Ipis Archives | Topbest Pest Control Services

November 7, 2020November 6, 2020

What Attracts Cockroaches in Homes

What attracts cockroaches in homes?

Exposed Food
Water Source
Exposed Trash
Warm and Dark Environments

Pests are an annoyance when they proliferate in your home. They damage property and infect your food and water with germs and diseases. This is why pest control in the Philippines can often be essential.

There’s nothing more hair-raising than seeing cockroaches invading your kitchen. An appearance of one flying cockroach can make even the manliest of men to scream loud and run away. These bugs are persistent and hard to catch sometimes. They are fast and can climb walls and furniture to quickly hide. Even a clean home can suffer from a cockroach infestation. So how do we know what can attract cockroaches in homes? Want to prevent those pesky pests in your home? Read on to learn more.

Exposed Food

Just like rats, cockroaches like to eat. Your home is the perfect place for them to live. Dirty homes are especially these pest’s favorites. For them, it is a paradise that can be called home. You have stocks of food in your pantry or exposed food on your tables. Opened packages of food can attract a cockroach to your home. If you have leftovers in your kitchen, it would be best to cover it with a lid.

This also goes for food preparation. Often, we get lazy to clean up the mess after the food is cooked. The leftover crumbs in the table and the sink, if left unsupervised, can attract cockroaches.

Keep your home tidy and free from leftover food products. Put leftovers in airtight containers so cockroaches wouldn’t be able to detect it. Be sure to clean surfaces with food and do not forget about hard to reach areas. Cockroaches are small and would be able to reach these. Remember, even animal feed can attract them.

Water Source

Cockroaches are attracted to damp places. They can survive for 3 months without food, but only a week without water. Be especially observant of places in your home that has moisture. Always wipe any leftover moisture in your kitchen counters, cabinets, and floors. Fix leaky pipes and faucets, especially hidden ones inside cabinets and underneath the sinks. Don’t let water stand for too long in containers such as pet bowls. Objects that keep moisture also attract these pests. Keep bath towels, mats, and kitchen sponges dry. Investing in a dehumidifier can help you get rid of extra moisture in your home.

Exposed Trash

Exposed garbage containers can also be ravaged by these pests. They love the foul smell of the garbage and are attracted to it. Aim to take your trash out regularly and keep the garbage container closed at all times. Don’t let it become full or overflow. Imagine seeing an overflown garbage container in your kitchen become infested by cockroaches. Before throwing food containers into the trash, rinse them first to remove the food that can attract cockroaches.

Warm and Dark Environments

Cockroaches also seek shelter in your home. They like warm and dark environments such as inside cabinets and under your sink. This is what makes them so hard to find. They like to hide in cracks and crevices in your walls, floors, and even furniture. Seal these holes to keep cockroaches from settling.

They also like objects that can be marked with their pheromones. These pheromones are like a GPS application that can tell other cockroaches their location. These objects include cardboard and wood. Make sure to clean up clutter in your home as these can attract pests and make these objects their shelter!

Key Takeaway

Cockroaches are not a beautiful sight to see unless you love pests. And even so, these pests are not good for your home. They can proliferate, lay eggs, and infect your food and water with germs.

They are hard to find because they like dark environments such as cracks and crevices in walls, floors, and furniture. They also like to hide in clutter. When you see them, they are most likely to be out in the open and are attracted to exposed food on the counter or in the trash. Observe sources of moisture too, because even wet towels and sponges can make them stay in your home.

Now that you know what can attract cockroaches in homes, you need to make the effort to avoid making these mistakes. Overall, you need to keep your home tidy. Clean regularly and avoid having clutter and exposed trash for a prolonged time. If you want to eliminate these pests for good, then a professional team of pest control in the Philippines can help you solve your problem. Contact Topbest Pest Services today for a free inspection!

December 11, 2018January 2, 2019

Dangers of Pest Contamination in Food

What are the dangers of pest contamination in food?

Transmission of pathogens
Rapid bacteria multiplication
Cross-contamination
Exposure to parasites
Stored food contamination

Pest contamination in food is not only well-known in the food manufacturing industry but in regular households as well. Luckily, some pest control services offer free pest inspections to help prevent these hazardous instances that can endanger the health of individuals from happening. Pest contamination is bad enough, but when it affects your food supply, then it will pose many health risks that you could’ve avoided altogether. Together with a pest control expert, you should push efforts to prevent the dangers of pest contamination in food below.

Transmission of Pathogens

It is common knowledge that pests can be the dirtiest and deadliest creatures in the world. They are responsible for many of the well-known diseases which have ultimately caused the demise of countless people. For instance, just a small amount of their droppings or urine can cause diseases and even damage your home. When pests are the culprit of food contamination, the frequency with which they can affect people in your home increases astoundingly!

The transmission of pathogens can happen through one of three ways: bacterial contamination, viral contamination, or parasite contamination. This can happen when the saliva, droppings, blood, or fecal matter of a pest is transferred into your food. The transmission of pathogens can cause hundreds or even thousands of cases of food poisoning worldwide which is why it is essential to maintain the best food-handling precautions as recommended by pest control services.

Rapid Bacteria Multiplication

Bacteria can multiply very quickly, especially in a warm, damp environment like containers full of food. Pests tend to defecate even while eating food but make no mistake, they do this no matter the food that they are eating. Once consumed, these droppings can be responsible for dangerous and often fatal diseases such as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), Salmonella enterica infection, Listeriosis caused by Listeria monocytogenes, etc. Bacteria can spread pretty quickly, sometimes in a matter of minutes.

The velocity of their multiplication might seem exaggerated, but it really can multiply its size every 20 to 30 minutes. This is bad news especially if your food is constantly ridden by pests. The health risk that this poses for humans can be astounding because this multiplication will eventually lead to food poisoning. Pests can contaminate and destroy food worldwide that is enough to feed up to over 200 million people!

Cross-Contamination

Pests that contaminate food can be the cause of cross-contamination – otherwise known as the passing of bacteria from a contaminated source to an uncontaminated one. This means that even if you are confident that your food was not exposed to the risk of contamination, it is still possible that you can contract diseases from it due to cross-contamination caused by pests.

Although there are cases where cross-contamination can be caused by improper food handling, pest contamination can also be the reason for this. An example of cross-contamination is when an uncontaminated piece of meat is placed in contact with a pest-contaminated one.

Exposure to Parasites

This type of hazard can be attributed to the presence of cockroaches and other insect pests. Cockroaches can spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria and 6 kinds of parasitic worms. When transferred to food, they can expose humans to diseases such as Escherichia coli and Shigellosis.

Pests can carry germs and bacteria which can easily be transferred to food, food surfaces, and other food processing equipment. Human pathogens such as Salmonella enterica, Vibrio cholerae, and Staphylococcus aureus are all harmful specimens carried by pests which causes dangerous diseases in humans.

Stored Food Contamination

The pests involved in this occurrence can range from flour beetles, weevils, cockroaches, and sometimes even termites. Food contamination in this category happens when pests leave body parts and cast skins or wings within the food that is stored. Also, another major concern about these pest body parts is that they can be ground up along with food products like grains and cereals making them almost undetectable, but just as lethal to humans.

Key Takeaway

Making the effort to prevent pest contamination in food should be done as early as the first pest detection that you have experienced. With that, a free pest infection will be delivered to you by a reliable pest control provider near you so it would do you good to contact one today.

June 6, 2018March 10, 2023

Don’t Let Cockroaches Live in Your Car with These Pest Control Tips

Don't Let Cockroaches Live in Your Car with These Tips

What are the best pest control tips to prevent cockroaches from living in your car?

Don’t eat in your car.
Clean your car regularly.
Avoid parking close to drains, sewers, and garbage bins.
Set up traps or spray insecticide inside your car.

Have you ever thought about just how powerful cockroaches are? How they can break the calmness and serenity of an otherwise quiet room by performing some aerial antics? And how they can scare the daylight of a person that’s behind the wheel and cause said person’s car to crash – yes, this has happened, and in multiple occasions, which is why you definitely have to up your pest control game.

Cockroaches wander off into cars for the same reason they enter a home which is to find shelter, food, and a place to lay eggs and build a colony. The worst part about cockroaches in your car is that they aren’t just harmless bugs like ants and spiders. They transmit more than 30 types of bacteria, which have serious health consequences.

Aside from this, if you’re scared or easily startled, they can cause you to lose control of your vehicle as they climb up your legs or fly by your face. In a sense, it’s actually more dangerous if they settled in your car than in your home – but, of course, you wouldn’t want either.

So, if you want to save yourself and your passengers from any surprises in the form of a flying cockroach, follow these effective tips that are guaranteed to keep them out of your vehicle for good!

(Source: topgear.com.ph)

Don’t Eat in Your Car

No matter how careful you are with eating in your car, small crumbs are bound to fall onto the floor and there is nothing in the world that attracts cockroaches more than food. They are food-lovers and seek it out naturally, so of course, they will crawl into your car if it is filled with food.

Admittedly, it’s tough to follow this tip because a lot of people eat in their car. Most do it on the way to work, some let their kids have snacks, while others just enjoy a drive through every now and then.

If it’s impossible to not eat in your car due to your busy schedule, then at the very least bring a box or container to eat in and catch all the crumbs and immediately throw trash away.

Clean Your Car Regularly

Another good tip for those who like to eat in their car is to clean it regularly. By clean, we mean run a vacuum through every nook and cranny including the carpets and the space between the seats and the sides of the door. And by regularly, we mean at least once or twice a week.

It’s not just food sources you have to remove, you also have to throw away boxes, cups, containers, and other items that have no business being in your car. Cockroaches treat these storage containers as shelter, so unless you want to provide them with free lodging, it is best that you discard them.

If you need to store items in the trunk of your car, then we suggest you keep them in a hard plastic container that has a tight lid so the little bugs won’t be able to go inside.

Avoid Parking by Drains, Sewers, and Garbage Bins

Avoid parking in these areas where cockroaches thrive. Leaving your car by these places is like an open invitation to these creatures. The minute they take interest in your car, they can easily climb in through the air conditioning vents or undercarriage.

Once they’re in, it won’t take long for them to find shelter and lay eggs. Before you know it, your car will be home to more than a dozen cockroaches.

Set Up Traps or Spray Insecticide Inside Your Car

If you suspect that cockroaches are already in your car or just want to be extra cautious, then there’s no harm in setting up traps and spraying insecticide inside your car.

The traps you can simply place underneath the seats or in the truck and leave overnight. The insecticide, however, must be used on a day that you won’t be using your car or at least a couple of hours prior. It’s not safe to do it right when you’re about to head out because even though inhaling a full bottle won’t kill you, it is still poisonous to the body.

Key Takeaway

Cockroaches are simultaneously scary, amazing, and utterly irritating. Even though you can easily call pest control when you find them inside your home, the situation isn’t that simple when they’re in your car. They may cause you to crash before you even notice they’re there and nobody wants that.

Truly, the best way to prevent jump scares and accidents caused by these flying creatures is to keep them out of your car with the tips given above. If there was an unfortunate accident that involved another car because of this pest, then the victims can talk to a criminal lawyer in orlando, fl.

Granted, some of them aren’t ideal like completely forgoing eating in your car, but the others are easily doable, so try to stick with them. After all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

February 20, 2018

4 Most Commonly Found Cockroaches in the Philippines

What are the most commonly found cockroaches in the Philippines?

German Cockroach – it has two dark vertical stripes running the length of its head shield.
American Cockroach – an adult American cockroach is reddish brown in color.
Brown Banded Cockroach – it has light bands across its abdomen.
Oriental Cockroach – it is darker than most cockroaches.

If you live in the Philippines, then you’re no stranger when it comes to cockroaches. More than that, you probably harbor a fervent aversion towards them, and that the very idea of cockroaches already makes you shudder in disgust. Plus, when they start flapping their wings and blindly soar through the air? That will certainly have anyone screaming.

Cockroaches top the list of pests that need to be controlled. Aside from the multitudes of measures that you need to take—such as rodent control—managing cockroaches can be a nerve-wracking yet satisfying venture. Nothing feels more gratifying than finally seeing your beloved home devoid of this pest.

However, contrary to what you might think, cockroaches don’t look alike, and there isn’t just a single type of cockroach prowling out there. There are, in fact, thousands of species out there. But this post will only tackle the 4 most commonly found cockroaches in the Philippines. Read on to know more about them!

Source: Wikipedia

German Cockroach

Its scientific name is Blatella germanica. This particular species is the reason why cockroaches have such a dreadful reputation.

The German cockroach is spread all over the globe, and they can’t subsist in areas that have no human activity. Their survival is also hampered by cold temperature, which is the primary reason why they’re so drawn to the Philippines and its scorching heat. This makes pest control—especially cockroach control—even more crucial.

An adult German cockroach is 10 to 15 millimeters in length. Its distinct characteristic is the two dark vertical stripes running the length of its pronotum (or head shield).

In order to distinguish the males from the females, there are features that you need to look out for. Males have a thin and slender body, and its back is not covered by tegmina (or is leathery outer wings). The male is also rendered in a light yellowish brown color.

On the other hand, a female German cockroach has a plump body, and its back is covered by tegmina.

A female generates 4-9 oothecae (egg case). Each ootheca contains 37-44 eggs. Lastly, the adult life cycle spans for more than 100 days.

American Cockroach

Its scientific name is Periplaneta americana. The American cockroach is the largest of the most common cockroaches, with an average of 4 cm in length.

An adult American cockroach is reddish brown in color, with a light brown or yellowish band around the rim of the pronotum. Males are much more substantial than females because their wings can extend from 4 to 8 mm beyond the abdomen.

A female produces one oothecae every 10 months, with around 16 eggs per ootheca. The adult life cycle lasts from 100 days to 3 years.

Source: thefollisreport.com

Brown Banded Cockroach

Its scientific name is Supella longipalpa. This is a domestic cockroach, which means that its whole life is spent indoors. Yes, aside from rodents that you need to control, there’s also this particular cockroach that has a penchant for hiding in your home.

An adult brown banded cockroach resembles the German cockroach a bit, especially with their tiny size and body shape. But the two can be set apart by the absence of dark stripes on a brown banded cockroach. Instead, they have light bands across their abdomen.

The adult males are 13-14.5 mm in length, while adult females are 10-12 mm. Another distinct trait is that males fly when they are perturbed, while the females can’t fly. Lastly, a female brown banded cockroach has a considerably bigger abdomen than a male.

A female generates up to 13 oothecae, which comprises of around 16 eggs. An adult typically lives 90 to 115 days.

Oriental Cockroach

Its scientific name is Blatta orientalis. It’s approximately 1 inch long, and is darker than most cockroaches. Some of them, in fact, already veer to black.

Males have wings that envelope almost ¾ of their body. On the other hand, females have extremely short wings. Despite this, both of them cannot fly.

The life span of oriental cockroaches ranges from 1 to 6 months.

Key Takeaway

Aside from rodent control, you should also concern yourself with cockroaches; they definitely top the list of pests that you need to control.

There are thousands of species of cockroaches available in the Philippines, although these four are the most common. Regardless of the species, however, it’s your duty to ensure that your home or establishment is completely devoid of this horrifying pest.

February 15, 2018February 18, 2020

7 na Peste na Madalas Makita sa Pilipinas

Ano ang mga peste na madalas makita sa Pilipinas?

Langgam
Anay
Daga
Ipis
Lamok
Surot
Kuto

Ang mga peste ay isa sa problemang kinakaharap natin ngayon. Hindi mo agad masasabi kung mayroon na bang mga insektong nagtatago sa iba’t-ibang sulok ng iyong tahanan. Kaya naman dapat ay maging kaugalian na ang paghikayat sa pest control.

Ngunit may mga pagkakataong hindi mo na kayang kontrolin nang mag-isa ang mga insektong ito. Kapag nangyari ito ay dapat ka ng humingi ng tulong sa propesyonal na pest control operator para maagapan agad ang sitwasyon bago pa ito lumala.

Ano nga ba ang mga peste na parating nanghihimasok sa mga tahanan?

Tatalakayin ng post na ito ang 7 na peste na madalas matagpuan sa Pilipinas.

Langgam

Kung mahilig ka mag-iwan ng mga pagkain kung saan-saan, kailangan mong mag-ingat dahil baka sinusugod na ng peste na ‘to ang bahay mo.

Maraming klase ang mga langgam. Mahahati sila sa dalawang kategorya o dalawang kulay: itim o pula.

Ang itim na langgam ay madalas matagpuan sa loob ng tahanan. Madalas silang sumisingit sa mga mailiit na butas, lalung-lalo na kapag iniiwan mong nakabukas ang iyong mga pinto at bintana.

Para naman sa mga pulang langgam, sila ‘yung sobrang makati kapag kinagat ka. Karaniwan silang matatagpuan sa labas, sa hardin o ‘di kaya’y sa bakuran.

Kapansin-pansin na bihira mong makitang nagsosolo ang mga langgam. Lagi silang kabilang sa isang hanay o grupo.

Gaano nga ba kalaki ang pinsala na kayang idulot ng mga maliliit na insektong ito? Una ay kaya nilang mamerwisyo ng mga tao. Tapos ay kaya rin nilang atakihin ang mga pagkain mo, lalung-lalo na kung hindi ito nakaimbak nang maayos. At idagdag mo pa rito ang gimbalang pwede nilang maidulot sa mga halaman—minsan ay gagawin din nila itong pagkain.

Buti na lang ay marami namang mga paraan para sugpuin ang mga langgam—mga pest control na kayang-kaya mong gawin bago ka tumawag ng pest control operator. Nangunguna na nga rito ang paggamit ng insecticide. Pero kung masyado nang nakakagambala ang presensiya ng langgam sa iyong bahay at ‘di mo na ito maagapan, dapat ay kumonsulta ka na sa propesyonal na pest control operator.

Anay

Mahirap detektahin ang mga anay sa iyong bahay. Ang mga anay ay maliliit na insektong may hawig sa langgam. Nginangatngat nila ang kahoy at iba pang materyales.

Mahirap mang tuklasin ang presensiya ng mga anay sa bahay mo, mayroon namang mga senyales na dapat mong bantayan—ang mga senyales na ito ang magpapahiwatig na nagtatago na nga ang mga anay sa sulok ng iyong tahanan.

Una ay pwede kang humanap ng mga dumi at alikabok na iniiwan nila, o kaya’y isang tambak ng dumi na ginagawa nilang lagusan para mapasok ang iyong tahanan. Kapag binantayan mo ang mga babalang ito ay maaagapan mo agad ang presensya ng anay.

Daga

Isa ito sa mga pinakamalaking pesteng nanggigimbala ng mga tahanan.

Ang pinakasimpleng paraan para sugpuin ang mga ito ay akitin mo sila palabas ng iyong bahay o patayin mo sila. Maaari kang maglagay ng pagkain malapit sa isang patibong, lalung-lalo na at madali silang matukso sa pagkain. Maliban dito, marami pang ibang paraan para kontrolin ang mga daga sa bahay mo.

Ipis

Isa sa mga pinakakinatatakutang peste ang ipis. Marami ang nanginginig sa takot masilayan lamang ito—lalung-lalo na ‘pag nagsimula na itong lumipad.

Madalas matagpuan ang ipis sa mga madidilim na lugar; dagdag mo pa rito ang sulok na puro dumi, kalat, at tubig. Ang mga pagkaing iniiwang nakatengga ay pwede ring mang-akit sa ipis. Buti na lang ay may pest control para padaliin ang pagsugpo sa pesteng ito.

Lamok

Ang mga lamok ay lumilipad na insektong sumisipsip sa iyong dugo sa bawat pagkakataong mahahanap nito. Madalas silang mangagat ‘pag gabi o ‘pag ikaw ay nasa labas.

Maliban sa pagiging makati, ang kagat ng lamok ay maaari ring maglaganap ng iba’t-ibang malubhang sakit, kagaya na nga lang ng dengue at malaria.

Karaniwang natatagpuan ang mga lamok sa lugar na may tubig. Ugaliing ‘wag mag-imbak ng tubig at magpahid din ng mga produktong kontra sa mga pesteng ito (kagaya na lang ng lotion).

Surot

Hindi ganon kalaganap ang mga surot, lalung-lalo na kung ikukumpara mo sa ibang peste. Pero importante pa ring maagapan silang kaagad.

Madalas silang nakikita sa mga kutson, karpet, at iba pa.

Kuto

Ang kuto ay isa ring peste na mahilig ding sumipsip ng dugo. Matatagpuan sila sa ating ulo, kung saan naaakit sila sa dumi ng buhok. Parehong tao at hayop ang pwedeng maapektuhan ng kuto.

Mabuti na lang ay mayroon ng mga shampoo at ibang produktong kontra sa kuto. Maaari ka ring gumamit ng suyod—isang suklay na ginagamit para alisin ang kuto sa iyong buhok.

Konklusyon

Hindi na bago ang peste sa Pilipinas. Maraming tahanan na lang ang ginagambala nito araw-araw. Kaya naman importante ang maging pamilyar sa mga pesteng madalas sumalakay sa iyong tahanan at alamin ang nararapat na pest control na pwede mong gawin. Mahalagang maagapan mo ang mga ito bago pa lumala ang sitwasyon.