Clark’s gets probably 2 or 3 phone calls a week from desperate customers begging us to come out “right now” because they have found a brown recluse spider in their home. Most of these calls are from parents with small children, who are understandably concerned with their safety. We’d like to put your fears to rest.

The brown recluse spider is native only to a few southern states; and lucky for us, South Carolina is NOT one of them. The Clemson University Arthropod Museum contains 8 brown recluse specimens collected in South Carolina out of 8800 spider specimens dating from 1925. The range of the brown recluse spider is limited to the red area on this map. If you live outside this area, brown recluse spiders do NOT live in your state.

 Map provided by Rick Vetter, University of California-Riverside. Used with permission.

Rick Vetter of the University of California challenged people to send him spiders they believed were brown recluses. Of 1,779 arachnid submitter from 49 states, only 4 brown recluse spiders came from outside its known range. One was found in a California home; the owners had just moved there from Missouri. The remaining three spiders were found in a shed in coastal Virginia. Attempts to find more brown recluses in the area came up empty, suggesting an isolated population of unknown origin.

Clark’s Staff Entomologist, Alan Wilson, says that in over 20 years of working as a structural entomologist he has never seen a brown recluse spider.

We also hear of a number of people who say “The doctor said it was a brown recluse spider bite.”  According to the New England Journal of Medicine, diagnosing the bite of a brown recluse merely from the presence of a wound or ulcerating sore is impossible. Many medical conditions, some of which are far more common than spider bites even where recluses are common, can create an open sore, “rotting flesh”, a blister and redness, etc. Therefore, although you may have had a doctor diagnose your dermonecroses (literally “dying skin”) as caused by a spider, or a brown recluse bite, be aware that doctors throughout the United Sates have diagnosed “brown recluse bite” as the cause of wounds even in states where a brown recluse has NEVER been collected.  Another study published in the Journal of American Board of Family Medicine found that, in many cases, if a patient did not remember getting an injury, they assumed it was a spider bite.  In fact, many times the wound was caused by bacteria called MRSA (methicillin resistance Staphylococcus aureus), which has become a significant health problem in parts of South Carolina.

So, now that you can breathe a little easier knowing your family is safe, we know what your next response is… “But I don’t want ANY spiders in my house!” Well, we don’t either! The following measures can be tried before chemical control is used:

-Discourage spiders by destroying the webs, egg sacs and spiders by brushing or vacuuming.
-Remove collections of paper, boxes, rubbish piles in the house, attic, storage areas, etc.
-Maintain household insect control. Lack of food will discourage spiders and force them to move elsewhere.

Blog by Customer Service Representative, Deborah Sox 

 ”Under fire” Cartoon by Customer Service Representative, Matt Jeffcoat

When the weather gets cold, you’re not the only one who will want to snuggle up in your home. All types of wildlife will be on the look out for warm places to make their new home through the winter. Although some of these creatures may look cute and cuddly, it is important to have them removed as soon as you find them or their evidence. Not only can they cause physical damage to the structure of your home, they can chew wires which can lead to a house fire. Different types of wildlife can also expose your family to dangerous diseases or introduce fleas into your home. It is very important to let a professional handle all wildlife trappings and removals. Wildlife technicians are prepared for finding, trapping and removing any animals that may have made their way into your home. They are able to lift heavy ladders and use them safely while placing or removing traps. Also, they can manuver within tight spaces such as attics or crawlspaces to capture the animal without being attacked. Our wildlife specialist will communicate his findings and clearly explain the best course of action to make sure the animal is removed a quickly as possible.

So, if you’ve got an unwanted house guest this winter (and we’re not talking about your in-laws) give us a call today to set up an evaluation!

We often hear customers say, “My house is clean. I don’t understand why I have German roaches, or any cockroach for that matter!” We want all customers to understand that anyone can get roaches no matter how clean you keep your home.

Roaches have been around for 300 million years and long before human life. They survived without dirty homes, without landfills and without garbage in general. Cockroaches are resourceful little guys! They can feed off almost any kind of decayed material, including paper products such as card board boxes or even leaves and pine straw that might be decaying in flower beds. They generally like warm climates and sheltered areas. This is why you often find them in human houses, regardless of the cleanliness of the home. Although keeping your house clean does help cut back on the infestation numbers, it will neither prevent nor get rid of an existing infestation. Often times, insects such as roaches and ants are attracted in to homes not for food, but water, or shelter from the elements.

If you find that you are having an issue with German roaches, call your local pest control company immediately. Allowing them to continue to spread will only make things worse for both you and your neighbors as they can spread from house to house.

 Picture and Post by: Customer Service Rep, Matt Jeffcoat

On December 11, 2012 a bill was prefiled in South Carolina that would require the owner or property manager of a hotel (or similar lodging establishment) to visibly post a notice of bedbug infestation in any guestroom where a bedbug infestation has previously occurred. The bill would also require landlords to fully disclose any bedbug infestations in any room where a bedbug infestation has been present–where the landlord was aware–in writing at or before the signing of a lease. The actual language of the bill is listed below.

H3143 General Bill, By Gilliard
A BILL TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 45-1-15 SO AS TO REQUIRE NOTICE OF BEDBUG INFESTATION TO A TRANSIENT GUEST OF A HOTEL OR SIMILAR LODGING; BY ADDING SECTION 27-40-445 SO AS TO REQUIRE NOTICE OF BEDBUG INFESTATION TO A TENANT UNDER THE RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD AND TENANT ACT; AND BY ADDING SECTION 15-75-70 SO AS TO REQUIRE NOTICE OF BEDBUG INFESTATION TO A PERSON SEEKING TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN A CHARITABLE OR EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE SHELTER, AMONG OTHER THINGS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Chapter 1, Title 45 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

“Section 45-1-15. (A) Every boardinghouse, hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, residential-type lodging facility, tourist camp, roadhouse, or other similar lodging governed by this chapter where transient guests are lodged in exchange for valuable consideration shall conspicuously post a notice of bedbug infestation in any guestroom in which there has been a bedbug infestation about which the owner, manager, or other responsible party is aware.

(B) The notice required in subsection (A) must be conspicuously posted within one inch of the notice required in Section 45-1-10 if the lodging is a hotel.

(C) Whoever fails to comply with the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be punished by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than sixty days or by both fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court. Every instance in which the required notice is not provided as required in subsection (A) constitutes a separate offense under this section for the purposes of prosecution and conviction.

(D) As used in this section:

(1) ‘Bed and breakfast’ means a residential-type lodging facility where transient guests are fed and lodged for valuable consideration, and includes a bed and breakfast inn, homestead bed and breakfast, and a country inn.

(2) ‘Bed and breakfast inn’ means a residential-type lodging facility that has three to ten guestrooms and serves only breakfast to registered guests.

(3) ‘Guestroom’ means a sleeping room, or a combination of rooms for sleeping and sitting, that include:

(a) a bed;

(b) a private or shared bathroom;

(c) clothes hanging and storage amenities; and

(d) a selection of furniture and lighting.

(4) ‘Home stay bed and breakfast’, a residential-type lodging facility that has one to three guestrooms and serves only breakfast to registered guests.

(5) ‘Hotel’ means a inn or public lodging place of more than ten bedrooms where transient guests are fed or lodged for compensation.

(6) ‘Innkeeper’ means the proprietor of a bed and breakfast.

(7) ‘Residential-type lodging facility’ means a facility that:

(a) serves as both the innkeeper’s residence and a place of lodging for transient guests; and

(b) is primarily residential in style regarding the amenities provided to guests.

(8) ‘Transient guest’ means a person who lodges for less than one week at such a hotel.”

SECTION 2. Article 3, Chapter 40, Title 27 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

“Section 27-40-445. (A) A landlord or a person authorized to enter into a rental agreement on behalf of a landlord shall disclose to the tenant in writing at or before the commencement of the tenancy notice of bedbug infestation in any room in which there has been a bedbug infestation about which the landlord or a person authorized to enter into a rental agreement on his behalf is aware.

(B) A violation of this section entitles a tenant to remedies available under Section 27-40-610.

(C) A person authorized to enter in a rental agreement on behalf of a landlord who fails to comply with subsection (A) with regard to such an agreement becomes an agent of the landlord with respect to that rental agreement for:

(1) service of process and receiving and receipting for notices and demands; or

(2) performing the obligations of the landlord under this section.”

SECTION 3. Chapter 75, Title 15 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

“Section 15-75-70. Notwithstanding another provision of law, if any room in a charitable or emergency protective shelter, public or private, experiences a bedbug infestation, an agent of the shelter shall provide written notice of the bedbug infestation to a person seeking temporary or permanent residence at the shelter within twenty four hours of the person commencing his residency in the shelter. A municipality or county in which a shelter violating this section is situated may obtain injunctive relief against the shelter for a violation of this section.”

SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor

There are only 2 more days to enter our iPad mini giveaway! The Gamecock truck is back in Columbia. We will try and post its whereabouts over the next couple of days. We will be drawing one lucky winner on December 19th and someone will be getting a brand new iPad for Christmas!  So, keep your eyes peeled! Here’s a quick reminder of how to enter:

1. Take a picture of our Clark’s Carolina Gamecock truck.
2. Upload the picture to our Facebook wall.
3. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/clarkspest

Good Luck, everyone!

It is extremely important to leave wildlife handling to the professionals! Check out this article from wistv.com written by Tenessa Jennings.

A Lee County woman is receiving post-exposure treatments after she was bitten by a raccoon who tested positive for rabies, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported Monday.

“To reduce the risk of getting rabies, we recommend that people avoid wild animals acting tame and tame animals acting wild,” Ferguson said. “About 275 South Carolinians must undergo preventive treatment for rabies every year, with most exposures coming from bites or scratches by a rabid or suspected rabid animal. Wild animals carry the disease most often, but domestic pets can contract rabies as well.”

Ferguson said state law requires pet owners to have their pets regularly vaccinated against the disease.

“If you think you have been exposed to the rabies virus through a bite, scratch or the saliva of a possibly infected animal, immediately wash the affected area with plenty of soap and water,” she said. “Then be sure to get medical attention and report the incident to DHEC.”

There were 107 confirmed cases of animal rabies during 2011 in South Carolina. There have been 131 confirmed cases in animals statewide this year.

http://leecounty.wistv.com/news/environment/54661-dhec-raccoon-exposes-woman-rabies

Penn State entomologist are claiming that naturally occurring microorganisms called biopesticides might be the solution to our bedbug problems. The quick increase in the bedbug population throughout North America and Europe has brought up new concerns over the amount of pesticides being used in frequented public places. Biopesticides might be a “green” alternative. Nina Jenkins, senior research associate in entomology says that a natural fungus which causes diseases in insects , Beauveria bassiana has shown encouraging results in recent bedbug control tests. Jenkins explains, “They are natural diseases that exist in the environment. They are relatively easy to produce in a lab and stable, so you can use them much like chemical pesticides.”

The researchers completed the study by using an airbrush sprayer to apply spore formulations to paper and cotton jersey. Cotton jersey was chosen because it is a standard bedsheet material. The researchers then sprayed the same control surfaces with blank oil only. After drying at room temperature overnight, 3 out of the 10 groups of bedbugs were exposed to one of the two surfaces for exactly one hour. Once removed, they were placed on clean filter paper in a petri dish to be monitored. The results show that all of the bedbugs exposed to the biopesticide became infected and died within five days of exposure. She and her colleagues have published their results in the most recent issue of the Journal of Invertebrate Pathology.

Once of the most encouraging findings was that the bedbugs carried the biopestidcide back to their hiding places, infecting all of the bedbugs that did not go out and search for food. This is important because bedbugs are often in hard to reach and hard to find locations. Jenkins says, “The fungal spores were transferred from the exposed bug to their unexposed companions, and we observed almost a hundred percent infection. So they don’t even need to be directly exposed, and that’s something chemicals cannot do.” So far, B. bassiana is proving to be an effective, and fast, alternative to regular pesticides. Moving forward, researchers will test effectiveness in more “lifelike” settings where harborage areas are present and then start field work.

Source: http://live.psu.edu/story/62832

In honor of Rivalry Week, we are launching a new Christmas giveaway! The prize is our smallest but biggest prize yet—a new iPad Mini!

How to enter to win:

1. Find our Gamecock themed Clark’s truck driving around and take a picture of it!
2. Post it on our Facebook wall or tweet us @Clarkspest
3. Like our page!

The truck will be driving through the midlands from now until November 25th, it will then head into the Upstate November 26th until December 2nd, next it will be traveling into the Sumter area from December 3rd through the 9th, then it heads down to the Charleston area from December 10th to the 16th and finally returns back to Columbia until December 18th. We will announce the winner on December 19th and one lucky person will have a brand new iPad mini just in time for Christmas! We will be giving hints as to where the truck might be throughout the month so you have a better chance to snap a picture.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @Clarkspest and check out our Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/clarkspest!

We recently participated in the Special Olympics 8th Annual Give to Gain Gala. Here is our very own director of sales, Brandon Jeffcoat having a great time. We’d like to remind everyone that any contribution, no matter the size is appreciated.  Join us in getting behind a great cause!