The search for a price friendly tradesman has in essence been going on since man started to barter with goods and services. Then, as in now the market place is full of would be service providers who vary from either Completely Ethical, Moral and Trustworthy to umm, those who are not. Of course, it is on a sliding scale as to how much.

How do you calculate a well-priced service? Is it the Dollar that drives you, the results, any warranty or guarantee?

We all make small decisions during negotiations such as; are they trustworthy in my home or do they pay their taxes or are they a *cashie business who the IRD will eventually jump on or will their proposed Warranty actually stand?

Try approaching the price of a service this way, what do I benefit the most from using a particular company? With Pest Control it is all about results, family safe, convenience, comfort and the big one, Peace of Mind. Where does the *Worth for you lie?

The critical questions we ask ourselves after conducting a job for a customer are, have we done what we said we would do? Has the pest been controlled? Has no damage or danger been caused through the treatment? Are we comfortable to look the customer in the eye and state that the job was well done?

Could a company which charges a large amount of money for a service still be cheap? Absolutely!

By using either inferior products, Untrained/Experienced staff, Not standing by their promises, Damaging your home or property, Not being insured, Certified or Recognised in the trade, Twisting the truth with false expectations, or by being generally Incompetent.

The irony is that these above traits will definitely be found (Possibly in mass) in a company whose Prices appear to be too good to be true.

It costs to run a business, everyone knows that. You cannot escape the overheads or the IRD. What infuriates those in any trade the most is when you know, see or hear of cases where the prices others have charged would not even cover the materials (example only) if they themselves had completed the job. We can only be left to wonder which of the shortcuts above apply to them.

With pest control particularly, the business has often been viewed to be less than a trade. This is supported when the incidences of *Back Yard Pesties come in and buy a bottle of inappropriate pesticide and start *conducting treatments for income and leaving behind them a trail of disappointed, disillusioned people who do not trust the trade any more.

Which pest control company do you use then? Ask questions, compare the answers and using your *Gut feeling should keep you safe. So, this summer, keep safe, keep Pest free and well, not that I should tell you what to do but as a suggestion, run from the prices, promises or overly exaggerated expectations because you will more than likely be *Burnt.

Hi Team,

Who feels that Spring may have Sprung?

Spring weather feels like it is upon us with as complete mixed bag of shaken & stirred!! One minute the jumper comes off and the next it is the rain jackets turn. The long days of Summer are on their way so do not let this changeable weather get you down.

Do you remember the Summer BBQ’s you had last year or the one before? Friends & Family sharing a few marinated choice cuts before your choices are cut due to being too marinated….? Maybe just at my BBQ’s then. 😊

What other memories could the evenings of outdoor cooking bring? The youngest stepping on a wasp nest, that persistent fly crash landing into mum’s Pav, the sister perfecting her signature Mosquito Haka or Ant trails resembling the North bound at 0800 marching straight towards the desert table? Who needs that kind of stress we yell!!

For crying out loud, no wonder we sometimes commit to *Marinating!!

How would you like a Summer without the Pest Stress? Without being charged the earth, Family friendly Products and completed with only minimal requirements from you.

That is exactly how my BBQ’s will be this summer. Without those 6 – 8 legged pests to deal with, I will be left with just the two-legged types…. Oh, and the dog who can’t stop barking & that stupid cat who keeps getting stuck on the roof.

Sorry, we cannot do much for the misbehaving Dog or Cat but we can be relied on for the rest.

Give us a call, email or request a quote from our website.

09 390 6445 Toll Free

smashdempests@gmail.com

www.smashd.co.nz

I guess we will be seeing you soon.

Jon

Phew!!! The perfect wasp storm never occurred thanks to the continued westerly winds and

average temperatures. The nests which we found were only of average size and few in

number. Many pest control companies noticed a sharp decline in calls for wasp nest

treatment and removal this year. To be honest, most flying insects commonly found during

summer never really showed up in their normal numbers. The Asian/Australian Paper Wasp

nests were hard to find this year also. Normally you find them placed along wooden fence

lines, sheltered areas of the roof and the like, but not as much this year.

The westerly wind was strong enough to keep the wasps from flying as well as they do,

which meant that they could not maintain a continuous flow of food into the nest which is

the job of the worker. Less food means less mouths are able to be fed. Ultimately this led to

smaller nests and in cases, complete nest collapse.

Wasps are carnivorous so their diet consists of insects. Every time they leave the nest in

search of food, the wind will batter them around. They will bounce off objects, miss seeing

food sources as they cannot hover as well, becoming tired and injured so they often never

make it back to the nest.

So, in conclusion, we definitely dodged a bullet here and all will be back to normal next year

with regular volumes of wasps found. A little hint for next spring, have your home exterior

treated for spiders, this will help stop those paper wasps from putting nests onto your home

for most of the summer months. Sneaky aye? :)

The House Mouse, Mus Musculus; this commensal (live with humans) species is also known as the domesticated mouse, which we keep as pets. Compared to the common field mouse, the House Mouse has darker fur, a pointier nose than a field mouse, and a slightly longer tail. They also rely almost totally on humans for food, shelter and warmth.

They will slip through holes the size of pencils and nibble on anything resembling food. Being particularly fond of high sugar and protein based foods, you may find your breakfast cereals being the first victims to the House Mouse.

Mice in general breed quickly and secure their success through playing the numbers game. 6 weeks after birth, the female mouse is mature and ready to carry its first litter, averaging between 3 – 8 pups. House mice are communal and will share responsibilities and jobs through a hierarchical system, while field mice are all left to fend for themselves. This community which will be living within the walls of your home will make their presence felt pretty quickly.

A sure sign that mice are living in your home is of course the small droppings you will see around the place. Mice will produce approximately 70 droppings per day. Other dead giveaways include: Holes in food packages, light rustling noises at night in your roof, subfloor and where the entry point into your home is located, and that unmistakable musky smell which is produced from their scent glands, plus their urine which has its own smell.

Mice do come with disease but contraction of disease through mice is uncommon. Rodent urine and droppings are what pose the highest risk of disease transference but good hygiene standards and cleaning up any ‘messes’ quickly will minimise this possibility.

Mice are excellent climbers, jumpers, swimmers and of course runners. They will literally hop and skip all over your home and then slip into the smallest of spaces. They have acute hearing and smell and sense vibrations or ‘energy’ through their whiskers.

Mice are also very good at wearing out their welcome and luckily, we can eradicate them from your home. Sometimes this may take a couple of visits if the infestation is quite serious, but normally one or two visits will do the job. Our work does not stop there though, as we also endeavour to find ways to prevent a re-infestation of mice in your home. We aim to help you as much as possible.

We endeavour to help you as much as possible, at a very reasonable price. There is no need for expensive rodent control!

Contact us for afree quote, and we will get in touch with you asap.

Yes, there are more than one type of cockroach that lives in your garden. Some people feel that the above cockroaches live around human activity. I can assure you that this is incorrect and that they have been on this earth long before we turned up. They do not eat our food nor do prefer our homes to theirs. We however have encroached on their territory and so they live where they can, including the garden right outside your home.

They are part of our country and have an important role to play within their own biosphere.

These outdoor garden loving cockroaches will roam all day amongst the bark and leaf litter searching for tasty humus. Humus is the living part of your garden consisting of fungi, moulds, tiny bits of wood, microscopic insects etc. It will take all day to list off what organisms are growing in your garden but I am sure you get the idea.

These outdoor cockroaches are either jet black in colour or they have pale white stripes on either side of their back. They can get as big as approx. 4cm long and often stay still unless provoked where they will then scurry away. They enjoy warm humid conditions where moisture and food is available, so why do they end up inside your home?

These cockroaches are more often seen in our homes during the cold winter months of the year because it is warmer and drier. Not the ideal conditions for them but they are better than a cold and wet garden. Often with our bathrooms we leave a window open a little to allow the room to freshen but this gives the cockroach an easy entry to a lovely warm and humid environment. Slightly open windows are the main entry points they use to access our homes. Closing your windows at night will keep them out but they will sit under the windowsill till the window is opened again and sneak in.

So, what can we do to stop these insects from entering our homes and freaking out the residents? Surely there is a simple way to get them out of your garden! What can we do? I apologise but our goal is not to remove them from your garden as that is unrealistic and very unhealthy to your garden but we can keep them from entering your home. We have avery effective yet unobtrusive way of dealing with these guys.

Interested?

Give us a call: 09 390 6445

or submit an application for a quote.

The nasty ones indeed. These slender, approx. 2cm long, tan brown kitchen raiding pocket

rockets have the insane ability to not just ruin your food but also your health, home and

sanity if left long enough. Allow these guys living space in your kitchen for the summer, and

every electronic device in there will be infested. The black ball shaped thing at the back of

your fridge which is the compressor will have ‘grillions’ of them running around it, as it is

lovely and warm and a source of water is often available in the catchment just above.

These guys have a special kind of stink. A stink which is difficult to wash off and positively

lingers. Their droppings look like small coffee grounds and turns into a brownish black gunge

when wet. You know when you have this particular cockroach in your home when they are

mostly found in the kitchen around the fridge, dishwasher, microwave, hot water cylinder,

jug base, phone cradle, inside cupboards, gaps, and cracks etc. They rarely venture into rooms

but this may occur if the infestation is particularly large.

Discovery of this cockroach often starts with a late-night wander into the kitchen and as you

flick on the light, a quick movement catches your eye as something disappears into the

darker shadows of your kitchen. This is when you need to start quickly planning your attack.

Here are some numbers to think about. A 1 month old female cockroach will give you approx.

16 babies (nymphs) every 3 weeks. Law of averages says that of those 16 nymphs, 8 are

female. Next month, those 9 females will give you 144 nymphs with 72 being female. Month

3 will give you 1152 nymphs with 576 being female. The last month of summer before you

start to spend more time inside as it is cooling down, you could potentially be sharing your

home with no less than 4600 female cockroaches. Please note that these are approximates

only, but the message is there. Infestations this size are common enough in the pest control

industry.

Planned your attack yet? I hope it involves a professional pest control company who can

back up their claims with a warranty.

If you have any questions or queries, feel free to contact us via our toll free number, email, or request a free quote here.

09 390 6445

smashdempests@gmail.com

Borer, if left unchecked; this tiny beetle will destroy your home from within, guaranteed. Today’s building codes will not allow untreated wood anywhere near your home aside from under very special conditions. But what about those glorious old homes with grand architecture, glorious native timbers and ornate decorations; those homes built around the turn of the 20th century, where cart loads of Rimu, Totara, Matai and Miro were being turned into beautiful homes? During that time, wood was chosen for its dexterity and strength rather than today’s treated ‘flash grown pine’.

Sadly, 20th century dexterity and strength is no defence against insects which are specifically designed to spend up to 4 years within the timber before emerging as an adult beetle with wings.

There is no specific area of your home favoured by borer, but usually those less visited areas where they can hide away and build in number over the years is where they are eventually discovered: Roofing batons, building framing, load bearers, subfloor, internal walls etc. This is why people are often alerted to the presence of this pest by tradesmen who turn up to conduct plumbing or electrical work.

Borer is often transferred from home to home via antique furniture and natural wood products. One small dresser could potentially cost you thousands in repairs. Once the presence of Borer has been discovered within your home, it is highly advisable to establish whether there is fresh activity or if it is the remains of an old infestation. You may also want to ensure that the strength and dexterity of the load bearers etc has not been compromised.

A thorough inspection conducted by a professional is required for both peace of mind and securing a plan of attack. Smash’d Em Pest Control can do this for you. If the presence of fresh activity is found during the inspection, we will discuss with you the options which are available to you and also provide an obligation free quote if needed.

Please be aware that we can successfully treat borer found in ceiling voids or sub floor spaces incl. within your home in areas such as ceilings, skirting boards, door frames, closets and the like. We are also able to treat items of furniture within reason.

Simply give us a call, email or request a quote via our website and we can put this invasive pest

to rest.

09 390 6445

smashdempests@gmail.com

If you felt that last winter was mild, warm, almost frost free and borderline pathetic, then

you’re not alone. Good cold and icy winters are necessary to keep the wasp population in

check, as the dormant queens will succumb to the cold unless well-hidden and insulated.

Mature nests unless insulated, normally will not survive the winter either, so the whole life

cycle starts again. With last winter being mild, more queens have survived and so

have a number of last year’s mature nests.

The mature nests will already be quite large by now and the volume of wasps residing within

them will already be quite intimidating. The new queens however will be busy building nests

where ever they see fit and not threatened by other wasps. Nests are found in all manner of

places, but within the urban environment they are most commonly found in roof voids or

unattended garden sheds in the ground and the like. This summer, if it heats up with

consistent warm still weather, then the potential to brew the perfect wasp storm is there.

Luckily thus far though, summer has been quite windy and wet with the La Nina weather

system being our saving grace by keeping the median temps quite low and foraging for food

difficult.

Wasps cannot fly too well in the wind and rain so the nests will be losing workers at a high

rate. If this summer continues as it is then the current population of wasps should settle

back down to a manageable level for next summer. If not, then I will be expecting a lot of

urgent phone calls.

What to do if a nest is discovered on your property:

- Do not approach the nest! You WILL be stung.

- Observe the nest from a distance only and if possible from inside your home.

- No nest found but lots of wasps around certain trees? Call us for free advice.

- Call a Professional Pest Control Company for safe handling and eradication of this pest.

- Do not attempt to eliminate the nest with petroleum products as it doesn’t work and often

people end up being stung, burnt and end up on a 'fail' video for the effort.

If you are determined to do it yourself, have experience with wasps and the nest is small

and easy to access, plus you have taken all precautions required by reading the instructions on

products designed for wasp control such as wearing PPE, then cautiously proceed with eliminating the nest/s, but let it be it your judgement call only. I do not endorse this choice of action. Please do not hold me accountable if you too end up on a 'fail' video. :)

The absolute best thing you can do, is to hand it over to the professionals to deal with quickly and

safely. For advice or to have a nest eliminated, do feel free to contact us here for afree quote, or via email or phone:

smashdempests@gmail.com

09 390 6445

Dispelling a few bed bug myths during the holiday season:

- Being predominately bitten while in bed must mean that we have bed bugs!! WRONG

- Left your home unattended to travel abroad, and upon return bites started appearing on the

feet, so bedbugs must have jumped into the luggage. Most often WRONG

- You cannot see bedbugs. WRONG They are very visible and the adult is approx. this size: O

Most often, we find that flea activity is mistaken for bed bugs. It is very rarely the other way around. There are a couple of reasons why biting insects such as fleas and bed bugs conduct most of their activity while we are asleep. The main reason is because we are not moving around, so it makes it easier to travel and navigate a ‘feed’ without detection.

When a bite occurs while we are asleep it is often not noticed till morning. Fleas will remain within the bed sheets and blankets, often hiding along the seams undetected. This is why Pest Control companies

advise a 60deg hot wash and machine dry of all bedding during a treatment. The heat will kill fleas and bed bugs alike.

Bed bugs do not live amongst the bedding as a general rule of thumb, but rather nearby in areas such as along the seams on the mattress, between joints of the wooden bed base, inside the rubber inserts used for a slatted bed etc. They stay in communities in which pest controller’s call 'harbourages'. As the population increases, so do the number of 'harbourages'.

Picking up bed bugs while overseas occurs yes, but not as often as commonly feared. As described above on where bed bugs prefer to live, it is difficult to pick up bed bugs during your journey, as they are often hiding away; unless of course, significant time has been spent where an infestation exists. We accept that funny things out of the ordinary do occur now and again, and these situations can be dealt with.

The explanation for the bites that we often get when we come back from our holiday, is the common flea. Bites on the feet and ankles is often a sign of newly hatched fleas seeking their first meal. Adult fleas emerge when vibration is felt. As we walk through our homes for the first time, the vibrations are felt and all of the new adult fleas emerge at the same time. This is a very common occurrence with vacant rental properties but that is another topic. These small fleas jump onto your feet and the rest is history.

The best thing to do, is to NOT rush out and buy flea bombs, but to have a professional flea treatment conducted. The carpet needs to be properly treated, along with the bedding, couches, pet areas etc, and a professional treatment will be much more effective at ensuring the problem is taken care of properly.

Please feel free to request a free quote right here, or pop us an email or a call:

smashdempests@gmail.com

09 390 6445

Bees are most definitely not a target species for pest control companies and not a job enjoyed doing

if not at all avoidable. I am hoping that the majority of the population has a general respect

for this insect and allows them to get on with their work with minimal harassment because

they have a very important job to do.

I hope everyone understands that without pollination, the human race will be rendered

extinct within 2 years give or take a month or two. On a base level, you can say that bees

allow us to eat and to breathe. Both points being critical to our survival.

Bees are difficult to care for, often all you need to do is look at a hive wrong and they will

die. Bees are very susceptible to disease, virus, mites, wasp attacks and even seasonal

change if the nest isn’t prepared.

Bumble bees are dying off in massive numbers at the moment and no one really knows why.

If bees are like cars quickly moving to and fro from flower to hive, the bumble bee is likened

to the truck. A bit slower but nothing beats the volume of freight it can carry. If you ever

discover a bumble bee hive, please do not disturb it!

As guardians of this planet, it is our job to ensure that the pollinators are kept safe if at all possible.

This involves the reporting of bee swarms and nests to the

Now, the horrible part of our job; having to eliminate a healthy bees nest which has

established itself within the walls of your home. If we can at all gain access to the queen,

then the nest has a high chance of being saved, but if she is deep within the wall cavity then

we will need to eliminate it. You may not be aware though that once the nest is destroyed,

the honey within the comb will start to leak. There is a high chance of this honey causing

damage of some kind either through mould, damage to wall linings, other insects being

attracted to it etc. There is always the option to pull a panel etc off the wall so the nest incl

the honey comb can be removed.

Sometimes though, no matter how we look at it. The nest needs to be eliminated and yes,

we will do our job, but that is not the target of this post, but rather to keep the awareness

there of this very important insect. Our humble Bee.

If you have any questions or concerns about bees on your property, please don't hesitate to contact us:

09 390 6445

smashdempests@gmail.com

This great country of ours has approximately 15 different varieties of mosquito. Our

Australian neighbours however have over 200... :) Have you ever wondered why all

Australian homes have screens on their doors and windows? It is because of the mozzies,

not the flies.

Our native species has been and is still currently only nuisance to us and does not pose as

a threat to our health. In regards to the current situation other countries are facing with

mosquitoes transmitting the Zika virus, the risk to New Zealand is very small indeed. M.A.F

have strict systems and processes in place to ensure this unlikely scenario doesn’t occur.

You can realistically rest easy.

Enough about that, how about the mozzies which are continually forcing us indoors on

these lovely summer evenings, what can be done about them? The installation of screens on

your doors and windows is by far the best thing you can do to keep them out of your home

but if this is not an option, then our first bit of advice is to take a slow wander around your

property looking for little pools of sitting water. These are found in tarpaulin folds, used

tires, guttering etc. Remove the water, as this is a perfect breeding ground for the mosquito.

In sheltered outdoor situations, citronella candles can have a repelling effect, but

nothing is guaranteed. There is also the age-old method of covering yourself with stinky

insect repellents every four hours. As a noteworthy comment, and not at all recommended,

On Stewart Island, the mozzies and sand-flies are so numerous and ravenous that the people

are known to use kerosene as a repellent. I do not endorse this and have mentioned it for

humour only.

So, what can a professional pest control company do against mosquitoes?

We understand mosquitoes and so the application of a product to the interior and exterior

of your home which

1. has a repelling agent and

2. kills them after contacting the treated surface is what you need.

The added bonus of this treatment is that it has the same effect on flies, sand-flies, midges,

fruit flies etc.

To receive a treatment which carries a *4 month warranty, please apply for a free quote on our

website under call or email.

www.smashd.co.nz

09 390 6445

smashdempests@gmail.com

In New Zealand, we have approximately half a dozen different species of Ant. They range from the common large black garden ant, to a small golden brown Pharaoh ant. Some species predominately feed on sugars, while others prefer protein and even fats. During different stages of nest maturity, you will find that they will each switch food sources because it is what the ‘nest’ requires at the time. Some varieties have just one queen, while others have multiple. Some nests are joined while others are completely independent. Some prefer living near the beach or in broken land, sand, homes or under pavers.

There is never a quick fix with this industrious problem solver. The scary thing is that most inexperienced/novice pest control technicians are unaware of this and will often treat your ants incorrectly.

Here are a few tips which could help you with receiving the correct method of ant control for your situation. First and foremost is observation. Observe the comings and goings of the ants.

- Where does the trail lead?

- Are they around the sugar and sweets, or the pet food and crumbs on the ground?

- What colour are they?

- Which areas of your home have you seen them?

- Have you seen any actual nests?

Any technician worth a grain of salt will be asking these questions so as to conduct a successful treatment.

If you have an ant treatment booked in, we strongly recommend that you provide a little food for the ants a couple of hours before the technician arrives. Your observations will have alerted you to which foods they are currently taking. This will help create a strong trail of ants so to give your tech a good headstart.

I already hear you saying that since you have conducted all of this observation and you know their food source, general location of the nest/s and where they are, that you can just treat them yourself and save some money. I apologise for this but we so often hear about the long tedious hours spent placing out supermarket baits, sand etc, only to end up exhausted and disappointed as the ants just didn’t budge. We understand that if you discover a nest with a single queen that it may be easy enough to eradicate with a little ‘kiwi ingenuity’ but in the grand scheme of things you can be pretty sure that there is more than just one nest on site and often a couple of varieties.

Professional ant treatments are designed and well placed. They can involve slow acting yet powerful non-repellent sprays, specific protein or sugar based baits, ant sand etc. depending on which varieties are present. To book an ant treatment or discuss any questions you may have, do feel free to contact us via email or on our toll-free number below, or request a free quote here.

smashdempests@gmail.com 09 390 6445