We are experiencing a power outage at our Customer Service Call Center in Va. Beach, VA . This is affecting our phone systems. We are working diligently to fix this issue. Please go to the Customer Contact Page on our website at www. southernpestcontrol.com and www.sovereignpestcontrol.com if you would like to send us a message via our website. We appreciate your patience.
Our Call Center in Richmond, VA has experienced a loss of electrical power and phone service as a result of Hurricane Irene. We will be running off a generator on a limited basis and we are hoping to have the power and phone service restored as soon as possible. If you are unable to contact us by phone because of this disruption, you can go to our website at www.southernpestcontrol.com or www.sovereignpestcontrol.com and send us a message via our Contact Page and we will respond as soon as possible. Thank You.
The warm summer weather is finally here and so are those pesky mosquitoes. Please view the link below to a press release from the Virginia Department of Health on the infestation of the Asian Tiger Mosquito. There are two main points in the press release that we would like to highlight. The first is that these mosquitoes breed in artificial water containers that most of us have around our homes such as buckets, plant containers, bottles, plastic toys, and clogged roof gutters. Thus, it is important to identify and eliminate these artificial breeding grounds in order to reduce the mosquito infestation. Second, the mosquitoes are active in the bushes and foliage surrounding the home. Applications to these areas with either a backpack fogger or spraying a residual insecticide will help to control and reduce the mosquito infestation around a home. Southern and Sovereign Pest Control offers a mosquito control service that specifically targets the bushes and foliage surrounding the home. There is no reason to put up with annoying mosquito bites this summer. Contact us today and you will be able to enjoy your yard this summer without having to put up with those annoying mosquitoes.
http://www.vdh.state.va.us/news/Alerts/MosquitoAwarenessWeek/index.htm
Please click on the link below to read an interesting article on the problems that Stink Bugs are causing in Maryland. Southern Pest Control offers a service for these pesky insects so contact us today. http://www.wric.com/Global/story.asp?S=14683273
According to a press release from National Pest Management Association (NPMA), the stink bug population will be larger this year than in the past (http://www.npmapestworld.org/news/releases/PR_03.22.11.cfm). As the weather warms, the stink bugs will become active again and the NPMA predicts significantly worse infestations. There are steps that a homeowner can take to keep stink bugs from entering their home. These steps include sealing entry points such as damaged screens, cracks around doors and windows, and putting screens on attic and crawlspace vents. In addition, a homeowner should use a pest professional for additional stink bug treatments and applications. Southern & Sovereign Pest Control now offer stink bug control services as part of our New Services for 2011. A coupon for our stink bug service is available to customers who Like us on Facebook.
We would like to comment on an article in the February 2011 Edition of PCT Magazine by Jeff Fenner on Swarming Termites http://pct.texterity.com/pct/201102/?pg=52&pm=2&u1=friend#pg44. The article discusses the perceived decrease in swarming termites during the last 5 years. We agree with the points made in the article by the author and by Dr. Gregg Henderson. There has been a perception in the termite control industry that termite activity has decreased and that homeowners do not need to be as concerned about the damage that termites can cause to a home. Termites still pose a major threat to homes in the Southeastern United States. The article cites a survey of national pest control companies from 2005 to 2009. The survey shows that leads from termite swarmer calls did not fall for the survey period. Our internal statistics are consistent with the survey. Our service history indicates that the termite activity in our service areas has remained steady for the last 10 years and there has been no decrease. Dr. Gregg Henderson is quoted in the article as saying “Termites have been around for 200 million years and there are still a lot termites out there. They are not going away soon.” We agree with his opinion and encourage all homeowner to be aware of the termites.
Southern and Sovereign Pest Control will add new services in 2011 to compliment and enhance the successful “Service When You Need It” approach to pest control. Beginning next year, we will provide services to homeowners for mosquitoes, house flies, bee & wasp nest removal, stink bugs, box elder bugs, pantry pests, grain beetles, meal moths, and clover mites. All of these pests are a constant nuisance to homeowners and we are excited about the opportunity provide an effective, affordable, and environmentally responsible solution for these insects.
Southern & Sovereign Pest Control are proud to celebrate our 10th Year of working with the Halden Group (www.haldengroup.com) to customize software solutions for our business operations. The Halden Group, a Microsoft Gold Certified partner, has utilized several Microsoft products such as Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Access to create a custom software solution to meet our unique requirements. Through our collaborative efforts, we have developed systems for customer database management, lead tracking, billing management, technician scheduling, and route optimization. These systems have produced significant improvements in efficiency, company performance, and customer service. We look forward to future projects with the Halden Group as we continue to invest in technology in order to provide a better service experience for our customers.
Southern & Sovereign Pest Control are proud to announce our position as the 76th largest pest control company in North America according to the Pest Control Technology Rankings for 2009 (http://www.pctonline.com/PCT1005_top100.aspx). The rankings are based on gross revenue for the 2009 calendar year. We believe that our ranking confirms our commitment to customer service and the value of our “Service When You Need It” concept. 100 % of our revenues are from residential termite and pest control services. We specialize in residential services for the homeowner and we do not perform any commercial or industrial pest control.
As mentioned on another blog (Don’t Do It Yourself), we believe that the homeowner should let a professional handle their pest control needs. However, there are some things that a homeowner can do to help the pest professional keep their home pest free. We are listing below some hints and suggestions from the Southern & Sovereign Pest Control Technicians who specialize in residential termite and pest control.
Many pest control applications create a chemical barrier between your house and the outside in order to keep insects from coming into your house. Trees, bushes, and vegetation that come into contact with the house can allow ants and other insects to bridge the chemical barrier. Thus, we recommend that homeowners trim trees and bushes so that the leaves do not come in contact with the house. We also suggest that the homeowner keep their lawn trimmed around the house in order to reduce the insect activity in those areas. It is also a good idea to remove ivy and any other vegetation that may be growing along the outside walls of the house. We also suggest that the homeowner use mulch, such as Cedar or Cypress, that has already been treated for insects. These steps will improve the effectiveness of the pest control applications and help to keep the bugs out of your house.
The homeowner should also be aware of entry points to their house for insects. Various pests can enter the house through cracks, crevices, holes in screen doors, and holes around air conditioning lines. Sealing entry points by caulking, replacing screens, patching the holes around air conditioning lines, and replacing the weather stripping on doors can limit the entry points for the insects. These steps will improve the effectiveness of the applications from your pest professional.
Keeping your house, garage, crawl space, and gutters clean will improve the effectiveness of your pest control service. A garage or crawl space that is cluttered with boxes, furniture, and other items is conducive to pest activity (especially spiders). In addition, a crawl space or garage that is cluttered is difficult to inspect and the clutter makes a proper pest control treatment difficult to complete. Gutters that are clogged by leaves and debris are an excellent breeding ground for ants and other insects. Thus, regularly cleaning your gutters can reduce your ant problems. Keeping your kitchen and cabinets clean will eliminate a food source for many insects such as ants and roaches. Vacuuming your carpets on a regular basis will aid in the control of fleas and spiders.
These steps, by themselves, will not keep your house pest free. They will, however, create an environment that will allow your pest control professional to peform pest control applications with maximum effectiveness.
