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What do you want to know by ProBest Pest Management!

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Earwigs and the real facts:

I remember as a kid watching the Twilight Zone and being freaked out by the Episode 60 where the earwing gets inside somebodies ear. (Not sure this link will work for everybody – Hulu) – I was scared to death with this story. Then came star Trek with that giant weird looking earwig thing being put into Chekov’s ear.

Earwig received its name due to the myth the earwig would crawl into your ear if you slept on the ground.
Those weird looking things on their tail are used as weapons, against smaller insects.They are practically harmless to humans.
Noctural, hunting at night.
Eat both live and dead plant material and insects.
There is no real evidence that they transmit disease or harm humans or animals, despite their nickname pincher bug.
Earwigs also have two penises! Both are larger than it’s body and if it needs the second one just in case one of them snaps off!

DIY yourself and the many GREEN products, do they work?

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DIY or Do It Yourself products and your ability to attack the unknown enemy – bugs. The article “Essential Oils fail at killing BedBugs” puts the light on those “natural products.

I have said it numerous times, those “GREEN” products might work at the moment they are sprayed but generally they don’t have a residual which is essential to the long-term effect of something like BedBugs. If you can see the bug it may work fine if you spray them directly but there is NO long term effect.

Bedbug nymphs by PPMA

New hotel design inspired by bugs

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National Geographic photographer Ingo Arndt‘s new book Animal Architecture shows how animals and insects from around the world build intricate structures from nature’s raw materials.

I love when people are inspired by insects or animals in general and this book takes a look at that angle. I think that termite mounds are a perfect example of this, it allows air flow including heat and built in air conditioning. I’m going to purchase the book and see what else is building their way into the future.

Elm Sawfly photo by PPMA

mud dauber wasp not termites

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Mud dauber wasp

Mud dauber wasp – Every once in a while we get a call from someone thinking they have termites. The picture is a mud dauber wasp, the female constructs this nest out of dirt. Shen then paralyzes a few spiders and deposits an egg within – providing lunch for her offspring. Mud daubers don’t generally sting or defend their nest but that isn’t a reason to harass them because they can sting if provoked. You might find them collecting water to help build their nest.

Just wait for the baby wasp to hatch out or use a shovel to dislodge the mud nest.

Spiders and fear, what is it all about?

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You know that I’m not a big fan of spiders, maybe the reason I got into the pest control or bug business. Some researchers in the UK explained why we might be hard wired to fear them. “Why do spiders scare us so much? Just for the record he states in his article that “a few spiders in the UK are poisonous” while in fact he should have said venomous.

The real point is how the toxin is delivered. Venom must be delivered through a bite, sting or puncture while a poison could be the entire body or parts of the body.

So don’t just pick up a bug if you don’t know what it is. Several bugs look nice but may contain some sneaky parts or secretions that might you sick.

So lets have a little test here – Paper wasp – Poisonous or Venomous?

Honey is good for the soul, Honeybees are busy for us.

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We finally found a local honey producer, so we can finally sell honey at our little Contract US Post Office and pest management office.

1 lb Pure Raw Arizona Honey $8.95 – Wildflower and Mesquite

1 lb Pure Raw Arizona Honey $9.75 – Orange

We also have an option to sell pollen, but it will be refrigerated as it comes wet. 1 lb at $17.75

What do you want to know by ProBest Pest Management!

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What do you know about daddy-long-leg spiders?

Remember the story about Daddy-Long-legs being extremely venomous. For true daddy-long-legs, the opilionids, the myth is certainly false, and for the daddy-long-legs spiders it is certainly not based on known facts. I found a site that has all the facts UCR Spider Site.
In fact, the Daddy Longlegs is not technically a spider, although it is an arachnid.
They are among the most widely found spiders in any household.
Most spiders mate by use of pedipalps but this one has a penis, which makes it different from spiders.
Though they prefer to live in damp climates, they can survive in deserts as well.
Commonly known as cellar spiders or harvestman.

Why is it important to keep out the bugs and rats?

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From almost the dawn of man, rodents and bugs have been trying to stay close to us. Why you ask, I think the main reason is that we tend to want to stay dry and we collect things like food. Animals, bugs and us want the same things:

Food
Water
Shelter

So when we moved into caves, they followed. When we moved into houses, they followed. So as we became smarter so did they. Bed Bugs probably were Bat Bugs to begin with, they moved into caves because we did. When we moved into houses they followed.

With that movement came pest control, OK a version of it somewhat. When early man found Bat Bugs they might have thought of moving or washing the antelope skin they were sleeping on. Da da pest control, we might never really know who was the first to step on a bug but Pest Control it is!

Photo by PPMA

What is the BIG question for this time of year?

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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.

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.

Why am I seeing mosquitoes in Arizona?

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I have noticed lately especially after the rains that we have had numerous calls about flying biting mosquitoes. With all the monsoon rains, a lot of the things that hold water have had the chance to really set things in motion for the issues with biting pests.

Water can accumulate in any container that can hold water, fountains that aren’t working and any indention in the ground. So again I will mention surveying your property monthly or at the very least when the rains occur.

Remember the 3 things that most living things need:

Food
Shelter
Water

Some mosquitoes are well suited for inhabiting local areas but some can travel up to mile just to feed. So tip over those devices that can hold water, don’t forget saucers for planters.

Photo by PPMA