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Bug Bytes
 
April
 2017

IN THIS ISSUE:
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IS IT REALLY A MOSQUITO?

chalkboard question mark

Most people don't like mosquitoes. And rightly so! Mosquitoes cause itchy, red welts. Mosquitoes carry & transmit some pretty serious diseases. Despite the fact that we all probably have had, at one time or another, a close-up experience with a mosquito, most of us really can't really tell the difference between a mosquito and their look-alike cousins. Just because it LOOKS like a mosquito doesn't always mean it IS a mosquito. Let's break down the mosquito and the two imposters that are commonly mistaken for mosquitoes. 

LET'S START WITH THE MOSQUITO!

mosquito

Size: Usually 1/8 - 1/4 inch
Habitat: Still water
Wings: Typically longer than their body with a fringe-like border
Unique Characteristic: Slightly "humpback" 
Fun Fact: Only female adult mosquitoes bite. Males spend their days sipping nectar from flowers. 


HI THERE CRANE FLY!

crane fly

Size: 3/8 inch to 2 1/2 inches (BIG! These guys are commonly mistaken for giant mosquitos thanks to their larger sizes.)
Habitat: Humid areas
Wings: Smoothed-edge wings
Unique Characteristic: Long, lean legs
Fun Fact: Crane flies are named after the crane birds who have similar long legs. They are strongly attracted to porch lights - turn them off temporarily if these guys start causing problems by your front door. 


MEET THE MIDGE!

midge

Size: 1.5 - 4mm (Smaller than mosquitoes!)
Habitat: Near water sources like ponds and streams
Wings: Typically much shorter than their body & aren't covered in scales 
Unique Characteristic:  They travel in swarms which produce a humming sound while they're in transit. 
Fun Fact: They are sometimes used in water-quality assessments. If midges are present but other common flies are not found or rare, this can be an indication of poor water quality. 

Now, while every "mosquito-lookalike" may not be a mosquito, we ARE technically already in mosquito season. And entomologists are predicting the St. Louis area is going to be hit hard this year thanks to our mild winter. Click here to learn more about how you can protect your yard from mosquitoes. 
BLUE CHIP IN ONE WORD
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We have the BEST customers! You guys always make our day with your kind words compliments. Some of you go on and on about your favorite technician or a great experience you had with us; however, others of you keep it short and sweet. Meet Lucy. Lucy sent us one word -- one short & sweet yet so incredibly powerful word -- to describe Blue Chip, our staff and our service: AWESOME. What one word would you use to describe Blue Chip? Let us know!

Is there someone on Team Blue Chip who was especially awesome in helping you out recently? We'd love to know who and why! You can shoot me a quick email at kimberly@stlbugs.com to let us know what we've done recently to make you smile! :) 

In the meantime, check out some other things that our customers have said about us, our service and our technicians by clicking here  then scrolling down to "Testimonials." 
BUG BAROMETER PREDICTS: SPRING & SUMMER
blossoms

The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) recently released their Bug Barometer. This comes out twice a year -- in the fall and in the spring. It basically serves as a guide for anticipated pest activity, patterns and issues that might arise in the upcoming seasons. It's developed by entomologists who combine pests' previous behaviors with the weather patterns from the two previous seasons and the predicted weather for upcoming seasons. It divides the United States into five sections: Pacific Northwest, Southwest & West Coast, Midwest (that's us!), Northeast and Southeast. 

Let's take a look at the spring & summer predictions for the Midwest (home sweet home!) first. In the St. Louis area, we experienced an extremely mild winter with uncommonly warmer temperatures. Remember all those 70 degree days we had in February? That abnormally warm winter could give tick populations an early boost. A drier & warmer spring and summer may also lead to an early increase in ant activity than in the past few years. The warmer weather has caused mosquito eggs to hatch earlier as well. Typically, "mosquito season" in St. Louis doesn't start until April; however, this year, mosquitoes started making their grand reappearance in March. 

Got travel plans this spring and summer? Or have some out-of-state friends and family? Here's what we can expect throughout the rest of the country: 

Pacific Northwest: Higher ant populations might be present due to a warmer spring. 

Southwest & West Coast: Rainfall and flooding may lead to an increase in mosquitoes and stinging insects as well as well as drive cockroaches indoors. 

Northeast: A cooler spring may drive more earwigs into homes around the area. 

Southeast: Heavy rainfall leads to ideal conditions for subterranean termites. 
BLAST OFF WITH BUGS
fruit flies in space

CARDINALS GIVEAWAY 
Busch Stadium

Pretty sweet view of the game, huh? This can be YOUR sweet view for an upcoming Cardinals game! Periodically, throughout the season, we have Cardinals tickets to give away to someone just like you. The giveaways include four tickets (Yes, FOUR!) for these seats plus a parking pass for a spot in the Ballpark Village lot. 

Our first giveaway of the season is for the Cardinals game next Tuesday April 18th when they take on the Pirates at 7:15pm. Want in on this? Our Cardinals tickets giveaways are reserved exclusively for our Facebook fans, but it's sooo easy to be a fan and enter giveaway. To enter our drawing, you must do two things: 

1. "Like" us on Facebook!
This drawing is only for our Facebook fans. Don't follow us on Facebook yet? There's no better time! Click on this link ( Blue Chip on Facebook) then click on "Like." 

2. Comment on the giveaway post. 
This post is easy to find -- it has a picture that matches the one above. Leave a us a comment letting us know which 3 super lucky friends you'll pick to take with you to the game if you are the winner!

And...that's all! Everyone who leaves a comment & also "likes" our page will go into a drawing that will take place this Sunday. The winner be announced on our Facebook page. So what are you waiting for? Get entered...and LET'S GO CARDS! 
OUR BLUE CHIP NEWBIES
new hires
Want more information on a specific service we offer? Looking for a quick Pest ID Guide for a bug you have found? Want to see video clips of our technicians in action? Interested in reading our latest blog entry? Want to chat with one of our service representatives online? YOU GOT IT!