How Can You NOT Want to Kiss an Opossum? : )

Dusty Showers — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:55:17 +0000

Limpkin Rescued on Christmas Day

Dusty Showers — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 01:58:44 +0000

Dusty Showers catches a Limpkin with a broken wing after a two hour chase. He was in the swamp looking for Christmas day snakes…no snakes but he noticed the bird and it’s wing was hanging. The Limpkin put up quite a chase, at times he ran after it, then it would duck under the scrub. After 4 or 5 times as he was ready to give up, then the Limpkin would show up again. Finally, he decided to give up and got in his truck and started to head down the dirt road…and there he was. When he was chasing it, he knew his only hope was to stalk it enough until it got itself into a corner. As he was leaving, the Limpkin ducked into thick brush over the water. Dusty was finally able to get him as he got caught up with it…while a gator was watching 20 yards away in the same water!

Burmese Python Removal on Bay News 9!

Dusty Showers — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 01:50:42 +0000

Dusty Showers of Creepy Creatures Pest and Wildlife Busters removing a 12 foot Burmese python of the front porch of a Tampa Bay Home live on Bay News 9.

Bats In Your Belfry

Dusty Showers — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:02:30 +0000

What really perplexes me is WHY bats get such a bad rap? There are probably more untrue myths about bats than any other animal. As one of my favorite animals, bats are not only cute…but they are also beneficial. While there are many, many different types of bats they all share the trait of being the only mammal that can truly fly. Other things you may not know about bats are:

They ARE NOT rodents or “flying rats.” Bats are more closely related to dolphins than rodents.
They are not blind at all although they primarily rely on ecolocation to navigate through the darkness.
Most bats DO NOT carry rabies. Less than 1/2 or 1% of bats have rabies & when they do, they normally die within 2-3 days.
Only the vampire bat feeds off blood…they are in Northern South America and Central America, not Florida.
They DO NOT get tangled in hair.
There are NO registered bat repellents.
In Florida, it is illegal to remove bats from a building mid-April through mid-August. Doing so, may kill baby bats in the house and cause many more problems that follow…
They ARE cuter than all get-up. : )

If you think you have a bat “situation” please call Creepy Creatures to find out how to best deal with them.

To find out more about bats please visit my friends George and Cyndi Marks at www.FloridaBats.org

What’s the Buzz on Bees?

Dusty Showers — Tue, 18 May 2010 16:01:24 +0000

While the visions of honeybee swarms moving in and stinging everything in sight is a scary thought, reality is far different than the thought of it. When a honey bee nest gets to a certain size…new queens take off in search of a new place to begin their hive. The size of this is impressive, hundreds and hundreds of bees moving through the air in a loosely formed group…quite scary…but quite harmless.

At Creepy Creatures, we get many phone calls from concerned homeowners that watch as a swarm of bees quickly move in and take up residence on the side of their home. They are always surprised when I advise them to give the situation a day to see if it resolves it’s self. More times than not, it was just the swarm settling down for the night only to leave the next morning in search of a new home.

There are plenty of “professionals” that will describe many of the bees they encounter as “Killer Bees” or more accurately “Africanized honey bees.” The truth is that it can be difficult to accurately determine what kind of bees unless you are a highly trained bee specialist…and most of us are not. Africanized honey bees are known for being more aggressive and give longer chase than domestic species. Their venom is also no more potent, but they do tend to deliver more stings as a colony.

The best thing you can do when you find a swarm of bees on your property is to let it sit overnight, then determine if it needs to be removed. Simply having bees on your property does not mean they need to be removed. If they are 30 feet in a tree, they are most likely more beneficial then harmless : )

Assissin Bug…yes, we have them in Tampa Bay

Dusty Showers — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:59:19 +0000

It the spiders and the mosquitos that get the bad rap for biting; however there is a lesser known creature called an “assassin bug” that loves to bite too. Be sure you know what you are picking up : )

The Secret to Spiders

Dusty Showers — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:07:52 +0000

I often get calls for spiders…people want me to come out and “spray” for spiders. Roaches and ants can feed on a variety of things, many of which can consist of household things…food products, dead insects and even glue…and of course in the case of termites, all they need is wood. So when someone has spiders, you need to first consider what spiders eat. All spiders feed off of live prey…such as ants, roaches, flying insects/bugs and…termites.

So if you treat a spider problem by spraying the spiders, you are not solving the underlying problem. Just this week a friend tweeted me about a spider problem. I told her to look for ants. The next day she told me there were no ants…it was termites : ) Find the spider’s food source and the problem will be solved.

My two favorite things…opossums & playing in traffic : )

Dusty Showers — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:03:42 +0000

Bugs, Snakes, Bees and Oprah

Dusty Showers — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:36:05 +0000

Spring has sprung in Tampa Bay and it’s off to the races in the animal and bug business. The phone at Creepy Creatures has started to ring with all sorts of things from the normal ants and roaches to honey bees and snakes….quite a few snakes actually : )

I am in awe that I get paid to do what I did when I was 7 years old. Catching snakes has always been a favorite activity of mine, I even enjoy a snake hunt in my off time. In fact, last weekend I put on facebook that I was going to spend the day looking for snakes….20 minutes later I get a call for a snake…life is good….Now if I could get paid to play with Tonka trucks and chuck rocks I’d be in heaven.

In the last few days I got a hold of a western diamondback rattlesnake, a opossum in Target, honeybees 70′ high and perhaps one of the coolest black racers in a pool heater.

Many of you know that I an an advocate for breast cancer. Recently, as a result of a submission from my friend Darlene Murry, Oprah sent a camera crew to one of my fundraisers. We are now in the production phase and if everything works out I’ll be flying to Chicago to tape : ) Life gets a little surreal when you find yourself logging on the the Harpo server file share thiny….

So, before the bugs starta’ crawlin’ make sure you’re protected…and to the women, please do your self-exams.

The Bugs…They Are A Breedin’

Dusty Showers — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:14:47 +0000

You may not know this but the stork comes for the bugs too in Tampa Bay. As we get closer to spring the bugs are getting ready to multiply…and multiply they do. Whether it’s roaches, ants or wasps…they are planning to have a big summer.

Your best bet is to be prepared. It is far easier to prevent a problem than stop an infestation once it occurs. A good inspection and a thorough treatment will ensure a bug free house this summer.