All posts in “pests”

Arizona Brown Spiders

Arizona Brown Spiders

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Arizona Brown Spiders

So I’m sure everyone has heard of the Brown Recluse or Arizona Brown Spiders. If you look at maps Recluse live in a bell curve from Texas straight up through almost to Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Check out the map from Entomology Today

As you see we do have a species that lives here in Arizona, called Arizonica, Genus Loxosceles. As with spiders in general, the more you know the more informed you will be. Wear gloves if working in sheds, garages and outside. Many people believe they are bitten and identify it as a spider bite. Here are some myths about Brown Recluse spiders:

  • The common name Brown Recluse spider belongs to ONE species residing in central Midwest. This info is from University of Riverside. I love this article, check out the bottom disclaimer.
  • Not all recluse spiders are brown, some are gray, dark brown or even whitish.
  • People think the spider is poisonous, while actually they are venomous.
  • Brown recluse will attack you, nope a myth – they tend to avoid people.
  • Spiders in general try to get into homes, I don’t think they have a clue. They are just looking to get out of the open, an closed door is just a barrier. So having door seals, closed screens and cracks sealed are all good exclusion techniques.

 

Nasty Restaurants

Nasty Restaurants

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Nasty Restaurants

Nasty Restaurants and how do you tell how bad it might be? I usually run into the bathrooms, if it is nasty, generally speaking I’m out. If they can’t keep their bathrooms clean, then I’m positive their kitchen is a mess. I love those kitchens which are visible, if you can peak in that is a great thing.

Restaurants and cleaning:

  • Everyday someone should be cleaning.

  • Each day certain areas should be cleaned, areas not used daily should be rotated cleaned. 

  • There should be charts with duties and persons assigned.

  • Managers should check cleanliness daily. 

  • Degreasers and heavy duty equipment may be needed, and supplied so the staff can adequately perform their duties. 

 

I have been to a ton of restaurants and I have tuned down quite a few. I can’t do my job, if the grease is thick my product will never do the job. Now lets talk about cockroaches, German Cockroaches come in on the folds of food boxes. Once a stowaway enters the property there is almost a 0% chance of the owner/manager/staff fighting the situation. You need a Professional, because you need the right equipment and the right products with the knowledge. A single female roach can set in motion a infestation that can grow quickly. 

 

 

Spiders

Spiders

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Spiders

Wolf spiders are one of the fastest spiders, at least from my point of view. These arachnids have excellent eyesight and hunt down their prey. They don’t build webs and hunt alone. I have seen some about 2 inches, which is big enough for me. I’m not a BIG fan of spiders in general. These spiders are hairy and when their young are born they climb up on Mom’s back until old enough to fend for themselves. There are about 124 species of Wolf Spiders in the US and range in color from brown to black. They are venomous and usually use the venom to attack their prey, they can bite humans if they feel threatened and may react if squeezed or mishandled. So please wear gloves gardening and working in sheds and garages. Remember spiders eats lot of bugs and are considered good.

So what do you so to prevent running into them:

  • Keep the clutter down, interior and exterior.
  • All screens should be in place.
  • Keep doors sweeps in place, and closed.
  • If you store boxes in attics, open them outside or in garages.
  • Keep bushes, plants away from house.
  • Trees should not touch the house.
  • Cut down on lighting, but if you must have lights use yellow bulbs. This will keep the prey at bay.
Escaped Scorpion

Escaped Scorpion

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Escaped Scorpion

 

Somebody is running for their life, escaped scorpion wanted Dead or Alive but mostly dead please. ProBest occasionally chases up a scorpion or two in our treatment regime. Usually they hide under rocks or in crevices or block walls. So once again don’t put your hands when you can’t see where you are putting them. If you are cleaning the garage or a shed, please wear gloves and be careful.

Its always great to pay extreme attention to the task at hand. Where do they hide you ask?

  1. And crack or hideaway in the house or shed.
  2. Block walls (that’s why we dust those things).
  3. Dark places, so. don’t leave shoes outside or on the floor.
  4. Attics.
  5. Garages.
  6. Under rocks and things in yards. I often see roof tiles outside. Place them against block walls not the house.
  7. Places that hold heat at night.

Things that help

Black-lighting, consistent pest control and sealing up your home – these 3 things can ultimately reduce numbers and protect the home. Your family and loved ones can have peace of mind regarding these stingers. Remember they are venomous – things that sting or bite, poisonous is like poison ivy or things that if you eat it, it could kill you. Don’t walk around in bare feet, wear shoes.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes

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Mosquitoes are back and can be a real pain in the bod. Not on my list of favorite bugs but I guess they have a purpose. Not exactly sure what it might be but everything in its place. Annoying but they kill about 1 million people per year. Screens probably reduce the numbers to houses more than any other device.  How about a few facts:

  1. Only the females bite. OK they suck…
  2. Listed as the deadliest animal on earth, from Malaria to Zika virus.
  3. Been on this planet for about 210 million years.
  4. All mosquitoes water to survive, not a lot but just enough to lays eggs. Limit water sources and you limit mosquitoes. Unless your neighbors don’t care.
  5. What is the best time to kill them, in their larval stage? Kill them in the water where they can’t fly away.
  6. Mosquito in Spanish means “little fly”.
  7. I’ve read that mosquitoes prefer beer drinkers.
  8. That little bump you get on your skin is actually from their saliva.
  9. To avoid them completely you must stop breathing (CO2), get rid of body odor and your body heat, and stop moving. Ha try that….
  10. Worldwide 2700 species and in the USA only 176 species.

 

Roaches

Roaches

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Roaches

Not my favorite bug, Flies are the worst but roaches and their messiness are just disgusting.  German Roaches come inside your home via boxes, they hang tight until they get into your homes from warehouses that contain food stuffs. Then when you leas expect them, they come out to set up shop at your place. So here are a few facts:

  1. They prefer to hide in boxes and are brought into homes.
  2. They are always inside homes, unless lost (OK I’m guessing on that) but they are not an outside bug.
  3. They will eat anything.
  4. They are difficult to get rid of, breed like crazy.
  5. They lay an egg-case with about 30 little eggs inside.
  6. They are a tan color and they have little black stripes on the head.

What to do to keep them out?

1. When bringing home groceries, take product out of the box and put in Tupperware.

2. You can freeze the box, that would kill anything inside. Then put in Tupperware.

3. If you notice one, call a Professional ASAP. Notice #4 above. Oh and don’t use aerosol bombs, those things have their place but often pushes them deeper into cracks and crevices.

4. If you store stuff in garage, don’t use plastic – mice can get into them.

 

 

 

Asian Hornet Update

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Asian Hornet Update

Thank you to Washington State Department of Agriculture for allowing us the use of the info graphic picture. The State of Washington has really been right on top of this issue. Asian Hornet Update: A colony of Asian Hornet can decimate a Honeybee colony in hours, killing the worker and devouring the brood.

This Asian Hornet is often referred to as the Japanese giant hornet. It is the largest hornet and is native to East and South Asia. They prefer to live in low mountains and forests. There are often multiple Queens and workers do not reproduce.

In August 2019, several Queens were found in in Vancouver and June 2020 several were found in Washington State.  They fly around looking for Honeybee hives, if they locate one they will return home to bring more Hornets, They are meat eaters and will completely destroy a hive of Honeybees. A single hornet can kill 40 or more bees in a just 1 minute.

Washington State has done an excellent job or notifying and setting commercial traps and monitors. Its all about monitoring and getting the jump on these gals. Better safe than sorry. They are not in Arizona yet, but if they get by Washington State they will continue South. Knowledge is important, so we want everyone to be aware. Asian Hornet Update: Much like the early days of Africanized bees, most everyone in the Southern States are now familiar to them and are constantly  alert.

If you encounter any please notify the State Agency where you are located, Arizona has the Arizona Department of Agriculture.

As always you may contact ProBest Pest Management 480-831-9328 or 623-414-0176 or email [email protected] for any questions or ID of any pest.

Block Walls

Block walls

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Block walls

Block Walls can harbor a variety of bugs, especially scorpions and their food. So treating the block walls inside and outside is essential to making them dead. The art od pest control is to manage the bugs so they die before they get to your home or business. So how do we treat?

  1. Arrive at your door and ask any questions about activity?
  2. Using our webber broom we knock down webs and look up to see anything at the roofline. Check your property for other signs.
  3. We don’t generally use spray tanks, overkill of pest and any good bugs. We use backpacks, to target specific areas that bugs hide or harborage in. We do use spray tanks for ticks because they like to climb up weeds and bushes.
  4. We then check the property for any ant mounds and treat each mound.
  5. We then dust those block walls, with DE and/or Delta Dust. Some companies use a foam device to foam those areas. I’m not sure that it works any better, but we use dust every visit.
  6. If you’re home we will check in and leave you with a service ticket or email you one. Of course we will Thank you.

So consider a service by the Leader in Phoenix Pest Management – we use technology to prevent the bugs from getting to you. 623-414-0176 or 480-831-9328

unique bugs

Vinegaroons

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Vinegaroons

It is amazing to me to find insects that are so weird but useful to the environment. Vinegaroons rarely ever bite people, usually only biting people when they feel threatened. Vinegaroon bites, are not poisonous, but can still be quite painful, especially due to the acidic spray released by this spider. They are classified in their own unique order arachnid which includes ticks, scorpions and spiders. They tend to freak people out due to their often strange appearance and claw-like appendages. People call them whipscorpions, solifugids, sun or wind scorpions  and spiders but weird looking is the common name.

 

They hunt at night are carnivorous and emerge from holes to look for prey, which is crickets, earwigs, millipedes, cockroaches and other small things. I find them often in water meter, electrical boxes and damp areas. You can find them under tree bark, rocks and debris in yards. They get to be about 3 and 1/2 inches long, generally black and live about 4 years. Their lifecycle is about 4-7 years and pretty much live a solidary life. They also inhabit the areas of North America like Arizona and Mexico. They have eyes but their vision is limited.

As always please wear gloves when doing any yard work or garage work. Don’t collect stuff in piles in the yard and of course don’t stack stuff against the home or business.

Alleyways

Alleyways

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Alleyways

Alleyways, side streets all pose a risk of trash buildup, which allows all kinds of scavengers a chance to feed. Birds, opossums, raccoons, rodents and feral animals will somehow always find a way to get the food. Pests including cockroaches, flies, earwigs and ants will find the food and carry it away. All in all its better to keep the areas clean, but we know our neighbors, right? We also know that all of these pest pose a significant threat to the Public Health, they carry disease and other pathogens. These  pathogens can cause stomach issues and affect us in many ways. Don’t get me started on flies, yuuuuuck. One minute in the garbage the next on your steak – throwing up and licking it up. Did I mention yuuuuuuuck. Even in the winter here, those bins can be nasty.

So what can we do?

  • Keep those areas clean, clean them frequently. Even if your not in an alleyway, keep it clean.
  • Keep the garbage lids down.
  • Recycle what you can, food can go into earth type recyclable bins and later into gardens.
  • I suggest bagging it, they have recyclable bags as well.
  • There are products like fly bags (they smell but if in alleyway its better) there are baits and things you can use near the trash sites.
  • Remember that fly can be in your house super fast, while it might take a few hours for the roach to make it there.
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