Green Pest Guys Q&A
One of our favorite things about Green Pest Guys is how knowledgable they are about all things BUGS. You have a question? A curiosity? They have the answer! I’m always so blown away about how much they know and it makes me that much more comfortable using them for all our pest control needs time and time again. We rounded up some questions for them that we thought you’d be interested in and just like we thought, we couldn’t stump them even once! Check out some Q&A with owners Kris & Dalin below! Did we miss a question? Leave a comment and they’ll answer!
“What is the hardest bug to eliminate from a home?”
Our top 2 would be spiders and flying bugs. Spiders because they cast their webs and don’t always walk through the product. We have to wait for them to get hungry and eat a meal. Flying bugs are difficult because we are not the air force, we can’t shoot them out of the sky. With the right knowledge and cooperation we can knock out nests and reduce harborage spots. Third would be the Tawny (Raspberry) Crazy ants simply because of the large number of them in their colonies.
“Is Houston famous for any bugs?”
Actually, the Tawny (Raspberry) Crazy ant was first found in the US in Harris County by Tom Raspberry. This invasive species is the first example of an insect known to have the ability of neutralizing other insect’s venom (so they could win against fire ants). Unfortunately for us their multiple queen colony make them difficult to control and allow for large colony size. Oftentimes they are discovered shorting out electrical equipment as they build nests in electric boxes.
“How fast is a cockroach?”
Cockroaches can run up to 3 miles per hour. Not quite as fast as the average screaming adult.
“Do flies throw up every time they eat?”
Yes. They don’t have teeth so they spit out a digestive fluid that partially dissolves whatever they landed on and then they slurp it up with their straw like mouth.
“Do fleas live on humans?”
They can bite us and use our blood for nourishment but they won’t set up home on us, the only exception being the chigoe flea. They prefer fur to hide them and to hold on to when moved around.
“Do carpenter ants eat wood?”
No. They chew through the wood but don’t actually eat it. They have intense jaw strength. Their “carpentry” abilities allow them to build nests in wood material, including the structure of your home.
“What are some plants and weeds that attract pests?”
Fruits and vegetables
Clovers
Roses
Peonies
“What’s the difference between bugs and insects?”
Both have an exoskeleton, segmented bodies and six legs.
Insects have a chewing mouthpart, 2 pairs of clear wings and they complete 4 life cycles Bugs have a sucking mouthpart, hardened shield like forewings and hindwings, and complete 3 life cycles.
“Are ants super strong?”
YES! They can lift and carry more than 100 times their own body weight, including food that has fallen under the fridge.
“Can cockroaches live without their heads?”
A cockroach can live for more than a week without its head. They don’t need their head to breathe and they end up dying of thirst.
“What makes you different from other companies?”
Local
Family-owned
Guaranteed services
Great Customer Service
Easy to work with/contact
Comprehensive pest control company – one stop shop for all things pest
Eco Friendly solutions
“Do the bugs die right away after the first treatment is completed?”
After an initial service is completed it can be common to see an increase of bug activity inside the home. This doesn’t mean we brought in bugs! Just the bugs that are already there are starting to become more visible because they are irritated by the product that was put down. It can take time for the bugs to pick up the product and die off. It is not an instant kill, you don’t want these types of products inside your home. The bugs will cross the product and die and you will see a decrease of bugs inside and around your home. When you are on recurring services and we maintain that schedule every 10wks we are providing a barrier around your home to prevent the bugs from coming inside the home which will always provide the best results long term.
Wasps: “I see a lot of wasps flying around my house. Can you come and knock the nest down? Or spray them with something?”
-Wasps are more common in the spring and summer months. When it comes to wasps we do not provide a guarantee because they fly and we cannot control the airspace around a customers home as well as we don’t spray up into the air with our product. When we are at a customer’s home for recurring services we can always knock down any nests that we see and can access around the home. If a customer asks for us to come out to their house in between their recurring service we will charge a service fee of $89 because we will have to go out on a day we are not scheduled to be out there, we don’t provide a guarantee for wasps and there is no guarantee we can even find a nest to knock down. It might be too high up or in an area we just can’t get to.
Snakes: “Do you take care of snakes?”
-There is not much that can be done to prevent them directly. The products we use don’t target reptiles. There are repellants meant for snakes like Snake-away, that can be bought from Home Depot. They are nasty smelling and only work as long as you can smell them. We don’t see them as an effective solution so we don’t offer snake services.
Snakes are around your house because they are looking for a place to stay or food. Make sure that there aren’t any places for them to slither or hide under around your house (such as wood piles, trash piles, tall grass/thick bushes, etc). We can take care of bugs which are a food source to some snakes, we do offer a rodent monitoring service that can lower rodent populations around your house. Sometimes snakes can be an indicator that there are rodents around your house.
Lizards: “What can be done for lizards? I am seeing so many around my home”
The products we use don’t target reptiles but if we knock out their insect food source then theoretically they would want to move to another yard. Lizards can be creepy but they actually are beneficial in eating other bugs around your home. If you’re seeing them in your home it might be worth taking a look at how they got in and what ways they can be blocked from entering.