10.29.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:24 pm by Administrator
Hello again from A.N.T.T.S = A North Texas Termite Specialist. Just a quick note about the increase in fire ant and rodent calls in the Dallas and Fort Worth area. Do not be alarmed this is quite normal for this time of the year. Every fall and winter when the mercury drops these little critters start to invade your home. You can try you own home pest control but in most cases this is a time to call in a pro. We professional pest control operators have access to long residual products that will insure the protection of your family from these invaders. What we do is concentrate on cracks and pipelines along with any other entry point. We soak these areas and inspect for further openings that need attention. Inside we use a pretty much odorless product that is applied to the baseboards and under sinks to get any insects that may have made it in. After this is just a waiting game. People sometimes think we are Pide Pipers and the bugs will follow us out the door. It does take a few days and sometimes up to 21 days but you should see a big difference in a short time. Most companies such as us we do not charge for call backs during your warranty period. I would also like to introduce our new mascot at A North Texas Termite Specialist, Bugzy! He can be seen and heard at both of our websites www.antts.biz and www.anttstermitecontrol.com. Well until next time, aloha!
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10.12.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:49 pm by Administrator
Hello again from A.N.T.T.S = A North Texas Termite Specialist. When buying a new home in the Dallas area or just about anywhere in the US the mortgage companies usually require a clear WDI report (termite inspection). These inspections have been on the downside lately due to a struggling economy. What we have seen is a rise in refinance termite inspections! The lenders consider them almost like a new home purchase and require a WDI. This is great for us but can be a pain for the homeowner because we still have to write up conducive conditions and obviously we have to write up and active or prior termite and carpenter ant activity found including any other wood destroying insect. This can be a expensive drawback to the refinance procedure. A.N.T.T.S has had a increase in business due to these new changes in our economy and for this we are thankful but our hearts go out to those who are in trouble. What we have done to help ease the pain on some of these termite finds is allow them to pay us for a treatment when they close on the deal. This lets the people who need that refinance money get it quick then worry about payment later. We have done this on quite a few homes here in Dallas / Fort Worth and have not had any problems collecting our money on full termite treatments. We also take into consideration when inspecting a home that someone already lives in is that there are somethings you can just tell them to do while we are there such as trimming foliage, moving wood piles etc. There is no need to tie up a closing when the conducive condition can be easily corrected at the time of the inspection. So we have made a few changes to help people out in these hard times but we always feel it will come back to us in the long run as it always does. At we live by “what goes around comes around). So keep a few of these ideas in your back pocket if you need to have a termite inspection for you refinance and it will save you time and money in these tough times. Good luck and we hope that brighter days are close for everyone!
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09.28.08
Posted in DYI Tips at 4:10 pm by Administrator
Hello again from A North Texas Termite Specialist = A.N.T.T.S! We would like to talk about pest control tips for fall clean up around your home. About this time every year we get calls from Dallas / Fort Worth area residents that have a abundance of pest and rodent activity around their home due to the removal of clutter from the yard and garage. These cluttered areas are a great hide out for mice, rats and roaches. Stored wood against the house can also attract termites. We are happy to see you removing the clutter, but would like to help you protect your home at the same time of this clean up. First thing you want to do is wear gloves and a dust mask! This is very important when dealing with rodent droppings due to the diseases they carry and the dust particles in the air can get into your lungs and cause a variety of problems, some deadly! While moving clutter you may see rodents running away from the pile and towards your home, this is why you should purchase some good snap traps and glue boards and place them along the side of the wall. Rodents are pretty blind and use whiskers to run the sides of walls and will run right into your trap. Another good thing to do before you start your project is to buy some Ortho Boric Acid and dust the cracks and crevices including pipe lines so when the water bugs (American Roach) try to enter your home they will track trough the dust and it will kill them later on. Be sure to use the Boric acid lightly so they will not avoid it and run right through it. Lastly after you have removed all clutter from the side of your home you should maybe consider hiring a professional pest control company like A.N.T.T.S to put down a long residual pesticide that will ensure nothing left over from that debri pile will live long enough to enter you home. Hope this is helpful for you Dallas / Fort Worth Residents. If you ever have a pest control question that needs attention feel free to give us a call at 817-366-3130 A.N.T.T.S = A North Texas Termite Specialist.
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09.02.08
Posted in DYI Tips at 5:40 pm by Administrator
Hello again from A.N.T.T.S = A North Texas Termite Specialist. Don’t let our name fool you! We have been dealing with every pest control problem for many years around the Dallas / Fort Worth area. If it’s ants, roaches, spiders, fleas, ticks or termites we have treated them with success. Today we would like to help the good people of the DFW area with upcoming fall rodent & roach prevention. You can do many things to exclude these pest from entering your home or business. The first and most important thing is a in depth inspection to identify your pest problem and how they may be accessing you home. Things to look for when walking the outside perimeter is any hole the size of a dime. Rodents and roaches among other pest can gain access through these openings. Most pipe and wire entries are a good place to start, these areas are usually sealed by the builder but after time the caulk drys and opens up. Look at your eves and around the roof flashing, these are other areas that over time through natural movement cracks and crevices appear. After you do a full inspection you need to determine your pest problem. We suggest you where rubber (latex) gloves for this part. You are no going to become a pest poop professional. Yes pest poop! The best way to determine a pest problem is sometimes through fecal identification. When dealing with rodents you want to know if you have rats or mice ? Roof Rats are most common in this area and there feces will be much larger than Field mice, the fecal matter will be about 1/2 inch long and pointed unlike the Norway rat which is much larger. If you are dealing with mice the droppings will be much smaller about 1/8 and smooth
with pointed ends. This is good to remember because American Roach droppings are about the same size but are more block like and have flat ends with striations down the sides. Once you identify which pest you are dealing with you can start your exclusion. with rodents you may also want to look for rub marks along the walls and pipes. these greasy trails are from their dirty hair rubbing on the path they take to get in. After you find all dime size holes you need to take a trip to your local hardware store and pick up some caulk, stainless steel wool, and some Ortho Boric Acid. In some cases you may need some chicken wire for large openings. Take these materials and caulk the smaller holes use a little of the boric acid first this will help with roaches and other insects. Then stuff the larger holes with the steel wool, again dust a little boric acid first. Any large gaps should be closed by any means possible. If you take these steps and be diligent in doing so you will have great success in stopping these pest before they get out of hand. If you try all this and still have a problem we are always available for service anywhere in the Dallas / Fort Worth area! Call 817-366-3130 or visit one of our websites at www.anttspestcontrol.com or
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07.27.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 6:27 am by Administrator
Hello Dallas/ Fort Worth Texas! Welcome to our first edition of many to come of our weekly pest control tips, helpful hints and some stories from the field. On a weekly basis A.N.T.T.S www.antts.biz will be performing pest and termite control for area residence and commercial accounts. We will come across every kind of pest problem you can imagine and some you may not. This should be a very interesting blog to come back and visit because we come across some strange things out there.
Let us begin with a short background of our company. A.N.T.T.S was founded by Chris Delaney a pest control veteran with 25 years experience. He started in Mass and has worked his way to Dallas through the years. He is also the author of a nationwide selling DVD training aid that teaches other pest companies how to do a WDI FHA/VA Termite Inspection. He has serviced and inspected thousands of Dallas homes in the past 10 years and currently works with some of the top home inspectors and Real estate agents around. With the experience of Chris and his staff of well trained technicians we are sure to bring you some interesting pest stories and you will get some great advice.
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07.26.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:03 pm by Administrator
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!
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