Alliance Pest Blog - New Jersey's Reliable Pest Resource

Rodents have a way of placing themselves in commercial buildings and causing a bevy of problems for the building's owners and inhabitants. While most are able to distinguish the differences between individual rodents (mice and rates) on sight, the problems that they cause are very similar to one another. They are most commonly seen at night, as they are nocturnal creatures. This means that an infestation can end up taking place, before anyone has actually seen a rodent in the flesh. Because of this fact, it is best to remain vigilant and always keep an eye out for rodent infestation in a commercial building. Let's take a closer look at some of the telltale signs that your commercial building is in the throes of a rodent infestation:  Dead Rodents Commercial building owners should not be breathing a sigh of relief when they find dead rodents, as this is a sure...

Home and business owners have a variety of problems to worry about on a daily basis. But one of the most common issues that seemingly goes unaddressed is the presence of bats. While their presence outdoors is welcomed and they help to keep our ecosystem balanced, they can cause numerous issues and present a wide range of hazards when they are able to live within your home or business. Bats should not be allowed to make their home inside a commercial building or domicile and failure to remove them in a timely fashion allows them to become comfortable and potentially reproduce. Read on to learn more about the potential problems they can cause. Increased Presence at of Bats Flying at Night It is easy for bats to become a regular part of your home or commercial building, because they are nocturnal creatures who do not come out until night time....

Winter is the time to seek out warm things, like a cozy space by the fireplace or a spot on the couch under a blanket. While you are sipping your hot chocolate or apple cider, little critters are also seeking out a warm place to ride out a few days (or even the entire season) of the cold. When the weather starts to drop and the ground gets cold, small animals begin to look for places of warmth to either stay for a while or to hibernate for the whole winter.  You may think that this problem can’t or won’t affect you. The truth is, all small wildlife animals are looking for places of warmth, and they don't care if you live in a farmhouse in the country or a townhouse in the city. All they know is that you have a place for them to hide. The only difference...

One of the most troubling pests that can get into your home is the common mouse. Mice are very adaptable to environmental changes and too many kinds of environmental settings. Whether you are in the country or in the city, mice can be a large problem for you. The common house mouse will eat food that is meant for people and for house animals like dogs and cats. They also can contaminate surfaces, like counters and tables, with their saliva, urine and feces, all of which contain salmonella (the primary source of food poisoning). They will also eat into walls, insulation, and other materials in the house causing serious damage.  The first thing to do is recognize when you have an infestation. The most common signs to look for are places in the home that have been gnawed, places that have pest droppings and any track signs (like a urine...

Anywhere that you will find food and food handling alike, pest control is pivotal part of running a sanitary and compliant business. If there is any morsel in food, you can rest assured that there is potential for infestation and there will be pests around the corner. Employees need to know this fact and how to prevent these infestations from happening. Pest control can sometimes be a difficult thing to monitor. The amount of food, moisture and the changes in temperature all influence infestation. Long business hours and sites neighboring areas where pests harvest are contributing factors as well. Pest control is particularly challenging for an establishment that does not close. This is because the kitchen does not have time to properly prepare and clean to keep the pests away. The establishment will need to find time to close and perform the treatments. Products used in these treatments are only...

Silverfish are wingless insects that move across the floor with a fish-like wiggling movement. This insect is .5 to 1” long and it tapers from the head to the end which gives it a fish like shape. It is silver/blue (though after a series of molting it may appear brownish) in color and its skin has the appearance of scales. With its long antennas and set of three long cerci at the end of its stomach, this bug is creepy looking and not something we would like to share our homes with. A newly hatched silverfish is white in color and is hatched in full form. It will grow and molt several times before it is fully grown. Silverfish move rapidly! Their natural predators are spiders and centipedes, but they are very good at out running them. They can live up to eight years! They are nocturnal and their favorite...

Integrated pest management in schools is a comprehensive program that establishes guidelines, promotes safe practices, and insures that pests of all varieties do not pose a hazard for the students and teachers that attend a school as well as taking care of the lawn, plant, and shrub pests that can destroy the esthetic beauty of the school.  Integrated pest management is contracted to professionals that have certification and training in the management of the common and not so common pests that may infest a school or the school grounds. In some instances more than one company is contracted to control pests in the school while another takes care of the laws and plant pests. Occasionally, a professional trained in the capture and removal of nuisance animals may be contracted to rid a school of a particular varmint like a raccoon or coyote or a vicious feral dog.  There are federal,...

How do you get bed bugs? There are several ways you can bring bed bugs into your home unknowingly. One common way is to stay at a hotel/motel that is infested without checking it first. Before you take in your luggage or sit on the bed, you should first inspect the bed for bed bugs. Another way is to purchase used clothing, toys, books and furniture and bring it into your house; not knowing bed bugs are hiding in the seams. Never bring in anything that has been used by another person (no matter how nice it looks) without washing it and inspecting it well. Finally, allowing a house guest to stay with you that has a bed bug problem is a sure way to get the problem too. Bed bugs will come in hidden in seams of clothes, handbags, coats and luggage. What are bed bugs?  Bed bugs are...

When the fall starts getting cooler and winter is not so far away we retreat inside to warmer places to escape the cold winds of winter. We take cover from the cold and so do all the creatures that live outside around us. Where do they go? They seek shelter just like we do so you could end up with some unwanted company worse than some of your relatives. These creatures invade our home through the structures around the outside and include small openings in siding and roofing. Chimneys and windows and other areas that are made to be left open can be a gateway for animals like birds and larger animals. These animals are just like us in that they need to get in out of the cold. Some of the animals have been already chased out of their natural habitat by human development. These animals include small and...

Rats are a type of rodent that are commonly confused with the common house mouse. These two rodents are from different species and can cause lots of damages to your house and property. Rats are much bigger than mice about three times as much. Rats with their bigger presence can cause damage to wood, wires, and problems eating your food and garden. Some types of rats can even eat right through various types of metals like copper. One of the worst things rats can cause is the spread of disease to humans and other living things. Some of these diseases can cause serious consequences like rat bite fever and the plague. If you see signs of these animals around your property like large rat droppings the best thing to do is call a professional pest control company to have them eradicated. What are Rats? Rats are a type of rodent...

Now that fall is here it is time to watch out for creatures that may want to migrate into our homes to keep warm over the winter. One bug that likes to get inside for winter is the stinkbug. Stinkbugs get their name due to the stink produced when they are squashed or even when they are disturbed. In nature, where they belong, the odor they release gives them some protection from their enemies. And when they invade our space, the odor must be dealt with as well. Just squashing them with a fly swatter, for example, will cause them to release their odor and it will linger in the house. This can be a reason to call a professional if you find you have an infestation of stink bugs. There are hundreds of species of stinkbugs in North America, most of which remain in their natural habitat. Due to...

Bats Bats are an important part of our ecology. Bats eat insects in large numbers. Opposite to popular belief, bats are not effective mosquito control. Mosquitos tend to be on brush near water and people (which they feed from). Bats are not accustomed to that environment, as they live in darkness and hunt at night. It is common knowledge that bats are often carriers of rabies. In the United States bats were the animal most often found to be rabid when a case of rabies was identified. Not all bats have rabies. A bat can carry rabies and not have the virus. Bat bugs Bat bugs are blood sucking insects that live on bats and feed on their blood. Bat bugs look and behave very much like bed bugs. It is believed that bed bugs actually descended from bat bugs. Though these insects prefer bats as their hosts; they will...

As the temperatures drop and the winds bring a chill, you will be spending more time indoors. You will prepare your living space for the cold winter ahead to insure you and your family will be warm and cozy. You will not be the only one getting ready to snuggle into your home for the duration of the winter. Rats and mice will be doing the same thing. They do not need much of an invitation. A mouse can enter a home through an opening as small as the eraser on a pencil and a rat only needs the opening to be the size of a quarter! Even if you do not see an opening, they will find access through a small crack in the foundation. Sometimes they will slip in between siding and the concrete block. Or they can get even more creative. You may find that a rodent...

As soon as the temperatures begin to drop, winter pest problems become a major issue. Who can blame rodents and insects for wanting to seek refuge from the cold by trying to burrow into our nice, warm, toasty houses? As a result, billions upon billions of dollars are spent each year to eradicate these pests. But what if there were ways to prevent this common problem? What if there were things that could be done to prepare your home for the deluge of winter pest problems? Fortunately, help is on the way. The following list will provide you with a variety of methods for preventing pests from entering your home during the upcoming winter season.  Store Your Food Products in Sealed Containers There are few things worse than heading to the kitchen to pour yourself a bowl of cereal in the morning and finding pests inside of the box. If...

One day I found a large ant under the computer table and threw it outside. I thought nothing of it. The next day I found another and then another. About a week later, as I vacuumed way under the table right up against the wall there was a pile of dust; sawdust it seemed like. The window between the living room and computer room had rustic rough wood frames. I thought “How odd those frames are creating dust like that.” It took a while of more ants, more sawdust until I asked my husband to take a look. He removed a baseboard and discovered the whole area was a massive beehive of activity. Or, in this case an anthill of industry. He sprayed the area with an insecticide we had on hand. We cleaned up all the dead ants. A few days later, there were more ants. I became worried...

Professional Pest Control for Ridding Cockroaches in the Kitchen Kitchens are loaded with goodies and water that attract the human palate, as well as not so easy to see tiny pests. The kitchen is the place most bugs particularly cockroaches congregate whenever a piece of food or tiniest drop of water spills. Before too long, you may find you have a cockroach infestation. Although homeowners attempt to keep their kitchens spotless, most cockroaches have a tendency to discover something in there to feed on anyway. Their saliva and excrement alone are sufficient to bring about genuine hypersensitivities or even asthma attacks in many individuals, even when homeowners don't realize they are in the home. As their irritants spread around kitchens, germs move over clean dishes and flatware. They, likewise, leave around remains that can prompt the spread of germs. Breads or bags of chips, for example, that may be left...

Fleas Fleas are nasty little insects that affect all kinds of animals and even humans. Fleas are wingless insects that have mouths that are able to pierce skin and suck the blood out of animals. They are parasites that live on the outside of the body and live off the blood all kinds of mammals and all kinds of birds. There are 2,000 species of fleas all over the world but the most common ones are cat fleas, dog fleas, human fleas, Moorhen fleas, the northern rat flea, and the oriental rat flea. Like mentioned before fleas are wingless insects that are between 1.5 to 3.3 mm long. They are agile little insects that are typically dark in color and their mouths are in the shape of a tube to make it easier to drink the blood of whoever they land on. Fleas have very long legs and the back...

Carpenter Bees Carpenter bees are the larger bee in the bee family and they can be found all over the world. There is approximately 500 species of the carpenter bee. The name “carpenter bee” comes from how they build their nests. They build their nests in dead wood, bamboo, and timber that are used for building structure of all kinds. They can also build their nests in the ground. There is a group of carpenter bees called Ceratinini and they are smaller carpenter bees. The typical carpenter bee are large, very resilient, shines in the sun, are black in color. There are some carpenter bees that have yellow marks on their head. Carpenter bees look very similar to the bumble bees, which makes people confused between the two. There are several species of the carpenter bee where the females will live with their daughters or sisters, which create a small...

The Truth about Rodents in a Restaurant Sometimes cleaning is just not enough in the restaurant business. There are many ways that a restaurant can develop a problem with mice and with rats and those ways are not always based on cleanliness. The fact is that water and standing water can be just as bad as food or debris. As far as bugs go, it is a fact that a roach can live off a single drop of water for as long as one week. The same basic facts are true of mice and rats. While it may take a little more than a drop of water to sustain a mouse for a week, it does not take much more than that. Most restaurants concentrate their efforts on the cleaning of food and debris. There is a little bit of emphasis that is placed on drying the kitchen and surfaces...

Ticks can be scary creatures to us humans because we know they live outside. We could be hiking into the woods or just in our backyards and ticks will somehow find us. We might not even notice that they have attached themselves to us. We could be in the shower and all of a sudden there is this dark thing on our arm or legs. How is it that these sneaky creatures end up on us? You can get them outdoors when you go camping, hiking or just playing and working in the backyard. The reason Ticks end up on you is because they are like Dracula and they need blood to survive. Without blood they will die. This is why they are classified as a parasite. Ticks are classified as Arachnids because they have eight legs. Their way of survival is to live off blood from various sources. They...