Have you seen one of these? Termite tube.

 
Termite tube on block wall.

Termite tube on block wall.

 

Termites build these tubes for several reasons, to protect them from air and sunlight and to protect them predators. They go in search for wood and when they find it they let the others know where the food is. Termites work 24/7/365 and even in the case above they might think they are heading for wood, they won’t find any here so eventually they will give up and move along.

Termites are small about 1/4 inch but it’s their numbers that make the difference, here in Arizona probably between 100,000 and 250,000 all working towards the goal of feeding everyone.

So keep a look outand if you see anything like this please give ProBest Pest Management a call at 480-831-9328

Is colder weather coming soon and will it bring in the rodents?

 

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A hole the size of a quarter for a rat and a hole the size of a dime for a mouse, that’s all it takes for them to make it inside your home or business. Have you walked around your home and made an inspection for rodents of bugs? Most people probably don’t think about pests until they are in the home. Then it becomes a crisis, so let’s all take a few minutes to make our inspections or hire a Pest Management Professional.

 

I have a great offer, send an email to DrBug@callprobest.com for your free E copy of “Ten Tips to keep the bugs out”

Scorpion artwork, what do you think?

 

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So here is the BIG question, are we going to have a cold snap cold enough to freeze the scorpions? Over the last few years we just haven’t had the extreme cold needed to kill them. So this adds to the pressure around your home and if it doesn’t get cold enough none of the prey bugs will die and that gives the scorpions plenty of food.

So what do you do to prevent them from getting into your home?

  1. Home-seal your house and we are running a special $4 a lineal foot compared to our previous pricing of $6 a foot,
  2. Pest control to keep their food from going populating crazy.
  3. Keep harborage areas where they hide down to the lowest possible numbers.
  4. As always if you have any questions send us a note at DrBug@callprobest.com

Save $2 per lineal foot home-seal

For a typical home of 150 Lineal feet your price would be $600 instead of $900 – a savings of $300! One of our professionals will examine the outside of your home, provide written recommendations and estimate for their findings and then caulk all the gaps around the outside of your house where your foundation stem wall meets your stuccoed walls (J-trim) including backer rods if required. Also included is a check for exterior holes filling them with copper wool and caulking or cement as appropriate. Call us today at 480-831-9328
Expires on:  12/31/2016
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What’s up with the termites in AZ?

 

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Well it’s that time of year again, monsoon and we know what that brings? Yep, its the termites and the bugs and their back. This was found in a bath-trap area under a bathtub. You really have to think about and I often say you have to think like a termite. All they want is food, a good place to hang-out and water – hey that sounds like me. In this case we found termites in a door frame and it didn’t look like they were coming in from the outside foundation. With just a little investigation we located them under the bath-tub in the bath-trap and as I mentioned you have to really think like them.

 

Below, another tube coming from an interior door way – probably a crack under carpet.

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Happy Labor Day

You never know what may be hanging out?

 
Rustic Sphinx moth

Rustic Sphinx moth

 

Just hanging out on a tree nearby a home, this moth is home is warm climates. Caterpillars are known as hornworms and the adults may resemble hummingbirds due to their size. Can be found throughout the south as far as Argentina. The adults frequent deep-throated flowers, similar to that which hummingbirds visit.

The problem didn’t occur in a day, the solution can’t happen in 1 day either?

 

I know, I know you hate rodents or bugs and you want them out of your home or business today. The problem is, it isn’t going to happen! Those bugs or rodents had some time to reproduce and gain numbers. In the same way the Pest Management Professional is going to need some time to eradicate the problem. So let’s look at a few issues:

German Cockroaches – You bring in one box from a grocery store and one lone female sneaks into your kitchen. Oh and guess what? She is pregnant and in just a few days she releases an egg case, 30 little baby cockroaches and all ready to make babies in 100 days. A German Cockroach and her babies can produce 300,000+ roaches in a year.

Mice – a pair of mice can produce more than 300 offspring.

Rats – a pair of rats may produce 1,500 to 2,000 babies.

 

If the pest infestation goes unchecked, you might be dealing with 1000’s and no matter what it is going to take some time, period. I truly understand the concern and we will work as hard as ever to get that population down quickly, but don’t expect it tomorrow.

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Where are those mosquitoes hiding?

 

With all the debate going on about Zika virus, maybe we need to figure out where they are breeding. I have seen beer bottles with an inch of water holding up to 25 wiggler mosquitoes, so anything with standing water tends to be the culprit.

So first off walk around the house see if there is anything holding water – pour it out.

Check drip or flood irrigation.

Don’t just look down, check gutters as well.