“Screw succession: termite queen found to be genetically immortal.”
It’s all about the Queen, long may she reign! Right? It is kind of interesting when she technically can create an exact replica of herself by cloning.
Photo by PPMA
Trust is an important word in any business along with integrity.
- 93% of our business is from referrals, that speaks volumes on the integrity and trust of ProBest.
- In business since 1981.
- QualityPro – QualityPro Schools, Food Protection and GreenPro, since 2005.
- Rated A+ with the BBB.
- Termite and pest services to residential and commercial – one stop shopping options.
- Gold member of the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP)since 2010 – Gold membership is reserved for PESP’s outstanding environmental stewards. These members’ demonstrated commitment to pesticide risk reduction makes them models for other PESP members. Gold members may develop an IPM strategy, demonstrate significant and sustained progress in reducing pesticide risks, and independently measure the progress of their IPM implementation.
- On staff Associate Certified Entomologist
Trust ACE
“Pantry pests harbor plastic-chomping bacteria” A few insects use their guts to break down wood and various other harder to digest type food – top one in my mind are termites. Termites use a protozoa to break down cellulose which they gather on a daily basis.
It is amazing to me that animals, insects and other forms of life adapt to human life on this planet. Can’t wait to see what is next? Anyone else heard of any amazing type critters?
Well I have to say you learn a lot here in the field, when checking a waterbed it is important to completely take the bed apart. Every square inch of the bed needs to be taken apart and carefully inspected for bugs.
So lesson learned – you must be diligent in your endeavor and track down those pesky BedBugs. This picture above is the plywood that holds up the mattresses or waterbed. Check out All Things BedBugs
Photo by FMC
So just how much pressure is on your home, that question is important and many factors play into this equation.
- If you live on the East Coast or Gulf of Mexico the pressure will be greater than if you lived up North. Yes you do have termites in the North but because of he extreme cold the pressure will be reduced.
- Water plays a big part of the pressure round your home. When people started to settle in Arizona they brought in non-native plants which required more watering. Flood and drip irrigation = humidity level goes up.
- We sometimes play right into the termites hand by building structures right where they live in the ground. We also allow wood to touch the ground, this really makes it easier on the termites.
- If you add onto your home insist on a pretreat, even if your build a shed pretreat the soil before the concrete slab goes into place.
I think the question I get asked the most at this time of year is “Why am I seeing more bugs in my house than any other time of year”?
So lets imagine that you are a bug and all of sudden it rains and I mean it rains hard. Your home becomes wet or flooded, you react by trying to go higher and that might be your home. You see the bug doesn’t know your house from a tree or a rock.
OR
It doesn’t rain and the bugs that you feed upon aren’t coming by your place, so you have to go out looking for food. That bug comes to your home and climbs and climbs just looking for food.
So if we can think like a bug, attack you where you live or hangout – then we stop you. If I was a bug this is where I would hangout and this is one area we treat.
“EPA pesticide bans threaten you and the economy” by Alan Caruba.
Not killing pests, insects and rodents, is a great way to put everyone’s health in jeopardy. New York City announced a new war in May against rats and will spend $600,000 to hire new inspectors to deal with an increased population. Lyme disease and West Nile Fever are just two of the diseases that require serious insect pest control. A wide variety of insects spread many diseases from Salmonella to Hantavirus. Termites do billions in property damage every year.
I’m a big believer in IPM or Integrated Pest Management – the use of all things in your toolbox before you get or have to use pesticide. There are many things out there that can kill you and all I’m saying is that we have to use common sense in our actions. Everyone touts these GREEN oils and products and if they all worked as well as pesticides I would think we as an industry would use them more and more. But the facts are not conclusive yet that they hold up as long or kill as efficiently as pesticides do. We are using more and more inside versus pesticide because we promote outside first and inside only as the last option.
Rant and rave post:
First off this story is out of Canada but could be taken right out of the news here in the US. “Homeowner wants city to cover the cost of termite inspections” and ultimately corrective procedure measures and the cost.
Here is my opinion: you own the house it is your responsibility – where and when did it become part of the Governments responsibility? Just this last week my truck windshield was hit by 2 rocks or stones in one day. I think the Government should reimburse me for the cost of replacing my windshield. It is their highway and they put the rocks on the side of the road. See the difference, oh wait there isn’t a difference – sh– happens folks and it is the cost of driving or owning a house.
Now with that said, I can see maybe the local extension office getting involved with opinions and advice but this clearly is the role of a homeowner. Come on people, the Government is too BIG as it is – where does it stop. Comments please.
Photo by PPMA
Every once in awhile somebody hits me with this statement, I can answer it with just a few short words:
Scorpions
and those other occasional pest like mosquitoes, flies and roaches….
The statistics are there if you want them. But as I have mentioned often, bugs have killed way more of us than anything else. As I have said numerous times you don’t always have to use pesticides. There are those that would say you never ever should use pesticides. There are times and a place for the use and sometimes it is just cost effective to do it plain and simple. IPM or Integrated Pest Management is the best way – it just makes you think about it in a way that makes complete sense. Use what you have by ways of home-sealing, door sweeps etc and if you must, then use some pesticide. (Always read and follow Labels, SDS and labeling use directions).
Recently the ticks have become unbelievable – sometimes just 100’s in a home. Just a few weeks ago Flagstaff had some issues at a camp – “Tick-borne disease temporally closes Flagstaff’s Camp Colton“. Maybe they should consider Tick Boxes TCS
I know there are those that think some type of oil will kill everything, they just don’t last and seldom work as a true pesticide does. But again I realize that not everyone will agree but do you have some opinions or facts I’m not aware of?
As a business owner I’m reminded frequently of customer service and the opportunity to lose or gain a customer. So here are a few questions I ask myself daily about service.
Does your technician have a clean uniform?
Is the vehicle clean?
If there was an appointment was he/she on time? Many times we perform outside only services this helps you to free up your time.
Does your technician ring the doorbell to let you know they are there? Do they ask if you’ve had any issues? Do they let you know they are done?
My favorite quote on customer service – If you don’t take of your customer someone else will. Do you have any horror stories about service companies?