In March a NSW based friend posted photos of a mice plague, it was eye opening. With warmer weather in Adelaide continuing through March people are looking for ways to control mice in and around their homes.

Mice are big breeders, having up to 12 pups in a litter, that’s a lot of mouths to feed! They’re also great chewers and will gnaw through all manner of things to find shelter and food. All that chewing means what goes in has to come out and that means droppings in the ceiling space, kitchen, and anywhere there’s food or shelter.
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While mice might look cute, they carry other pests and diseases into your home spreading them to your pets and family. If you run a food facility, a restaurant, café, or bake from home, having mice around can see you losing your license. 

trap more often, for a while. This will gradually slow down as the mice are trapped and controlled.

If you find that mice are a regular pest around your home, it’s a good idea to get them under control before the weather cools and they really set up home inside your house. Contact MD Pest Control to book a time to deal with the mice in your Adelaide home. 

With Autumn hitting and Winter around the corner, we thought it was time that we shared a couple of recipes to help you and your family feel better.
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There’s nothing quite like a nice warm cup of soup to warm up your insides and leave you feeling loved and hugged. These soups are filled with lots of healthy goodness to help you keep the bugs at bay or to help you as you recover from a cold, flu or other cold weather bug. 

Lots of vegies and light meats, this chicken soup also packs in some handy spices to warm you up from the tips of your icy toes to the top of your red nose.
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Swap out the pasta for a gluten free version or rice to meet your dietary needs, but grab a blanket and hunker down for some healing with this recipe.
 
https://damndelicious.net/2018/09/30/cold-fighting-chicken-noodle-soup/

Many people swear by turmeric for its anti-inflammatory properties. We say that anything that’s likely to stop the aching joints, the puffy eyes, and the inflamed throat or sinuses is worth a try.
 
https://www.natalieparamore.com/cold-fighting-hearty-turmeric-soup/
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Don’t let the name fool you, one of our clients swears by this spicy soup to help their family recover from colds and other bugs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzGgvBRJH64

Do you have a favourite recipe? Please share a link below.
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​You know there is a rat racing around. Perhaps you’ve seen their “calling card”, teeth marks or the track they’ve worn in your yard. Either way, you know it’s time for them to go before there’s a whole family of baby rats camped in the roof. Rat baits sound like a good answer.
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Before you head down to the local hardware store, let’s go through some of the benefits of having a professionally installed and baited rat baiting system. 

Other than riding you of those annoying rats, here are some of the benefits of using a professional rat baiting system:

• Bait stations protect the bait from the elements, keeping it free of moisture and dust
• Bait stations keep poisons away from children and other animals
• Bait stations, when used with attractant blocks, can be used to monitor rat activity
• Bait stations prevent spills and contamination when used in shops & restaurants
• Bait stations can save businesses money as the bait can’t be moved or spoiled
• Bait stations can be anchored to prevent theft
• Bait stations are clearly labeled to comply with WHS regulations
• Bait stations are tamper resistant to protect people and pets safe
• Bait stations are designed to only be accessible to rats to protect native wildlife.

These are some of the many reasons why homes and businesses use professional rat baiting stations. The best part is that you can leave it all up to Michael and the MD Pest Control team to take care of your rat problem. Call Michael on 0407 614 220, Bridget (Monday & Tuesday) on 0404 489 260 to book in; or book at a time that suits you through our online booking system.

​There are two common species of white tailed spiders and both are found across Australia, including Adelaide. So what do you need to know about them?

​You will know you’re looking at a white tailed spider if its body is cylindrical and 1-2cm long, grey-brown, glossy legs and a light grey or white spot at the ‘tail’. The spider may have two white spots on the abdomen, but these are less noticeable in adult white tail spiders. 

White tailed spiders like to live where their favourite food is, other spiders. This means that they can be found out in the garden, in sheds, or even in our homes.
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In Summer time, white tailed spiders come inside our homes to hunt their favourite food, the common black house spider. Inside, the white tailed spider will live in bedding, things left on the floor, and other little nooks and crannies. 
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While their bites can hurt and have been known to cause some small irritation, the common belief that their bite causes necrosis (skin infection & death) has recently been disproven. ​

The two key things to controlling white tailed spiders are:
- keeping floors, including under beds, clean
- removing their prey from inside your home, including their webs.

MD Pest control offers specialised spider sprays to control spiders both inside and outside your home. Call us to find out how we can do this in your home, or use our online booking system to book your spider spray now. 

​With all the talk about the various diseases carried South by mosquitoes, we thought it time to let you know what kind of mosquitoes you might find around your Adelaide home and how to identify them.
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Research out of the Mosquito Research Laboratory at Uni SA has shown that there are 32 different varieties of mosquitoes found in South Australia. Of those, there are six most commonly found.

There are two main disease mosquitoes carry in Adelaide, Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus. From time to time, we may also experience Murray Valley encephalitis or Kunjin virus.
The three most common carriers of disease are:
- Culex annulirostris
- Ochlerotatus vigilax
- Ochlerotatus camptorhynchus

It’s good to know that of these, Culex annulirostris is rarely found in Adelaide. Of the other two, vigilax bites during the warmer months & camptorhynchus in the cooler months and both are only outdoor biters. Vigilax is more commonly found in coastal and mangrove areas.

It’s not always practical to stay inside and unfortunately some mosquitoes prefer to live and bite indoors. That means that we need to have a number of things in our tool kit to prevent being bitten.

Mosquitoes are often breed in puddles and don’t like moving water. So we can make sure that our homes and gardens don’t offer them these places, including saucers of water, blocked drains or other places where water collects or pools (tyres, kids toys, wheelbarrows). Some mosquitoes prefer to breed in septic or rainwater tanks and keeping them sealed is the best prevention.
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Otherwise, wearing light coloured long sleeved tops and long pants reduces the area mosquitoes can access, using a suitable repellent, and ensuring the window/door screens are in good condition provide you with a last line of defence.
If you’re particularly concerned about mosquitoes, or any other insect, around your home it’s always best to contact an expert. We would like to thank the Uni SA for the information for this article and encourage you to contact the MD Pest Control Team with any other questions.  

​You do everything you should to keep your house clean but there goes another cockroach across the floor! The kitchen is clean every night. Pet food is tidy. Even the kids are keeping their room clean. So why are there still cockroaches in your clean home?

Like any home, sometime it comes down to location, location, location. We can’t always choose our neighbours and it can often be that their home is overrun with cockroaches and they need to find more food.
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In ADELAIDE the most commonly cockroach infested homes are found in: Salisbury, Norwood, Glenelg, the City and Prospect. Keep reading to learn the reasons why, it might not be what you expect. 

​Cockroaches are opportunistic critters and they don’t care how clean your house is, they are after food, shelter, & water – any of these three things. They can come in through cracks in the exterior walls, dryer vents, or even the gaps between walls and floors. If you give them the access, they will take that opportunity. 

We’ve just mentioned garages and behind pictures, but these are not the only forgotten places where cockroaches hang out in your home. Perhaps the cockroaches are getting in gaps between the skirting board and your underfloor space. Cockroaches can come in through poorly fitting doors and screens, or even small holes in screens. Then there’s all those other places around the outside of your home where they can come in, drains, vents, cracks etc.
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So while we would all think that a lack of cockroaches in our home comes down to keeping it clean, for some it’s a matter of luck (or bad luck when they get in). Realistically the best way to keep cockroaches out of your home is to have a regular general pest spray. This will not only keep the cockroaches out of your clean home, but also other pests such as ants and spiders.  Give Michael a call on  0407 614 220 or book a time online. 

​As the weather warms, fleas start to breed. People start to spend more time outside or even away. All ways that fleas can be brought into the home. That’s right, it’s not just your pets that can bring fleas into the home. That’s when Adelaide home owners wonder how they’re going to control these blood sucking fleas. 

​Other than the irritation flea bites can cause, there are few diseases that fleas transmit in Adelaide. The most common disease humans get from fleas is tapeworm. Fleas can spread the typhus disease. Typhus is caused when flea bites become infected as a result of flea-faecal contamination. Thankfully, this is uncommon.
Fleas are most notorious for transmitting bubonic plague from wild rodents to humans in some parts of the world. However, this is not known to occur in Australia.
Main flea species in Australia are:

• Cat flea, which is the most common flea in Australia. It attacks dogs, rats, humans and other mammals.
• Dog flea, which is less common than the cat flea, but similar in appearance. This flea attacks a wide variety of mammals.
• Human flea, which is uncommon due to the increase in home hygiene standards. This flea also attacks dogs, pigs, rats and mice.

Adult fleas may remain resting in their cocoon until they sense vibration (caused by movement), pressure, heat, noise or carbon dioxide. The ability to sense vibration explains why flea bites can occur after entering a house that has been unoccupied for some time.
When adult fleas emerge from their cocoons, they are ready for their first blood feed. Adults are quite active, crawling and jumping in hair or fur.
Adult fleas can survive for many months without feeding. Flea saliva contains anticoagulants to keep the blood flowing so they can feed easily.

The next thing is to treat subfloors, sheds, outdoor areas where pets sit or sleep. It’s also preferable to keep pets out from under subfloor areas as they are the preferred flea breeding ground.
In Adelaide, it’s important to also control rodents that carry fleas. Closing of subfloor areas will block off nesting grounds and internal access to rooms or wall cavities of your home. 

After pets, the home is the most common place we attack fleas. Like lice, it's important to thoroughly clean where fleas live to be rid of all fleas at all life stages. That means using a number of methods:

• ​Cleaning and mopping hard floors.
• Vacuum carpets and rugs.
• Cleaning where pets sit or lay.
• Cleaning bedding in hot water.

All hard floors and furnishings should be thoroughly swept and washed. All carpet and furnishings should be vacuumed, paying particular attention along seams and joins. Soft furnishings and beddings should be washed in hot water to kill eggs and larvae.

The final thing is to call Michael at MD Pest Control and book a time for a professional flea pest control treatment. 

This time of year, Adelaide home owners are noticing a larger amount of pincer wielding earwigs. Perhaps you’re out in the garden pulling the weeds for the umpteenth time, or you’re tending to tender seedlings, or perhaps you’re just wandering the house and minding your own business. There it is. Scuttling out of a dark corner, little claw tail menacing. So what do you need to know about earwigs in and around Adelaide?

​Australia offers a fantastic climate for earwigs to grow and thrive. There are only about 85 species of earwigs in Australia. As the weather warms, the earwigs come out and we tend to get worried.
 
Earwigs are not territorial, meaning they can share nests which is why they can quickly rise in numbers. 
 
You can find earwigs inside your home in dark, damp, and cluttered places. Having a source of food would be a bonus. The basement or the kitchen would be the most likely interior habitat for these nasty creatures.
 
Since earwigs love humidity and dampness, you will also find them wherever there’s rotten wood or leaf litter. Perfectly, warm, moist, and best of all – dark. Combine that with their favourite foods of maggots, worms, aphids and other insects and the garden is their favourite hangout. 

​Other than tidying up in the garden, the best way to control earwigs is at their nests. A licensed pest controller, like Michael, will find and treat the nest and we also recommend a broader pest control treatment to keep them out of your home.
 
Book a time now that suits you. 

Inch ants are native to Adelaide and the Mount Lofty Ranges. They belong to the and subfamily of MYRMECIINAE along with Hopper/Jumping Jack/Jack-jumper Ants. Both of these ants bite and have been responsible for a number of reported deaths due to allergies. (So be warned)
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Inch ants are one of the oldest ant groups and have very wasp-like bodies. They don’t lay down scent trails or travel in lines. They have small colonies, with a few hundred or at most a few thousand ants. If you’re unsure if you have an inch ant around your home, use this helpful guide from the South Australian Government to help you identify the ant.

Inch Ants are found right across Australia and prefer natural, dry woodland habitats, grasslands and rural areas. Its nest is usually underground and often have hidden or small entrances. They will generally attack anyone that disturbs their nest.
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While inch ant fossils have been found around the globe and dating back 50 million years, they are now only found in Australia. 

• Educate children and others about the risks of Inch Ants and show them what the ants and their nests looks like compared to other ants.
• Wear heavy clothing such as boots and gloves when gardening.
• Some people prefer to remove nests to reduce the risk of stings. Seek professional advice on how to remove the nests/kills the ants if necessary.

As with any ant problem, they’re best treated by a licensed and insured professional. Any solutions we use are required to abide my government regulations and we are trained in their safe handling and use. Contact MD Pest Control to discuss your needs be it for inch ants, regular ants or any other pest or insect. 

Did you know that one in five homes are damaged by termites in Australia? Did you know that termite damage isn’t covered by your home insurance? This poses a great risk for your home. It really is a case of buyer beware. It's also why a pest inspection is so important when buying a home here in Adelaide. 

The average cost of repairing termite damage is $10,000 but can be a lot more – and that’s NOT including the cost of the termite treatment. (Source: Pacific International Insurance Ltd – the pest industry insurers).
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Do you know what to look for? Can you climb into tight spaces and find possible weaknesses and flaws? Do you know about pests like termites? Do you know the massive damage they can cause? 

Our termite and pest inspections are rigorous and start outside the building looking for any damage/workings from termites along with checking conducive condition. We then continue inside the building checking for signs of excessive moisture which can be an attractant for termites. Inspectors will carry out moisture testing along with checking for any prior treatments.

As termites are around 70% water, high moisture readings in supposedly dry surfaces like wooden door frames are a good indicator that termites might be present.  As soon as we get an indication of termites we will investigate further to determine the extent of any damage. 

Want to be present during the inspection? Sure! Feel free to watch your Inspector in action. At the end of the inspection – at your request – your Inspector will be very happy to walk you through the report.
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Our pre-purchase pest inspections:

• Meet Australian Standards
• Carried out by fully qualified technicians
• Include comprehensive reporting

Contact the team now or book your pest inspection online for a time that suits you.