Look who’s having a birthday on Team Blue Chip this month! We hope this year is filled with laughter and love!

“No need for rodent control at my house — I have a cat!”

Have you heard this before? (We have!) Or have you said this before? (Guilty as charged!) The NPMA (National Pest Management Association) partnered with Fordham University to  run study on this using scent detection and micro-chipping. And, well, it turns out that cats can’t be counted on to eliminate rodent population around your home.

Some of the results of their study showed that:

• Over a 5 month period, cats came into contact with the rats that had been micro-chipped over 300 times.
• Less than 1% of these encounters ended up with a cat actually killing a rat.
• After a cat has been in the area, rats are not likely to come out for the remainder of that that and the following day.
• Rats were 20% more likely to go into hiding after a cat sighting; however, they would reappear at a later date.

Winter brings mice and rats inside looking for warmth and food. If you have a cat, great! Count on Miss Kitty for sweet snuggles and purrs but leave the real rodent control to our Blue Chip experts. Our indoor traps combined with our outdoor tamper-resistant bait stations are game changers when it comes to rodent control. So much so that our rodent program comes with a 100%, 365-day guarantee — you won’t have rodents or we come back out free of charge until you don’t have any more issues.

You heard it here, folks. Straight from the mouth (umm…keyboard?!?!) of one of our newest customers. Blue Chip technicians start each day with enough materials, knowledge and  time to thoroughly treat the homes and businesses the visit during the day. When your company’s guarantee is “Free of pests or free of charge!”, you don’t cut corners, you don’t use watered down and cheap materials, and you don’t have a team that is lacking in proper training and education in the latest techniques in pest control. But, even with a  trained team, great materials and thoroughness, what you also need is time.

 

Time to meet the customer. Time to discuss any problems or potential problem areas. Time to inspect. Time to treat any problems. Time to treat to avoid potential problems. Time to review with the customer, explain, answer questions and offer any suggestions. Time is important and, at Blue Chip, we realize that & make sure our team has enough time to complete each job in a thorough and detailed manner.

 

Hello 2019! As we kick off a new year, many people take time to reflect on the past 12 months and view the new year as fresh start. Did you make any resolutions this year? (Or have you…ahem…already broken any resolutions you made? Guilty as charged! Ha!)

According to a recent study, some of the most popular resolutions this year include taking up a new hobby, eliminating bad choices and re-examining life priorities, especially those related to money, education, weight loss and romance. While pest-proofing might not come close to being one of your resolutions, it totally should be! And there are certain things homeowners can and should do after the ball drops to ensure a pest-free new year.

STORE HOLIDAY DECORATIONS PROPERLY.
I know that taking them all down can be a chore. When you finally do get around to this (and no judgement from me if it’s not until the end of this month!), be sure you store your decor in plastic containers with tight sealing lids. It’s time to ditch any cardboard boxes!

KEEP YOUR KITCHEN CLEAN.
So…duh. This one sounds like a no-brainer but it’s easy to get sloppy on the cleaning when you’ve been cooking for what seems like hours. Food is one the main things that attracts pests to your home. This is one of those times where you want to your home as unattractive as possible to any “visitors” who may try to hang around.

SEAL ANY GAPS.
Install door sweeps on any exterior doors then seal the gap between the floor and the door. This not only eliminates spaces that rodents and pests use to get inside your house but also (bonus!) minimize airflow from the outside. Translation: No mice + no bitter cold wind = win-win!

LET’S CHAT ABOUT YOUR FIREWOOD.
Keep it away from your house and be sure to inspect the wood before bringing it inside. You don’t want to invite in any pests trying to hitchhike a ride!

REMEMBER THE OUTDOORS!
Bundle up and take a winter walk…around the outside of your home! Remove any dead branches or bushes you see. Check your gutters for excess leaves that can be removed. Inspect your home for any lose shingles. Then hustle back inside and warm up with some hot chocolate by the fireplace! 🙂

Adding pest-proofing as one of your annual resolutions can help you avoid frustrations with unwanted pests as well as eliminate potential damage and infestations during the rest of the year. Cheers to a pest-free 2019!