Cheshire Pest Control

Archive for May, 2010

This article is part of a series that is supposed to give you a better understanding of this topic.  

Cat fleas are the most common type of flea to infect homes. While their basic target is felines, the cat flea will also target dogs, as well as people. As such, these fleas should be killed upon discovery, as they can cause disease, as well as great uncomfortableness to your animals. Click Here 

Cat fleas are small insects that are known to be excellent jumpers. They breed in the fur of cats and dogs, eating and nesting on the host. This can cause discomfort, as well as promote the development of allergies in the host or in humans. These allergies can transmute an irritating bite into a serious problem. While their basic target is cats, they will accept whatever meals that they can get, which makes them a life-threatening pest to have in your home. 

There are several ways to cope with cat fleas. The most common treatments include putting your pet on Advantage or Front Line, in combination with flea baths to get rid of the fleas that have already taken hold on your pet. As these fleas can leave a black, chunky residue on fur or in hair, it is vital that they are removed for sanitary and aesthetic reasons.

 If you are suffering from a several infestation of cat fleas, there are several things that you can do. First, you can treat your pets, dehumidify your home and place repellents against fleas in your home. These are all protective measures that should help ease the number of fleas that enter your home. Once you have blocked more fleas from entry, you can take more drastic measures at removing the fleas that are already there. 

One of the quickest, but more toxic methods of removing fleas is through sprays and flea foggers. These products take time to set up, but are highly effective at killing flea populations. Flea food traps, which poison the fleas and prevent them from breeding, are also popular, as they can be hidden away. These traps are very similar to bug traps. The downside to these traps is that it takes a great deal of time for the infestation to go away, unlike flea foggers. Click Here 

If you are being bitten by cat fleas, you may want to consult your doctor. As fleas are disease carriers, you should be wary of any symptoms that occur after flea bites. If you suspect you have been diseased by fleas, treatment by your doctor can help reduce the soreness and long term effects of the flea bite. 

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Cat fleas are the most common type of flea to infect homes. While their primary target is felines.Please go to : http://www.fleasreviews.info/Cat-Fleas.php
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If you have squirrel problems, a squirrel-proof bird feeder may be your best solution. There are several species of ground squirrels and tree squirrels in North America that can create problems for bird enthusiasts. The Fox Squirrel and the Eastern and Western Gray Squirrels are species of tree squirrels that are most commonly involved with causing problems for home owners and bird watchers.

Squirrel-proof bird feeders come in a variety of shapes, sizes and styles. They range from the simple baffle-topped feeders, to the weight activated hopper feeders like the Homestead Super Stop-A-Squirrel. For the serious backyard birder there is the Droll Yankees’ Yankee Flipper that uses a battery operated device, activated by the squirrel’s weight, to (harmlessly) propel the squirrel off of the feeder.

One of the major problems bird watchers have with squirrels is that the squirrels take over the feeders and scare the birds away. But that’s not the only problem. Depending on the season and what’s available locally, the squirrel’s diet is made up mostly of nuts, fruits, plant buds, seeds and flowers. However, squirrels are not vegetarian. They also eat bird eggs and nestlings that they will snatch right out of birdhouses. They may pounce on unsuspecting birds at feeders also.

There are two clear strategies for solving the problem of keeping squirrels away from your feeders and birdhouses. You can prevent the (cute) pesky rodents from gaining access to your treasures, or you can give them a better, alternate place to dine.

Let’s tackle the preventative strategy first. There are some very simple ways to keep your birdhouses and feeders safe from squirrel damage. And let me add here that it is imperative to keep your birdhouses safe from possible predation. You can build your own predator guard from my plans or you can purchase squirrel baffles, which come in a variety of styles, sizes, shapes and colors.

What you want to do is to keep squirrels away from your feeders and birdhouses right from the start. Squirrels are very persistent and once they find an easy source of food, they will try to overcome any obstacle you may put in their way.

Squirrels are extremely agile and can leap eight feet or more and climb almost anything. For this reason alone, if you have squirrel problems in your yard, keep your bird feeders and birdhouses at least eight feet away from any tree limbs or man-made structures and install baffles on the supporting posts.

If you must hang your bird feeders in trees, you will want to keep them away from the main trunk and equip them with a dome baffle or simply use a squirrel-proof bird feeder that is designed with a dome-type top.

Another popular style of squirrel-proof bird feeders is the caged feeder. The caged feeders consist of an inner feeder that contains the seed, surrounded by a wire cage that prevents squirrels from getting to that seed. They simply put the food out of reach for the hungry squirrel.

Even the most persistent squirrels should be thwarted by any of these squirrel-proof bird feeders or baffle feeder combinations. So let’s consider the second strategy of giving the squirrels a better alternative than your bird feeders or birdhouses for their banquets.

This strategy involves setting up a squirrel feeding station somewhere away from your bird feeders with the food stuffs that squirrels really like. There are several different squirrel feeders that not only let the squirrels enjoy the nuts, sunflower seeds and fruit they like the most, there are some that let you watch their antics as they feed on one of their favorite foods, corn on the cob.

So whether you love squirrels or hate ‘em, these are some solutions to the “squirrel dilemma” that many birders face. You may even have some new thoughts on how you can live with squirrels and keep your bird feeders and birdhouses off limits to these cute, furry critters.

Larry Jordan has been bird watching for many years and building birdhouses for over 26 years.For more information on bird watching, bird houses, feeding wild birds, birds in the news, bird conservation, and some great bird photos go to The Birder’s Report and sign up for his newsletter or his RSS Feed.If you are looking for quality bird and birding products, please visit his online store at Birds In My Yard for some great deals and great service.
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