In some cases your pet may have an allergic reaction to the bite of a harmless spider, and this can cause severe complications in an animal. Alternatively, some spiders which are highly toxic to humans may not have as severe effect on a dog or cat. The common Redback Spider is one of the most dangerous to pets; because of their venom and the fact that they love living in suburban areas. Guinea pigs are most at risk to the bite of this spider. Cats are affected by the bite of a Redback more than dogs, however dogs are not entirely immune to this spider’s bite.

Symptoms Of Spider Bite

Symptoms will vary depending on the pet and the type of spider that bit it, but some common symptoms are:

• Swelling
• Dizziness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Muscles tremors
• Ragged breathing
• Salivating at the mouth
• Paralysis and death

What To Do If You Suspect A Spider Bite

First of all, don’t panic. Try and keep yourself and your pet calm and apply ice or a cold compact to the affected area to reduce the swelling and relieve the pain. If at all possible try and identify what type of spider bit your pet. As you can’t ask your pet this question and get an answer, the only way you would really know is if you saw the bite happen, or know what vicinity your pet was in when it was bitten and seek out the suspect. Take your pet to the vet immediately and let them know that you suspect a spider bite. Give them as much information as possible, including the spider species if you know what it is.

Kills Spiders Before They Harm Your Pets

Professional pest control can take care of harmful spiders both inside the home and outside in the yard. Protect your pets. Don’t leave anything to chance. Book in your pest control with SelectAPest on the Gold Coast and get rid of your spider problem.

• Food in the panty
• Food scraps
• Rotting garbage
• Spilt liquids such as juices/milk
• Dead and decaying insects
• Pet food (a cockroach favourite)
• Waste products

Cockroaches have the flexibility to squeeze themselves through the tightest of gaps and into the smallest spaces. They love darkness, creeping around at night when the lights go out, and they have incredible night vision.

Tips To keep This Pest To A Minimum

The very first piece of advice is to keep your home as clean and tidy as possible. This isn’t just about cleanliness, either. It’s also about neatness. The less things that are lying about, the less places there are for cockroaches to hide. All spills on the floor should immediately be cleaned up. Food in the pantry and kitchen cupboards should be stored in airtight containers so roaches can’t get inside. Empty those rubbish bins regularly and keep the outside bins well away from your home. Bowls of pet food should be put away at night time so as not to tempt cockroaches to come near or inside the house. Any food you can store in the fridge should be placed there, as cockroaches either can’t get inside, or if they did, they would not survive the cold temperatures for very long.

What you don’t want to do is have a home that’s like an open invitation for cockroaches to come inside and never leave. If there is a steady supply of food for them they will want to hang around. You really want to keep those kitchen benches wiped clean very regularly as well, as even the smallest hint of a feed will attract a roach. Like all living things, cockroaches need to drink water, so make sure there are no dripping taps, as this will also attract cockroaches and they’ll set up residence close to the water source. Overall, the less there is on offer in your home for cockroaches, the less likely they will want to hang around. If food and water is scarce for them in your home, they will probably pack up and leave to find more generous pickings.

Pest Control Is Your Best defence

To really control and eradicate cockroaches, your best plan is to call in the help of your local pest control company. On the Gold Coast, get in touch with us at SelectAPest. We are experts when it comes to ridding your home of dreaded cockroaches.

Book In A Building and Pest Inspection

You really should do this no matter what, as regardless of infestations with pests, you want to know that the structure is sound and free of defects. A building and pest inspection should be booked in and carried out before you commit to the purchase of the home. With a building and pest inspection, the pest inspector or pest control expert will make a full examination of the home to ensure termites especially are not present. Aside from termites homes can also suffer structural problems due to the presence of wood borers.

Some areas that will be inspected for pests include:

• Internal and external walls
• The roof cavity
• Subfloor and foundations
• Grounds and gardens
• Fences
• Decking
• Outbuildings and sheds
• Pergolas and other timber elements

Some Other Things To Check

See if you can find out some history on the home, whether it’s had a problem with pests in the past; such as constant issues with rats and mice, cockroach invasions, termites in the area (even neighbours’ homes being affected). If there is a large water source nearby, such as a lake, are there many mosquitoes about, or midges? Also, has the home undergone any recent major repairs or renovations and what were the reasons for those repairs? Was it due to termite damage? Apart from your own research and due diligence, many of these questions can and will be answered when you receive your detailed building and pest inspection report.

Don’t Skimp On A Pest Inspection

Sure you could save a few dollars by not booking a building and pest inspection, but it’s risky. Having your potential new home examined by a professional that knows what they are looking for could save you heaps of money in the long-term. SelectAPest on the Gold Coast perform professional building and pest inspections as well as offering pest control. Book one in today before committing to that new home purchase and have complete peace of mind, knowing that all is well the day you are handed the keys.

How To Know If You Have Termites

Termites are shy insects that generally don’t like being exposed to light, so they will either operate under the cover of night, or venture about in areas where it is always dark. Once termites access the timber in your home they bore through it internally, usually not breaking the surface to both avoid the light and detection.

Often termites are discovered when someone touches a piece of wood in the home and their fingers just go straight through it. Usually just the paintwork has been left on the exterior once these insects have a stronghold on a particular piece of timber. Termites will also build shelter tubes and subterranean tunnels in which to move about and be protected at the same times. Within the foundations of your home termites sometimes create areas of earthen packing, large masses of a mud-like substance. Evidence of these is a giveaway that termites may be present.

If you have a large infestation of termites, sometimes you will be able to hear a tapping sound in the walls late at night when all is quiet. Other evidence of termites can be blistering or bulging of paint on window sills, frames, doors and doorways.

The Best Plan Of Attack

If you have discovered you have a termite problem, do not disturb the nests. Immediately call in a pest control expert to assess the problem and form a plan of attack to eradicate the termites. A pest control professional will want to target the nests of the termites, and the best way to achieve this is with termite baiting systems. These poisonous baits will be carried back to the nest where the queen and king reside. The queen does all the breeding. Kill her and ultimately the nest will die off. With the termite baiting systems all termites will eventually be destroyed. Don’t try and take care of a termite problem yourself. If the task isn’t done right, then your termite problem will just continue and you may find yourself facing a very expensive repair bill.

Termite Pest Control Gold Coast

If you find termites in your home, or even suspect you may have a termite problem, book an appointment with SelectAPest. We are your local Gold Coast termite destroyers and pest control experts. We will inspect your home and devise a plan of attack that will eradicate the termites so you can rest easy. So give us a call today.

Where Bed Bugs Hide

Bed bugs generally like to hide within your bedding, particularly under the mattress, often laying their eggs in the seam of the mattress. However, your bed isn’t the only place these wingless insects take cover until feeding time. They will also hide out under skirting boards, in cracks in wooden floors, in cupboards and other furniture, and in the carpet.

What Bed Bugs Look Like

Adult bed bugs are brown in colour (infants tend to be transparent), have a flat body covered in a shell like a miniature cockroach. They have 6 legs and grow to about half a centimetre long. Their heads are squat with large mouths.

Are Bed Bugs Dangerous?

Generally, bed bugs don’t spread disease to humans. Their bite is often painless, but if you are allergic to the anti-coagulant they inject into the flesh, the bites will come up as red and itchy lumps that look somewhat like pimples without a head. Bed bugs are more annoying than they are a health hazard, and no one likes to be fed on while they sleep, their body served up as a smorgasbord for these nocturnal creatures. The very thought of that is just creepy.

Bed Bugs Love Dining On Humans

While they have been known to target animal blood if they are desperate for a feed, the preferred food source of the bed bug is human blood. A bed bug is attracted by both body heat and the carbon dioxide expired in the air. This is how they zero in on their host.

How To Recognise A Bed Bug Infestation

Bites on members of the family when they wake up in the morning is the most obvious indication that bed bugs are present. Small blood stains from crushed bugs on the bedding. Evidence of excrement on the mattress or bedding is another indicator. A thorough examination of the room affected will eventually show up evidence that bed bugs have infested the area.

Time To Call In Professional Pest Control

For pest control, Gold Coast, to deal with a bed bug invasion, call us at SelectAPest. With have the knowledge, experience and equipment to eradicate this nasty little pest from your home so you can once again sleep in peace. Don’t allow bed bugs to take over your life, call in the local pest control experts.

DIY Can Be More Costly

Yes, sounds like a sales line from a pest control company to get your business, but it can be very true. If you take on the problem yourself, but don’t really know what you are doing or what pesticides and equipment to use, it could end up costing you way more than it would to hire a professional to get the job done right the very first time. By the time you buy a bunch of spray, equipment and who knows what else, you could quite conceivably spend a whole lot more than the pest controller’s final bill would have been.

You Could Put Yourself, Your Family and Your Pets In Danger

Once again, if you don’t know what you are doing or the very best pesticides to use, you could end up poisoning your dog, making your children sick, or just end up spreading the pest problem from one part of the house to another. Is it really worth both the hassle and the risk of trying to eradicate pests from your home with budget DIY practices? Call in the pros and everyone will thank you for it, including your pets.

Professional Pest Control Companies Know Pests Best

Not only does a pest control expert know what he/she is doing, they also have access to the very best equipment and the top of the range pesticides. A pest control professional will know just how to go about tackling a particular pest problem, and the eradication process will prove to be that much quicker and smoother than if you tried to go about it yourself. If you have a problem with termites, they know just what to do. It’s the same if your infestation is cockroaches, bed bugs, spiders, ants, rodents or any other common household pest. Those in the pest control industry have been professionally trained in the effective eradication of numerous pests, so it only makes sense to call in an expert.

Best Pest Control On The Gold Coast

For professional pest control on the Gold Coast, get in touch with the experts at SelectAPest. We are industry leaders when it comes to pest control and we use only the very best equipment and techniques. Don’t trust your home to anyone but an expert.