I'm not calling today's post Happy Ew Year's Eve

Here's a nice look at some mouse droppings in the middle of a restaurant dining room floor.

You should get to recognize these.

You should never handle these without gloves, and even be careful breathing them in when you sweep up.

Also, be advised that no matter how old they are, the DOH inspector will refer to them as "fresh rodent excreta" on his report.  That's even if they were made by the mice that came over on Noah's ark.

So clean, inspect, clean more, inspect more, and clean some more.

These are your mouse dropping resolutions for 2015.

Ew York City will see you next year.

That never gets old.

Mouse House

Do you see the mouse house?

Near the sidewalk cafe of a restaurant mice were running around right in the middle of dinner.  People were wondering where they could be coming from.

A brief inspection of these planters revealed numerous burrows, as well as "nests" underneath.

This is a reminder that mice don't need large places to call home.  Also, they don't travel very far to get to their food, so just running out from a planter and grabbing a crumb of a $14 hamburger is just what they like.

When you bring nature into the city, nature will win; eventually, nature will win.

Ew York City will be back tomorrow I think.

Heard It Through the Grape Vine

Here's a dark fruit fly, doing what dark fruit flies do, basically annoy you by resting right in front of you on a surface you don't want them resting on.

Smart move at least to cover the raisins.

Gotta find the breeding areas, probably not too far away.

Since you cover everything over night, you could leave a couple traps out, like vinegar traps, things the flies will "think" are uncovered by you by accident, and then, "Sploosh."

I'm not sure if fruit flies care much about good sources of fiber in general, but I'm craving raisins myself.

Ew York City will be back your way tomorrow.

Unwrapped

It's always fun to puff a little product under these traps and see what runs out.

We caught about a hundred water bugs.  Of course they live right under our feet, just enjoying the darkness and the moisture.  Occasionally a rogue comes out and scares the civilians.

This is one of the those spots you want to check every time, and for a while you want to do some MPI (the reverse of IPM).  By that I mean treat first and then inspect.  That's old school son.

Hope everyone of our readers had their dreams fulfilled yesterday, and now your life has meaning.

Ew York City will be back Monday.  Have a happy weekend.

Merry Christmas from Each One of Us

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house

Creatures were stirring, and not just a louse.

The bed bugs were tucked in the mattress with care,

With hopes that my blood filled limbs soon would be there

The children were nestled, all snug in their beds

With no idea that there were bugs they should dread.

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had both been feeling itchy since our afternoon nap.

When under our bedding things started to scatter,

I sprang out of my bed to see what was the matter.

Down to the boxspring I flew like a flash,

Tore up the comforter despite my bad rash.

The bites on our breasts glistened like snow

And led me to believe there were bedbugs below.

When what to my wondering eyes did appear

An infestation that must have been here a year.

So nimbly they crawled, and scampered so quick,

All those blood stains couldn't have been caused by a nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

I never would live long enough to give each one a name.

"Now Sucker, Now Lapper, Now Blood Lust and Trixie!

On Vector, On Stabber, On Dahmer and Stick me!

To the top of the mattress!  To the top of the bed!

Now suck away!  Suck away!  From toes up to head!"

As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly

No obstacle could keep them from my wife's ample thigh.

So up to the boxspring corners they flew

Their survival instinct teaching them just what to do.

And then, in a twinkling, as each little bug shimmered

I saw thousands of eggs on my boxspring glimmer.

And as I peered closer, I detected a scent,

Of over ripe raspberries wherever they went.

The mattress was stained black with droppings of old,

And shed skins were piled high in every fold.

Their bug eyes were compound, and followed us both,

And their little legs let them crawl right under our clothes.

(Okay, I'm getting sick of this.  Let's wrap this up.)

They spoke not a word, but went right to their work,

And stuck to our bodies even if we might jerk.

And one crawling right up the side of my nose,

Deposited excrement as red as a rose.

Then back they all crawled, down under the bed,

And left us only with rashes and bumps quite itchy and red.

And I heard them exclaim, as they crawled out of sight.

"Good night, sleep tight, and technically we don't bite, we suck."

Merry Christmas from Ew York City.

Rataclysm 2015

Nothing like a nice pair of work boots, right?

Oh, you're not impressed with my boot?  You're looking at something else in this picture?

Manhattan is surrounded by rivers, parks, highways, and all sorts of rodents.

As their intelligence continues to develop, their strength continues to grow, their survival instincts continue to be honed like the sharpest of cutlery, our days as the dominant lifeform on this island are numbered.

The best piece of advice I can give you is don't forget to tip your rats this holiday season.

Ew York City will be returning tomorrow for our Christmas Eve Spectacular.

Turn Down Phorid Flies

Who doesn't love Phorid Flies?

Well, you don't, and the inspector from the DOH doesn't.

But I love them, even though it's my job to exterminate them.

Phorid flies are just a brilliantly designed insect,

You probably recognize them by their habit of running really, really fast on a surface instead of just flying away.  "Run Phorid, Run!"

Another interesting thing about them is that some species target ants as prey for their larvae, so they actually can help you reduce your ant problem.  They will actually lay their eggs in the body of ant, and the larvae will crawl to the ant's head and eat it right off of the ant's body.  How cool is that?

They also appear to have a little hump back shape to them.

As with all flies, your sanitation is the key to keeping these flies away from your crab shack.

Ew York City will be sprinting back your way tomorrow.