Photo Album: Pest control in Beachwood, NJ
Black Widow Spider in Beachwood, New Jersey
Black Widow Spiders Most spiders have toxic venom to kill their prey, but "poisonous" spiders are limited to those whose venom typically causes a serious reaction in humans. In New Jersey, the most common poisonous spider is the black widow. The black widow earned its name from its somewhat startling and impolite behavior of eating the male after mating. Although most believe that a bite from a black widow is fatal, in fact, death is highly unlikely, and its symptoms can be alleviated once medical treatment is obtained. The male black widow's fangs are too small to break human skin. Only the female black widow can bite through a person's skin and inject enough venom to cause a painful reaction. The female black widow has a shiny black body, slender black legs, and a red or orange mark in the shape of an hourglass on the underside of its abdomen. I treated the grass area with granular application and carefully removed several wasp nests. I'm confident that this product, along with removal of the nests, will rapidly knock-down the population of these wasps and spiders.
Paper Wasp in Beachwood, New Jersey
Wasps These particular wasps were a species of paper wasps. There are over twenty species of paper wasps and many of them have unusual colorations. To me, these particular wasps had the coloration of a snake. Insect coloration, just like snake coloration, is used as a warning signal to other animals. It's a sharp reminder to birds and other potential predators: You messed me with once and look what happened - don't think of messing with me again! Insects with high coloration (bright and conspicuous colors) are generally more aggressive and have more painful bites than their less flamboyant relatives because they produce more toxins. For example, whenever we see yellow jackets with their distinctive black and yellow stripes, we take great measures to avoid them, especially if we've already had a bad experience with them. I treated the grass area with granular application and carefully removed several wasp nests. I'm confident that this product, along with removal of the nests, will rapidly knock-down the population of these wasps and spiders.