Is My Home Properly Insulated?

Lake of the Ozarks’ residents are experiencing high temperatures and lots of humidity this time of year. An insulation inspection with A B Pest Control and Insulation could help you determine if the quality of your home comfort could be improved, and even save money on your energy bills. If your home is poorly insulated, your AC could be working overtime. Your favorite Lake of the Ozarks pest control and insulation company has a few tips to use to determine if your home might need more insulation.

Check Your Walls

If your home is newly constructed, you could ask your contractor where your home is insulated. Otherwise, you will need to check yourself. You can do this by checking the insulation levels around the outlets. Make sure the electricity is turned off before you start your check. Remove the outlet cover and shine a flashlight into the crack around the outlet box. You should be able to see if there is insulation and how thick it is. Check outlets on all floors, even new parts of your home. Just because there is insulation in one wall, it doesn’t mean the whole home is insulated properly.

Check the Attic

If your home has an attic, you will want to check the insulation levels there as well. There are two ways to check the levels. The first method is to check to see if the insulation levels are with or below the attic floor joist. If so, you may need to add more insulation. If you cannot see any of the floor joist because the insulation is well above them, you probably have enough insulation and adding more will not be cost-effective. It is also important that the insulation is evenly distributed. Sometimes there is enough insulation in the middle, but the edges have very little.

The second method is to measure the insulation levels. Either read the R-value printed on the batts of your existing insulation or use a measuring tape to measure the depth of the insulation. Energy Star has a map to determine which level of insulation is best for your home. In Southern Missouri, the insulation level should be at 4. 

Photo Credit: www.energystar.gov

Beware that some attics has vermiculite insulation, which may contain asbestos. Do not disturb vermiculite insulation unless you have had it tested to be sure that it does not contain asbestos. Contact the local health department if you need to have your attic insulation tested.

Check Your Basement/Crawlspace

It is important that rim joists in the basement/crawlspace be properly insulated. You completely condition the crawlspace by using a 12-20 mil membrane with closed cell foam on foundation walls and rim boards to completely seal out air and moisture from the outside. 

Insure Your Home Is Properly Insulated with A B Pest Control and Insulation!

The easiest and most efficient way to insure that your home has the proper insulation levels is to call a professional. A B Pest Control and Insulation can evaluate your home and make the proper recommendations for the best insulation to meet your needs. With proper insulation, your home can easily stay cool when it’s hot outside. Your Lake of the Ozarks insulation company has team members with many years of experience in the insulation business, so you can trust that we will get the job done right at a fair price. 

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Protect Your Home From Brown Recluses and Black Widows

Missouri, especially the Lake of the Ozarks area, is home to two deadly spiders: brown recluses and black widows. These spiders are not known to be aggressive, but will attack when they feel threatened. Avoid spiders in your home by having A B Pest Control and Insulation spray for them. Keep reading to learn about the warning signs of these two spiders.  

Brown Recluse Spiders

Brown recluse spiders are typically dirt or sandy brown colored, with a dark brown marking in the center of its body in the shape of a violin. These types of spiders typically nest in undisturbed places such as storage areas, folded linens, inside of shoes and behind furniture. Although these spiders are typically nonaggressive, they will bite when disturbed or handled. Brown recluse spider bites are most dangerous to children and the elderly.

Warning Signs of Brown Recluse

Brown recluse spiders typically build their webs in hard to spot areas, in places that haven’t been recently disturbed. They seek out and prefer seclusion. Be sure to look for their loosely built, off-white or gray web.  Also, make sure to shake out any towels or other linens on your dock or in your boat. Open storage containers that have been left untouched during the winter months slowly and carefully.

Black Widow Spiders

Black widow spiders are typically brown or black colored, with a red or orange hourglass in the center of the body. These types of spiders are also reclusive and will often make their web in dark, protected areas, such as storage spaces, garages and dark corners. Black widows aren’t aggressive and will only bite when they feel threatened.

Warning Signs of Black Widow

Similar to the brown recluse, black widows will build their webs in places where they will not be disturbed. Their webs are irregular in shape, made of strong threads and will be about a foot long. Black widows rarely leave their webs and will hide and wait for prey, but they are nocturnal, so during the day is the best time to locate their existing webs.

Make Your Home Spider Free with A B Pest Control and Insulation.

Make sure your home is spider free by calling A B Pest Control and Insulation today at 573-964-1100! These two spiders are not the only ones you have to worry about this time of year. There are many other pests in the area. Your Lake of the Ozarks pest control company is here for all your pest and insulation needs.

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What You Need to Know About Gnats

Gnats are a very common pest problem. They are often seen around lakes, rivers and any form of standing water, which is why the Lake of the Ozarks area sees so many of them. A B Pest Control and Insulation is here to provide a deeper look at these pesky little pests.

What is a Gnat?

Gnats are tiny flies that are sometimes called blackflies or midges. It is in the diptera order, which includes flies and mosquitoes. They are often seen assembled in large mating swarms. They have long, hair-like antennae, which are more prominent in males.

Where Do Gnats Live?

Gnats are found anywhere rivers or lakes exist because they lay their eggs in watery places. They gather in swarms around bodies of water, but can be found indoors as well. They often congregate around dock and porch lights as well, which is why we often see spiders in these areas as midges are their main source of food.  

What Do Gnats Eat?

They feed off of warm-blooded animals to survive, but unlike mosquitoes, gnats usually don’t bite through clothing. They can crawl into hair or under clothing though to get to places such as the ankles and waist lines of pants.

Can Gnats Bite?

Yes, because the do feed off the blood of warm-blooded animals they can bite people. Often times, people who get bitten may not even know it at the time. The bite will eventually swell up a little and become very itchy and possibly painful. If you do get bit by a gnat, wash the bite with soap and water. It is always a good idea to put antiseptic on the bite because gnats can possibly pick up bacteria from other things they’ve landed on previously.

How to Prevent Gnats

Gnats are pesky little insects, especially when they have entered your home. There are several ways to prevent them from coming inside:

1. Get rid of their food supply. Make sure you clean the kitchen and/or dining room regularly. Do not leave left over food sitting out. Make sure you store your food in an air tight container.
2. Cover trash cans. Avoid keeping bags of trash overnight. Clean the indoor trashcan often. Wipe down the lids and sides with bleach – it will kill the gnats instantly.
3. Do not overwater house plants. If there is too much water in the house plants, gnats could lay their eggs in the soil. Make sure you keep an eye on the soil and make sure it is damp as opposed to wet.
4. Check for damp places. Check underneath the sink and other places that water could collect. Gnats love moist places.

If you have taken all preventative measures, but still have gnats hanging around, call your Lake of the Ozarks pest control company. A B Pest Control and Insulation is the Lake area’s most trusted pest control company. We offer flexible service schedules to meet your pest control and budget needs.

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Everything You Need to Know about Fleas and Ticks

Fleas and ticks are prevalent in the Lake of the Ozarks area because of the warm, humid climate. How do you know if you have a flea and tick infestation? If you find out you have an infestation, what can you do about it? A B Pest and Insulation is here to inform you about everything you need to know in regards to fleas and ticks.

What are Ticks?

Ticks are small blood-sucking parasites. They are considered parasites, not pests because they need a host, either you or your pet, to feed. Ticks have eight legs and come in various sizes and colors. There are nearly 850 different species of ticks. Ticks cannot fly, jump or drop, so if you find one on your head, it got there by attaching to your foot or leg and crawling up your body. If a tick bites you, it will remain attached, getting larger in size, and may even change color to grey/blue.

Tick Bites

If you find a tick on you, do not twist to pull it off. If you do, you may break the tick leaving the mouth still attached. If this happens, take tweezers to remove the remaining parts. If you are not able to remove everything, leave what remains and let the skin heal itself. A tick could stay attached for several days or weeks until it is fully engorged and falls off on its own. Ticks prefer warm moist areas on the body, such as armpits or the scalp. Tick bites are normally harmless and produce no symptoms, but some ticks carry diseases, which can be passed on when they bite. These diseases could cause a variety of symptoms that usually develop within the first few weeks after being bitten. They include:

• Red spot or rash near bite site 
• Stiffness of neck Headache or nausea
• Weakness
• Muscle or join pain 
• Fever or chills
• Swollen lymph nodes

If you experience any of these symptoms after being bitten by a tick, seek medical attention as soon as possible. In rare cases, ticks can transmit a disease to human hosts. These can be very serious. If you begin to experience usual symptoms, it is important that you seek medical attention.

What are Fleas?

Fleas are tiny bugs that grow to be about as big as a pen tip. They are visible to the naked eye, but because they are so small, they are hard to detect and especially difficult to eliminate from your home. Fleas are wingless, but are able to jump far distances, which is how they jump from the ground to their host. Fleas feed on blood, much like ticks, and female fleas feed on 15 times their body weight. Flea dirt is dried indigested blood that is excreted from fleas. This flea dirt feeds the larva and is one way to tell if you have an infestation. Fleas reproduce quickly, so if you see one, there are probably more.

Fleas like to live on pets, or even you. However, if the infestation gets worse, fleas can live in carpets, rugs, linens and yards. A bad infestation can be obvious. One way to see if you have an infestation is to walk on your carpets wearing white socks. If you see little black bugs, they are probably fleas.  

Flea Bites

Flea bites are very distinctive. Unlike mosquito bites, flea bites remain relatively small. They will usually stay around the ankles and legs, but may occur around armpits, waists, knees and elbows. Bites will be grouped in threes and fours, or in a straight line. They will appear as small, red bumps with a red halo around the bite area.

Flea bites will be very itchy and could potentially be very painful and become sore. A rash or hives could also appear. Excessive scratching could cause further damage of the skin and could potentially lead to a bacterial infection. Fleas are not known to pass on diseases to humans, but that is not the case for pets. If you find fleas on your pet, take them to the vet. Flea bites will heal on their own, but in order to stop getting bit, you will need to get rid of the fleas.

Get Rid of Fleas and Ticks with A B Pest and Insulation!

Just because you don’t have any pets doesn’t mean you can’t get a flea or tick infestation. Fleas and ticks are hard to get rid of due to their small size. The best way to get rid of fleas and ticks for good is to call A B Pest and Insulation. We are the Lake of the Ozarks’ most trusted pest control company!  

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Fun Facts About June Bugs

It wouldn’t be early summer in Lake of the Ozarks without June bugs flying around your porch light at night. June bugs, also known as May beetles, get their name from emerging in large quantities in June. These beetles are common throughout the state of Missouri, but how much do we know about these interesting creatures? A B Pest Control and Insulation is here to help you learn more about these beetles with a few fun facts:

What do June bugs look like?

June bugs are a blackish or mahogany-colored beetle. Although they are called a bug, they are not technically a bug, but actually part of a different insect order, a beetle. They are part of the scarab beetle family. Scarab beetles are a large family of heavy-bodied, oval beetles with about 30,000 species. The larvae are whitish with heads that are often brownish. They are C-shaped with three pairs of legs. They are typically between ½ - 1 inch as adults and between ¾ - 2 inches as larvae.

What stages do the June bug go through?

June bugs have four different stages of development: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Eggs are laid in the ground and can live for two to three years underground as a larva before surfacing to become an adult. Their total life span is up to four years.

Where can June bugs be found?

June bugs are native to North America and parts of Canada. During the day, they hide out in trees, and at night, they can be found flying clumsily around bright lights, or feeding from the leaves of trees or bushes. As larvae, also known as white grub, they bury underground.

What do June bugs eat?

The larvae live underground and feed on the roots of grasses and other plants. As an adult, they eat the leaves of deciduous trees, such as walnut and oak, and many other plants and bushes. These bugs, although harmless to humans, can damage your grass and trees.

How to get rid of June bugs.

June bugs are harmless to people, but can damage your garden or landscaping. June bugs can be treated as adults, but the best way to get rid of them are to kill June bugs as grubs. A B Pest Control and Insulation can help you avoid the hassle of dealing with June bug infestations. Call 573-964-1100 today or visit our website to request a free quote.

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