Celebrating 20 Years

     We are so proud to announce that Black Knight Termite & Pest Control, Inc. celebrated our very own 20th anniversary last month! We have come a long ways since we first started, particularly growing our small family owned business to a slightly bigger family owned business! 

     Black Knight originally started 20 years ago with only 2 trucks and 2 employees. Since then, we have been so blessed by our community making it possible to expand our family to having 15 trucks and 18 employees! *gasp* We have broadened our areas of expertise significantly as well. We now offer a wide variety of pest services in addition to termite and general pest control, such as gopher control, rodent control, bird control as well as thermal heat treatment!

     Earlier this year, we also acquired a new pest control route taking Black Knight to Redlands, Riverside and Menifee for accounts ranging from commercial to residential. We have seen our greatest improvement in the amount of active pest control routes that we are continuously adding to. Overall, in our 20 years of business, Black Knight has had the pleasure of serving the Riverside, San Diego as well as San Bernardino counties respectfully. 

     We are very proud of where we come from and are looking forward to thriving in the New Year. In light of our 20 year anniversary, all of our trucks are fashioning the new decal posted above. Thanks for all your love and support as we continue doing what we love. Wishing you all a prosperous year

-BK 

A Bed Bug Free Holiday Season

It's officially November which means that it's officially the holiday season! As you already know, this is the time where travel becomes a lot more frequent and you may find yourself staying in hotels or even guest bedrooms as you visit friends and family for the holidays.

A good rule of thumb when settling in to wherever you are staying it that bed bugs can essentially hide anywhere. Contrary to popular belief, bed bugs are not limited to just beds. Meaning, they can hide in couches, luggage, behind picture frames, in closets, in purses, or even coat racks. Wherever people are, bed bugs can hitch a ride and find a new victim to feed on, which makes hotels a perfect place for this. *Cue look of disgust*

Bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed on blood. The Cimex Lectularius, which is the most common among bed bugs, prefers to feed on the blood of humans. (Kinda like vampires...gross!) You can always tell you have a bed bug problem from the tell tale signs:

1. Rusty or reddish stains on bed sheets or mattresses caused by bed bugs being crushed.
2. Dark spots (about this size: • ...)
3. Eggs and eggshells, which are tiny (about 1mm) and pale yellow skins that nymphs shed as they grow larger.
4. Live bed bugs.

If you are unfamiliar with what live bed bugs may look like, they are flat, reddish-brown, oval insects up to 4 to 5 mm long or the size of an apple seed. After a meal, they typically swell up and become more of a reddish color.

Bed bugs are tenacious little buggers (pun intended) because they are constantly moving from one victim to another and are pros at hiding. One way that we can eradicate a bed bug problem is using the thermal heat treating method to kill off the mature adults but also the eggs that they've laid, preventing them from spreading. 

Our advise to have a bed bug free holiday season?

1. Always do a thorough inspection of the bed by pulling back the sheets and observing the mattress seams. 
2. Do a brief inspection of the baseboards, outlets and picture frames remembering to inspect the curtains or drapes. 
3. After traveling, never place your luggage on your bed. Always unpack your luggage in the garage or laundry room and do laundry right away to avoid any bed bugs from spreading, preferably with the hottest water setting possible. 
4 . Call Black Knight for a free bed bug pest inspection so we can prevent an infestation from spreading. 

Happy Holidaying!