EcoRaider is now a USDA Certified Biobased Product

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Consumers now have another reason to use EcoRaider – the safest and most effective green bed bug control solution – as the USDA has announced that it has certified the product as Biobased as part of its BioPreferred Program!

Being a Biobased product means that EcoRaider has achieved third-party verification as containing renewable plant, marine, or forestry-based resources.

“This is indeed a proud stepping stone in the continuing growth of our product, to be certified by the USDA,” said Todd Zon, Reneotech Vice President. “There are very few products that are certified by the USDA and none with the performance of EcoRaider as a green bed bug and insect control solution. Families can lean on EcoRaider and know that the USDA name is now behind it, certifying it has been made with natural and organic ingredients.”

EcoRaider is a plant-based bio-insecticide that formulated with botanical extracts as active ingredients. It does not contain any chemical pesticide and all of the ingredients are generally recognized as safe and bio-degradable.

The BioPreferred program is a USDA-led initiative designed to assist in the development and expansion of markets for bio-based products. Created by the 2002 Farm Bill and expanded as part of the 2014 Farm Bill, BioPreferred is transforming the marketplace for biobased goods through mandatory purchasing requirements for federal agencies and contractors, as well as voluntary product certification and labeling.

The new Biobased seal will start to appear on product package in summer 2017. For more information, visit https://ecovenger.com/ or call 1-800-338-0212. Also, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Don’t Bring Back Gym Bed Bugs!

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Realistically, though many gym enthusiasts won’t want to think about this, if you really take a look at it there’s no great surprise that with all of the gym bags, towels, and dirty clothes lying around locker rooms and workout areas there would be bed bugs. Just like public places such as hotels, hospitals, schools, club houses, etc. bed bugs travel back and forth from your home to your gym and back again quite nicely. Truth be told, one of the nicest gyms in New York had a bed bug problem a number of years ago. And whereas this may be a great excuse to avoid the gym, you’re not going to get off the hook that easily. There are ways to protect yourself from gym bed bugs.

Don’t Bring the Problem to the Gym

You can’t blame the gym for your bed bug problem if you were the one that brought them into the facility in the first place. Make sure that bags, clothing, and other workout accessories do not carry creatures from your home into the gym. You may not even be bringing them from home. You may bring them from work, school, or some other stop throughout your day.

Doing Laundry? Use a Bug Proof Bag

Yes, there is such a thing. They are specially made laundry bags and can easily be found online. They contain a fabric that is bed bug resistant and are perfect for carrying your dirty towel and gym clothes after a good workout. Put the dirty contents from the bag directly into the washing machine and use the hottest water possible. This is sure to kill any freeloading bed bugs.

Pick a Locker That Is Higher Than the Others

Even though you might trust the people you are working out with, you’re still going to want to use a locker in which to keep your belongings at the gym. That way, you don’t have to put things on the floor where the bed bugs are crawling around. As long as you can reach it, use the highest locker that you can and absolutely use the hooks provided inside. Bed bugs are apparently lazy – they don’t like to climb. Placing your belongings along the bottom of the locker is just asking for trouble. But hanging your clothing on hooks will at least help discourage lazy bed bugs. Of course, it won’t hurt to do a quick scan of the inside and outside of the gym lockers before putting your belongings inside.

If perhaps you should discover a bed bug problem in your home, there are powerful bed bug bio-insecticides such as EcoRaider on the market that work well in the fight against the pesky little varmints and other creepy, crawly creatures. Even pest professionals are relying on EcoRaider to solve bed bug infestations for many homes, so you can have complete peace of mind using it.

Essential Hygiene Tips For Operating A Restaurant

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You may not have known this because it’s not something restaurants publicize on a regular basis, but thousands of people are sick every year because of outbreaks related to foodborne diseases that originated in a restaurant. Sadly, no matter how stringent the safety standards are involving food and restaurants, there is no foolproof, 100% effective way to make sure that food handlers play by the rules of general restaurant hygiene tips and recommendations. They are supposed to wash their hands… but do they always? And how many pests are coming and going through open doors, windows, and via visiting customers and vendors? What is a restaurant owner to do? The following are tips for basic restaurant hygiene.

Utilize Effective Pest Control

Keep in mind that it’s not just insects, cockroaches, and rodents that pose a problem in restaurants. Bedbugs can also rear their ugly little heads by traveling back and forth with your customers and workers. The best practice is, of course, to have a regularly scheduled pest control professional come in and treat not just existing problems but lay down preventative measures so you don’t have to hear about a problem from a customer or, god forbid, the health department. But on your own, you will need to take daily pest control measures such as using natural pest sprays to keep your restaurant free of pests.

Ensure Stringent Personal Hygiene Methods

We all know that you’re supposed to wash your hands before and after handling food. In theory, that’s a great practice. Getting your employees to actually commit themselves to this is another story altogether. Teach proper hand washing techniques to your employees and educate them on the dangers of spreading germs from restrooms and raw foods such as seafood and poultry.

Keep Kitchen Utensils Clean

One would think that this goes without saying, and they would be wrong. It’s a little like the handwashing thing. You have to not only teach your employees but see to it that pots, pans, utensils, cutting boards, sponges, towels, etc. get not only washed but sanitized to kill harmful bacteria. Chlorine bleach is a wonderful way to achieve this. It only takes a little bit of something left behind to feed a cockroach for a long, long time. Scrub and sanitize everything!

Be Sure That Food Is Cooked Thoroughly

The caveat here is that some people like their steaks, and other meats, cooked rare. If you want to keep that customer coming back, you will do as they say but assure them that there is the chance that undercooked meats can present a health hazard. That aside, make sure that foods are cooked to the proper inner temperature to decrease the possibility of bacterial growth and the spread of disease. Boiling temperatures should be reached by curries, stews, and soups before serving. Even when reheating, proper temperatures need to be achieved.

 Select And Handle Food Carefully

Where you buy your food shouldn’t matter, but sadly, it does. Always purchase restaurant foods from reputable, reliable vendors. Spoiled or pest infested foods delivered to your store can contaminate the rest of your food supply and equipment. Additionally, always check expiration dates as well as a doing a physical inspection of foods for damage, bloating, broken seals, etc. Store all of your food in properly sealed containers and when handling any kind of food, avoid cross-contamination at all costs.

You can make lots of good hygiene rules and regulations as they apply to your food handlers, servers, etc. What you cannot do is watch them 100% of the time to make sure they adhered to them. This is why it’s important to follow as many of the tips listed above as possible and always be on the lookout for signs of pests. Prevention is, of course, the best ammunition against pest infestations and the spread of disease. Don’t wait until the health department shuts you down!

Where Do All The Pests Go During The Winter Season?

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There are any number of families that head south for the winter months to warmer weather. In certain regions, those people are known as snowbirds. It’s not, for the most part, that they can’t survive the cold weather; they just prefer a warmer climate. But what about insects that literally can’t survive cold weather? What happens to pests during winter? Do they die? Do they hibernate like bears or migrate like some birds do? The answer is… yes. All of the above. Mother Nature has instilled in insects, as it has in many animals, the drive to survive under any circumstances by whatever means necessary. Climate and its severity are the major consideration when it comes to whether or not pests can stay behind when the weather snaps. Let’s take a look at how pests survive the winter months.

Hibernation – It’s Not Just for Bears

Many people associate hibernation with bears. They climb into a cave, go to sleep, and wake up in spring refreshed and revitalized. Bears are not the only ones that drop into a dormant state for the winter months. Some mosquitoes, paper wasps, and ladybugs are just an example of pests that hibernate in the crevices of rocks, inside hollow trees, or under leaves and bark until the weather is warm again. Some creatures, like moths, form cocoons in which to complete their development and hatch from them in the spring in their new form.

Get To Know The Process Known As Overwintering

We may all know about hibernation, but not everyone has heard of a process called overwintering. Under the bark of trees, inside buildings, and under the fallen leaves in forests, some insects pass the time simply waiting out the colder seasons. Box elders and honeybees are an example of insects that seek this kind of shelter from temperatures that are considered frigid. Until winter subsides, these species’ activity is reduced, literally, to nothing but breathing. Of course, rodents, cockroaches, spiders and some other pests take up residence in our homes and other buildings to wait out the winter months so their overwintering period is considerably more active and, clearly, far comfier.

Some Species Migrate

One would think that more than just humans and birds would migrate and that is exactly the case when it comes to certain insects. Monarch butterflies are possibly the most well-known migration when it comes to insights. Santa Barbara California is the winter home two monarchs that normally live west of the Rockies. A winter gathering in a forest in central Mexico’s Oyamel takes place each year by monarchs that live east of North America’s Rocky Mountains. These species of insect determine the distance they will travel for the purpose of migration.

In order to survive a harsh winter, insects will do whatever it takes. They are, after all, built to survive. Their precise method of winter survival depends largely on instinct and their geographic location. And even those that die leave behind the next generation of creepy, crawly creatures in the form of eggs that will be ready to hatch in spring. The best way to fight these insects is through methods that kill not only the live pests but the eggs/larva/pupae left behind as well.

5 Most Common Types Of Household Pests In The United States

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Household pests can be a problem in every home; every neighborhood; every city, and every country. Insects and pests in one form or another have been around since before the beginning of mankind, and show no sign of leaving the planet anytime soon. Household pests come in all different sizes, shapes, and species. Here’s a look at five of the most common pests we encounter here in the United States:

Ants

Some ants are so small you can barely see them. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Here are some species of ants in the United States: pharaoh’s ants, pavement ants, ghost ants, garden ants, fire ants, carpenter ants, bull or bulldog ants, black house ants, and Argentine ants. While some are destructive, they are all creepy, crawly nuisances. Covering up food when not in use, whipping up sticky messes, treating apparently nesting areas outside, and ceiling obvious entry points can help control and save your home.

Bed Bugs

This is a pest problem that has come to light more and more lately, and can present an infestation problem in not just low-income areas or establishments that have seemingly countless visitors on a regular basis, but in high-end stores, luxury resorts hotels, well-known gyms, and ritzy homes. Bed bugs ride around town on clothing, in luggage, in purses – and when they can’t ride, they crawl. Their bites look similar to mosquito bites but they leave behind telltale signs on furniture, draperies, rugs, bed linen, and mattresses that let you know they’re bunking with you.

Mosquitoes

One would think that a creature that can carry and spread diseases like the Zika virus, malaria, and the West Nile virus should have been eradicated from the face of the earth. As pleasing as that would be to some of us, mosquitoes do have their own little place in the whole ecosystem being the main food source for some larger species. That doesn’t mean they have a place in and around our homes, however. At least partial control is available through insect repellents and insecticides, cutting back tall grassy areas, eliminating standing water, and wearing the right kind of clothing when you’re outside to avoid bites. This is another species that has somehow lasted millions of years.

Rodents

In the minds of many, rats are worse than mice but in the minds of others, a rodent is a rodent. No one wants either one of them in their house. Rats can devastate a home. They can undermine retaining walls and hillsides by burrowing through them. They chew cables carrying electricity which can cause a fire. They chew through walls and floor joists and damage the insulation in your home. Mice have equally destructive habits through feeding and nesting and are known, like rats, to spread disease. Some are so small that they can slip through almost unperceivable cracks and crevices.

Cockroaches

Just the name invokes shivers, the hair standing up on the back of your neck, goosebumps… you name it. These are some of God’s most disgusting, vile, and despised creatures. And for good reason. They have been around since the beginning of time and will be here long after humans are gone. That doesn’t mean, however, that they have to take up residence in your house! Would you believe that researchers have determined that certain cockroaches have actually developed personalities? It’s what may help some adapt to change and survive more than others. Worst of all, cockroaches bring disease: allergies, viruses, fungus, roundworm, tapeworms, dysentery, and food poisoning can all be attributed to cockroaches.

Ridding your home of these pesky creatures will likely mean killing some in the process. That’s too bad, but it is unavoidable in many cases. Few of us feel bad about it, truth be told. There are safe ways to get rid of insects and other pests in the home. Green methods of pest control are already in existence and new eco-friendly methods are springing up every day. Talk to us if you are having trouble with pests, and can’t seem to find the remedy you are looking.

Learn To Prevent An Ant Infestation This Coming Spring Season!

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When spring is right around the corner, many people’s thoughts turn to flowers, robins, warm weather, spring break… you get the idea. Not ants. Their minds turn to food sources and how to get them. Unfortunately, your home is probably going to be the best place to grab a quick meal for many household pests this spring, including ants. The good news is that you can prevent an ant infestation this spring by any number of methods. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Where To Typically Find Ants

Finding ants around the outside of your property can eventually lead to finding ants inside your property – namely, your house. Air-conditioning units, garages, basements, bathrooms, and kitchens are popular infestation locations for not only ants but many other insects and household pets. They are not limited to those areas by any means, of course. Spring cleaning is a great time to take a look at your yard and areas around your house in order to head off the next ant infestation.

Pets Versus Pests

When you have pets around the house you provide an increased source of food for household pests. When your pet is done eating, promptly wipe up any water or spilled food and keep their bowls and/or dishes clean, as much as possible. Remove food from the bags in which it comes and transfer it to sealed plastic containers stored it a dry area. This also helps keep the food fresh. Ants and rodents can get into a paper bag in the blink of an eye.

Clean That Kitchen

As with cockroaches, it doesn’t take a lot of food to feed an ant. Take the trash out on a regular basis. Keep fruit, especially if it is right, in the refrigerator. Keep all food in sealed containers. And always remove spills and crumbs from the floor and wipe off countertops. This will also help curb the spread of disease.

Get Rid of Standing Water

Ants, just like any other creature, have to drink. Out-of-doors, make sure that water is flowing outwardly from the foundation of your home and that gutters and downspouts are operating properly. Indoors, in places like attics, crawl spaces, and basements, consider utilizing a dehumidifier to cut back on dampness. Check for leaky pipes or other causes of moisture under sinks and around tubs.

Seal Off Entrance Points

If you can stop ants before they come in you have taken the biggest step toward controlling an infestation. Trim shrubberies and tree branches back away from the outside of your house. Use a silicone-based caulk to seal tiny gaps and small holes through which ants may enter. Areas around utility pipes, cables, and other crevices and cracks are good places to start your inspection and begin sealing the tiny little entryways and to your home.

Killing the live ants in your home is only part of the process. You have to stop them from coming inside so that, once you do kill the living ants, more don’t come in to sublet the homes of the deceased. Thankfully, there are many methods with which to treat ants and other pest infestations. Best of all, eco-friendly, natural methods of pest control assure the safety of the ecosystem and our loved ones.

How To Avoid Bed bugs During Your Hotel Stay

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It’s hard to find a hotel these days that hasn’t had a problem with bed bugs. It’s up to you to learn how bed bugs spread and how to protect yourself. Reduce the risk and decrease the chances of bringing bed bugs home as an unwanted souvenir. As soon as you check in, the potential of a bed bug infestation begins. Here are ways they spread, and ways to avoid bed bugs while staying in a hotel.

How Bed Bugs Spread

While there is no way to ensure you won’t bring home a bed bug from your vacation, taking a few precautions will certainly help. Bed bugs usually travel to a new destination in suitcases or on clothing. Once a visitor has unknowingly delivered the bed bugs, they quickly spread around the room and lay their eggs. Bed bugs love the warm and safe seams of a mattress, the dark interior of luggage, and folded clothing.

Bed bugs hide inside suitcases, so the first step to avoid bed bugs is to protect your luggage even before you leave home. Start by using a sealed luggage liner. Your clothing offers bed bugs lots of hiding places, so sealing them inside a plastic liner will prevent bugs from getting in.

How to Avoid Bed bugs

When you enter your hotel room, do not immediately toss your luggage on the bed or lie down. Set the luggage in the doorway and quickly inspect the room for any telltale signs of bugs. Pull back the corner of the fitted sheet and check the folds, seams, and corners of the mattress for bug shells, fecal matter, or eggs. Open the drawers of the bureau. If you find any bugs, call the front desk immediately and ask to be moved to another room. Examine that room before agreeing to stay there as well. Don’t put anything in the drawers or on the bed until you’ve done a thorough inspection.

Frankly, one of the best ways to avoid bed bugs is to leave your luggage in your car. Just bring in a change of clothing and your toiletries and leave everything in the bathroom. If you decide to bring your suitcase with you, consider keeping it packed and in the bathtub. Bed bugs are unable to climb the smooth porcelain sides of the tub and are unlikely to infest your luggage there.

After you return home, be sure to leave your suitcases, clothing, and even the clothes you’re wearing outside. Don’t allow the possibility of a stray bed bug to get in the house. Keep everything in tightly sealed garbage bags until you do the laundry. The warm or hot water wash cycle and heat from the dryer will kill any eggs or bed bugs that may be lurking in your clothes.

Finally, thoroughly inspect your suitcases. Look at the seams, folds, and zippers for any signs of bed bugs. Like your laundry, tightly seal it in a plastic bag until you can treat it with a bed bug spray. With just a little work, you can avoid bringing bed bugs home from your vacation.

International Students More Apt to Bring in Bed Bugs and Develop a Need for a Green Solution, Expert Says

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College and university housing professionals are facing a large bed bug problem with their international student population – mainly because those coming in from other countries don’t have the insect prioritized as importantly as American students do, per Bob Hughes, a veteran pest management professional who has worked with major universities for years to control bed bugs.

“With international traveling students, because some of the cultures in the world are not as concerned as we are with bed bugs they see it as a nuisance pest and not a health hazard,” said Hughes, a 20-year pest management professional who has worked supporting university pest control departments throughout the Midwest.

“You see the problem more so in international housing because schools tend to group international students together by country and culture so they have some familiarity. Thus, they have a bond and when there’s a bed bug problem students tend to not throw their friends ‘under the bus’ by tattling on them. That’s how it gets out of hand.”

A major issue facing pesticide control of bed bugs, Hughes said, is resistance. Bed bugs have formed a resistance to common insecticides, according to a study by University of Sydney researchers published in April 2016 in the journal PLOS One.

“Resistance is a tough issue because pesticides can’t skirt around it, it’s truly an issue and that’s why there are always other products to turn to but this study showed that most common insecticides are giving way to some form of resistance.

“I’ve run into it before, several times actually and the first was at least six or eight years ago, before it became news. Now once you experience that you have to seek alternative approaches for bed bug treatment.”

According to Hughes, EcoRaider and its botanical or “green” formulation allows for a strong performance but it is not susceptible to resistance, which makes it a game changer when seeking a product that can actually kill a bed bug infestation once and for all.

“EcoRaider is really good because its formulation is designed to prevent resistance and to help end a bed bug problem,” Hughes said. “By using EcoRaider, universities can help break that cycle of never truly taking care of the problem because it delivers the power of performance with the safety of a green product.”

About EcoRaider
EcoRaider is a highly efficacious botanical-based bio-insecticide that can be applied anywhere bed bugs or ants are found without restriction. It carries no signal words or cautions and has no label restrictions or precautions on usage.

Because EcoRaider is a green product, it is an ideal fit for sensitive accounts and environments where low-impact methods are advised. These include college dorms, senior-living facilities, managed-care and assisted-living housing, schools, health-care facilities, public housing, multi-family, and hotels.

For more information, visit http://ecoraiderpmp.com/ or call 1-800-338-0212. Also, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Why Are There So Many Ants In Your House?

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Although ants are not usually dangerous, they are one of the most common pests that can infest your home. But that doesn’t mean you want them around. Below are seven reasons why you might see a lot of ants in your house and how to get rid of them.

1)   You have too many plants inside your home

Plants can be beautiful and a lovely way to decorate, but plants also attract a variety of unwanted insects. If you are having a problem with ants, it may be best to keep these plants on an outdoor patio or garden area instead of in your living space.

2)  High moisture levels in your home

Most insects, including ants, love water and a moist environment. If you live in an area with high humidity or one that has a rainy season, reduce the humidity level inside your home with a dehumidifier. Run it daily to create drier air quality which will significantly reduce the attraction for ants.

3)  You have a messy house

Most insects and ants love to live in a messy house. There are lots of things to use with which to build nests and hide in, making it very attractive. It is recommended to regularly clean your home – wipe off kitchen counters, vacuum rugs, put away shoes, throw away old newspapers, etc – in order to eliminate anything the ants would enjoy living in.

4)  There is leftover food on your counter

Food particles are a welcome mat for ants. Ants are omnivores, which means they will eat anything they can find, especially sweet or moist foods. Make sure to put food away in the refrigerator or in air tight canisters.

5)   High temperatures outside

You don’t like being out in the heat and neither do ants. As the temperature rises, ants will try to come into your home. Make sure the environment isn’t welcoming and they won’t stay for long.

6)  Your house has cracked walls or open windows

If you see a line of ants coming in, try to find the source. If you notice a broken window, an open window, or a crack in the wall, have it fixed as soon as possible because this may be how they’re getting in. Close up any access points to keep these pests out.

7)  You have a pile of wood leaning against your house

Many insects love to build their nests in wood. Keep wood piles away from the perimeter of your home by at least five feet to eliminate ants from getting in.

Keep these seven points in mind when you’re trying to eradicate ants and other pests in your home. Consider calling a professional pest control company if you’re having trouble getting rid of them. Professionals have proven strategies to remove and destroy insects quickly and easily. By the way, do you know that EcoRaider products are also used widely by pest management professionals in eradicating ants?

How To Tell Bed Bug Bites Apart From Mosquito Bites

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Insect bites of varying origin are uncomfortable no matter where they spring up. The really irritating locations can be on your stomach, your ankles, or behind your ears. Distinguishing between the two most common bites, that of the mosquito and the bedbug can be difficult. And once you find the bites, what do you do about preventing further annoying bedbug bites and mosquito bites? There is a way to tell the difference and there are certain precautions and steps that one can take to do their best toward the prevention of future issues typically presented by mosquitoes and bedbugs.

Understanding Mosquito Bites

A typical mosquito bite usually presents with a reddish, raised welt on the skin. The area around the welt can be warm to the touch and the bite itself will be itchy. The welt can increase in size after the initial bite, but after time the welt does go down, leaving behind an itchy red dot.

To keep mosquitoes at a minimum, cut back any tall grassy areas and eliminates any standing water. Both of these attract mosquitoes. If you must be outside during dusk or dawn, which are peak mosquito times, use the most effective insect repellent that you can.

Understanding Bedbug Bites 

Often noticed during early, waking hours, bedbug bites can look a lot like mosquito bites but frequently appear in groups of three to four. No known diseases are associated with these bites and they don’t itch on everyone. Stress and anxiety, however, do tend to go hand in hand with bedbug infestations. No one wants bedbugs in their home or the stigma that goes along with them. If you do notice bedbugs in your home, there are a number of remedies with which to combat them.

To check for bedbugs, look for reddish or dark brown spots of blood on mattresses, headboards, furniture, inside tables, behind hanging picture frames, in electrical outlets, seams of curtains or carpet, box springs, and bed linens. It is possible to pick up these nasty creatures in other public areas and bring them home with you so be on the lookout. Always check hotel rooms as these are the likeliest places to find the kinds of infestations that may inadvertently end up in your home.

Of course, the main objective is not to be bitten by any bug of any kind at any point in time. Knowing full well that this is a lofty if not unachievable goal, hopefully, this has helped you determine whether you have a bedbug problem or are just being terrorized by those pesky mosquitoes again – and what to do about it either way.