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Fire-wood next to house is a No-No

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Fire-wood should never be against the house

I’m sure we have talked about fire-wood and the problems associated with it. But lets discuss the potential for all kinds of pests.

The photo below allows termites access by visually impairing the ability to see mud tubes.
When you bring the wood in, only bring in what you will use immediately.
Inspect the wood before hauling it in, pests like wood borers, rodents and wasp can over winter in it.
If you must store wood over the year, place it away from the house on a stackable device.

There are always options for storing wood, just use common sense.

Corner checks for termites

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Foundation corner may contain surprises

Corner and indents may hide termite activity and the jtrim may also have huge openings. It is important to check your slab and house at least monthly for unwanted pests activity. This may help to avert any potential long lasting problems. If you don’t check often you might allow a bee colony to take over. That can bee a sticky problem down the road.

I find that most people stack stuff against garage walls and this allows a termite issue to go on a very long time. For some reason I think the garage is the most overlooked and usually the last to be treated by termite companies. Don’t place wood or cellulose items on the garage expansion joint. I’ve found books, posters and antiques full of termite activity and ruined forever.

Tiny Termite House project

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Tiny Termite House – coming soon March 2018

Tiny Termite House – The Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA) commissioned a third-party group. Their plan is to research and build a real tiny version of a typical house. They hope to see how termites deal with structures and hopefully see it in real life.

The group is set to dump 500,000 Formosan termites into a custom, built-to-scale, miniature dream home and capture them at work utilizing a mix of high-definition video footage and photography. “This project is a really exciting one for our industry because we will be using sophisticated equipment to obtain never-before-seen footage of termites and glean more insight into the important roles that termite castes play in eating their way through homes,” said Cindy Mannes, executive director of PPMA. “The consumer education aspect of this project is huge. Our goal is to physically demonstrate the hidden dangers that these wood-destroying insects pose to consumers’ biggest investments, and hit home the importance of regular prevention and professional inspection.”

Stay tuned for Termite Awareness Week – March 11-17, 2018

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76ZjQM6lAKU[/embedyt]

Tubes and termites

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Tubes, tunnels, termites and damage

Tubes and tunnels – We get calls all the time on these lovely little creatures, termites can cause a lot of concern. But in Arizona they are more of a nuisance than damage causing scourge. Probably the lack of water has the greatest influence on them.

What area do we cover in Arizona – ProBest services include phoenix home pest control and commercial pest control. We are in the Phoenix and surrounding cities. Gilbert. Mesa. Chandler. Queen Creek. Apache Junction. Gold Canyon. Johnson Ranch. Buckeye. Avondale. Surprise. Sun City. Glendale. Peoria. Deer Valley. Scottsdale. Tempe. Maricopa. Casa Grande. Goodyear. El Mirage. Litchfield Park. Tolleson. Laveen. Carefree. Cave Creek. Fountain Hills. Paradise Valley. Youngtown. New River. Sun Lakes.

Tubes, tubes more tubes

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Tubes, yes Termite activity.

Tubes – those amazing termites in Arizona can build some unique are artful looking down tubes. OK maybe not your cup of tea but isn’t artistic, that is without all the damage they do. I have seen them in a garage that was over 5 feet in length, been there for some time. These little gals work 24/7/365, looking for wood and ready to chomp through the house.

Look for these telltale clues, tunnels on the foundation slab, marks that look like dirt tubes on the wall and those that hang down from the ceiling. Don’t Panic and yes it is time to call a Pest Management Professional. Most houses will eventually get them and if you see drill mark or previous treatment signs it usually doesn’t means that it’s a bad thing. I personally think it’s a good thing, the issue was found and handled. I would worry more about the house that was never treated and continued to be eaten away by termites.

By the way, in my opinion not a DIY (Do It Yourself) job. You need a true Professional, remember it’s not always about the equipment it’s about the KNOWLEDGE. You need an expert who has the knowledge, equipment and expertise to do a Professional job.

I suggest a monthly check of your home especially if you live in the southern U.S. Never hurts to check for termites, honeybees or anything that might later cause problems or issues.

Termite – you never know how they get in

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Oh the dreaded Termite –

Termite or not? So if you spot something funny looking, just unusual for your house – maybe it’s time for ProBest Pest Management to come to the rescue. Maybe you have seen dirt or sand on the sofa and wonder what could that be? Or a spot on the wall and when you scrape it away it comes back. Call us at 602-249-7378 or check out our website at www.callprobest.com

24/7/365 termite activity. you have to keep an eye out if you want to catch these gals at work? I can spot these tubes from the street but if you don’t so it everyday you may miss them. So I think it is a good thing to have a Pest Management Professional make a plan to inspect your home. In the South I recommend yearly or maybe every other year, but please have the house checked. They may spot a leak or wood damage and should bring it to your attention. Sometimes they follow a path made by humans and sometimes they don’t, just randomly foraging for food – your HOME.

Remember call a Professional especially QualityPro certified by the National Pest Management Association. “The Mark of Excellence in Pest Management”.

Sloppy work standards

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Sloppy work and no one should see.

You know nothing upsets me more that sloppy work, maybe I’m OCD but I just don’t like it is Professional or something I want my name associated with.

First off match the concrete, don’t just use white portland and hope it will look OK cause it won’t. Second use a sanding bar and knock off the edges, it will blend better and look a whole lot nicer. Not perfect but better, I use the saying “Would your Mother approve of it?” Knock down the old mud tubes and remove the stain, it only takes a few minutes and trust me everyone will be pleased.

That is how ProBest does their work, try to make it appear that we weren’t even there. Now we all know there is a hole and it will be noticeable just blend the best you can. Call ProBest to get a free termite quote and a job that will look good, you have my word on it. 602-249-7378 oh and I approve of this message.

Stain termite tube

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Stain from a termite tube

The stain stays after wiping it away, you must use soap and water and scrub. I often hear from customers that they found a small hole with what looks like dirt and that is exactly what a termite tube looks like. See the picture, there is a hole with a termite tube or old remnants. The tube was wiped away and all you have now is the stain. After treatment we usually remove the tube and any leftover marks if possible plus in this case the customer is going to paint. This is critical to the sale of a home, if you don’t get rid of the evidence the next Termite Inspection will note this and require an additional treatment. I also suggest repainting the floor or the foundation to make the holes blend in better, not to hide but make it more pleasing to the sight.

Call ProBest Pest Management today 602-249-7378

Monsoon and Termites

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Monsoon brings out the bugs

Well the monsoon has arrived and with all that rain comes the bugs. I usually say the bugs come in for 2 reasons, #1 not enough rain or #2 too much rain. Just like us the bugs need water, food and shelter and guess what that may be our home of business. Termites become more active this time of year mainly due to the increase of water, on the East Coast water is more abundant and they just seem to be active all year long. Termites create a tube in which to enter a home but that tube can often be hidden and that is the main reason to hire a Pest Management Professional to do that yearly inspection. If you live in the South I recommend a yearly inspection especially for your peace of mind.

All that water.

So when the ground becomes saturated the other bugs make for dryer land and sometimes that just happens to be your home or business. This picture below was from last week and you can see our parking lot is flooded. If this was your home this might be right up against your foundation. The more water and over time this may diminish your active termiticide.

Termite tubes and tunnels

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Building termite tubes and tunnels is hard work, but the termites do it 24/7/365 and I’m pretty sure not going to give it up soon. It really doesn’t matter what type of wall you have concrete, block or stone. They will work their way around electrical pipes or plumbing entry ways. They will stop at nothing to achieve their goals of getting food.

termite tubes

How about some termite facts?

Oldest insects on Earth.
Scientists believe that for every human on Earth there are 1000 lbs of termites.
A queen termite may lay 2000 or more eggs per day, some African Termite Queens may lay 30,0000.
Some Termite Queens may live 15-25 years.
Termites are more closely related to cockroaches than ants.
Termites build the largest actual nest than any other insect.
Ants are the termites biggest foes.
They believe that termites cause $5 billion worth of damage in the U.S. each year.
Ants have a narrow waist, but the termite is a solid type.
Ants have elbowed antenna while termites is straight.
In Arizona we have about 17 species of termites, not all cause problems.
Did you know that termites swarm, they send reproductives out to start new colonies. In Florida, East Coast it occurs during the early Spring while in Arizona it happens just after Monsoon in September – October or so.