All posts in “pests”

Do you know how bugs sneak into your home or business?

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Bark scorpion entering a building under a door

Dawn H. Gouge, Ph. D. University of Arizona MAC Experiment Station

Given the space or lack thereof – bugs will make their way into your home or business. Pests have adapted to us, just look at German Roaches they will use exploit our weaknesses and hitch a ride home to our kitchens or businesses.  Bed Bugs are very much the same, they will hide in luggage or shoes and boom they are in our house ready to feed off any family member they can find.

Home-sealing is by far the best way to keep out those pests. Caulking, door sweeps and fixing screens are an excellent way to keep pests out. IPM or Integrated Pest Management is the way to think when it comes to protecting your family.

IPM – Integrated Pest Management resources

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One of the biggest reasons that I home seal is to pass along education information – Knowledge is Power. This site is full of great information and can be used for all types of circumstances.

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What do you want to know by ProBest Pest Management!

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DrBugKVBdidyouknow1

Basic House fly facts:

  • Houseflies lived over 65 million years ago!
  • The easiest and simplest  way to keep flies out of your home is to keep things clean. Don’t leave food lying around, make sure you take out the trash every day and wipe up spilled messes right away.
  • They prefer corners and edges or thin objects to rest on. Indoors, they rest on floors, walls and ceilings during the day.
  • House flies are the most common of all flies and always found in the company of humans and are inactive at night.
  • Houseflies have no mouth but it has an eating tube through which it vomits a drop of fluid from its stomach and deposits it on its intended meal – GROSS. This fluid is then sucked up along with the nutrients it has dissolved, leaving behind untold numbers of germs.
  • Female houseflies can lay 2,500 eggs in just a month.
  • Adult houseflies can live 30 – 60 days.
  • Houseflies are a perfect host for all types of bacteria… proven carriers of such germs as gangrene, Typhoid, leprosy, tuberculosis, amoebic dysentery, bubonic plague, and listeria, just to name a few.

Some flies have stripes, why do Zebra’s have stripes?

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Blending in, right?

Some flies have stripes, is it to blend in. I really thought that it was to blend in but I was wrong. Looks like the reason for their stripes has to do with warding off insects. “Why do Zebra’s have stripes? To keep the bugs off.”

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flies PPMA

Have you seen those TV shows in the Arctic where the flying insects looked like there were zillions. The poor animals having to endure the biting and blood sucking pests. It is amazing to me to see that animals adapt to environments such as these. I have been camping many years ago and the mosquitoes would just drive you nuts, you couldn’t get away from them. I also remember canoeing down the Wekiva river and being attacked by deer flies and horseflies. Those bites really hurt. So it looks like all I had to do was paint myself black and white.

Emergency Bee Calls are up

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Emergency bee calls are up in the Valley, honeybees have no idea what is a good place and where is the bad place. This call was right about 2 electronic doors and every time the door opened some bees flew in. A unique situation because they had this super big lobby area and there were bees everywhere inside and they weren’t happy. Here are a few facts to remember about swarm bees:

  • Typically when they swarm they ingest lots of honey, usually they are more docile.
  • They are not defending an actual hive yet, so again a little more docile – doesn’t mean that they can’t get agitated.
  • Usually as warm lands and sends out scouts, once they find a suitable home they will usually leave.
  • Bees at a water fountain are just there for water, lone bees will not attack unless you mess with them.
  • If you are stung seek medical attention, especially if allergic. Call 911 or Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
  • Use caution as you are dealing with possibly dangerous insects.

 

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I’ve got zillions of these bugs, what are they?

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False Chinch Bugs

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False Chinch bugs are in the Order Hemiptera also known as “true bugs”. False Chinch bugs prefer plants in the Mustard family and especially like London Rocket: a yellow flowered mustard that is very common in our area. Even though they may feed on some landscape plants, False Chinch bugs rarely cause significant damage. Usually the mass migration lasts only one week at most. Prevent entry into houses by making sure screens on windows and patio doors are intact and sealing up other entryways. Homeowners can apply a pesticide around the perimeter of the house to keep the bugs out, but the best approach is to seal them out.

University of AZ – grant for $250,000 – Part 3

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cooperative-extension

 

I have been doing IPM since purchasing ProBest Pest Management in 2005 and this event sparked a thought concerning the old ways of pest control. How many remember when the Bug Guy aka Pest Management Professional sprayed inside baseboards, remember the buildup of wettable powder pesticide. I always thought this wasn’t good, pets and babies play on carpets and floors. The brochure of events brought this home with the following:

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a sensible, environmentally-friendly, and effective way to solve pest problems. Pests are managed by the most economical means and always with the least possible risk to people, property, and the environment.

Why IPM?

  • Common sense – uses simple methods to keep the school clean and maintained to prevent pests. Understand the pests and make them unwelcome.
  • More effective – uses multiple methods focusing on remedying the reasons why pests are there in the first place. Provides long-term solutions to many pest problems.
  • Lowers risk – reduces potential exposure to pests and pesticides.
  • Cost effective – pesticides are used only when needed. Many IPM tactics have long-term benefits.

University of AZ – grant for $250,000 – Part 2

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whatisipm

 How to do IPM?

  • Identify pests: not all creatures are pests. Proper identification helps you decide what to do about them.
  • Keep records: records give information about past pest problems, so you know when and where to look for them and what to do.
  • Keep pest away: maintain cleanness and deny food, water and shelter.
  • Non-chemical methods: managed pests by setting barriers, trapping, physical removal (by hand, vacuuming) or changing physical conditions (e.g. moisture, aeration) to make an area unfavorable for pests.
  • Use pesticides as the last resort: use least hazardous pesticides or application methods (self-contained baits, gels used as crack-and-crevice treatments, and exempt from U.S. EPA registration-25B). Use only if pests continue to be present and other methods are insufficient to manage the infestation. Regularly scheduled pesticide sprays are usually not necessary.

University of AZ – grant for $250,000 – Part 1

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whatisipm

 

I recently attended the EPA Big Check event at the Metro Tech High School in Phoenix to witness the grant of $250,000 to the University of Arizona. I recently home sealing “IPM – the way of the future, why don’t schools get this?“and again want to emphasize the benefits of IPM: This facility works this program to its fullest potential – Integrated pest management works inside & outside school buildings.

  • IPM reduces pest problems – this was very evident at Metro Tech as they support this to the highest degree.
  • IPM encourages the use of safer pesticides when needed.
  • IPM enhances the campus landscape and reduces plant and tree losses.
  • IPM creates a healthier campus for improved academic achievement & reduced absenteeism.
  • IPM can reduce athletic field injuries & pest-related asthma symptoms.
  • IPM is cost-effective.

This information was published as a program handout to the attendee’s and I thought would be valuable in spreading the news of IPM

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