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Pest Control San Antonio TX

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How do squirrels survive in winter?

Archives for December 2021

How do squirrels survive in winter?

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If you have squirrels in your backyard, you might have noticed that when the climate starts to get crisp in the fall, squirrels start putting on weight. These extra pounds they put on for winter remind many individuals of what bears do as they prep for hibernation. Although tree squirrels have some behaviors that help them during the winter, they don’t hibernate. Squirrels sprint around all seasons, so calling for a rodent control company in San Antonio is vital as they may claw and damage your property throughout the year.

Did you know that the photo-neuroendocrine system tracks seasonal changes in animals? The system consists of a sensitive set of glands, hormones, and neurons wired to adjust animals’ internal chemistry as the duration of the day changes. When the photoperiod begins to shrink in the fall, squirrels notice this.

 

Squirrels sleep in nests throughout the year, but a nest/cavity den is crucial for squirrels to stay comfortable and cozy in the winters. They construct nests out of twigs, moss, leaves, and tall trees. You need not worry; squirrels won’t make a mess in your attic to make their nest. Usually, you will find them making their nest in cavity dens within hardwood trees where birds/other animals have left holes. A squirrel can have several nests/cavity dens to help evade predators and bad weather all year round.

Squirrels eat various kinds of nuts, seeds, berries, and insects. They return to their buried hoards in winters during the day. It seems they remember their food using a skill called ‘spatial chunking,’ where they bury similar kinds of foods in similar locations. Squirrels that live on trees are brilliant in storing their food during fall. They spread their food around their nests rather than keeping it all in one location known as ‘scatter-hoarding.’ 

Interestingly, these witty creatures pretend to bury their food in one place and then bury it somewhere else later to fool their competitors. These intelligent creatures store food underground for use during the winter; similarly, they put extra pounds on their bodies to help them prevail over the chilly cold winters. When food supply becomes inadequate, a thick layer of fat provides the squirrel with the energy they might require to survive in winters. In addition, it helps them stay warm when the temperature drops.

Squirrels are hard-working creatures so while other animals are hibernating, they can keep hustling about in the cold season. They’ll run up and down utility poles to get to their stockpiled food. Squirrels stick around all year, so protecting your power lines from their clawing paws is essential. Our rodent control experts in San Antonio will keep squirrels from accessing your roof/attic and prevent costly power outages.

 

Call our bonded experts today at Accurate Pest Control to learn more about squirrels and how to protect your home and utilities from them.

How intelligent are squirrels?

How intelligent are squirrels?

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Squirrels can get troublesome for most people, especially when invading their homes and destroying their property. Did you know that squirrels can be incredibly amusing when you watch them going about their daily practices? These brilliant rodents can jump to nearby trees, run across electricity cables, hide food and sometimes even outplay the birdfeeder. When squirrels enter your home to build a hole, you should contact a rodent control in San Antonio to remove squirrels and avoid direct contact with the animals.

 

How is a squirrel’s intelligence distinctive?

All rodents are intelligent animals, but the squirrel crowns the list for intelligence. While a rat/mouse can outsmart and sometimes outmaneuver a pursuing human, squirrels’ quickness and intellect give them a lead over other predators and more giant creatures. A squirrel is clever; for example, when it feels threatened, it will remain motionless first, and when it looks that no one is watching, it sprints to the tree and climbs up for safety. Frequently, a squirrel will hang onto the tree by pressing its body tightly to the tree.

In movies or real life, you may have seen that squirrels love eating from human hands, but very few animals trust humans for food. In chilly regions of Europe and North America, squirrels plan ahead of the cold winter months by storing nuts/seeds in tactical areas and then returning to the exact locations to eat the stored food for energy.

Squirrels also run through unpredictable paths, they do this to trick their predators, and for this reason, they can easily escape through the situation. Squirrels are intelligent creatures as they bury their food to mislead humans or any other animal watching them from close by. The burying of food is usually to trick potential stalkers/thieves like birds who know that the squirrel is storing the food in that area. If any creature hops on to discover the buried food on that location will find nothing, this smart strategy will eventually allow the squirrel to bury the food elsewhere.

The squirrels that live on trees construct dreys that look like bird nests, and these dreys are made up of moss, twigs, feathers, and grass. The size of the drey is usually a football, and all the items surrounding provide support and insulation for the young ones. Squirrels use several vocalizations to communicate with each other; they also produce scents to draw the attention of the opposite sex or communicate with them. Similarly, they can make signals with their tails by twitching them to caution other squirrels about the presence of a potential threat.

Several species of squirrels are frequently referred to as ‘Flying squirrels’; though they don’t fly literally, they fly with the help of a membrane attached from their wrists to ankles, which helps squirrels move smoothly like us, humans.

With all these traits, we at Accurate Pest Control can tell that squirrels are indeed among the most intelligent animals in the world.

Do you need rodent control in San Antonio? Call our licensed experts today to learn more.

What attracts silverfish in your house?

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As their name suggests, silverfish  (Lepisma Saccharinum) are silver or gray insects. Silverfish are typically fast-moving, nocturnal insects with many habits, same as cockroaches. These wingless adults are approximately 1 ½ to an inch in length, and their smooth bodies help them slip into cracks easily. Like cockroaches, silverfish can initiate allergic reactions in some individuals but are primarily nuisance pests that don’t bite nor are likely to spread pathogens that cause illnesses.

Nevertheless, they can infect food, damage paper items, and stain clothing, so you don’t want them hanging around your home. At Accurate Pest Control, we believe that a silverfish infestation is moderately common. Contact a licensed/insured exterminator in San Antonio if you encounter a silverfish infestation. We’ll help you get silverfish and other insect infestations under control efficiently.  

Considering what attracts silverfish to your house is essential to help eradicate them and keep them out of your home.  

Here are a few things that can attract silverfish:

  1. Dampness

Silverfish are very sensitive to moisture and require high humidity levels to stay alive; therefore, they’re attracted to moist, wet conditions. You can mostly find silverfish in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, garages, and cabinets. They can drift out of high humidity areas for some time but at most times need higher humidity levels to thrive.

  1. Dark & Warm Places

Silverfish gather food by running around at night and hiding in small, dark, and warm places away from people. They prefer hiding in dark places with temperatures between 70–90 degrees. You will more likely find them in a damp basement than in a scorching attic, mainly during the summer.

  1. Carbohydrates & Protein

Silverfish love to eat carbohydrates like flour, oats, and starches in paper, book bindings, cardboard boxes, glue, and insulation. Apart from this, they also love eating proteins like dried beef and dead bugs.

 

Silverfish Are a Caution Sign of Other Damage

Having silverfish in homes is frightening not because of the creature itself but because they often bring many other problems. They cannot make their entry points by themselves; they mostly enter through water-damaged spots that could become an outlet to other insects/rodents.

 

Here are a Few Takeaways:

  • Store your food/clothes in plastic boxes as silverfish cannot penetrate hard material.
  • Silverfish hide and lay eggs in cracks/crevices, so inspect these areas whenever you’re cleaning. Empty the contents outside so the bugs can’t flee inside your home.
  • Cautiously look for all entry points and seal them quickly to prevent other pests from coming in.
  • It’s always advisable to book a professional exterminator in San Antonio like Accurate Pest Control and save your family/home from these irritating creatures.

From bed bugs, rodents, and mosquitoes to wasps and carpenter ants, our experts can safely eradicate all unwanted guests from your home/workplace quickly. Call us today

 for pest control at your home/office. We are determined to ensure total client satisfaction.

Call Accurate Pest Control on 210-263-3183 to learn more about silverfish and what attracts them to homes.

 

Five Easy & Effective Silverfish Control Tips

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Have you been frightened while washing your face as you spotted silverfish running across your bathroom mirror? Silverfish has a scaly flat body with many antennas sticking out everywhere and resembles a metallic alien fish. Since they are nocturnal insects, they often scurry away when exposed to light. Because they move incredibly fast, it is challenging to catch them. While silverfish are risk-free to people, they may invade your home/business. Silverfish don’t induce structural damage to homes or spread harmful pathogens. However, silverfish can be accountable for irreversible damage to personal possessions. Once these pests come inside your home, they can be hard to get rid of.

Accurate Pest Control exterminators in San Antonio are here to prevent a silverfish infestation on your property. Prevention is always better than cure, so you must focus on areas in your home that may be an ideal habitat for silverfish. We believe prevention starts both inside and outside your house.

Our Accurate Pest Control exterminators in San Antonio have outlined five tips for preventing silverfish infestations in your home:

  1. Fix any leaks in plumbing, clogged gutters, or areas where water could pool in your house.

  2. Clean the outside of your home thoroughly; remove piles of damp leaves, grass, mulch, or wood.

  3. Use a dehumidifier in moist areas of your home to diminish humidity.

  4. Seal any cracks or holes in your foundation, and outer walls as silverfish mainly breed in these areas.

  5. Make sure all enclosed areas of your home are well-ventilated.

 

Here are three bonus tips on preventing silverfish from invading.

    1. Keeping surfaces dust-free and general cleanliness eradicates a significant food source for silverfish.

    2. Seal all food in air-tight storage containers, eliminating access to possible food sources.

    3. Hoard personal belongings in a dry area using bay leaves or cedar, as it is known to help repel silverfish.

 

Silverfish Damage

Silverfish love carbohydrates and starches? A common sight for someone with a silverfish invasion is a silverfish plunging out of a cereal box, a sack of flour, or a packet of oats. Silverfish enjoy moist, humid areas with dark corners and are commonly found in kitchens, attics, and cellars of homes. Silverfish don’t eat the carbs and starches that humans eat; they enjoy consuming carbs out of paper, fabrics, and glue. They are known to devastate books and old albums and permanently stain clothes in a wardrobe. 

These nocturnal pests can go up to a year without eating/drinking, which is one of the reasons it is so hard to get rid of them! If you have seen a silverfish closely, you will see a wax coating on their exoskeleton; this allows them to absorb moisture. Also, they reproduce often and have a lifetime of 8 years. 

We hope these deterrence tips keep your home/property free from silverfish. But if they don’t and you still spot silver, contact the professionals at Accurate Pest Control’s exterminators in San Antonio. Say goodbye to annoying bugs forever; call us today for a free quote on 210-263-3183.