Charlie Roy
From rodents to bed bugs Exterminator Charlie Roy has dealt with a wide variety of pests in 31 years
By Jason Arndt – Staff writer
With nearly three decades of experience, Charlie Roy has tackled just about every pest problem while serving hundreds of clients in Racine, Kenosha and Walworth counties. Roy, the owner of Pest Control Solutions Now, is a member of both the Wisconsin Pest Control Association and National Pest Management Association and also carries licenses to practice in the state. As the sole employee of the company, he has helped clients who have issues with rodents, spiders, mosquitoes, cockroaches, bed bugs, ants, centipedes, Asian beetles and box elder bugs. “Helping people protecting their investment from unwanted insects and rodents” is what he finds most satisfying about his job. “I service both commercial, industry to residential for the past 30 years,” Roy added. Typically, he is able to reduce or eradicate pests by identifying where they are coming from. The task, he said, can include multiple pesticide applications and using different techniques. “How I fix the issue is to find out where they are coming in and treating the areas where they are coming from,” Roy said. “Sometimes to correct the pest issue, it can take several times of treating the areas and using different techniques to solve the problem.” One technique includes using infrared technology, which can detect sources of moisture, where pests often reside.
Pests are cyclical
Different pests arrive at different times, depending on the time of the year, he said. From August until March, rodents are most active. Then, from March through October, clients often see ants, centipedes, Asian beetles and box elder bugs. However, some pests, like bed bugs, cockroaches and spiders are pests that occur throughout the year. Bed bugs, he said, have been on the rise and present the most challenges of all pests.
Unpredictable bugs
According to the University of Wisconsin-Extension, bed bugs are flat, wingless insects about 1/4 inch long and could range in color from near white to brown. The pests feed on blood from animals or people and they turn to rusty red after feeding. Symptoms include itching, which can cause breaks in skin, and can lead to infection or an allergic reaction in some people. They were dubbed bed bugs because they hide in bedding and mattresses. “Bed bugs seem to be on the rise because of all the ways they can come in your home or business,” Roy said. “Bed bugs are most difficult to treat.” Unlike bed bugs, another blood-sucking insect, the mosquito is more predictable.
Mosquito tips
Considering this summer season, where there has been extreme heat followed by sporadic and excessive rainfall, mosquitoes have emerged as a problem. “With all the rain we have had and followed by warm temperatures, mosquitoes are out in full force,” Roy said. To curb population growth of mosquitoes, Roy recommends people remove standing water on their property and treat bushes. “Mosquitoes spend their first 10 days in water, so reducing the water around your home or business will help,” said Roy, noting the average life span of a mosquito is less than two months. Roy said human sweat attracts mosquitoes and suggests wearing lighter color clothes when outside, since people often perspire with dark colored clothes. Mosquitoes can also detect human breath. For people seeking to eradicate the mosquito population from their property, Roy uses a fogger to apply a chemical, which, he said, can offer protection of up to 30 days.
“This article is presented with permission of Southern Lakes Newspapers where it first appeared.”