Tick Season is here – protect yourself and your pets…
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We probably don’t realize what they do but we probably couldn’t live without them – the U.S. Custom and Border agents. Every day they intercept bugs and all kinds of things we don’t need in the U.S. “Custom and Border Protection intercept unwelcome pests“.
In fiscal year 2012 — from Oct. 1, 2011 until Sept. 20, 2012 — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and agriculture specialists in South Texas intercepted 13,553 pests. They also intercepted 22,518 quarantined animal materials and 100,338 quarantined plant materials, according to the agency.
Notice, that is just one border station and kind of scary when you really think about it. Arizona Game and Fish have an action plan in place for mussel movement on boats.
This is what happens when we don’t think!
How many times have you heard someone get tired of a pet and just discard it. Its a shame and really should be against the law, consider the pet and make a common sense decision. How long will it live, the larger cockatoos can live 30–70 years depending on the species or occasionally longer and Cockatiels can live for about 20 years and is that a commitment you have time for?
Well anyway back to the actual story for the home seal – 18 ft 8 inch Python (Associated Press) recently caught in Florida and weighed 128 pounds. This new Python exceeds the old one by an inch. The speculation is that during a hurricane a building was destroyed and the snakes got loose. But you hears stories similar to this frequently, sometimes even the giant alligator in the NYC sewers.
If you can no longer take care of the pet please do some homework there are usually shelters and rescue groups that will help. My best friends in Ohio take care of foster dogs and both of my dogs are rescues.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peace-and-Paws-Dog-Rescue/102601282167
https://www.facebook.com/SaveADog
Oh oh Demon dogs….
Were you aware that May is “National Pet Month”?
Lots of us own pets, from cats to snakes and because of this we can also from time to time get uninvited pests including ticks and other vermin. In Arizona we don’t get fleas very often but we do encounter ticks on a regular basis. So what can you do to stop those infestations from happening to your home.
- Don’t leave food out for feral cats, this may bring in other unwanted pests.
- If you see holes in the yard check for Pocket gophers, they can damage plants and bring in pests.
- Even birds like pigeons can bring in pests, don’t allow them them to live on your roof.
- Bats can make your attic a home, seal and block all access into your attic. Bat Bugs can take up residence within your attic and if you get rid of the bats, the Bat Bugs may come into your home space.
- Check your pets frequently for signs of fleas or ticks. You can use over the counter medicines but if you do please mention this to your Pest Management Professional – some of those products may contain a similar products and cause an overdose to the pet.
- Keep grass or vegetation trimmed around the home.
- Don’t become a hoarder, keep debris away from the home and discourage rodent activity.
- Never place firewood next to your home, don’t invite rodents or pests near the home. If you use firewood only bring in what you plan on using right away.
- If you have rodents, it may lead to snakes. Snakes have to eat so don’t encourage them to come to your house.
- Don’t allow water to stand, mosquitoes can bite and transit diseases and parasites to your pets.
Do you have an obsession?
Well by now most have seen the reality shows on TV “Strange Addication“or “Obsessed“and this story is no different. A guy in Rhode Island is addicted to eating bugs “Man addicated to the taste of bugs reveals he has eaten over 5000 insect species.”
I must admit that I probably would eat some bugs but just haven’t had the opportunity to try a lot of them yet.
So have you eaten any bugs yet, grasshoppers, crickets tell me about your experience?
Oh, Oh the Simpson’s get Bed Bugs…
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As always if you encounter these pesky little bugs, call ProBest right away – don’t use bug bombs and don’t spread Diatomaceous Earth like its snowing within the home.
Should you discontinue service if you don’t see bugs?
The one thing I can assure you, is that bugs can hide extremely well. They can hide in the smallest of cracks, under rocks, or just about any nook or cranny. Just because you don’t see them, they are there. The more harborage areas, that’s where they hang out during the heat of the day or the cold of night equals the possibility of hiding bugs.
So lets say you have crickets, well scorpions just love crickets so by continuing to eradicate the crickets means that the scorpions won’t have any food. The less food = less other predators. Less hiding areas = less predators.
So by continuing with a pest management plan = less bugs in general and the probability that you will continue to have less predators in place as well. The other issue in the southwest is the lack of real cold, enough to freeze or kill the bugs. This year as in the past year we haven’t had a real cold to kill off the bugs and that is going to mean bugs… and lots of them.
So I would keep the pest control going, less bugs = less bugs in your homes.
How often do you check your A/C filters?
I think most replacement filters suggest every 60 days, but I think a more appropriate answer is when they are dirty. The rest of the answer is how many contaminates are involved with your home? Do you have pets, do you live in an area where they have smog days and how many people live in your home? What about allergies, do you or someone living in your home have allergies? If you answered yes, then you should consider special filters that collect more contaminates. Dust mites, German Cockroaches and other pests can increase asthma conditions and should be prevented.
What are some ways to discourage insects trying to enter your home?
One of the things that Pest Management Professionals try to utilize are IPM or Integrated Pest Management techniques. These basic ideas include using non-chemical methods to reduce the bug population around your home.
- This can be as simple as removing firewood from close to your home to maybe next to a block wall and making sure its not directly on the ground.
- Trimming trees to prevent ants and other crawling pests from just walking right on it.
- Using yellow lighting or sodium vapor lights on structures or businesses will help to reduce flying insects.
- Keeping stone or dirt away from the stucco of your home so you can clearly see the foundation.
- Sealing up any cracks and crevices where bugs love to hide, this may include those block wall bump-outs.
- Keep trash cans away from doors where people come and go often.
- Check your property often and stay ahead of the insects.
If you store lots of firewood a device like this can keep it off the ground and you can always cover it with a tarp.
What are some of my favorite bug artwork that I own?
The scorpion was a gift for speaking in Mexico (my largest group ever over 500) from my friends Tere de and Eduardo Dessens, Tere saved my life by translating my talk on termites into Spanish and Eduardo used to work for FMC Mexico. The grasshopper I found while on one of my antique trips in Arizona. I’m always on the hunt for unique bug stuff.