All posts in “bugs”

Roachy

Roachy the Official spokesbug

Monsoon rain & dust

Monsoon rain & dust will start soon and we all know what that will bring? Termites and more bugs including more mosquitoes and flies. It’s time to store your outdoor equipment before the winds grab it. Check your windows for gaps and repair, keeps the Monsoon rain & dust out. What should you do, now to avoid the mess. Remember the Boy Scout motto “Be Prepared”.

  1. Check your yard for containers that may hold water.
  2. Fill in potholes that may hold water.
  3. Double check drip irrigation and flood irrigation for issues.
  4. Clean gutters.
  5. Repair screens, make sure they are in place.
  6. Check door sweeps and gaskets.
  7. Remember stagnant water is the enemy, flowing water good.
  8. Best time to treat for mosquitoes is when they are in the water.

Sewer Gas

SEWER GAS REALLY STINKS for property managers, facility engineers, Realtors and business owners because it:

  • Smells bad,
    • Bad smells = lost revenue from failed home sales, new leases and lease renewals
    • Smells Bad = lost revenue due to bad social media reviews from customers
    • Bad smells = lost revenue from time wasted fielding complaints by staff and customers alike
  • Irritates mucousa of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs,
    • Irritated mucosal membranes = Lost revenue from absenteeism and presentism due to infirm staff with headaches, eye irritation, sneezing, coughing and general malaise
  • Corrodes metal,
    • Corroded metal = malfunctioning smoke alarms and fire panels
    • Metals Corrode = Reduces lifespans for electronics like computers and televisions
    • Corroded metal = displeasing aesthetics for building finishes and contents
  • Is combustible,
    • Build-up of combustible gasses can lead to fires and explosions and the associated loss of life and property.
  • Smells like the additive to natural gas,
    • Methyl mercaptan from sewers in the living space = false claims of a natural gas leak, unnecessary building evacuations and eventually a “cry wolf” culture, where people will not take an actual natural gas leak seriously.
  • Means there’s unrestricted access for sewer critters,
    • Dry traps = unhindered access to the living space for cockroaches, sewer flies, etc.
  • and more.

Simple dry plumbing traps are the #1 cause of sewer gas infiltration.  

You could always avoid this issue by manually fill up traps with water every week. Or, you can say goodbye to dry plumbing traps and sewer gas infiltration for months by saying hello to patent pending SEWER GAS SOLUTIONS ™. Visit www.SewerGasSolutions.com to learn more or to place an order today.

Our Sewer Gas Solutions ™ patent pending evaporation barrier product is intended specifically for use in unused or underused plumbing drains traps.  Fill the trap with water, pour our product in a quantity to completely cover the surface of the water, forget about that trap for 3-6 months (please don’t leave your buildings unattended for 3 months or more, because all sorts of other issues can occur).  (Snowbirds) Then, when the happy buyer/tenant moves in, they can start using the sink or toilet and other fixtures as normal and our product will eventually flush through.

Below are the product highlights. 

  • Say goodbye to dry plumbing traps & sewer gas infiltration by saying hello SEWER GAS SOLUTIONS (TM).
    • PU Productions was founded by two industry-leading scientists, a chemist, Paul V. Anderson and an environmental scientist, Derrick A. Denis, with nearly half a century of combined experience in indoor environmental quality (IEQ) investigations and testing.
    • After investigating thousands of complaints ranging from odors and headaches to perceived natural gas leaks and damaged building materials, the problem became crystal clear.
    • Evaporated plumbing traps and the resulting sewer gas infiltration are a common and costly bane to building occupants, managers and owners.
    • We dedicated ourselves to creating a simple-to-use and cost-effective solution to this problem.
    • Sewer Gas Solutions (TM) patent pending evaporation–inhibiting product is the result of over 5 years of research and development.
    • It provides an inexpensive, long-lasting and easy-to-use method to prevent trap water evaporation in commercial, residential and industrial plumbing traps including sinks, floor drains, tubs, showers, toilets and the like.
    • It is Green. It is compounded with Certified Organic ingredients and Natural Botanicals.  By preventing the need for trap primers or excessive trap filling, it saves water. 
    • It is not hazardous. The ingredients are used in foods, food processing, cosmetics, medicines and more. You could drink it without lasting ill effects (although this would result in loose stool). You could rub it on your skin and you would be moisturized and smell fragrant (but this is NOT RECOMENDED, as it is not the product intention).
    • Sewer Gas Solutions™:
      • Won’t damage pipes,
      • Won’t congeal into a pipe blocking mess,
      • Won’t cross react with common products that get poured in the drain (bleach, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, etc.),
      • Won’t grow bacterial and mold,
      • Won’t attract pests (in fact it inhibits them primarily by keeping the water in the trap that blocks them),
      • Works at normal Earth temperature ranges (Phoenix hot to Pinetop cold), 
    • It is easy to use and saves you money. Fill your trap with water, add some product, forget about that trap drying out for months. 
      • No more manually filling every week.
      • No more trap primer woes.
      • No more costly installations of valves or plugs that either get stuck closed and result in flooding when the water comes on or get stuck open and do no good at all.
      • AC on or off, vacant or occupied, summer or winter, Sewer Gas Solutions (TM) patent pending evaporation–inhibiting product is proven to work.
    • Visit www.SewerGasSolutions.com to learn more.
Cricket poo

Cricket poo

Cricket poo often is confused by a lay person as termite damage or frass. Cricket feces is black odd shaped star looking almost ripped edges. Termite feces is used with tunnel making or with Drywood termites hard shell ribbed edges. Subterranean termites mix the dirt and poo together in the building of the termite tubes and/or tunnels.

The Art of Pest Management is with the knowledge and what and how pest occur, that by the way is why you pay me. Because I KNOW. I continually run into people that say the previous person said this and that is wrong. They might say its bed bug and I go and its springtails or even ticks. That’s another treatment protocol and generally a lot less money.

$1000 phone

$1000 phone

RANT!

You know what gets my goat? The pricing ($1000 phone) of the newest technology and the pricing of termite work. People are willing to spend $1000 but are shocked by the cost of termite work. There was a report in Florida that compared pricing in 1937 compared to today. A treatment in 1930 cost something like $327 would compare to over $1500 today. Everyday I battle the low price companies, and you get what you pay for. I guess there are companies willing to do it cheap, but we do quality work and stand behind it. We have always tried to do the right thing, it helps me sleep at night.

So think about this when you compare 4-5 hours of work, usually 2 people trenching and applying termiticide. Are you willing to gamble your single biggest investment to a cheap price? Is it going to be done according to Label? What chemical and % is to be used. Are they doing a complete exterior? Is there a warranty and have you checked their reviews (don’t trust them all, but compare and see what they did to fix it)? $1000 phone or technology?

$1000 phone

 

Entering bugs

Entering bugs like scorpions, roaches and whatever else can enter.

Entering termites, scorpions et all. Termites can make their way through the smallest of a crack or hole. Scorpions can enter under a door, or a  crack under a window or fireplace. Home-sealing is the absolute best method to keep them out, second to that is pest control and third is black lighting your property frequently.

One call to do it all, 480-831-9328 ProBest Pest Management. Sounds like ProBest could be in the wizardry world, nope nothing magical we just know our business. We train often, we read and attend seminars to be up to date on new products. What makes us different is our knowledge – 2 staffers who are A.C.E. Associate Certified Entomologists.

Entering

 

Expert

Expert

Expert: In my days of traveling to give presentations to pest control technicians across the world, I ran into all kinds. The one thing that always got me, if you traveled to speak you were the expert. The biggest audience was in Mexico with over 500 attendee’s. And it had to be translated because you know who couldn’t speak Spanish. I really enjoyed the comradery and since I had hands on experience it was easy to relate to me and my talks.

Expert

ProBest Expert

I want to share another feature/benefit of ProBest Pest Management, there is this site for Pest Control people across the world. They can go there to ask questions, ask for help in identifying other bugs and ask questions on day to day operations. It’s a cool, informative site. I like it because one of my technicians is a member and an (A.C.E.)  Associate Certified Entomologist and he is constantly helping people on this site. Makes me proud to have him onboard as a supervisor and resident expert on bugs.

There are a lot of bugs out there and by the way they weigh more than all of us, so be careful. #1 bug threat to man = mosquitoes and #2 probably fleas. So the world needs the Public Health expert to stand against the bugs. Bugs come in many sizes, shapes and nastiness, so bee careful and let the Expert just do it for you.

It’s not the appliance but the hole that lets in the critters.

The appliance and the hole.

The appliance and your home. It’s the hole that affects the entry of the pests. Often the wall socket is surrounded by the cover but may still allow pests. The cover may fit tightly but the technique is to fill in that gap with caulking. By sealing the outside, you stop the pests outside. But if there is a gap and they encounter it they may get in. Home-sealing is still the best option and helps to add one more line of defense against the possible invasion of pests.

Home-sealing eliminates the holes or crack that scorpions, ants and spiders may take into your home. You can do your own sealing or hire a professional company to do it. It is better to be done in the winter if you you-re doing it as it HOT and messy. You can do the inside any ole time and its easy enough to do, pull the cover down or off and caulk.

appliance

BMP – Best Management Practices

BMP – Best Management Practices

Pest Control, Termite or Weed treatment

BMP’s or Best Management Practices.

NPMA or the National Pest Management Association sets the standard for these practices.

  1. Always deal with a qualified and licensed company.
  2. Evaluate pest companies especially those members of NPMA and State AZPPO (Arizona Pest Professional Organization).
  3. Experience.
  4. Consider QualityPro companies.
  5. Ask friends, family and neighbors.
  6. Get bids.
  7. Don’t rush your decision, seek out family and other people who may have dealt with this issue.
  8. Understand any paperwork.
  9. Do they have current liability insurance.
  10. Examine and understand the guarantee.
  11. Buy VALUE not PRICE.
  12. You can call and seek opinions from AZ Office of Pest Management www.azda.gov

BMP

These of course are suggestions and you can add additional items relative to your issues. It is always wise to consider input from friends, families and neighbors. Don’t always trust stuff you find on the internet – half the time that stuff is just false or fake news. I think the biggest issue with me is price versus value, price can reflect low cost chemical, shoddy work and improper methods of treatment. Check with the Better Business Bureau, many companies are accredited through them – such as ProBest Pest Management 480-831-9328.

You may also contact us if you have questions on identification, harborage areas and what they may feed on. Send a photo to [email protected]

We here at ProBest want to help you make a great informed decision. Please feel free to contact us.

 

ProBest name change

ProBest name change

ProBest name change. So I’m sure everyone has heard about this certain company that recently told everyone they were changing their name. It was all a publicity stunt to grab attention to their name and the fact that they more than pancakes. It was a great idea and we all know that they have burgers now. Names can tell what the company does and its even important in our line of work. So with that in mind:

Interstate House of Pests or Interstate House of Bugs —- names changed to prevent me from being sued? So what do you think? “I don’t care what you call me, as long as you call me” 480-831-9328 — ProBest name change —

ProBest name change

Remember we handle a plethora of bugs and pests, scorpions, ants, bees, rodents and termites and a lot more. We LOVE helping people and businesses and we offer value and we are accredited with the BBB. We are also a QualityPro company since 2005, earned by less than 3% of companies in the United States, the QualityPro designation demonstrates a commitment to excellence and provides consumers with an easy way to identify and be confident in their selection of a quality pest management provider from the National Pest Management Association.

I’m just kidding and I like the name ProBest Pest Management, so no name change but spread the word…

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