"Let us allow you to live a better, more prosperous, and comfortable life." THREATS
Insects pose a threat to people and property!!!
"It is important that residents of Miami understand that the damage caused by pests can cost the community thousands of dollars in destroyed food and property," says Leon T. Carangi, Jr., of Bug Busters, Inc. "Perhaps more frightening is the potential impact on public health." The housefly, for example, can carry more than 100 kinds of pathogenic organisms and may transmit more than 65 human and animal disease organisms. Cockroaches can transmit food poisoning, cholera, dysentery and typhoid. Pest management plays a major role in allowing people to live healthier, more prosperous and comfortable lives. The pest management professional relies on pesticide application as just one part of a total pest management program. The professional pest management technician relies on training, expertise and sophisticated techniques to apply materials in an environmentally responsible manner. Conversely, the untrained consumer who purchases a product over the counter can only make an intuitive judgment on how to safely apply the pesticide. Often, untrained consumers use the wrong chemical or much more chemical than is necessary. Professional pest control industry researchers are continually developing environmentally responsible insecticides and equipment to meet the demand of a discerning public.

ASTHMA
Asthma Problems Among Children Linked to Cockroaches!!!
Research published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine finds that asthmatic children who are both allergic and frequently exposed to cockroaches were three and a half times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma-related problems than children who are allergic to cockroaches, but not exposed to them on a frequent basis. The study looked at hundreds of severely asthmatic young children from eight cities around the country. It found that the problem was much more severe among poor, inner-city children. Researchers also concluded that, in general, asthmatic children are significantly more allergic to cockroach allergens than they are to more common allergens like cat dander and dust mites. "This new research supports what the pest control community has long said," says Leon T. Carangi, Jr., of Bug Busters, Inc., in Miami. "Pests are not just a nuisance, they're a genuine health hazard and should be taken seriously." Pest control and medical professionals around the country emphasized that cockroach control is relatively inexpensive and could produce significant benefits. In an editorial that was published along with the research report, the New England Journal of Medicine urged the public to, "focus on reducing the population of cockroaches [through] control of sources of food and water, routine cleaning, and regular use of insecticides."

ANTS
They're everywhere, eat almost anything, and have few natural predators!!!
These pesky creepy crawlies are among the most difficult to control pests in the world. The pest control experts at the National Pest Management Association list 20 common varieties of house-infesting ants in the U.S. In most cases, ants are merely a nuisance, but some species can cause damage such as contaminating food, destroying seeds, damaging plants, and even attacking and injuring animals including humans. Fire ants, common throughout the south, attack and can produce a painful sting. Carpenter ants can sometimes do more damage to your home than the dreaded termite.
Methods for controlling ants in your home will vary depending on the species of ant and their behavioral patterns. A local pest control company like Bug Busters, Inc., employs and trains technicians in this delicate art of ant control.

FLEAS
Fleas Can Flee!!! Spot scratches incessantly and bites into his skin to rid himself of a small, elusive pest: the flea. Eventually, that flea decides to raise a family and it is the homeowner that begins to regret the presence of these unwanted house guests. Carried into the home on pets, fleas can pose a severe problem when their population explodes inside a structure. "Flea infestations vary considerably each year," says Leon T. Carangi, Jr. of Bug Busters, Inc., "And the pesky little creatures can sometimes do more than cause itching. In isolated cases, they can carry disease-causing organisms, including the plague!" In cases of severe infestation, several steps must be taken. Pets should be taken to a veterinarian for a complete flea bath. While pets are out of the home, an application of insecticides by a professional pest management specialist is necessary to eliminate the fleas. You can flea-proof your home by paying particular attention to the pet's behavior, its resting area and carpeted areas. Frequent vacuuming, washing the pet's bedding and shampooing the pet with a special flea shampoo can often control the problem and prevent it from escalating. Remember to remove and seal the vacuum bag for immediate disposal. Have the pet treated by a veterinarian as often as needed. A flea collar alone may not be adequate. If fleas persist, begin bothering humans in the household or continue to bother the pet, call your local pest control professional right away.

ROACHES
Gross, Disgusting, Ugly, Scary

: Cockroaches No one wants 'em. Yet they've persisted for more than 350 million years--despite man's attempts to eradicate them. One female can produce more than 35,000 young each year. Roaches are found in every part of the U. S. They seek out and prosper in nearly any area inhabited by humans -especially those areas that provide food, moisture and warmth. Cockroaches prefer darkness and crawl into amazingly small crevices--as small as the thickness of a dime! An adult cockroach can live for a month without food as long as water or moisture is present. "Roaches carry and spread diseases," according to Leon T. Carangi, Jr., of Bug Busters, Inc. "It's not unusual for scientists to find salmonella-a form of bacteria that can cause food poisoning in humans --on the bodies of cockroaches." In addition, cockroaches are believed to spread viruses and their presence can cause allergic reactions for many people, especially asthmatic children. In fact, a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that children with asthma exposed to cockroaches are three times more likely to be hospitalized than other asthmatic children. What can you do if you find cockroaches in your living environment? Leon T. Carangi, Jr. says, "The most important method of cockroach prevention and control is sanitation. Even a few crumbs that slip down beside a stove, for example, can feed several cockroaches for a long time. Our technicians are trained to apply the most effective insecticides in the smallest quantities necessary to control the population." If you are seeking professional help, look for a firm that's a member of the national, state, or local pest management associations. These are established businesses, which through their association memberships, have access to technical information on controlling and preventing pest problems.

TERMITES
Termites damage more homes than hurricanes!!!
Termites account for more than $1 billion in property damage to over 600,000 homes a year...more than the annual dollar damage value from fires and storms. "In the US alone, there are more than 2000 different species of termites," says Leon T. Carangi, Jr., of Bug Busters, Inc. "Different specific treatments are used to deal with different kinds of termites." Termite control in the home has three basic facets: prevention, barrier application or baiting, and elimination. Homeowners can do a great deal to discourage termite infestations by never stacking old scraps of lumber or firewood next to or near a home and by calling a pest management professional once a year to make sure the termites haven't gained access. "There's no reason to panic when you discover a swarm of termites around your home. Termites are slow workers. Treatment techniques vary with the kind of termites that are present, soil conditions, climate and severity of the problem."

BEDBUGS Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite! For a bug that is so well entrenched in our language in the United States, for many decades it was a rare occurrence indeed for anyone to actually see a Bedbug. Things have changed. For one reason or another, or perhaps a combination of reasons, we are seeing a distinct resurgence of this blood-sucking parasite throughout the U.S., and the professional pest management industry is now getting frequent calls to eliminate them from homes. Bedbugs are not choosy about who they feed on, and while we still associate them with poorer living conditions, it is common for bedbugs to infest upscale homes and happily feed on the sleeping occupants of these residences. Earlier in the recent history of the United States, perhaps in the first few decades of the 1900s, bedbugs were so common in our homes that we all knew the little rhyme of "Sleep Tight, Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite". Then, perhaps because of the advent of highly effective modern pesticides, bedbugs became almost an endangered species as homes were routinely treated for these and other pests that are capable of causing us problems. For many years it was so unusual for pest control companies to receive calls for bedbugs that new technicians might not even recognize them, and training on how to control them was curtailed for more important teachings.
If a pest control company received one call in 10 years for bedbugs, they seemed to be about average.

MOSQUITOES
 

• Mosquitoes vector many diseases to humans. Malaria, Yellow Fever, Dengue, Encephalitis, and others. Even today mosquitoes and their diseases kill over 2 million humans each year around the world. Every 30 seconds - somewhere in the world - a child dies from Malaria. Malaria means, literally, "bad air", from the early belief that the disease was caused by breathing the stale, warm, humid air found around swamps.
   
• Female mosquitoes have been shown to fly as far as 25 miles from where they emerged as an adult to where they were captured later.
   
• Male mosquitoes do not bite - they feed on nectar and other plant juices.
   
• Malaria, spread by mosquitoes, may have been responsible for killing one half of all humans on the Earth since the Stone Ages. Mosquitoes easily are rewarded the title of "World's Deadliest Creatures".

RATS
"You Dirty Rat!"
This is a very famous line from a movie from around my parents' era, so forgive me for not being certain of the origin, but I believe it was James Cagney, in one of his many "tough guy" roles in the early movies. Now this was a pretty disparaging insult that was thrown at whoever it was Mr. Cagney was sparring with - to equate someone with something as low and vile as a Rat. Was it deserved? Do rats really belong near the bottom when it comes to desirable things we want around us? Well, possibly, but it takes some understanding of "rats". There are many, many species of rats in the world and in the United States. Most of the kinds we might find around us are native to our country, and therefore of very little problem as "pests", although this cannot be an all-encompassing statement. After all, even our native species are rodents, and as rodents they may still gnaw holes in our possessions or be associated with parasites on them that can be a problem for us.

PEST BIRDS Problems Caused by Pest Birds Pest birds cause millions of dollars in damage each year to structures and residences. With our population increasing and "urban sprawl" encroaching on their habitat, dislocated birds learn to utilize our structures as their homes, creating more frequent conflicts between "us" and "them". At Bug Busters, Inc., our buildings, machinery, rooftops, A/C/and ventilation systems, warehouses, loading docks, grandstands and lighting systems provide ideal perches and shelters for them. Bird infestations should be monitored and taken seriously. Birds are often more than just an annoyance. If allowed, to remain at a location, they can create a host of problems. Economic and Health Hazards of Pest Birds Many disease organisms have been associated with pigeons, starlings, and house sparrows. These pathogens may infect man or domestic animals through airborne spores or droplets, ectoparasites, fecal contamination, contact with infected tissues, direct arthropod "vectors" such as mosquitoes or mechanical "vectors" such as houseflies. The major diseases associated with pigeons, starlings, and/or house sparrows that may infect humans are: Histoplasmosis - A systemic fungal disease in humans transmitted by airborne spores from soil contaminated with pigeon or starling droppings. The disease in humans is usually mild but may be more serious, including fever, blood abnormalities, and tuberculosis-like lesions of the lungs, skin, eyes, mouth, throat, and other organs. The causative agent is the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, which normally grows in warm, moist environments. Decaying excreta which accumulate under starling and pigeon roosts may supply the dampness, heat, and chemicals needed for growth of the fungus. The fungal spores are easily airborne and can be distributed following disturbance of the infected soil. Dogs, cats, and other animals may also be infected. Cryptococcosis - A systemic fungal disease of humans also associated with pigeons and starlings. Infections result from inhaling spores of Cryptococcus neoformans, which grows readily in pigeon and starling droppings. The fungus is typically found in attics, cupolas, ledges, and other roosting and nesting sites on schools, offices, warehouses, mills, barns, park buildings, signs, etc. Even old and dry bird droppings and contaminated soil can be significant sources of infection. Cryptococcosis also affects dogs and occasionally cats, and is often fatal in these animals. In humans, two types of cryptococcosis are recognized. The cutaneous form is characterized by acne-like skin eruptions or ulcers with nodules just under the skin. The generalized form begins with an infection in the lungs, followed by the invasion of other areas of the body, particularly the central nervous system. Generalized cryptococcosis is a very serious and sometimes fatal disease. Toxoplasmosis - A protozoan disease of humans and other mammals frequently found in pigeons and known to be transmitted from pigeons to man. It is caused by the protozoan Toxoplamsa gondii. Symptoms in humans are usually mild, if present at all, but the disease may involve the central nervous system or eyes. Pigeon Ornithosis - A viral disease transmitted to humans through infected pigeon droppings and respiratory droplets. Similar to flu or viral pneumonia, its diagnosis in humans is rare. However, surveys have shown as much as 30%-75% of a pigeon population may be infected. A similar percentage of human populations working in heavily pigeon-infested buildings may show serological evidence of past infection. Encephalitis - A series of dangerous and often fatal virus diseases of humans and other animals which are transmitted by certain species of mosquitoes. Some types of encephalitis are strongly associated with birds, including sparrows and pigeons. The primary encephalides having bird reservoirs and causing problems in this country are eastern equine. In the United States, St. Louis Encephalitis (SLE) is the major mosquito-born disease of humans in terms of total number of cases and fatalities. The most important birds associated with urban transmission cycles of SLE are house sparrows that carry different viruses, and are usually transmitted by mosquitoes from bird to bird, but occasionally from bird to human or to domestic animals such as horses. These viruses attack the central nervous system and mortality rates are often high, particularly in infants and children. Salmonellosis - The common bacterial food poisoning in humans is caused by bacteria in the genus Salmonella. This food poisoning can result from eating food contaminated by bird droppings containing the Salmonella organism, and many people can become ill from the same food source. Salmonellosis is characterized by acute gastroenteritis and diarrhea.
Ectoparasites
Pest birds associated with urban roosting and nesting problems frequently harbor ectoparasites that can invade buildings and infest or bite humans. Pigeons particularly harbor a large complex of ectoparasites. The following may infest, irritate, or bite humans and some may even transmit human diseases:

• Pigeon Nest Bug, Cimex columbarius and other Cimex species
   
• Pigeon Tick, Argas reflexus
   
• Pigeon Fly, Pseudolynchia canariensis
   
• European Chicken Flea, Ceratophyllus gallinae
   
• Flea (no common name), Ceratophyllus columbae
   
• Conenose (no common name), Triatoma rubrofasciata
   
• Chicken Mite, Dermanyssus gallinae
   
• Northern Fowl Mite, Ornithonysuss sylvarium
   
• Other mites which may occur in birds include:
  Ornithonyssus bursa, Laminosioptes cysticola, Syringophilius bipectanatus, Meginina cubitalis, Megninia ginglymerra, Falculifer rostratus, and Pterophagus strictus.
   
• Biting Lice,
  Campanulotes bidentatus compar, Coloceras damnicorne fahrenholzi, Colocephalum turbinatum, Columbicola columbae, Horhorstiella lata, Physconelloides zenaidurae, Bonomiella columbae.

Contact us to learn how environmentally responsible, professional integrated pest management can alleviate rats and insect problems, including cockroaches, fleas, bedbugs, and ants.