Delbert McClintock: Exterminator Of The Silver Screen....

I'm sure you all remember the exterminator from "Arachnophobia", Delbert McClintock, played by John Goodman. He wasn't the most personable character due to his socially awkward presence, and his extreme seriousness of his profession, which made his role quite funny.... Well, when he was called to take care of the infestation, and blast these arachnids to kingdom come, he wasn't very successful with his environmentally friendly pesticide blend, but a good ol' stomp with his workbook worked just fine on several specimens (a little trivia here: this sound effect was achieved by crunching a bag of potato chips)....

If you haven't seen this scary classic from 1990, maybe its time. The story goes a little like this:

 The film's first 15 minutes, is set in the rain forest of Venezuela where a team of scientists are searching for a new species of spiders and other insects. A photographer accompanies them who is soon bitten by a new species of spider and dies within seconds. Mistaking the death for a common illness in the rain-forest, the scientists crate up the body - with the the queen of the new species hiding within and ship it back to the man's hometown in ...........GULP.......The United States. Unfortunately the town is about to be in a HUGE mess with spiders! Eeeek!

John Goodman as Delbert McClintock in Arachnophobia:

The truth is that spiders feed off of other insects, so having a few spiders here and there isn't a huge threat. If you are seeing a lot of spiders however, this means you have a pretty good food source for them in your residence. If this is the case, call Lavender Pest Control to professionally exterminate your home and rid you of your creepy crawlies. We would love to have you as a customer and are more willing to explain our methods than Delbert McClintock of "Bugs-B-Gone" ;)

Argentine Ants & How To Take Control....

Thanks to the drought in Georgia, and all the pop-up thunderstorms that have followed, many residents are seeing what can be described as an ant invasion.

As you go about your day, you stop and notice you have a trail of ants in your kitchen or bathroom. The first thing you do is spray them with a household bug killer. A few days later, they are back with friends and maybe even on the other side of your home. You then notice that they are coming from the walls and maybe even from the cracks in the floor. What kind of ants are these? Where did they come from? Argentine Ants are in your walls, because they are nesting and looking for a food source. The larger the colony, the bigger the appetite.  Argentine ants will utilize just about any food source they can find. They will find their way into microwaves, dishwashers and even refrigerators. That's not all, if they are in your walls, then they are coming from somewhere outside. Argentine ants are most commonly found outside in mulch, pine straw, under rocks, in potted plants or any place that retains moisture.

Argentine ants are invasive, and because they're invasive, you've got to deal with them. 

Here is a list of a few things you can do to prevent and manage the headache of dealing with Argentine ants:

1. DO NOT feel bad about hiring us to eliminate the ants. They're invasive and they don't belong in your home. We have been in the business for 38 years and have cultivated techniques that are extremely successful in managing Argentine ants as well as other pesky home invaders.
2. DO NOT operate under the illusion that normal bug sprays will solve your problem. The ants WILL come back.
3. DO make sure you prevent all of the conditions conducive to inviting ants into your home. Keep gutters cleaned (when clogged, they keep a very moist environment for ants as well as mosquitos) as well as remove any clutter around the home that could be protecting the ants such as leaf litter or boards.
4. DO NOT treat the outside of your home with normal pesticides that you can get from the store. Those aren't good enough. Pesticide sprays will only kill the worker ants and not penetrate the core of the colony. Additionally, when using sprays, you may actually stress out the colony which can cause the Queens to lay even more eggs for colony preservation. Once again, call us  - we have special treatments designed specifically to eliminate the colonies.
5. DO  trim the trees and vegetation that brushes up against the home. Vegetation retains moisture, which attracts Argentine Ants, and if they can use these plants to enter into your home they will. You should also thoroughly inspect the inside and outside of your home for tiny crevices and cracks where the ants can enter from. Once you find them, seal them up.