​Pest control is a service used by a wide variety of people. A variety of pesticides including fungi are used to help stop pests, but how do they work?

The primary group of fungi used to control pesticides is called hyphomycetes. Some hyphomycetes have the ability to be mass-produced. The large production process makes it possible for pesticides to be used in several ways. You chose to can use pesticides on larger or smaller scales due to the product's commercialized availability.
Fungi in the group Hyphomycetes usually reproduce rapidly when conditions are favorable. They can be found in soil and can infect many types of pests. Certain fungal strains in pesticides can attack aphids, caterpillars, grasshoppers, ants, weevils, and more. Other types of fungi used as pesticides may be harder to produce and use for commercial purposes which may lead to higher prices to treat your landscape.

There are several advantages to using fungi-based pest control products. As mentioned previously, some fungal pesticides can be made in massive amounts fairly easily. They also have similar prices to bacterial pesticides. Additionally, some fungal pesticides usually do not harm humans or animals.
Predominately, spray rigs are used to apply fungal pesticides because they usually are produced in the form of spores. These types of pesticides can also affect several types of pests with the same products.
While there are advantages, there are also disadvantages. Since fungi can eliminate a plethora of insects, it could also mean that they could potentially harm insects that help your landscape. There are also factors like sunlight that can limit the effectiveness of the product that you are using.​

One of the types of rats you could expierence in your life time is called a roof rat. They will find shelter in your home, most likely near your roof like their name implies. After they make a home in your home, they have the ability to spread disease and damage your home. 

Roof rats are usually found in the southern part of the united states. They are small that can be a variety of colors including white, black, brown, or grey. They can even be a mix of colors. They are usually around 7 inches in length and they have large ears. They usually do not have a long life span but can reproduce rapidly. Roof rats are usually nocturnal animals. They usually travel in groups when they go looking for food. They like to live in hidden and sheltered places like attics, bushes, and piles of debris. 

Roof rats are omnivores and they prefer to eat in well hidden places. Roof rats typically prefer seeds, berries, nuts, and fruits. They also eat slugs, snails, cockroaches, and other insects. They have the ability to eat fish and shellfish, which they will eat if they are near bodies of water. Additionally, they like to store as much food as possible.

There are several indicators that you could possibly have an infestation. Some signs of roof rats include: 

• Rat Droppings 
• Noises in the Walls 
• Indicators that food was eaten such as small bite marks 
• Seeing rats dead or alive 
• Bite marks around your home

Rat infestations can cause many problems. However, there are many ways that can help you fix the problems and the infestations themselves. 
For instance, if you have any holes or cracks then it is possibly to seal them with silicone caulk. Keeping trees and tree limbs can also help stop invasions from above. Having screened in doors and windows can help stop rats from entering your home. Other things you can do to help stop infestations is making sure food is sealed properly and your home is clean. 
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If the pest problem persists then it is always a good idea to call pest control to help you deal with the infestation. 

Carpenter ants break down your house rather than building it up. They will make their presence known at your house. At first, you might notice small wood shavings and tiny holes. If you don't catch them for a long time then your house might be victim to structural damages. It makes you wonder what they look like, how they do it, and what you can do to stop it.

Carpenter ants can be an array of colors. Some colors including yellow, brown, red, orange, and black. Most carpenter ants are black, but the color differs depending on what species you're looking at. In the United States, they are one of the largest ants that you can find.
​Additionally, carpenter ants can grow wings, which is unsettling but cool to think about. If you see a carpenter ant with wings, then that is an indicator that there is a large colony nearby.

Carpenter ants, unlike termites, do not destroy wood. They simply create tunnels, and those tunnels weaken wood. The more tunnels you have in your wood, the more unsound it becomes. If the colony grows or the wood continues to be damaged then the house's structure can be damaged.

Do you ever see wet, soggy, or broken-down wood? Damaged or moist wood is a perfect place for carpenter ants to build their nest. They could be located in damaged wood, debris, or on top of that overhanging limb that touches your roof.

​Carpenter Ants can live inside or outside. Those dying decaying tree stumps? They can live there. The doorway in your home and your windows? They can live there too. It is important to remember that moist or damaged wood is a part of their optimal living conditions. Those woodworkers also will search for food, make rustling noises as they walk through your house, and pull shavings from the dusty wood along with them.

​​They colonize in two different ways. They can be parent or satellite colonies. The parent colony is where workers and queens live. In satellite, colonies reside workers, larvae, and pupae. Satellite colonies exist because they need more space, food, or water.

Carpenter ants are capable of biting as well as releasing a chemical to protect themselves and their colony. Not only that but carpenter ants will fight other insects as well. For instance, they will fight termites. Termites and Carpenter Ants both use wood to live but in different ways. It only makes sense that they would eventually encounter each other. When they do encounter each other, carpenter ants would kill and sometimes eat enemy termites.

What Are Powderpost Beetles?
 
There are 70 species of woodboring insects known as powderpost beetles. These pests target deciduous trees, and depending on the species, they can attack hardwood and softwood varieties. Most species of powderpost beetle share a few characteristics. In their adult form, the beetles don’t usually cause much damage to the wood. It’s when an adult lays its eggs on exposed wood that the larvae can cause problems.
 
The larvae create tunnels and galleries in the lumber as they take in nutrients and grow. As they feed, they leave behind frass, also known as wood powder. The frass may be compacted together, sticky or left loose and powdery. Depending on the species, the larvae can spend months or even years inside before emerging. It’s only when they tunnel out as adults that you realize you have an infestation and need a pest control service.
 
True Powderpost Beetles
 
The adults of this species are very small, less than a one-fourth of an inch. Their coloring is a reddish-brown, and they appear slightly flattened. This species prefers wood with a high moisture content. Lumber with a moisture content of less than 6 percent can help discourage true powderpost beetles from feeding on the material. These insects feed on the starch, sugar and protein of hardwood and sapwood tree species. Oak, hickory, cherry and walnut flooring, as well as antique furniture, can be frequent targets of true powderpost beetles.
 
Deathwatch Beetles
 
The name of these beetles is attributed to the ticking or tapping sound they create to attract mates. The larvae of deathwatch beetles, while quite soft, are still able to consume both hardwood and softwood. The frass of these beetles is compacted into pellets in the various tunnels and galleries inside the wood. Adults range in size from one-fourth to three-eighth of an inch long. Get in touch with Baton Rouge pest control professionals if you believe the repeated tapping sounds coming from the rafters are deathwatch beetles.
 
False Powderpost Beetles
 
False powderpost beetles are reddish brown to black in coloring. Unlike other species, the adults drill into the wood to lay eggs, leaving behind a hole larger than one-eighth of an inch in diameter. After the larvae mature into adults and emerge, the exit holes do not contain the powdery frass, but the galleries and tunnels inside the wood do. The frass tends to stick together and is compacted.   
 
Round-Headed Borers or Longhorn Beetles
 
These beetles tend to infest dead or dying trees, though a few species attack living trees. A frequent cause of indoor infestation occurs when firewood is brought in from the outside. The adults range in size from one-half to three inches long, and the larvae can be one-half to four inches in length. Most species can be characterized by their long antennae while just a few species have short antennae. Some of the species also mimic the coloring of wasps, ants and bees; however, most of the species have coloring that matches their environment. Contacting a Baton Rouge pest control service can help you identify the species of round-headed borer or longhorn you are dealing with.
 
Assessing Active Infestations and Inactive Infestations
 
Knowing whether your lumber is actively infested is an important step in addressing your wood damage. Sometimes, an infestation can die out without your intervention. Chances are you are dealing with an active infestation if the color of the frass resembles fresh cut wood. If the exit holes look weathered and match the rest of the wood, it’s more likely that the infestation is an old one. If your wood is in an area with some air movement, the very presence of any wood tailings can be a sign of a recent infestation. Conversely, if your wood is in an area that has not been disturbed recently, a layer of film or dust over the frass can indicate a dead infestation. One way to check if you have an active infestation is to remove the frass and recheck the area in a few days. If there are new piles, you could have an active infestation. It’s important to remember that most active emergences occur through the months of April to July.
 
Determining whether you have an active or inactive infestation can be a difficult assessment to make on your own. Pest control professionals can assess the wood damage to see if the larvae are still present.
 
Prevention and Treatment Strategies
 
Preventing powderpost beetle infestations before they begin can save you trouble down the road. If you have yet to make a lumber purchase, inspect it for signs of infestation. The following are tips that can help discourage infestation if you’ve already bought the lumber:
 

• Reduce a wood’s moisture content to less than 20 percent. Rough-cut lumber can be kiln-dried to eliminate both the adult, egg and larval stages of the beetle.
• Adequate ventilation, central heat and vapor barriers can help maintain appropriate moisture levels.
• Treat the wood with a boric acid insecticide. Some of these insecticides come in a powder you mix with water while others are premixed liquids. Be sure to follow the safety instructions when handling these materials, as they can be hazardous to your health.  
• You can make the wood a less attractive egg-laying site by sanding and varnishing the wood. This can prevent the insects from laying their eggs on the surface, but it is not effective against eggs and larvae that are already inside the wood.
• Dispose of infested timber by burning it.
• Refrain from keeping lumber in less-protected structures such as barns and sheds.
• Contact a Baton Rouge pest control company to talk about professional fumigation services. Fumigation can be limited to specific pieces of furniture or entire structures. Upon assessing your wood damage, a pest control company can offer specific advice.

 
Finding the bored-out holes and wood damage from powderpost beetles can be a distressing experience. Given enough time, these pests can cause a considerable amount damage to your home and property. However, by following a few preventative maintenance tips, you can lessen the chances of wood damage from a powderpost beetle infestations. If, however, you’re facing an infestation beyond your expertise, contact a pest control company today.