Halloween at the Lake of the Ozarks

Halloween is just around the corner and A B Pest Control & Insulation can’t wait! The Lake of the Ozarks has many fun, family-friendly activities to enjoy. From haunted trails to trick-or-treating events, there are many different ways to celebrate Halloween. Your Lake of the Ozarks pest control company has all the details you need for these exciting events.

Zombie Wasteland Haunted House

October 06 – October 28

474 S. State Highway 7

Camdenton, Missouri 65020

$10 per person

Equipped with lots of foam darts and a nerf gun of your choice, can you survive a zombie wasteland with your family? Open every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night through October. This is a great family fun event and a great way to spend your weekend!

Process benefit Kids Harbor Child Advocacy Center

The Haunted Holler

October 13 – October 29

651 Hiland Circle

Osage Beach, Missouri 65065

The Haunted Holler is a quarter mile haunted trail in the woods. Open Fridays and Saturdays from 8:00 pm to Midnight. Admission is $10 a person on Fridays and $15 per person on Saturdays. The trail is located one mile behind Hy Vee in Osage Beach.

On Sunday, October 29 there will be a kid’s costume contest and trick or treating. There are prizes for top 3 places! Starts at 4 pm.

Hy-Vee Hollow Trick-or-Treat

October 26, 2017

4:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Hy-Vee Parking Lot

929 State Highway D

Osage Beach, Missouri, 65065

This will be a food allergy friendly event! Each booth will have candy and non-food treats. Hy-Vee will be supporting the Teal Pumpkin Project in donating a separate bucket of non-food treats to each booth for those kids who have food allergies. Each child with food allergies will be provided a teal bag or necklace at the entrance.

Admission is $2.00 per child. All of the proceeds will be donated to two local organizations – The Dream Factory and Camp Wonderland. Refreshments will be provided for the kids.

HOWL-O-WEEN Festival

October 28, 2017

10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Dogwood Animal Shelter

1075 Runabout Drive

Osage Beach, Missouri, 65065

Free to attend! Always a fun event for both two-legged and four-legged family members! Meet Captain Scalawag, Sparkie da Clown, and DJ Gary Phillips. Pet costume contest and other fun competitions, raffle, grilled lunches available, local artists and crafters on site, mini Dogwood Thrift Shop in the Community Room and so much more!

Halloween on the Bagnell Dam Strip

October 28, 2017

8:00 am – 9:00 pm

Bagnell Dam Strip

Lake Ozark, Missouri, 65049

8:00 am – 3K Haunted Fun Run – Report to Lake Ozark Coney Island

9:00 – 11:00 am – pancake breakfast fundraiser

2:00 – 4:00 pm – Trick-or-Treat on the Bagnell Dam Strip, games of skill and cookie walk at Luby’s Plaza

5:00 – 8:00 pm – teen night! Scary movie, bonfire, and dance party

After 9:00 pm - adult fun with costume contests, band, and entertainment at participating establishments.

SpookTacular Trick-or-Treat

October 31, 2017

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

709 N Business Rt. 5

Camdenton, Missouri, 65020

A safe, free, family-friendly trick-or-treating experience will be held at Splatz Paintball. Music, contests, fun, and games will be held both indoors and outdoors. 

Happy Halloween from A B Pest Control & Insulation

A B Pest Control & Insulation wants to wish you a fun and safe Halloween. If you happen to find creepy crawlers in or around your home, give your pest control company at the Lake of the Ozarks a call. We’ve got you covered!

Lake of the Ozarks
Pest Control Company

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Watch Out For Those Leaf Piles

The days are starting to get shorter and the trees are beginning to enter survival mode as they prepare for the colder months. Trees shed their leaves in order to conserve energy and toughen themselves up. Leaves begin to die and then decay since they are no longer needed. These leaves end up on the ground and all over your yard. A B Pest Control and Insulation knows that these leaves often times feed and shelter fall pests. Bugs, rodents, and other pests love to leap right into leaf piles and take shelter from the cold. Your pest control company at the Lake of the Ozarks has some information about what may be hiding in your leaf pile. 

Termites

Termites are infamous for their wood destroying tendencies, but it’s not the wood itself they are really after. Termites eat the cellulose in wood. Cellulose is a natural fibrous substance that’s also found in other plant materials, including yes you guessed it, leaves. When leaves begin to decay, they give off a distinct scent that termites can smell from far away.

Unfortunately, termites are never content with just eating the leaves. Termite colonies need wood to burrow into in order to establish themselves, mate, and then expand. This means if a group of termites take over your leaf pile, they’ll start looking for nearby wood to burrow into. That wood could be a tree in your yard or even a part of your home.

Beetles

Different species of beetle adapt to winter temperatures in many different ways. Some beetles coordinate their life cycles to survive winter as cold-resistant grubs, some hibernate underground, and some even produce antifreeze inside their bodies.

Regardless of how beetles survive, they all prefer confined, humid environments that will keep them warm and comfortable. Decaying leaves produce a source of food, shelter, darkness, and even moisture for beetles to enjoy. If other shelter is scarce, leaf piles could end up being the home for a lot of beetles. The more beetles that are drawn to your leaf pile means the higher the chance of a beetle invasion inside of your home.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches are known for being tough insects, but they still prefer to be in a warm and humid climate rather than being out in the cold. When fall comes around, roaches start to get desperate for the shelter and humidity they need to survive. Leaf piles not only provide warmth, they also provide shelter and considerable moisture.

Leaf piles won’t protect cockroaches all winter long, but they are a great hideout while they look for more permanent accommodations. If the cockroaches are using a leaf pile near your home, chances are they will soon make their way into your home. When cockroaches find a safe place, they hibernate over the winter and come back in the springs. By raking your leaves early, you could help prevent a cockroach infestation in this spring.

Predators

Rodents and snakes may not come for the leaves specifically, the way other pests do, but they do have a reason for showing up. They want the pests that do come for the leaves. Leaf piles may be full of the insects that mice eat and snakes aren't too far behind the mice.

Lawn Care

It's important to rake up your leaves, not only to help prevent pests but also for the health of your lawn. When your lawn is covered in dead and decaying leaves, lawn maintenance becomes almost nonexistent. Having a lawn covered in leaves makes it hard to re-seed and fertilize. This can lead to dead spots and it will show in your yard when spring comes around.  

When it comes to preventing pest infestation, raking up and disposing of your leaves is one of the most important things you can do this fall. Another important thing you can do is give A B Pest Control and Insulation a call. Your pest control company at the Lake of the Ozarks can either help prevent or get rid of any pest infestation. 

Lake of the Ozarks
Pest Control Company

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The 101 on Sweat Bees

Although you may not necessarily see them, A B Pest Control and Insulation knows sweat bees are out and about. Sweat bees pollinate flowers across the world. These smaller, lesser-known bees are large in numbers. There are over 1,000 sweat bee varieties in Central America, Canada, and the United States. These species differ in characteristic, but there are a handful of the species that all love one thing. Yes, you guessed it. Sweat. Your pest control company at the Lake of the Ozarks is here with some more information about sweat bees.

What Attracts Sweat Bees?

Sweat bees are attracted to human sweat – their name says it all. But, these bees also serve the purpose of pollinating the world’s flowers and crops. Most people don’t see sweat bees and they hardly realize when they’re around.

When Sweat Bees Are Out?

If you’re seeing a lot of these little bees, it’s due to the humid weather. Hot, humid weather causes humans to sweat more, which exposes the salt that sweat bees love. If the climate is hotter in the area you live in, there’s a higher probability that you will see a sweat bee.

What Do Sweat Bees Eat?

Sweat bees will feed on nectar and pollen. This is where the bee is beneficial to us because it’s a part of the pollination process. A declining number of bees in the world will lead to a potential food shortage because most the world’s crops rely on bees for pollination. For the sweat bee, salt is vital. Salt isn’t easily found in nature so the sweat bees tend to get their salt from humans and their sweat.

Where Do Sweat Bees Live?

They are solitary and they burrow holes in the soil to build their nests. Tunnels and passageways are shared between these bees although they live in different nests. Their nests are called cells and they have kept a good distance from other bees.

Are Sweat Bees Dangerous?

No. Females do contain stingers, but males don’t develop a stinger. Sweat bees don’t attack unless they’re squished on the skin. If you swat at the sweat bee, it will simply fly away. Because these bees are so small, most people don’t even realize they’re around. Some sweat bees are also often mistaken for flies because of their appearance.

Sweat bees are usually harmless and most people hardly notice they are around. These insects may be a little annoying, but they play a vital role in pollination. With the weather starting to cool down, make sure your home is pest free by hiring a Lake of the Ozarks pest control company. Call A B Pest Control & Insulation at 573-964-1100 to schedule your appointment today. 

Lake of the Ozarks
Pest Control Company

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Is It Really a Bargain?

If you are a fan of garage or yard sales, thrift stores, or even upscale antique shops, you should know that there’s a possibility that you could end up bringing home an unexpected surprise along with your bargains. Yes, we mean bed bugs. Bites from bed bugs are certainly a pain to the victim – they result in swelling, welts, and itchiness. If you over scratch, you might end up with a secondary infection. A B Pest Control and Insulation knows that keeping these little pests far away from your home should be a priority. Follow these preventative tips from your pest control company in the Lake of the Ozarks when you are out secondhand shopping.

It’s a good idea to learn what types of furniture and other household items bed bugs love to live in. Bed bugs tend to prefer fabric surfaces, especially ones where humans have slept. Secondhand mattresses and box springs are two things you should be wary of. It’s safest to avoid buying these furniture pieces, if they are home to bed bugs, they are very difficult to treat. Only full penetration of deep heat, prolonged cold, or expert application of pesticide will eliminate bed bugs.

You should also watch out for pre-owned pillows, comforters, sheets and other bedding. However, they are treatable. If you can’t pass up on purchasing bedding items at a garage sale, enclose them tightly in sealed plastic bags until you can take them to the laundry. Make sure you launder everything in hot water and dry on the highest setting available.

Beware of upholstered sofas and armchairs, even if they look clean and fresh. They might have been vacuumed or shampooed before being put up for sale, but shampooing and vacuuming them will not get rid of any bed bugs that may be hiding inside. The same goes for any treatment you might try once you get the piece home. Spraying with pesticide and steam cleaning may seem like a good idea, but neither penetrates deeply enough to completely get rid of bed bugs.

You should carefully examine things like non-upholstered furniture, headboards, shelving, picture frames, etc. You should check these products from top and bottom, inside and out. You should check for adult bugs, young nymphs, eggs, castoff skins, or minuscule black droppings. All of these are signs of infestation.

Be suspicious of furnishings and other household items which may have been in storage for an extended period of time, it’s possible they might still be home to bed bugs or other pesky critters. Bed bugs can’t easily be starved out. Although they do feed on human blood, bed bugs are capable of surviving without that for as long as one year.

When you shop at garage sales or thrift stores it’s important to check any items thoroughly. The last thing you want to do is accidentally bring home bed bugs that can infest your home. A B Pest Control and Insulation knows first hand how resilient bed bugs are. If you think you might have a bed bug infestation, contact your pest control company in Lake of the Ozarks today.

Lake of the Ozarks
Pest Control Company

Visit Our Website:
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