The image of someone shrieking at the sight of a mouse and jumping on a couch is a common one in movies and television, but is not a useful or helpful reaction to a real rodent problem.  Real rodent control problems are far more serious than that, and one of the biggest issues with rodents is that the knowledge that you have a rats or mice in your home might not be as obvious as seeing one scurry across the room.  They often live in cabinets and other storage areas where there is food.  They can even hide inside appliances, spaces in the wall, as well as closets and attics.  They really try to do their best not to be seen so that they can continue to live in your warm comfortable home and eat your food.

Luckily, they can’t stay completely hidden. You can find signs of mice and rats, usually by seeing their rodent feces.  Mice droppings are small, like the size of a grain of rice, but rat droppings are typically larger.  You can also see evidence of a rodent problem by finding boxes of food with holes chewed through them or bags of rice or other food that has been opened with a small hole.

Although no one wants a mouse or rodent infestation in their home, mice and rats can be taken care of by hiring a trained exterminator.  Exterminators have a lot of different techniques and methods that they can use to effectively remove the problem.  While some people are opposed to certain kinds of techniques, it is usually possible to find a rodent extermination expert who will use the kind of procedure that you will be happy with and that will also get rid of your problem, such as eco-friendly techniques or those that are a bit more humane than a snap trap.

Once your rodent control problem has been abated, there are some things that you can do in order to prevent them from returning.  You can patch up spaces in walls where they burrow, keep food more tightly stored in plastic containers rather than bags or boxes, and keep an eye on boxes and other things you bring into your home.  After you have taken the effort to hire someone to rid your home of mice or rats, you do not want them to return.

Certain people have an innate gift for repairing the little problems that often arise.  These are the people who would repair the family toaster as a child or change the tire on their parent’s car as a teenager.  On the contrary, while certainly the skills of repair, fixing things, and assembling things can be learned, some people just never quite develop a knack for solving these kinds of problems.

For those people, there is no shame in asking for help to get things done.  For some, it is easy to ask a friend, neighbor, or spouse to help with such a project. But, for those who live alone, or for those families where no one has the ability to help,  it is often easier to just hire a handyman or a handyman service.

While the term “handyman” is commonplace, many people don’t realize there are people and companies who specialize in doing a variety of small jobs that make living in your home easier. 

Although the specific services provided may vary from company to company, you can expect that most handymen, a term that includes both male and female workers, would be able to help you with repair projects, such as fixing a broken window or repairing some damaged trim or molding throughout the home.

Better than just repair, however, a handyman can also tackle routine maintenance projects, such as installing towel racks or door knobs, hanging pictures on the wall, cleaning gutters, and replacing filters in your heating unit.  Some full service handyman companies can also deal with larger projects, such as installing attic stairs, replacing blinds and even adding or creating closet organizers.

It is also possible to hire someone for those difficult assembly jobs.  Everyone loves the inexpensive furniture that you can find at certain stores, but no one loves putting together all those parts with nothing more than picture directions and an allen wrench provided.  These projects, however, would be easily tackled by an experienced handyman.

Although paying someone to do these tasks will obviously cost more than doing it yourself, think about all the time you lose trying to do one of these projects yourself, and failing, and the damage you may cause as a result.  You will find that the typically low cost of a handyman will be a better deal than the difficulty of trying to attempt it yourself.

In this economy, it can be difficult to sell your home. With so few buyers getting home loan approval these days, we’re in a terrifying market. As a result, when you finally do get a contract with someone to buy your home, you don’t want the deal to get derailed by something that comes up in the inspection report.  One big issue that will certainly cause the deal to fall through is if there is a termite control problem discovered in your home.

Termites thrive in areas that have wood and moisture, which means that not only is a wood house  at risk, but also any wood parts in the interior of a brick home as well, such as framing.  Termites eat the wood, which causes structural damage and can lead to the weakening of walls and beams, which can lead to collapsing walls and even the roof if the problem goes untreated.

A termite problem is not one that you can hide and hope is not discovered in an inspection because the damage is obvious and an inspector will easily find the problem and alert the potential buyer.  It is also considered to be a serious issue, given the long-term damage that can result, and anyone can get out of the contract because of termite damage.

So, before you try to sell your home, you need to get your termite control problem taken care of.  Alternatively, if you are unaware that you have a termite problem, and it is discovered in the inspection, you should get it taken care of to keep the deal going or so that it is ready to be approved by the next potential buyer that comes along.

Thanks to the prevalence of termites in the area, there are many companies in Arkansas that specialize in termite treatments.  Before you select one, ensure that the company that you choose has experience in all the latest techniques for dealing with and eradicating termites. 

One of the best methods is Termidor, which is a product that slowly kills off a termite population by working by spreading from one termite to another.  This is highly effective because then the whole population can be destroyed, not just those termites that are visible.  It is a fairly easy solution to a big problem that can end up costing you much more in the long-run if left untreated.

Termites can be one of, if not the largest, problem a homeowner can face. Termites cause billions of dollars in damage to US homes every year.

If you see suspicious bugs around your home and suspect a termite problem, contact termite control company Hopper Environmental Services immediately. Hopper will come out to your home and thoroughly inspect your property. If you do have termites, we will create a termite treatment plan to eliminate the termite from your home.

What started as an eco-friendly trend has quickly become a way of life for many Americans, but an area of life that are frequently overlooked when talking about eco-friendly initiatives are the four-legged family members that run freely around our homes. 

Pet maintenance is a billion dollar industry in this country and, unfortunately, many of the commonly used products for pet care are not meeting our new ‘green’ expectations.  Similarly, many of the products that we use around the house for pest control are potentially harmful to the environment are also a potential threat to our furry loves.

Clean Your Dog Green

Avoiding unwanted dirt, mud, and pests in your home means regularly bathing your pet.  Choosing eco-friendly, organic shampoos is a great way to begin making the transition to a greener approach to animal care.  As an added benefit, these naturally made products tend to be nicer to the dog’s skin and especially favored by owners of pets with sensitivities.

Forget the Clumps

When it’s not a dog, but rather a cat that you must care for, turn to organic litter options, rather than the strip-mined clumping clay for the litter box.  The process for securing the latter is very damaging to the planet.

Prevent Pests

Many pet owners turn to commercially produced, toxic flea and tick prevention measures.  Not only is this a very expensive means of trying to keep the common household irritants away, it is also bad for the planet and dangerous for the animals. Today, there are many natural flea and tick control and prevention products that are equally as effective without the potential for harm to the earth or your loved ones.  If your home is already infested with the troublesome bugs, contact a company that practices green pest control and ask about eco-friendly treatment options.  There are some available today and the professional touch can help to ensure that you get rid of the problem immediately, rather than letting the pests feed on your animals for months or years to come.  Keep in mind that thorough cleaning of your home, including basements and other areas that might be damp, is a great step in reducing the issue until the specialists can come in and clean up the rest.

It should also be noted that animal feces is an invitation for other common household pests.  Cleaning up after your pet or setting aside a particular part of the year, furthest from the house, is an excellent way to naturally reduce the risk of future insect infestations.

You might have noticed small piles of chewed up paper, string, or other material and recognized it as a sign of a rodent infestation.  Perhaps, instead, it was the droppings that tipped you off, or maybe you just saw a scampering little fur ball moving past you at lightening speed.  Whatever the reason was, leaning that your home has a rodent control problem can be very upsetting.  Determining what exactly the rodent is can be challenging.

Though most pest control companies will assist with either problem, if you intend to try it on your own, you’ll want to know what you are up against.  There are a few different ways that you can determine whether it is a mouse or a rat that made the mess in the corner of your cupboard under the stairs in your basement.

Though they may appear similar at a glance, mice and rats are quite different.  In fact, they are two entirely different species.  Rats, though they tend to grown larger, actually mature more slowly.  They can take up to fifteen days to develop the fur commonly associated with the animal.  Before that, they are naked.  Similarly, mice will make the same transformation, but will do so in just ten days.  Once grown, however, the rat will dwarf the average mouse.  The latter will grow to a maximum of eight inches including the length of the tail, whereas a rat can reach a full twenty inches.

On a mouse, the tail is often shorter than the length of the body, but rats can have a tail that exceeds the nine inch length of their bodies.  Mice tend to have a shorter, rounder face, but rats’ will grow in more of a triangular shape, where the tip is a small nose.  Rats also tend to have ears that look large compared to the overall size and shape of the head.  The opposite is true of mice.

You haven’t seen the rodent?  Don’t worry.  Very often you can tell what you are up against simply by looking at the feces.  Mouse excrement is very tiny, smaller than a grain of rice, but rat feces, due to their larger size, can be an inch in length or more.

There are many available ways to get mice or rats out of your home from a convention snap trap, to live traps, and even different forms of poison.  If the problem does get too far out of hand, expert pest control specialists with a rodent elimination program can be hired to handle the issue for you.

The certification of LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, holds a very special significance in the hearts and minds of many Americans today.  As eco-friendly trends have become a way of life for a large percentage of this country’s population, a LEED certification is something that should be commended.

Many sites are eligible for LEED certification today. As long as they meet a minimum score on the scale of eco-friendly objectives.  Offices, libraries, schools, museums, retail sites, hotels, and even single-family residences can be considered for this prestigious certification.  While agreeing to live by the standards set forth by the LEED program does limit some things, it does not include lawn care and green pest control among them.

Regardless of how eco-friendly a home is, it can still be at risk for unwanted visitors and four-legged squatters. Furthermore, many common ground pests, such as weeds, insects, moles, and more can make it difficult to keep a yard looking healthy. 

Today, certified pest control agencies are able to inspect for, take preventative actions against, and even treat for all of the most common forms of household pests.  There are many non-chemical actions that can be taken to reduce the risk of invasion, including general lawn, building, and sanitary management.  However, if termites, ants, rodents, or other pests do make their way in, there are also treatments that can be considered. 

Though the goal is to get rid of the unwanted guests without chemicals, the certifying board does realize that occasionally, the need for pesticides is undeniable.  Many household pests are very difficult to get rid of even with the most advanced pesticides, so to do so without taking these measures can be impossible. 

Fortunately,  in those instances, the pest control specialists can develop the most eco-friendly approach to ridding the house of the specific pest with products that are effective at very low doses and which biodegrade very quickly.  As more effort is put into the development of eco-friendly products and more is learned about the behaviors of the common household pests, the ability to treat problems without risk to the environment becomes more and more of a reality.

Many are excited to find that this green-minded approach to property care is often more cost-effective than traditional approaches. Rather than chemically treating a property to prevent unwanted weeds, insects, rodents, and other pests, these green pest control services for LEED buildings rely on regular inspection to locate problem areas earlier and deal with localized issues only as needed.

Businesses and other institutions can play an important role in protecting the environment and preserving natural resources Hopper Environmental Services has committed and pledged Environmental Stewardship by joining the EPA Environmental Protection Agency and partnering with them in the PESP (Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program).

Organizations pledge that environmental stewardship is an integral part of pest control, and they commit to working toward pesticide practices that reduce risk to humans and the environment. Hopper Environmental Services, Inc has taken a strategic approach to risk reduction and undertaken specific, measurable activities toward achieving their risk reduction goals. Hopper Environmental Services, Inc is the first and only Pest Management company in Arkansas to be recognized as a partner with EPA.

The scorpion, much like the many varieties of spiders that commonly invade homes across this country, are interesting species.  Though most people don’t welcome them in the home and will want to get rid of them when they try to make their way in, there are many things about these household pests that are very unique to the species.


The Senses

Scorpions cannot see well, despite having between six and a dozen eyes.  Differentiating between light and dark is about the extent of what they manage.  It is not their vision that they rely on when hunting for food or detecting a potential threat. 

Instead, these insects use a strong sense of smell to locate food and will let vibrations tell them more about the environment around them.  The poor vision could be due to their nocturnal tendencies.  This is not a pest that you will see venturing through your home during the daytime hours, in most cases.  Scorpions will find holes and other hiding places to tuck away in until night falls.

The Life of a Scorpion

Even before birth, the scorpion develops its own venom.  The type of substance secreted depends on the species.  Though there are approximately ninety types of scorpion, only a quarter of the known species have venom capable of causing illness or death in humans.  The main purpose of the toxin is to be injected into prey, where it turns the innards into a liquid that can be sucked out by the hungry scorpion. A sting to humans can induce migraine-like headaches, which last a week or longer.

However, before the newborns go on a hunt, they must grow.  Scorplings, as the babies are called, will ride on their mother’s back for weeks before travelling out on their own.  Females will generally grow faster and larger than their male counterparts and, in some instances, the mother will feed on her young or the male that impregnated her.  On average a scorpion will live between two and ten years in the wild, but in captivity they can live much longer – up to twenty-five years.  Depending on the species, they will grow to be as little as half an inch long or up to more than seven inches in length.

Where They are Found

Antarctica is the only continent that is not home to a population of scorpions.  Pest control services have had to develop unique ways to deal with the troublesome insects, which share genetic traits with mites, spiders, and ticks.  They will generally find homes around rocks, sand, or trees, but as long as there is soil nearby and areas to hide away during the day, scorpions can adapt.  Though the majority of the species prefer warm climates with temperatures between sixty and one hundred degrees Fahrenheit, there are varieties that can make homes in climates that experience freezing temperatures.  Eighteen species can be found in the state of Texas, but some of the most dangerous varieties are found in North Africa and the Middle East.  The most poisonous scorpion is the Arizona Bark Scorpion. The Stripped Bark Scorpion is native to Arkansas.

Finding small, but damaging bugs travelling through the walls of your home can be quite devastating. The good news, though, is there are a variety of options for removing pesky termites from your home today.  Though calling in the termite treatment professionals is the first step, it is also wise to survey your home for any potential areas that could have acted as an invitation for the unwelcomed dwellers. 


Termites are most frequently found in areas where wood makes direct contact with soil, but they can also seek out stored newspapers, cardboard boxes, construction debris, and similarly organic waste.  Removing these, when possible, is a good way to ensure that the pests won’t return.  It is also suggested that homeowners fix leaky spouts, faucets, and get rid of any sitting water around the house, as the insects enjoy moist environments.

Once you have placed the phone call and finished cleaning up any potential problem areas, it might be good to consider the treatment options that are available for termite control.  Keep in mind, however, that termite control is a job for the professionals.  It is possible to contaminate your living areas, you water supplies, and more, making your home an unsafe place for you and your loved ones.  For this reason and because of the fact that control can be a very difficult and tedious process, it is never recommended that you attempt to cure the problem on your own.

Chemical Barrier Treatment and Prevention

The title says it all with this form of treatment.  Contrary to common misperception, termites do not always live in the wood of the home.  In the vast majority of cases, their nest exists in the soil just outside.  Laying down a barrier that does not allow them to pass between the food source (wood, cardboard, etc.) and their colony is a very fast and effective way to rid your home of the pests.  Within a few days, a house will typically be termite-free.  Unfortunately, there is a downside to this method.  Many of the chemicals can leach into the soil.  That makes the treatment less effective and can also be damaging to the environment, as well as a potential threat to clean water supplies.  The process can also involve ripping up flooring and drilling through concrete in order to ensure that the barrier extends beneath the house as well.  In addition, the chemicals are often detected by termites before they come in contact with it, which lessens, so, although they may leave the house alone, they are not truly eliminated, which risks re-invasion.

Termidor For Termite Control

Like the chemical barrier, this method of termite control does rely on precision placement of the concoction around and beneath the home.  The thing that this newer form of treatment has over the original, however, is that it is invisible to the creatures it aims to get rid of.  Termites cannot detect Termidor.  They move through it, eat around it, and carry it back to their nest.  It is also highly effective at much smaller doses than the original chemical barriers, which means less risk to the environment, while homeowners continue to enjoy the speed and effectiveness.

If you suspect you have termites, contact Hopper Environmental Services today. Hopper will conduct a thorough inspection of your property and then recommend a treatment plan tailored to your situation, your structure’s construction, where it is situated and the degree of infestation.

When you think about household pests, what comes to mind?  Mice, termites and spiders might come quickly to mind.  Most homeowners feel pretty confident that they will know how to handle these common household annoyances.  But what happens when a pest is larger and more dangerous?  Wildlife can also become nuisance wildlife in many Arkansas homes and yards.


Raccoons, opossums, bats, birds and other wild animals can do damage both inside and outside your home.  The can sneak into eaves and attics or nest in crawl spaces.  They can get under the house and pull out insulation and ducting for their nests, costing homeowners plenty of money in lost energy and repairs.  They can plague industrial locations and become a serious problem for safety.

Not every pest control company is equipped to handle wildlife pests.  They may not have the right traps or expertise to snare a wily raccoon or the nerve to get rid of an angry skunk.  It takes a special company to deal with these wild nuisances.

Wildlife animals are usually shy when it comes to humans.  A few, like the raccoon, have become used to us but most want nothing to do with people.  They will only get close to human-occupied territory when they are in need.  They come to your home or business for a few simple reasons.

• There is a source of food.
• There is a source of water.
• There is available shelter.

That’s all these animals need or want.  If your home or office has even a small meal and a protected place to rest, it can become home to a wild animal.  You may not even be aware that your home is providing a food source.  For instance, a porch light that is attracting moths looks like a lovely buffet meal to a bat.

You need a company that is well-versed in dealing with wildlife nuisances.  The company you choose should be able to offer options to get rid of your pest problems.  Here are a few of the solutions that your pest control agent could offer.

• Chimney caps
• Trap and release
• Bird spike installation
• Bat proofing
• Environmental control measures (trimming tree branches, etc.)
• RepellantsGutter-guard installation

No matter what animal is bothering you, you can find a reputable pest control company to manage the problem.  Hopper Environmental Services is a local expert in these matters.  Hopper has the tools and the training needed to keep even the most stubborn wildlife out of your home.