What #39;s Your Winter Pest Control Plan? - Columbia Pest Control nc
http://www.columbiapestcontrol.com - Do you have a pest control plan?

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What's Your Winter Pest Control Plan? - Columbia Pest Control nc - Video

Pest control called 21 times to University of Bolton over mice, ants and pigeons

11:45am Monday 3rd February 2014 in News By Dale Haslam, Reporter

MICE, ants and pigeons were all spotted at the University of Bolton last year.

Pest control workers were called out 21 times to the universitys main campus in Deane Road, Bolton, throughout the year, to get rid of rodents, set fly traps and repair pigeon nets.

The data was provided to The Bolton News under the Freedom of Information Act and university chiefs have said they were happy to reveal it to show how robust their complaints response system is.

A university spokesman said: The university is one of the biggest buildings in the town centre area.

We take very seriously the issue of pest control and deal swiftly with any such incident, however reported.

This, together with preventative precautions, helps us keep our incidence of infestation low.

Seven of the calls were described as routine service visits from staff at Tyldesley-based Pest Solutions.

In April, a complaint was made about mouse droppings found in C block, so staff laid bait and traps.

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Pest control called 21 times to University of Bolton over mice, ants and pigeons

Two stray dogs stand in front of the Main Media Center for the Sochi Winter Olympics, Jan. 8, 2014. Getty

SOCHI, Russia -- A pest control company which has been killing stray dogs in Sochi for years says it has a contract to exterminate more of the animals throughout the Olympics.

Alexei Sorokin, director general of pest control firm Basya Services, says his company is involved in what he described as "catching and disposing" of dogs. Sorokin refused to specify whether they shoot or poison dogs or say where they take their corpses.

Sorokin says his company is doing an important job because thousands of stray dogs are roaming the streets of Sochi, some of them "biting children."

Sochi city hall pledged last year to build shelters for stray dogs.

Authorities across Russia have been rejecting calls to sterilize dogs instead of killing them as a humane way of dealing with the issue.

2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Russia "disposing" of Sochi stray dogs during Olympics

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Newswise KNOXVILLEServices provided by Mother Nature, such as pest control from insect-eating bats, are affected by market forces like most anything else in the economy, a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, study finds.

The study's results have implications for biodiversity conservation efforts.

Researchers from UT and the University of Arizona, Tucson, studied how forces such as volatile market conditions and technological substitutes affect the value of pest control services provided by Mexican free-tailed bats on cotton production in the U.S. They found the services are impacted by the forces to the tune of millions of dollars.

The study, conducted by Gary McCracken, professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and led by UA's Laura Lpez-Hoffman, is the first to examine how bat ecosystem services change over time. It is published in this week's edition of the journal PLOS ONE. To view the article, visit http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0087912.

There are more than 1,200 bat species and two-thirds of them are insectivorous, which means they help farmers by preying on pests and reducing the need for insecticides. The researchers calculated the value of the bat pest control service each year from 1990 through 2008 by estimating the value of avoided crop damage and the reduced social and private costs of insecticide use in the presence of bats.

Taking into account a drop in cotton commodity price, the resulting decrease in cotton production and the adoption of transgenic Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) cotton, which is modified to express its own pesticide, the researchers found that the value of the pest control services dropped 79 percent, from a high of $23.96 million in 1990 to a low of $4.88 million in 2008.

"The results of this study document that volatile market conditions and technological substitutes such as Bt cotton can affect the value of an ecosystem service even when ecosystem function, in this case bat population numbers, may remain constant," said McCracken.

The findings fuel a discussion as to whether or not it is economically worthwhile to conserve biodiversity.

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Market Forces Influence the Value of Bat-Provided Services

Port hires bird of prey handler to keep skies over docks free from seagulls

11:00am Monday 3rd February 2014 in News

Meet Layla Bennett and her ten-year-old Harris Hawk, Hope.

Hope is likely to become a familiar sight in the skies above the Port of Southampton after port owner and operator ABP decided to take a natural approach to pest control.

Experienced hawk handler Layla is part of the expert team from Rentokil Pest Control which has been tasked with keeping the port pest-free for the next two years. She will be flying Hope to scare off nuisance birds from the port estate without causing them any harm.

Southampton is the UKs number one vehicle handling port, with around 750,000 vehicles passing over the quayside during 2013, and gulls feeding habits of dropping seashells from height pose a risk of damaging the ranks of new cars awaiting import or export on the port estate. Hopes frequent patrols of the sky will deter the gulls from nesting around the port and put an end to the problem.

The bird flying work is just one element of the contract between ABP and Rentokil Pest Control, which will tackle all manner of unwanted visitors to the port and covers all pest species.

The arrangement will also see Rentokil tackle feral pigeons at ABPs Town Quay and rodents on the port estate as well as monitoring and controlling insects on site.

The contract was awarded after a competitive tender involving four pest control companies. Southampton Port director Nick Ridehalgh said: The gulls are a genuine problem for our vehicle handling business but we were keen to take an environmentally sound and humane approach to the issue.

Hawking represents a natural way to drive the birds elsewhere without causing any harm and protect our growing business.

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Port's 'Hope' in the battle against pests

A pest control company which has been killing stray dogs in Sochi for years said on Monday that it has a contract to exterminate more of the animals throughout the Winter Olympics.

Alexei Sorokin, director general of pest control firm Basya Services, said his company is involved in what he described as the "catching and disposing" of dogs. Sorokin refused to specify whether they shoot or poison dogs or reveal where they take the carcasses.

Thousands of stray dogs are roaming the streets of Sochi, Sorokin said, and some of them are "biting children."

Sorokin said he attended a rehearsal of the Olympic opening ceremony last week and saw a stray dog walking in on the performers.

"A dog ran into the Fisht Stadium, we took it away," he told the AP.

"God forbid something like this happens at the actual opening ceremony. This will be a disgrace for the whole country."

Stray dogs are not uncommon in Sochi and the surrounding area, and many tend to gather near construction sites where they are likely to get food and shelter from workers.

Sorokin's company operates in the Krasnodar region, which encompasses Sochi and the neighbouring area.

Sorokin refused to say how many dogs they kill a year, calling it "a commercial secret."

Sergei Krivonosov, a lawmaker from the Krasnodar region, last year supported the dog culling.

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Sochi gov't orders killing of stray dogs

ATLANTA Circuit of The Americas (COTA), is a world-class performance, education and business center and home to the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix and 2014 ESPN Summer X Games. COTA now features Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) outdoor lighting controls for site and maintenance management of its lighting systems. COTA selected the ROAMview wireless lighting monitoring and control system to help manage the outdoor lighting of its 1,335-acre site including the racetrack, associated facilities and parking lots.

The ROAMview system uses an automated central system with software that reports which lights are on and off, allowing COTA to more closely control lighting and maintenance and react immediately to lighting failures. ROAMview offers the flexibility to wirelessly adjust lighting at an individual fixture level on a daily basis for a variety of events. System benefits include reducing energy consumption and maintenance time and costs.

The system is exceeding expectations; it successfully maintains parking lot, roadway and public walkway lighting with flexibility, said Leo Garcia, COTA head electrician of energy management. It has created a safe and manageable environment for a multitude of events and situations.

COTA installed 139 ROAMview control nodes across the campus. The majority of the nodes were placed on metal halide fixtures within parking lots, along the main street at the venue (COTA Boulevard) as well as on new pedestrian walkways and roadways. ROAMview nodes were also installed in a newly constructed paddock area used for staging equipment.

COTA uses five lighting control scenarios with 10 individual zones to ensure the perfect lighting for every event such as concerts and Grand Prix races. The different scenarios and zones maintain traffic control and safety for pedestrians.

After installing and operating the ROAMview system, the control abilities at COTA have proved versatile and achieved positive feedback. Venue staff has expressed a high level of satisfaction, said Garcia. The ability to easily adjust light settings across such a large area from one central location has made turning on and off lights really flexible for staff, so we hear a lot of positive feedback.

For more information visit http://www.roamservices.net or http://www.acuitybrands.com.

About Acuity Brands Acuity Brands, Inc. is a North American market leader and one of the world's leading providers of lighting solutions for both indoor and outdoor applications. With fiscal year 2013 net sales of over $2 billion, Acuity Brands employs approximately 6,500 associates and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with operations throughout North America, and in Europe and Asia. ROAM, with numerous installations throughout the U.S. and Canada, is the proven leader in outdoor wireless control solutions. The Company's lighting solutions are sold under various brands, including Lithonia Lighting, Holophane, Peerless, Gotham, Mark Architectural Lighting, Winona Lighting, Healthcare Lighting, Hydrel, American Electric Lighting, Carandini, Antique Street Lamps, Sunoptics, Axion Controls, Sensor Switch, Lighting Control & Design, Synergy Lighting Controls, Pathway Connectivity, Dark to Light, ROAM, RELOC Wiring Solutions, Acculamp and eldoLED.

Rachel Kaylor Rachel@sweeneypr.com 910.772.1688 ext. 101

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Circuit of The Americas, Home of the Formula 1 U.S. ...

Lighting is an important yet often overlooked landscape element. Properly placed, it enhances curb appeal, safety and security and also can set a mood and spotlight architectural details.

Use outdoor lighting to showcase a dramatic flowering vine or shrub, accent a sculptural tree or draw out texture within plants. Light up a path or walkway leading to your front entry or identify a point of interest or other visual destination. Create visual effects on a secluded gazebo or outdoor dining room. Or use lighting to capture a waterfall, fountain or other water feature in motion.

Start at the beginning

To begin your outdoor lighting plan, first start with how you currently use and hope to use your yard. Think about the areas that need to be well-lit for safety such as walkways and pathways as well as barbecue and prep areas for outdoor entertaining. Task lighting provides a practical solution for these type of areas or when performing specific activities.

Another way to bring in light is to flank pathways and walkways with solar lights or path lighting. Use built-in step lights to effectively illuminate stairs or place lights on a wall adjacent to the stairwell. Another way to light up steps is to mount "eyebrow" lights on deck rails or posts.

Add accent and ambient lighting

Spotlights and uplights create shadow play and visual effects that cleverly summons the eye to a sculptural tree, statuary or other focal point.

The key to creating accent lighting is to feel its effect without seeing the light source. Shine the light on the feature you want to accent while camouflaging the light source behind a plant, rock or another small structure.

Ambient lighting provides overall illumination, creating a magical ambiance found beneath the star-studded sky and soft glow of a full moon. Often referred to as the "moonlight effect," the goal is to create a beautiful balance between shadows and intense highlights. One way to accomplish that is to weave flickering white lights in the branches of a tree or to mount a few light fixtures on a stable tree limb.

Consider the power source

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Landscape lighting: Increase safety and time spent in the garden

Sandy DeTar and her employees get a peek into their customers lives that is different from most other business people. While other employers go off a resume and conversation with the people they work with, DeTar and her staff are in residents homes.

DeTar and her husband, Curt, the owners of a Molly Maid franchise in Sparks, are in the business of housekeeping and find the service-oriented career is an opportunity to be their own boss while providing some much-needed help for customers who may be more concerned about keeping food on the table than keeping their house squeaky clean.

Its interesting, DeTar said. During the holidays you get to see all the homes decorated and its a nice sight. But you do get a glimpse into a wide variety of living situations.

DeTar personally consults with customers who can have all of part of their house or apartment dusted, vacuumed, cleaned, scrubbed, polished and straightened as needed. Employees work on baseboards, fixtures, appliances and floors of all surfaces. DeTar declined to give a range of prices because competitive nature of the industry, but said she determines her prices based on the amount of time needed to complete the requested cleaning. Cleanings can be on a one-time basis or fixed on a monthly or weekly basis, depending on need.

She has nine full-time employees and one part-time, on-call person to cover during vacations or special days.

We have (customers with) very large homes that might be two-level and they want their whole house cleaned, she said. We will clean anyone who needs and requests for it. No job is too much.

The only impediment to Molly Maid accepting a customer would be for health reasons, she said.

Were not going to clean a home that would not be safe for our employees, whether its a health or hygiene issue, DeTar said. Theres rarely an incident where that happens, but we would not go in and clean a house where theres drug paraphernalia or a blood or safety hazard.

The job is not without its challenges, DeTar shared.

I had done an estimate on the house and the owners said they would pick up the house, DeTar said. But when we got there, it was totally in disarray and there were kids toys and clothes, dishes in the sink, the stoves were not cleaned up and had spills.

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Being a 'Molly'

Freed by deal with government, Internet firms release new data on NSA surveillance requests

WASHINGTON (AP) - Freed by a recent legal deal with government lawyers, major technology firms released new data Monday on how often they are ordered to turn over customer information for secret national security investigations - figures that show that the government collected data on thousands of Americans.

The publications disclosed by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook, LinkedIn and Tumblr provided expanded details and some vented criticism about the government's handling of customers' Internet data in counter-terrorism and other intelligence-related probes. The figures from 2012 and 2013 showed that companies, such as Google and Microsoft, were compelled by the government to provide information on as many as 10,000 customer accounts in a six-month period. Yahoo complied with government requests for information on more than 40,000 accounts in the same period.

The companies earlier provided limited information about government requests for data, but a new agreement reached last week with the Obama administration allowed the firms to provide a broadened, though still circumscribed, set of figures to the public.

Seeking to reassure customers and business partners alarmed by revelations about the government's massive collection of Internet and computer data, the firms stressed details indicating that only small numbers of their customers were targeted by authorities. Still, even those small numbers showed that thousands of Americans were affected by the government requests approved by judges of the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

The data releases by the five major tech firms offered a mix of dispassionate graphics, reassurances and protests, seeking to alleviate customer concerns about government spying while pressuring national security officials about the companies' constitutional concerns. The shifting tone in the releases showed the precarious course that major tech firms have had to navigate in recent months, caught between their public commitments to Internet freedom and their enforced roles as data providers to U.S. spy agencies.

Cars warning each other of collisions? US to propose new rules in hopes of cutting crashes

WASHINGTON (AP) - Your car might see a deadly crash coming even if you don't, the government says, indicating it will require automakers to equip new vehicles with technology that lets cars warn each other if they're plunging toward peril.

The action, still some years off, has "game-changing potential" to cut collisions, deaths and injuries, federal transportation officials said at a news conference on Monday.

A radio signal would continually transmit a vehicle's position, heading, speed and other information. Cars and light trucks would receive the same information back from other cars, and a vehicle's computer would alert its driver to an impending collision. Alerts could be a flashing message, an audible warning, or a driver's seat that rumbles. Some systems might even automatically brake to avoid an accident if manufacturers choose to include that option.

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