House wash experiences and spider infestation best practices

[Knuckle Dragger]

I have nothing too add, except a story.
Im from Seattle, we have rats and mice but no bugs worth worrying about.
I also lived in Arizona for several years and was not used to this type of thing.
Well, one morning at about 4 friggen am, my ex wakes me up screaming "Theres a scorpion in the kitchen"
"Get up, do something!!!!
So I put on the steel toe Redwings and went out in my boxers ready to battle the little *******.
No sign of him, Im concentrating and peeking and peering into little spaces..
And the cat walked behind me and brushed the back of my leg with his tail.
I screamed like a little girl, "eeeehh!!!
and jumped so high I took out the florescent light fixture in the ceiling.
Not my proudest moment

Since we're sharing stories LOL

I'm sitting at my desk ordering parts and while on hold I look up at the ceiling and see a small bark scorpion hanging off light right over my head by one claw. I wasn't thrilled since I was on hold. I point it out to my coworker and he starts to freak out a bit. He gets me to hang up and we go out to the shop, I grab broom and he grabs a square shovel. We go back in the office and I bush the scorpion off the ceiling with the broom and my coworker slams the shovel on top of it when it hits the ground. I'm not talking about a simple whack. He hits this thing with a complete over the head slam so hard his feet come off the ground. It was like watching an old time Looney Tunes cartoon type smack down. The force of that shovel hit liquefied the scorpion and sent squishy scorpion bits all over the office, me, him etc. I was a bit shocked and about died laughing and I got the crap off my face.

I never told him about scorpions anymore. I just killed them or swept up the dead ones myself and kept it quiet LOL.

 

[1ton-o-fun]

We actually have scorpions here in Kentucky! Well, one type(that's enough, thanks!) called Southern Red Devils. Took me 49 years to see one (27 actually) they seem to like decaying leaves. -Plenty of that around here.

 

[thinger2]

I once bought new heater hoses for my K5.
Came out on the weekend to put em on and Im missing a hose.
Cant find it anywhere had to get another one.
My ex used to let the cats out in the garage and they would get into the truck whenever I had the hard top off of it.
About a week later she is in the basement full on freaking out and using a broom beat the crap out of a "snake" that is under the stairs.
Got a flashlight.
It was my heater hose.
The damn cat drug that hose out of the truck. through the house and down into the basement.
But the best part was the cat was behind us watching the whole thing and wagging its tail and just amused as hell about it

 

[kennythewelder]

I once bought new heater hoses for my K5.
Came out on the weekend to put em on and Im missing a hose.
Cant find it anywhere had to get another one.
My ex used to let the cats out in the garage and they would get into the truck whenever I had the hard top off of it.
About a week later she is in the basement full on freaking out and using a broom beat the crap out of a "snake" that is under the stairs.
Got a flashlight.
It was my heater hose.
The damn cat drug that hose out of the truck. through the house and down into the basement.
But the best part was the cat was behind us watching the whole thing and wagging its tail and just amused as hell about it

Thats a cat for you. Funny as hell. I have had many different pets. Dogs a are grate, but like having a child. They always need attention. Yes they are trainable, and can do a lot of things, but a cat is something else. They are a trip.

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[thinger2]

Thats awesome. Ive had cats my whole life.
Ive never had a decent nights sleep either!
Our old boy is now 16 and just dont give a ****.
I was up at 3am today because he was ripping the hair out of my head
Get me my damn Friskies ******* or its gonna get worse
Cats are a trip

 

[F4U-1A]

Jesus, I had the Packers Bears game on. Trying to get up to speed with the forum. What the F? The tv is showing me how to make mash potatoes now. Cats rats spiders ex wifes scorpians, you people are killing me. Going to have nightmares if and when I go to bed.

 

[aaronb]

I'm licensed in Kentucky and Indiana. 11 years of residential, commercial and hospital pest management. I would probably still be there if one of my hospital customers didn't recruit me for my current management position. Perdue University has 4 courses in pest management. Completion of the 4th course puts you at the top of the food chain here as Master Technician. I had just started that last course before being approached about my current job. I enjoyed the challenges and helping people.

I was in the process of doing the Purdue courses when I worked for one of the big 3 companies 4 years ago. Left that company to work for another that doesn't require it.
I still have their book.
Ill look at it once in awhile.
I love my job, like you said.
The challenges, and helping people.
I have a couple families that I have been taking care of for years that have followed me from company to company.

 

[aaronb]

As for stories, I've been doing pest control for 12 years now.
I've had some run ins with some ****.
I've been chased out from under a house by raccoons, i had a bob cat under a house and its pretty common up in the Lake Tahoe area to have bears hibernating in crawlspace's in those homes during the winter.
As for the spiders, scorpions, wasps. They don't freak me out.
Its bed bugs that I'm worried about bringing home after going into some of the nastiest homes and apartments that I go into.
I have some tweeker apartments that I have on a weekly contract.
Its amazing how people can live in filth and not give a **** and it affects their neighbors and even a whole building when it gets out of hand. When the source of the problem doesn't say anything and it spreads through out a building.
I've had a couple units where I've walked in and right out after seeing the walls and floors literally covered in bed bugs.
Ill go back to the truck. Put on my haz mat suit, get the duct tape out.
Tape my sleeves, my pant legs and even spray my boots down with what I'm using to prevent me from taking them home.

 

[1ton-o-fun]

I don't miss explaining over and over that bed bugs don't fly or jump...

I do miss many of the families I became close to. Was also a great way to come across cars and trucks. I've bought a few from customers and I have a few stories about others. I know where a 2k mile 7 Up Mustang convertible sits, several 1 owner cars and trucks. A 25 car C-body (big cars) Mopar collection. A guy with more guns than blades of grass. A lot of interesting people, and yes, a lot of disgusting people too.

 

[aaronb]

Thankfully my route area is mainly high end areas and are mostly vacation homes that I might see the customers once a year during the summer months. I' have a couple celebrities, athletes, musicians and some ceo's of some big companies that I take care of.
The car and motor cycle collections, and just seeing the monster homes that only a few can afford is cool to see.
As for more bed bugs, I love when the people with money think they only go after the poor.
Most of them travel alot and they don't understand that we call them hitch hikers for a reason.
They get into their clothes or on their luggage and they bring them home.
I've treated a couple 10k +square foot homes for the damn things.
Like you know, the treatments are a pain in the ass and its not a quick spray and you are done.
We have to go through everything.
Furniture, clothes, pulling up carpet, removing wall plates so we can get into the wall voids to get product into those areas they bunker down in.