The Invisible Florida Brown Recluse Spider
It’s happened again. One of our customers was “bitten by a brown recluse spider.” Unfortunately, this happens several times a year. This is a huge source of frustration for those of us in the pest control industry in east central Florida. We’re not frustrated because so many people are being bitten by the brown recluse […]
Buying a New Home? Don’t Let Pests Go Unnoticed
Buying a new home is an exciting and often stressful proposition. With offers, counter-offers, inspections, financing, and moving plans all happening at the same time, it’s easy to overlook small details. One of those details is the pests that may already be occupying your new home. Some of these “residents” may be of little concern, […]
Universal Pest Control is an SBDC Success Story
Over the past two years, I’ve had the privilege of working with the team at SBDC Daytona to help grow our business. In case you aren’t familiar with this fantastic service, please allow me to enlighten you and share my experience. The Florida SBDC at Daytona State College is a federally and state-funded organization that […]
Backyard Buddies: Opossums in Florida (Please Don’t Hurt Us!)
Just like in the real world, in pest control there are “good guys” and “bad guys.” Also like the real world, it’s not always that cut and dry. Sometimes the “good guys” are widely (but incorrectly) considered to be “bad guys,” and the “bad guys” misinterpreted to be “good guys.” Let’s take a closer look […]
Mowing Your Lawn is Impacting the Environment
Residents of Florida are acutely aware of the effects of surplus nutrients in our coastal waters. The fish deaths due to algae blooms in Mosquito Lagoon and the red tide episodes in the Gulf of Mexico are constant summer reminders of what happens when high nutrient levels are introduced into our coastal aquatic environment. High […]
How to Avoid Bugs in Your Christmas Tree
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! In the spirit of the season, my brother recently forwarded to me a Facebook post that addressed how to avoid bugs in your live Christmas tree. My relationship with technology being what it is, the link promptly disappeared, and I can no longer locate it. Instead, I […]
Reflecting on 2019
As we approach the end of the year, I’ve spent some time reflecting on our business and the changes we’ve seen since 2018. I also find it a valuable opportunity to think about our goals for the future and make plans for 2020. The Support to Succeed For a while now, I’ve been actively engaged […]
The Next Great Nontoxic Pesticide Could Be In Your Fridge
At Universal, one of our core company values is to effectively eliminate pest problems while making the smallest possible impact on the surrounding natural environment. My team and I believe that all humans are stewards of the environment, charged with protecting and preserving it to the extent that we can. In the field of pest […]
Shoo Fly, Don’t Bother Me! How To Get Rid of Flies
As the weather in Florida (sort of) begins to cool down, we’re able to spend more time with doors and windows open and turn the air conditioning off. The vast majority of us have screened in windows and doors, thanks to the “Official Unofficial” State Bird of Florida (the mosquito). Still, in cases where doors […]
How Did Bats Become Associated with Vampires and Halloween?
It is now October, and with it comes all things spooky and scary. It seems as if, overnight from September 30 to October 1, the world breaks out in an infestation of spiders, bats, goblins, ghosts, ghouls, and the rest of their icky ilk. The season got me thinking about spiders recently, which inspired my […]
