21 days, and the number of young per litter averages almost seven. Is your home protected? Click here to read more…

FIRE ANTS – It’s true, ants are super busy this time of year and fire ants are especially dangerous pest to have anywhere near your living quarters. Red Imported Fire Ant mounds are not hard to come by in Cape Coral, Fort Myers and the surrounding Southwest Florida areas. Mounds may be found almost anywhere in Southwest Florida: grass, sidewalk cracks, under objects like rocks, on beaches or near water. Fire ants are vigorous and aggressive creatures here in Southwest Florida. They will instantaneously swarm over anyone or anything that disturbs their mound such as: animals, birds, livestock, pets, or people. This is the time of year when kids love to go out to play in the yard, is your family, yard and home protected against fire ants?  Click here to read more…

Lenny’s Pest Control is all about educating you and helping you protect your home and space from unwanted, bugs and pests. We would love to come out to your home or business and inspect your property, give you an estimate and get your protected. Please give us a call at (239) 945-6543 for all your pest control needs in southwest Florida.

We want to take this time to say THANK YOU for reading our blogs, liking us on Facebook, following us on twitter and connecting with us on LinkedIn. Please subscribe to our newsletter if you haven’t already done so. We also appreciate our many loyal clients for all their years of patronage!

Red Hot Fire Ants!

Although we haven’t had much in the form of a winter it is that time of year when we need to start thinking about spring and some of the concerns warm weather can bring.  One of these pesky issues is the fire ant. At Lenny’s Pest Control we feel it’s very important to educate our customers on how to avoid  unwanted bugs and pests. Our blog is dedicated to informing and educating you on what you need to know about bugs and how we can help protect your home – today we’d like to educate you on Fire Ants!

Fire ants don’t bite; they will sting; similar to a wasp. They hold on with their mouth parts and inject venom into skin through a stinger on their abdomen. It is possible to be stung hundreds of times if you unknowingly disturb a mound.

When stung by Red Imported Fire Ants a strong stinging and burning sensation will immediately erupt near the spot you were stung. After the Fire Ants stings, the area will swell to a red bump and become itchy. Some people may have an allergic reaction to the stings and might require medical attention. The venom is called solenopsin composed of alkaloids.

These insects are also known as the “red imported fire ants”. This is considered to be a more appropriate name because they were introduced originally in Alabama by a South American cargo ship in the 1930s. A few other names known worldwide for the Fire Ant is ginger ants and tropical fire ants. There are over 280 known stinging species of ants. Fire Ants are classified in this group.

Red Imported Fire Ant mounds are not hard to come by in Cape Coral, Fort Myers and the surrounding Southwest Florida areas. Mounds may be found almost anywhere in Southwest Florida: grass, sidewalk cracks, under objects like rocks, on beaches or near water. Fire ant colonies have been found inside cars or trucks. Fire ants are known to be attracted to electrical currents. The best description of a mound is that it looks like a sand pile. Beware if you see a mound with no movement, they sometimes tend to be buried under the sand. Once you cause activity in their mound they will swarm out by the hundreds. Fire ants are vigorous and aggressive creatures here in Southwest Florida. They will instantaneously swarm over anyone or anything that disturbs their mound such as: animals, birds, livestock, pets, or people.  They have been found to cause considerable damage to air conditioners, telephone junction boxes, transformers, traffic lights, and even gasoline pumps.

Fire Ants can be controlled by a two different methods.  Lenny’s Pest Control is an expert in preventing, controlling and exterminating fire ants from your personal living space and surrounding areas. We have specific treatments that we apply to problem areas that work every time! If you have a fire ant or other pest control problem please call us at 239-945-6543 or click here to visit our site.

We want to take this time to say THANK YOU for reading our blogs, liking us on Facebook, following us on twitter and connecting with us on LinkedIn. Please subscribe to our newsletter if you haven’t already done so. We also appreciate our many loyal clients for all their years of patronage!

Happy Valentine’s Day from Lenny’s Pest Control!

Happy Valentine’s Day from Lenny’s Pest Control!

Today is a day of friendship and love and we want to make sure you know how much we appreciate you! We love being of service and we appreciate the opportunity to service you! May your day be filled with love, laughter and happy times in a bug free home! Happy Valentine’s Day from our family to yours!

Leonard Volberg Lenny’s Pest Control, Inc Lee County: 239-945-6543 Charlotte County: 941-621-2424 Collier County: 239-963-2644 lennysr@lennyspestcontrol.com www.lennyspestcontrol.com

Termites in Southwest Florida

Lenny’s Pest Control is all about educating you and helping you protect your home and space from unwanted, bugs and pests. We would love to come out to your home or business and inspect your property, give you an estimate and get your protected. Please give us a call at (239) 945-6543 for all your pest control needs in southwest Florida. Our blog is dedicated to informing and educating you on what you need to know about bugs – today we’d like to educate you on Subterranean Termites!

Subterranean Termites require some moisture to survive, so their nests usually contact the soil. If there’s enough moisture in a wall or other wood structure, though, termites may nest right in the wood.

Subterranean termites live in the ground, unlike other termites which living inside the wood they eat. The ground provides the moisture needed by the subterranean termites. When they find a food source above ground they build a safe pathway or “mud tube” to create a connection from their home to the food.

Subterranean termites are among the most destructive to wood, which they consume for food. In nature, termites are beneficial to ecosystems as they break down dead trees, but they are damaging to wood structures such as houses and barns. Three main types of adult termites live within a colony: reproducer (also known as alates or swarmers), soldiers and workers. Subterranean termites get their name from the underground, interconnected tunnels they create. 

Subterranean Termites Swarmers- Soft-bodied insects with straight antennas, broad  waists approximately ¼ inch in length and two pair of wings of equal length. In Florida, the major swarm normally occurs in early spring, between February through May. Swarming can occur mid morning through late afternoon, most often right after a rain shower and warm sunny conditions are present. The environmental conditions (Humidity) will allow the Swarmers to take flight, mate and find their way back to a soil and/or moisture environment to start colonization. Swarming Termites are normally attracted to light and after flight will shed their wing. Swarmer bodies with and without wings are found near windows, bathrooms, vents, light fixtures and doors Subterranean Termites. Swarmers can only survive in the open environment less than 24 hours depending on the humidity levels. Swarmers do not eat wood/cellulose material and their sole purpose is to successfully mate and colonize at a suitable protective environment.  

Exit holes- Swarming termites will normally swarm from an exist hole that was created by the Subterranean Termite (worker), the only cast member that eats and damages the wood. The exit holes

Termites are highly social insects with one of the most sophisticated family structures in the animal kingdom. There are approximately 2,700 species of termites found worldwide. 

Mud Tunnels / Tubes – Foraging Subterranean Termite workers construct mud tunnels, size of a drinking straw that are environmentally controlled and as a protective highway from one location to the next. 

All Termites

• Are social insects (have overlapping generations, reproductive division of labor, and brood care)
• Have different family members with different colony roles
• Consume wood along with other plant material containing cellulose (main component in plant cell walls)
• Prefer to live in the dark
• Need food, water, and shelter in order to survive

In natural areas, termites are essential organisms in the environment. Termites decompose cellulose, the main component of plant cell walls and recycle nutrients back into the soil for use by other living organisms. Termites are also an important food source for many amphibians, reptiles and birds. Unfortunately, termites receive a bad reputation because they are unable to distinguish between the dead wood in the forest and the dead wood used in our homes.

We want to take this time to say THANK  YOU for reading our blogs, liking us on Facebook, following us on twitter and connecting with us on LinkedIn. Please subscribe to our newsletter if you haven’t already done so. We also appreciate our many loyal clients for all their years of patronage and we hope you have a wonderful 2012!

Lenny’s Pest Control has a team of experts that specialize in Southwest Florida Pest Control inside and outside of your home. We are experienced in tackling Termites and any other insects in your living space. Don’t try to fix it yourself, let the experts handle all of your pest control problems! We proudly service the Lee, Charlotte and Collier Counties.  Call us at 239-945-6543 or visit our website at http://www.lennyspestcontrol.com/to get a quote today!

Moving in for the Winter

So it’s mid-January and the cold front’s finally coming our way here in sunny Southwest Florida! If you’re like me, you love the beautiful warm Florida weather but you also welcome the cool breeze of our winter climate! I love this time of year because I can give my A/C a break and just open the windows and patio doors and let the cool breeze come in. We can air out our homes and get some fresh air flowing through the house. Unfortunately the cool breeze isn’t the only thing willing and ready to come home! This is the time of the year when birds fly south, people migrate to Florida and bugs come inside your house looking for warmth!

It’s winter in Southwest Florida and everyone knows it. Does this mean the pests are at rest? Of course not. You’ve worked hard to create a Home Sweet Home retreat away from the world and perfect for all your specific needs. Our home is usually our biggest financial investment and we spend a large amount of time there. So shouldn’t your home be protected from unwanted bugs and creatures looking to protect themselves from nippy cold winter days? Here’s where we can help! Lenny’s Pest Control is here to keep your home safe and bug free all winter long!

Because the current rash of cold weather the termites are hard at work. Probably eating at the walls that are keeping you warm now. I bet you didn’t know that termites and their swarm are commonly mistaken as “flying ants”. Turning on your heat on a cold day can cause these termites to immediately start flying out of your walls. We have a blog post coming soon with all the details on Subterranean Termites in Southwest Florida so stay tuned and subscribe to our blog if you haven’t already! Fire ants, Argentine ants and other ant species, as well as American cockroaches, try to move indoors during this time as well, seeking warmth from the colder temperatures.

We want to take this time to say THANK  YOU for reading our blogs, liking us on Facebook, following us on twitter and connecting with us on LinkedIn. Please subscribe to our newsletter if you haven’t already done so. We also appreciate our many loyal clients for all their years of patronage and we hope you have a wonderful 2012!

Lenny’s Pest Control has a team of experts that specialize in Southwest Florida Pest Control inside and outside of your home. We are experienced in tackling Termites and any other insects in your living space. Don’t try to fix it yourself, let the experts handle all of your pest control problems! We proudly service the Lee, Charlotte and Collier Counties.  Call us at 239-945-6543 or visit our website at http://www.lennyspestcontrol.com/to get a quote today!

Happy New Year from Lenny’s Pest Control!

May Prosperity, Abundance & Joy be yours this New Year 2012!

As we say goodbye to 2011 and receive 2012 with open arms we take a moment to reflect on our many blessings. We have a lot to be grateful for this year and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your preference and friendship over the years. Thank you for sharing these special moments with us and for allowing us to serve you! We wish you lots of prosperity, good health and abundance during this New Year and for all the years to come. May you always be surrounded with good friends, a loving family and happy times in a bug free home! Happy New Year 2012 from our family to yours!

Leonard Volberg Lenny’s Pest Control, IncLee County: 239-945-6543Charlotte County: 941-621-2424Collier County: 239-963-2644lennysr@lennyspestcontrol.comwww.lennyspestcontrol.com

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Holiday Season!

‘Tis the season to be Jolly and that we definitely are! We have a lot to be grateful for this year and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your preference and friendship over the years. Thank you for sharing these special moments with us and for allowing us to serve you! We send you blessings, love, joy, peace and prosperity during this holiday season and beyond. May you always be surrounded with good friends, loving family and happy times! Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

Leonard Volberg Lenny’s Pest Control, IncLee County: 239-945-6543 Charlotte County: 941-621-2424 Collier County: 239-963-2644 lennysr@lennyspestcontrol.com www.lennyspestcontrol.com