(NAPSA)—There’s no need to go buggy worrying about bugs in your home. A whopping 90 percent of homeowners say they have had an insect infestation—and you can learn a lot from the results of a recent survey. When it comes to bed bugs, respondents agreed New York has the worst problem, with California and Florida first and second run- ners-up. Homeowners ranked Florida as the state with the worst bug infestation problems— including ants, termites and cockroaches. Louisiana and Texas were runners-up. Ant infestation was rated the most common insect annoyance by homeowners interviewed in the Infogroup/ORC survey sponsored by BASF Pest Control Solutions. Nearly 60 percent of those ques- tioned said ants were “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to infest their homes. In contrast, about a quarter (27 percent) of respondents said they were “likely” to suffer from a termite infestation. Sales of insecticides also validate homeowners’ beliefs about the “overall buggiest states.” Researchers compared the survey results with sales of Termidor termiticide/insecticide along with sales of over-the-counter products containing permethrin, a major ingredient in many insecticides sold at home-improvement and hardwarestores. While Florida, Louisiana, Texas and California were considered the buggiest states, Georgia, New York and Mississippi trailed close “Buggiest”States in the U.S. a = @ Pest management professionals are best equipped to recognize bugs and successfully treat a homeinfestation. behind. Washington, D.C., South Dakota, Connecticut and Idaho were rated least buggy. The survey also provided in- sight on the debate over “doing it yourself” versus calling a profes- sional. Among the 90 percent of homeowners who have had a bug infestation, 63 percent tried to treat it themselves and only 23 percent called a professional right away. Forty percent of those who tried to treat it themselves had to call in a professional anyway and 86 percent of those who called a professional reported success. It’s important to be vigilant. Some species of ants and termites are wood-destroying pests. Termites alone cause $5 billion in property damage each year. If you think your houseis infested, call a pest management professional. For more information, visit www.termiteinstitute.com, www.antinstitute.com or www. bedbuginstitute.com.
