Swarmer pictures

Here are some more pictures.

Swarm Castles on a telephone pole

Here are some more great pictures Wendell took.

Termite Swarmers

It's Spring time. I know because the Subterranean termites are swarming here in South Texas. Be on the alert for winged insects swarming in large numbers. If you see them outside that is natural, they are all around us in the trees and fences in the ground. You don't want to see them inside the house because that will normally mean they are attacking the structure. Normally you will notice mud spots on the walls usually in areas where there is plumbing or on outer walls if they are coming up the slab of the house. When they swarm inside you normally see swarm castles, these are the take off point for the swarmers. They don't know they are inside a house they just know to get to a high point and take off to try to start a new colony away from the colony that they are in. Swarmers are the mating reproductives of the termites the only job they have is to go and start new colonies to keep the species alive. Inside when they swarm they usually die in 24 hours but they let us know they are in the house and need to be stopped. Houses with pier foundations need to be inspected inside and outside and in the crawl space to find any activity. You should have your house inspected every year to try to stop them as fast as possible so they won't cause too much damage.

Mexican Honey Wasp

I didn't know Mexican Honey Wasps were active in San Antonio, TX. Last week Wendell and Nick went to a customers rent house and removed a nest from the tree in the backyard, it was a pretty large nest and turned out to be Mexican honey wasps. These wasps make and store honey like a honey bee, but look like a wasp, they are pretty cool. here are some pics taken before they took it down. I will take some close-ups and post them later. Big Al the Bugman.

Cold Weather brings in the rodents.

Cold snaps usually cause the insect population to dwindle, but it also marks the time for rodents and animals to look for warmer homes. A thorough inspection of the perimeter of the home will show you areas that need to be filled in or sealed up. I have seen Roof rats coming from the cable wires or telephone lines to the roof and gaining access into the attic, I also notice them getting in under the garage doors, as well as the A/C lines going into the attic. The branches overhanging or touching the roof need to be trimmed away from the house by at least 2 feet. On some rare occasions they have been known to come in through the water lines. The only way to stop that would be to install a one way flap under the toilet. These things will help lower the possibility that you will have unwelcome guests this winter. If you need any other help, let me know.
Big Al the Bugman

Roaches are not all bad.

Roaches are good for something other than freaking us out. This is weird but they do move pretty quickly. Most of the time I see them they are twitching and falling off the walls , but of course that is after I have treated the house for them, LOL.
Big Al the Bugman

Black Crazy Ants

These ants are really living up to their name. This winter has been the worst that I can remember that these ants are so active. I would say that 90 percent of calls have been about these Black Crazy Ants and they are very active inside homes, in bathrooms, kitchens, living areas. If you are having a problem with these ants you are not the only one. They are having a field day.

CRAZY ANT Paratrechina longicornis: Small, dark grey to black ants, that are easily recognized by their extremely long legs and antennae. Crazy ants get their name from their habit of running about very erratically with no apparent sense of direction. Colonies can most often be found living in soil, under items such as logs, stones, landscape timbers, wood, debris, and living under above-ground swimming pools. Crazy ants feed on a wide variety of foods, including other insects, grease, and sweets. They have been known to feed on the larvae of fleas and flies, and also have been observed carrying away fire ant queens immediately following a swarm.