Swat Pest 2009

2009 was an amazing year at Swat Pest. We expanded our fleet of pest technicians, added to our management team, we broadened our teams for Healthy Spaces, and our sales force doubled! We have amazing owners, our management team is second to none, and as for the rest of the team...WOW, there are not enough great things to say. At Swat we're not only co-workers, we're family. And, let's not forget about the amazing customers we have, obviously with out them Swat Pest would not be what it is today.

To end our year at Swat Pest Tim and Stacey took all of us to the Log Inn in Warrington, IN for a family style feast. Everyone arrived all dressed up and ready for a wonderful evening. As you can see in the picture 2 of our guys decided to take the whole "dress up" thing a bit farther. Damon as Mrs. Claus and Jason as Santa. We all got a big laugh when those two walked in! Throughout an amazing dinner of fried chicken, roast beef, ham, and all the fixins...we all enjoyed some good stories, lots of laughs, and making memories.
Every year awards are given out for outstanding achievements. This year our office staff received an award for taking major strides in the right direction. In this picture you have (R-L) Pest Manager - Ryan Denk, Office Assistant - Tonuya Roy, General Manager - Jimmy Schaefer, Office Assistant - Alison Damm, Office Assistant - Stacey Williams, Office Assistant - Ashley Storrie, and PR - Brooke Cromley.

Eric Davis (center) received the award for Rookie of the Year for Healthy Spaces. With him in the picture are Steve Phillips and Jimmy Schaefer.
Stephen Joseph (2nd from the left) was awarded Employee of the year for Healthy Spaces. Pictured with him are (L-R) Jimmy Schaefer, Donnie Stuteville, and Steve Phillips.

Zach Nalley (2nd from the left)received an award for Most Improved Pest Technician also in this picture are (L-R) Brad Weir, Ryan Denk, and Kyle Black.
David Cosby (2nd from the L) received the award for Pest Technician Rookie of the Year. Pictured with David ar (L-R) Brad Weir, Ryan Denk, and Kyle Black.
Shaun Waters (2nd from R) received the award For Pest Technician Employee of the Year.

Our sales team consisting of Jim Schaefer, Damon Cheatham, Rick Hall(not pictured), and Dennis Nickins.

As you can see, we are blessed and would like to say a BIG thank you to everyone in our Swat family, to each of their families for allowing them to put in crazy hours and give so much back to their daily jobs, and to each one of our customers for making us the great company we are today. We love you all!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! WE LOOK FORWARD TO A GREAT 2010 WITH ALL OF YOU!

Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given--when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes."
Wishing all of you a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

The Houes Mouse

The house mouse is one of the most troublesome and economically important rodents in the United States. House mice thrive under a variety of conditions; they are found in and around homes and commercial structures as well as in open fields and agricultural lands. House mice consume and contaminate food meant for humans, pets, livestock, or other animals. In addition, they cause considerable damage to structures and property, and they can transmit pathogens that cause diseases such as solemnises, a form of food poisoning

House mice are small rodents with relatively large ears and small black eyes. They weigh about 1/2 ounce and usually are light brownish to gray in color. An adult is about 5 to 7 inches long, including the 3- to 4-inch tail.
Droppings, fresh gnaw marks, and tracks indicate areas where mice are active. Mouse nests are made from fine shredded paper or other fibrous material, usually in sheltered locations. House mice have a characteristic musky odor that identifies their presence. Mice are active mostly at night, but they can be seen occasionally during daylight hours.

Native to Central Asia, the house mouse arrived in North America on ships with settlers from Europe and other points of origin. A very adaptable animal, the house mouse often lives in close association with humans, along with Norway Rats and roof rats; however, mice are more common and more difficult to control than rats.

Although house mice usually prefer to eat cereal grains, they are “nibblers” and will sample many different foods. Mice have keen senses of taste, hearing, smell, and touch. They are excellent climbers and can run up any rough vertical surface. They will run horizontally along wire cables or ropes and can jump up to 12 inches from the floor onto a flat surface. Mice can squeeze through openings slightly larger than 1/4 inch across. House mice frequently find their way into homes in the fall of the year, when outdoor temperatures at night become colder.
In a single year, a female may have 5 to 10 litters of about 5 or 6 young. Young are born 19 to 21 days after mating, and they reach reproductive maturity in 6 to 10 weeks. The life span of a mouse is probably 9 to 12 months.

Because house mice are so small, they can gain entry into homes and other buildings much more easily than rats. As a result, house mouse infestations are probably 10 to 20 times more common than rat infestations. Effective control involves sanitation, exclusion, and population reduction. Sanitation and exclusion are preventive measures. When a mouse infestation already exists, some form of population reduction such as trapping or baiting is almost always necessary.

A key to successful long-term mouse control is the limitation of shelter and of food sources wherever possible. Trapping works well when mice are not numerous, or it can be used as a follow-up measure after a baiting program. When considering a baiting program, decide if the presence of dead mice will cause an odor or sanitation problem. If so, trapping may be the best approach. Removal of mice should be followed by taking steps to exclude them so that the problem does not recur.

Exclusion is the most successful and permanent form of house mouse control. “Build them out” by eliminating all gaps and openings larger than ¼ inch, through which mice will enter a structure. Steel wool makes a good temporary plug. Seal cracks in building foundations and around openings for water pipes, vents, and utility cables with metal or concrete. Doors, windows, and screens should fit tightly. It may be necessary to cover the edges of doors and windows with metal to prevent gnawing. Plastic screening, rubber or vinyl, insulating foam, wood, and other gnawable materials are unsuitable for plugging holes used by mice.

For more information on this and many other pests in the winter...please visit www.swatpest.com or give us a call t 1-800-894-8024. We look forward to serving you!

Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!
Hope everyone is having a great Friday!

The queen of termites, has been known to live for 50 years, some scientists believe that they live for 100 years.

Mold Preperation Work in Crawl Spaces

All of the publicity surrounding mold, or as the media has sensationalized it, "black" or "toxic mold", along with the multimillion - dollar lawsuits, public awareness is in high gear when it comes to mold and it's hazards. Mold has always been around and is a natural organism. Mold spores need a few things to grow:

1 - Moisture - humid air, a dripping pipe, or major flooding.

2 - Food - wood and wood products, paper, cotton, and leather.

3 - The right temperature - above freezing and below 120 degrees.

There are several steps we take to ensure that your mold problem is remedied for good.

1- We seal off all foundation vents

2- Make sure the HVAC is turned off. In winter months, in MUST be turned down.

3- Set up the air scrubber (HEPA) hook it up through the vent or crawl door access. ( It is ran while doing step #5)

4- Proclean all wood that needs to be cleaned.

5- Scrub (brush) ALL the wood! The wood must be dust, dirt and cobweb free!

6- Mycodyne all the wood in the crawlspace, it must have an even coverage. The wood is to be dripping wet.

7- We then install new black 6mil plastic throughout the entire crawl space, 100% coverage (wall to wall) even through the crawl divider wall access. Use poly spikes every 10 feet, and make sure the spikes are pushed down through the plastic into the soil, flush with the ground.

Mold is a serious concern, if you have any questions regarding mold, please give our mold experts a call. We can be reached at 1-800-894-8024 - We look forward to hearing from you soon.